No Closure, No Forgiveness

by Pawan Verma

  The federal agent rummaged through his desk and file cabinets for the necessary paperwork. He spent a few minutes filling out a form and typing something on his keyboard. He whistled while he spoke, his face bright and chipper. He was the happiest law enforcement official Jessica had ever seen. His office was extremely neat, maybe even obsessively so. The walls were bare and the paint looked as if it were being reapplied every other day.

  “Okay, so let’s get to the good news first Jessica. Is it okay if I call you by your first name?”

  “Of course. Can I do the same?”

  “Sure you can call me Fred.”

  “Then we’re all set.”

  “Good. Your career at Baltimore City Homicide isn’t over by the way.”

  “Somehow I seriously doubt that. I’ve made a lot of terrible mistakes.”

  “We know Jessica. Both your squad and the Bureau have allowed you to make those mistakes. In some cases, we even set you up to make them. I was just testing you yesterday.”

  Jessica frowned. The agent was singing a completely different tune than he had last night.

  “Why would my Lieutenant and the rest of the division knowingly allow me to make the bad choices I made? she asked.

  “Because the Bureau needs your help, Miss Galloway. We need someone undercover to take on the Brenner case. Preferably someone who isn’t afraid of thinking outside the box, if you know what I mean.”

  For the first time in what seemed like years, a smile crossed Jessica’s face. The agent had her full attention now and she had reason to expect he was lying to her.

  “You never told me about Patrick Brenner. He’s a primary suspect in his wife’s murder. What else has he done?”

  “We suspect him in four bank robberies, the most recent being the one you may have heard about.”

  Jessica was shocked to hear the news. “You mean that big bank downtown, the one that got hit for almost a million?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Jessica found it incredulous that the experiences she’d had throughout the week were so linked to one another. She’d been listening to the radio with Irene when news of the robbery was first reported. It had been only moments before Irene was gunned down.

  “He’s never killed before, not that we know of,” Fred continued. “The downtown robbery didn’t seem to fit his profile. But even if we can’t get him for robbery, we can sure get him for murder. What do you say?”

  “Well, of course I’m in. One quick question. There’s this doctor—

  “She’s just a doctor who happened to treat Brenner once before. And yes, she was pretty disturbed by last night’s events.”

  “I see,” Jessica said, nodding slowly. She felt a little better knowing Sarah Chapman wasn’t heavily involved in any of this. On the other hand, she did feel guilty. She’d broken into the woman’s office, the environment where she worked.

  “So where would I start, Fred?”

  “Right where you left off. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. We only brought you in because of what you and Andrew did to that guy at the church. A little too public for us.”

  “Where the hell is Andrew?” Jessica asked, suddenly on the defensive. “What’s his role in this? You’re working him as a confidential informant haven’t you?”

  “Of course not,” Fred said with a small grin. “We wouldn’t let you anywhere near him if that was the case.”

  “Then what?” Jessica pressed.

  “He’s just one of us. But, I’ll let him tell you himself. He’s outside waiting for you. Oh, and here.”

  The federal agent reached back into a drawer and pulled out a set of car keys. Immediately, Jessica recognized them as the keys to the truck Andrew had driven, the same truck she’d left abandoned in an alley after he’d walked away, seemingly forever.

  Jessica nodded in agreement and left the office without saying another word. She didn’t stop to think about the fact that she was moving through the building unescorted, or the fact she hadn’t bothered to get any answers to the millions of questions still spinning around in her head. She quickened her pace, then suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion.

  Jessica had never considered herself a crybaby. Emotional, but not a crybaby. And there was a time to be emotional and a time to remain focused. Right now she couldn’t afford to take a few moments to herself.

  She turned around, realizing that Fred Donahue had been following her the entire time. The rest of the hallway was completely empty. To the right of where she stood was a special squad room of some kind. To the left of her was an equipment room.

  Jessica continued through the building, back into the lobby, and outside. She avoided the rental car and began searching for the shiny red pickup truck.

