by BJ Bourg
Me and my officers backed away and gave them the space to do their job. None of us said a word until they were long gone and their sirens were a distant murmur in the air. Amy was the one who broke the silence. “We need to find this asshole and stop him. We need to avenge Susan.”
I nodded and turned my attention to the dead woman. She had been shot in the throat and was lying on her back staring unseeing at the blazing sun. The scene had to be processed, the autopsy attended, next of kin notified; none of which I felt like doing at the moment. My only thought was going to the hospital to be with Susan. I wanted to be by her—
“Chief, is it okay to come back here?” boomed a familiar voice.
I looked up to see Sheriff Buck Turner standing at the back corner of the house. Detectives Doug Cagle and Mallory Tuttle were flanking him. I wiped my eyes in case any more tears had pushed through and strode across the yard to greet them. I extended my hand, but the large man wrapped me in a bear hug. He apologized for what we’d gone through and said he was there to offer his assistance. When he let me go, I looked over his shoulder and saw six SWAT officers piling out of a tactical van. They set up at strategic points around the house and stood guard while we talked.
“You’ve been through a lot, Chief,” Sheriff Turner said. “And I know you’d rather be with your officer.” He shot a thumb at Doug and Mallory. “They’re my best detectives. If you want, they can process the scene for you and report their findings when you’re ready. I’ve got a SWAT unit here to protect the scene and another on stand-by. Say the word and I’ll send them to the homes of the remaining targets on that kill list, and they’ll stay there until you tell them it’s okay to leave.”
Relief flooded over me. I accepted Sheriff Turner’s offer and filled him in on what we knew. There was deep concern on Mallory’s face as she listened. “Will she make it?” was all she asked.
I bit down hard and couldn’t answer. I just frowned and shook my head, unsure myself of the outcome. I took a breath and thanked Sheriff Turner again before turning away and waving for Melvin, William, and Amy to follow me to our cars. With lights flashing and sirens blaring, we raced down Coconut Lane and turned north on Main Street, heading to the hospital as fast as our cars could travel.
I fumbled with my phone and called Chloe on the way to the hospital. She answered on the first ring and she was crying. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry about what happened!”
My eyes blurred and I blinked to clear them. “Look, I’ll be texting you a picture of a guy named Gregg Daniels. I need you to report that he’s the prime suspect in the Arrow Slayings and he’s wanted for the attempted murder of a police officer. I need it going to every news outlet in the area.”
Chloe was sniffling in the background, but I could tell she was focused. “Gregg Daniels…got it. Anything else?”
I thought for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah, put the word out that I’m offering twenty thousand dollars for anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of Gregg Daniels.”
“Twenty thousand dollars?” Chloe asked incredulously.
“Should I offer more?” I asked.
“That’s quite a bit of money. It should do the trick!”
“Can you do it?”
She said she would. I thanked her and hung up, because I was approaching the hospital. I parked along the sidewalk near the building and my officers filed in behind me. William had tried to wipe the blood off of his face and arms, but it only smeared across his skin. He looked like something out of a horror movie. “Get a nurse to help clean you off when you get inside,” I said.
He nodded and we all made our way to the emergency room, not saying anything more and fearing the worst. I wanted to stay outside, because I knew once we entered the hospital and got the news, there would be no going back. It would be final.
We were still a few feet from the automatic doors when they slid open and a gust of cold air blew out to meet us. It was dimmer in the lobby and I had to squint to see better inside.
“Chief! I came as soon as I heard.” It was Mayor Boudreaux, and his wife was with him, clinging to his good arm.
We all gathered around him. “Any word?” I asked.
He frowned and shook his head. “They’re working on her. She was unresponsive when they brought her in. I’m so sorry for all of y’all. I know how close y’all are.”
I thanked him and looked around. The hospital was quiet and the waiting room across the hall was empty. I pointed to it. “I guess we should wait in there.”
A nurse left her station and approached William. “Are you injured?” she asked.
William just shook his head, and the nurse waved for him to follow her. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” she said.
When they walked away, Melvin and Amy followed me into the waiting room. Mayor Boudreaux and his wife were already sitting in a corner and it looked like they were praying. I sank to a chair and just stared across the room. Melvin paced back and forth at the far side of the room and Amy took the seat next to me. Time seemed to stand still. With each second that passed, any sliver of hope I had began to slip away.
We’d been sitting there for at least thirty minutes when the door to the waiting room opened. Amy and I jumped out of our seats and Melvin spun toward the door, but it was only William. I sank back into my seat and buried my face in my hands. I didn’t know how much more I could take. My chest ached and I felt like vomiting. My breath was coming in short gasps and it felt like I couldn’t take a deep breath, no matter what I tried to do. I was sitting straight up trying to catch that elusive deep breath when the door opened again and a doctor walked in. I studied his face, but he was a poker player. He’d obviously had to do this before and he waited until we were all gathered around him.