  The search took less than five seconds. Because Andrew was standing directly in front of the vehicle. But he looked…different. Far more professional than she’d ever seen. And once she made the connection, Jessica’s heart filled with joy.

  She ran towards the truck, picking up speed as a slow grin crossed Andrew’s face. There were a few other people in the parking lot but no one seemed to pay much attention. Which was why she had no issue whatsoever wrapping Andrew up in a bear hug. She didn’t even want this moment to be romantic at all. Jessica only wanted to hold him as tightly as possible, so that he could never go away again.

  Eventually, she released Andrew, took a step back, and looked into his eyes. “What happened? What was all that about back there?”

  “I had orders, Jessica. It doesn’t matter right now. Let’s just get going. You got any ideas?”

  “Yeah,” Jessica said as she climbed into the truck. “Let’s go look for a doctor.”

  Chapter Ten : Cat And Mouse

  With Andrew driving, Jessica had time to call in to the Baltimore PD homicide division’s precinct. As soon as she heard Lieutenant Mann’s voice, she buried him with one apology after another.

  “Relax kid,” he said. “Just make sure you don’t act like that from now on.”

  “Yes sir. Hey Lieutenant, what are the full details of this operation? I still get the impression I’m being kept in the dark.”

  “Yeah, in some ways we all are. But that’s how the Bureau is, you know?”

  It was true. The federal agency was generally difficult to work with once they were involved with an investigation, particularly if it was really their investigation from the beginning.

  “Taking Patrick Brenner down is part of a bigger FBI operation. So you have any new leads?”

  Jessica described the ordeal with the doctor when she’d broken into her office. “I want to follow up with her,” she added. “The Bureau says she’s not involved in the investigation. But I still want to talk to her. She treated Brenner.”

  The two spoke on the phone a little longer before Jessica ended the call, promising to keep him updated on the progress. Then she turned to Andrew.

  “Jessica, I brought your gun and some of your other stuff. It’s in the back.”

  “Thanks,” Jessica said. She reached into her pocket for her phone and dialed Doctor Chapman’s office. A male voice answered immediately.

  “Hello, I’d like to speak to Doctor Chapman.”

  “No you don’t Jessica.”

  Jessica heart seemed to stop beating. She placed the phone on her lap and turned it on speaker. Andrew’s worried eyes glanced over at her from the driver’s seat. She mouthed the words, trace this call.

  “Patrick Brenner,” she finally said. “Nice of you to make this call. Why don’t you turn yourself in now? We all know you killed your wife. Not to mention robbing a few banks.”

  Patrick’s laugh sent chills down Jessica’s spine. “I know that, Detective. But since my Little David died I stopped caring.”

  Andrew nodded from the driver’s seat, confirming that he’d called into headquarters to initiate a cell phone triangulation. They needed to keep him talking for a little longer.

  “Plenty of people lose lov
ed ones in their lives,” Andrew said loudly. It’s not fair but that doesn’t mean they always go on to hurt innocent people.”

  “You’re not innocent!” Patrick screamed. “I know you covered up my son’s murder so the little freak could get away with it. You think I’d be doing these things if it weren’t for what you’ve done?”

  Jessica shook her head in frustration. “Where do you think bank robbers end up, Patrick? You threw your life away—

  “Shut up!” He shouted, “Irene took my little David away. She paid for it. You guys shielded that half-drunk woman. Now you’ll pay for it too.”

  “It won’t take you anywhere Patrick. You killed Irene, you’d your revenge. Let there be closure now.”

  “No!” He yelled. “Closure, phew! Beg my forgiveness and you won’t get it. There was no justice, there won’t be forgiveness, there won’t be closure. I will deliver justice for my little David now. Myself.”

  “Listen--

  “Stop that crap.” He screamed. “I am going to tell you what to do and if you follow my specific instructions, one of you will live, the other will die.”

  Jessica and Andrew exchanged glances. The trace wasn’t going well back at headquarters.