“So, when the arrow struck Sergeant Wilson in the chest,” he began in a measured tone, “it disrupted the heart’s rhythm and it caused cardiac arrest. It’s what we call commotio cordis and it’s more often than not lethal.” He paused and took a deep breath, very aware we hung on his every word. “But in this case, we were able to revive her…”
I gasped and exhaled forcefully, only then realizing I’d been holding my breath. The relief was so powerful I couldn’t stop the tears of joy from flowing down my face. Melvin screamed and jumped up and down, pumping his fist in the air in jubilation. William and Amy threw their arms around me and we all nearly fell as we rejoiced together. I caught sight of Mayor Boudreaux and his wife standing several feet away, and their eyes were also filled with tears.
CHAPTER 41
Monday, October 19
It was almost ten and I was standing near Lindsey’s desk waiting for Susan to walk through the door. She had been released from the hospital early yesterday morning with orders to see a cardiologist first thing this morning. She had grumbled, but agreed to do what she had to do to ensure her healthy return to work—and the cage. Her first question to the doctor had been, “Will I still be able to get kicked and punched?”
With a straight face, the doctor had replied flatly, “No…not with that giant hole in your chest.”
The hole hadn’t been “giant” to start with, and the doctors had done a great job sewing it up. I knew firsthand they’d done a great job, because Susan had pulled open the top of her shirt to show me when I was finally able to visit her in the hospital. A little embarrassed, and nagged by guilt, I’d found myself staring at the exposed upper half of Susan’s ample breasts, barely noticing the injury.
“How am I supposed to find a husband with this nasty scar on my boobs?” she’d asked, sounding as though the pain meds were having an effect on her.
I had forced myself to look away and commented how she was lucky she kept her cell phone in her shirt pocket.
“The doctor said it saved my life.”
“I’m so happy it did,” I said, “but can you promise to start wearing your ballistic vest all the time—not just some of the time?”
“Yes, mother,” was all she’d
said as she fumbled with the buttons on her shirt.
While Susan was recovering from the arrow attack, the rest of us were working around the clock trying to find the green Thunderbird and Gregg Daniels. Sheriff Turner had been extremely supportive, offering me whatever resources I needed. While my officers and I combed the town for the killer, he had his men combing the rest of the parish. So far, we hadn’t found even a hint of his existence and the warden from the state pen hadn’t responded to our faxed request yet.
Melvin walked out of the bathroom and shot his thumb toward the door. “She didn’t get here yet?”
I shook my head. “I guess the doctor visit’s taking longer than expected.” I knew she had to undergo a battery of tests to ensure there had been no permanent damage to her heart, and I didn’t care how long it took. I still hadn’t shaken the feeling of almost losing her and I wanted to be sure she was healthy.
We had waited about another ten minutes when we heard footsteps on the wooden porch in front of the building. We were expecting her to come in through the sally port, but I figured her mom might not have felt comfortable doing so, and Melvin and I raced for the door. We fought to open it, but stopped dead when we saw Jerome Carter and Neal Barlow standing there with shit-eating grins on their faces. Their smiles faded and they backed off a bit, staring from me to Melvin, as though they weren’t sure what was going to happen next.
“Oh, it’s not Susan,” I said, studying the two young men. “What are y’all doing here?”
J-Rock stuck his chin out and smiled. “We’re here to collect the reward money.”
“Reward money?” I asked.
Neal held up a newspaper article announcing the reward for Gregg Daniels’ arrest. I smiled inwardly. One thing was certain—when Chloe wanted a story to go wide, it went wide. I was positive everyone in Louisiana and the three surrounding states knew the name Gregg Daniels. I touched the picture of Daniels. “Y’all know where I can find this guy?”
They both nodded.
I searched their eyes for even a hint of deceit or folly, but they were serious. “If y’all can tell me where to find him, y’all get to split twenty grand.”
Both men’s eyes widened and their faces broke into grins. “We know exactly where this Gregg fellow stays,” J-Rock said. “We delivered some grass to him and his brothers the day he got out of jail. They said they were celebrating his release and even asked if we’d come back with some—”
Neal punched J-Rock’s shoulder. “Man, shut up!”
J-Rock’s eyes widened and he apologized. “I guess I shouldn’t have said that.”
I waved him off and told him I only cared about catching Daniels. I then ushered them to the interview room and Melvin and I sat across the desk from them. “Okay, this is show time,” I began. “Tell us what y’all know and where we can find him.”
Neal Barlow cleared his throat and nodded. “He’s holed up in North Camp east of town in Bill’s Settlement—and his two brothers are with him.”
“North Camp in Bill’s Settlement? Where the hell is that?” I asked.
“I know where it is,” Melvin said. “I’ll show you.”
We talked to the young men a little longer and then I told them they could go.
“But what about the money?” J-Rock asked.
“When he’s captured, you’ll get your money,” I assured him. They started to stand, but I stopped them. “And if I find out y’all spent that money on drugs, I’ll track y’all down and kick both your asses!”
“Oh, no,” J-Rock said. “This is our big break. We’re going straight from now on.”
Melvin walked them out and I sat there staring at the wall, thinking. When Melvin came back in the room, he sat on the corner of the desk. “What’re you thinking?” he asked.
“There are three of them and two of us. We need better odds.” If Susan were well enough to fight, we could’ve taken on six of them, but I knew we were at a disadvantage.