  “Detective Galloway, your boyfriend will need to surrender himself to a location of my choosing. Tell him to stop the truck, get out, and leave his weapons and phone in the vehicle. If you attempt to interfere, Doctor Chapman dies.”

  “I want to hear her voice,” Jessica said, feeling a sense of pride as she sensed Andrew’s approval. “Prove to me that you have her.”

  A woman’s screaming could be heard in the background. Patrick whispered something harshly and then the woman began speaking into the phone.

  “Detective, please just do what he says. Please. I have a husband and two kids. I’m begging you.”

  Jessica’s heart sank. “Look Patrick, can you give us some time to—

  “You have ten seconds to tell Andrew to stop the car and get out. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven…”

  He was counting way too fast. Andrew slammed on the brakes. Patrick ended the call.

  “No!” Jessica protested. Andrew you can’t do this. We were tracing the call.”

  “It didn’t work. And I have to do this and you know it,” he said.

  “You can’t trust him! How do you know he won’t still kill all of us?”

  “It’s our only choice.” He stopped the vehicle in the middle of the street. To Jessica’s dismay, she realized that they had traveled through a rough area of the city in order to make it to the doctor’s office quicker. No one would care if they heard gunshots around here. Patrick had played them again.

  Andrew exited the truck. Jessica followed suit. The poor neighborhood and freezing cold weather were enough to keep everyone off the streets. There weren’t any witnesses around to tell a story to police even if they wanted to.

  Moments later, Jessica heard the sound of a speeding vehicle approaching from behind. As the car grew closer, Jessica could make out the face of a young woman driving. It didn’t take long for her to recognize it was Sarah Chapman. She slowed the vehicle to a halt, her hands remaining on the steering wheel. A man’s voice shouted instructions from the backseat.

  “Both of you, drop your weapons on the ground and kick them to me. Now!”

  Reluctantly, Andrew dropped his weapon on the ground. Jessica hesitated.

  “Do it, babe,” Andrew said. “He caught us completely off guard.”

  “Yeah, you might want to listen to your boyfriend, babe.”

  Jessica was furious. This wasn’t how she was trained. There were a multitude of choices they could have made since Patrick had called that could have prevented this scenario from getting out of hand. Once again, Andrew asked her to comply with the killer’s instructions.

  “Come on, Jessica. I need you to trust me. He’s not gonna get away with this.”

  The killer laughed. Jessica looked around the neighborhood once again. Still no one around. She wondered why she didn’t feel as cold now as she did when she was breaking into Chapman’s office. Finally, she dropped her nine-millimeter handgun onto the ground and kicked it towards Patrick’s direction.

  “Both of you, turn around and put your hands behind your head. Jessica, drop down on the ground. Andrew, start walking back towards me. Slowly.”

  Jessica resisted the urge to resist. She’d never been so inspired to take action in her life. But seconds later, she heard the sound of handcuffs clasping around Andrew’s wrists. Then there was the sound of a car door slamming. Then another.

  “Toss your phone over here,” Patrick said to Jessica. “And the keys to the truck.”

  She complied. Brenner pocketed the keys. He crunched the phone under his foot, then repeated the same maneuver with Andrew’s device.

  “If I see any cops coming after me, then the woman dies!”

  “What are you going to do to Andrew!” Jessica asked. But it was no use. Patrick returned to the vehicle, sat in the backseat, and forced Sarah to resume driving. Jessica screamed after them, but within seconds the vehicle had disappeared around a corner and out of view.

  Jessica had no phone. She had no vehicle. And she had no clue what Patrick Brenner’s true intentions were.

  Chapter Eleven : The Chase

  Detective Jessica Galloway didn’t know where Brenner was taking Andrew and Sarah. But she could easily find out where he was.

  She looked around the neighborhood. Even though it was early in the morning, the freezing temperatures and upcoming winter storm were enough to keep people indoors, regardless of what commotion they’d heard. So Jessica didn’t hesitate any longer. She ran as fast as she could towards the nearest townhouse.

  The home was dilapidated and appeared vacant. Jessica knocked loudly on the front door. There was no answer so she continued knocking. Nothing. She looked for a window around. Knocked feverishly on the window. Nothing. She shouted for help. Yet no response.

  She ran down the street until she came to another door. She knocked again, much harder, and identified herself as a police officer. After a few moments, a black woman with the thinnest braids Jessica had ever seen, appeared in the doorway.

  She appeared calm and polite.

  “Ma’am, I’m Detective Jessica Galloway, Baltimore Homicide. I’m in pursuit of a kidnapping and murder suspect who disabled my vehicle and took my gun. I need to use a phone, please.”

  The woman hesitated and Jessica couldn’t really blame her. “Can I see a badge, officer?”

  “I don’t have that either, ma’am. Please, an innocent woman and my partner are in grave danger.”

  The woman reluctantly allowed Jessica into the home. The detective tried to ignore the smell of marijuana in the living room and headed straight for the small bathroom-sized kitchen. A phone hung on the side of the wall and Jessica picked it up and dialed the precinct. She asked to speak to Detective Michael Shelton, the same detective who had initially led the investigation.

  “Long time no speak,” Shelton answered.

  “Yeah, I hope you’re not burned out about how all of this played out, Michael.”

  “You kidding? You’re a great cop Galloway. Everyone here has always known it.”

  “Joking?”

  “Not a bit, Jessica. Lieutenant Mann briefed us just a while ago how much the Department appreciates your out-of-the-box approach. He told us how you’ve been given a long rope to hunt the fugitive.”

  Jessica’s heart filled with pride. It was hard to believe that it hadn’t been that long ago when she’d imagined she’d be a fugitive from justice.

  “Thanks Michael. Look, I have a developing situation. It’s serious. Andrew’s been kidnapped, he’s FBI by the way. And a young woman’s been abducted too. Patrick Brenner is our guy, but I don’t know where he’s going.”

  “You have your shield and gun?”

  “I’ve got virtually nothing. I’m in someone else’s home calling you.”

&nb
sp; “Tell me the make and model of the vehicle the suspect’s driving.”

  “Don’t bother wasting your time, Michael. He’ll have ditched the vehicle by now. Can you log into my computer?”

  “Uh, why?”

  “I have an app installed on there. And there’s a GPS tracking device inside the hood of Andrew’s coat.”

  “And you know this how?”

  “’Cause I stole the device from an FBI agent’s office today when he wasn’t looking. I stuck it on Andrew’s back before we left there but I know he doesn’t know,”

  “Uh, huh. Now that’s the kind of detective we like around here. Give me a second will ya.”

  Jessica offered a polite smile to the woman who’d allowed her in the home. She waved her index finger to signal she needed more time. Michael’s voice came back over the phone.

  “Great instincts, kid. I’ve got Andrew’s location. Looks like they’re moving pretty fast eastbound on the Interstate. Possibly headed back across town, not sure where to though.”

  “Probably where he’s been hiding. Hey can you send a car to my location?”

  “Already have, I traced your call.”

  Jessica thanked him and hung up. Before leaving, she offered the woman an apology—it was the holiday season, after all. Back on the street, she spotted two police cruisers. A patrol officer stepped out from one and handed her a new phone. Quickly, she thanked him and jumped inside his vehicle. Immediately, she called Michael right back and placed the phone on speaker so she could drive with both hands.

  “Michael, I’m in a car. And I have a gun. Guide me to Andrew’s location.”

  She switched on the siren and peeled away from the street. Brenner already had a little more than a five-minute head start, but she would catch up quickly. Police cruisers these days were built for acceleration.

  Jessica drove more aggressively than she ever had. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, her position hadn’t changed much at all. This wasn’t just about the job. It wasn’t just about saving the life of an innocent woman. Andrew was in danger. And she loved and needed him now more than ever.