“I can call William and Amy out,” Melvin offered.
I nodded and told him I had to head to my house for a minute. “Make sure you tell them to suit up and bring as much firepower as they have. We need to be ready for anything.”
I hurried to my Tahoe and raced out the sally port—tires screeching and the smell of burnt rubber filling the air—and headed home. Two of the news vans filed in behind me and tried to keep pace with me, but slowed down when I flicked my emergency lights on.
Once I got home, I hurried to the bedroom closet where my gun safe was hidden. Achilles tried to keep up with me, but his paws slipped on the floor and he slid headlong into the doorframe just outside my room. “Easy big man,” I called out, my hand dialing the combination on my safe at lightning speed. When I swung the heavy steel door open, I reached past a half dozen rifles and grabbed the Colt AR-15 at the back of the safe. I shoved three fully-loaded, thirty-round magazines into my back pockets and slung the semi-automatic rifle over my shoulder. I then grabbed my Accuracy International sniper rifle and a box of bullets. I scanned the interior of the safe to make sure I didn’t need anything else, shut the door, and spun the dial.
As fast as I’d gotten home, I was gone, breaking every traffic law on the books en route back to the office. My mind flashed back to my days on the city’s SWAT team. It seemed like a lifetime ago. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d been wrenched from a dead sleep to leave the warmth of my bed and rush out into God-knew-what type of situation. I had always taken the time to kiss Michele and Abigail and tell them goodbye before stepping out the door. On those types of callouts, I never knew if I’d return home alive and I didn’t want them wishing they’d been able to tell me goodbye. I then remembered how I felt when Susan was lying there unresponsive, and I reflected on the ruthlessness of Gregg Daniels. Clint, old boy, this could be your last day on Earth. You might finally get to meet up with Michele and Abigail.
Surprisingly, I felt a tinge of regret—was nervous, even. I frowned as I suddenly realized I wasn’t ready to die. There were things I wanted to do with my life now. I wanted to get to know Chloe much better and I was excited to see what would become of us. And I was fond of my job and cared about my employees. If I were gone, who would take care of them? I also felt that Michele and Abigail were looking down on me, and I wanted to make them proud.
As I steered through traffic with my left hand— lights flashing and siren blaring—I dialed Chloe’s number with my right hand. I wanted her to hear my voice before I went after Gregg Daniels and I wanted to hear hers. Daniels had already displayed a willingness to kill a cop, so there was no telling how this would turn out.
Chloe answered on the fourth ring. “What’s all the noise in the background? Is your siren on?”
“Yeah, I’m heading to a callout and I just wanted to talk for a second.”
Chloe was silent for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was troubled. “Is…is it a dangerous callout? Does it have to do with what happened to Susan?”
“Dangerous for the person I’m chasing,” I said, laughing to reassure her, but I didn’t think she was buying it. “Yeah, we got a tip on Gregg Daniels, thanks to your work. It won’t be dangerous, though. I’ve got plenty of backup and we’re going to take him down so fast he won’t know what hit him.”
“It seems odd that you’re calling before heading out like that. You sound different. This scares me.” Chloe was quiet for a few seconds, then said, “It reminds me of the stories I’ve heard of people who call their loved ones when they know they’re about to die.”
“No, it’s really nothing. I just wanted to touch base with you in case I get tied up for a while—like all night.”
“Oh, okay.” She was silent for another long moment and then said, “Please be careful.”
I promised I would and hung up. The police department rolled into view and I massaged the brake pedal.
CHAPTER 42
I pulled into the crowded sally port and rushed inside, where Amy, Melvin, and Wil
liam were suiting up. Amy was stretching the straps of her bulletproof vest into place, while Melvin and William shoved twelve-gauge shells into the tubes of their Benelli pump-action shotguns. Lindsey sat on her desk looking worried.
I grabbed a vest from the tactical closet in the hallway and pulled it over my shirt, adjusting the straps until the vest wrapped around my torso like a body cast. “Did Susan stop by?”
“Yeah, but she didn’t stay long,” Lindsey said. “She was feeling weak and tired, so her mom took her home.”
It was hard for me to imagine Susan feeling weak and tired. Lindsey, on the other hand, looked like she was about to faint. She was hugging herself and shivering. “You okay?” I asked.
“I’m just a little freaked out, Chief.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I...I never thought something like this could happen here. And I’m worried that one of y’all will…will…” She lowered her head and I thought I detected a tear rolling down her cheek.
“It’ll be okay,” I promised. “I’ve done this a thousand times.”
I felt the collective head-spinning of William, Amy, and Melvin in my direction.
“Are you talking about last year or before?” William asked. “When you worked in the city?”
“Something like that,” was all I said.
“Like what?” he asked.
I walked over to him and readjusted the strap on his vest, closing up a gap under his armpit. “You don’t want an arrow sneaking into that spot.”
“What do we do?” Melvin rubbed his face with a hand that shook slightly. “I mean, once we get there...what do we do?”
“First off, just relax. It’s okay to be scared. That’s normal. Courage is not the lack of fear, but being able to function beyond your fear.”
“I won’t lie,” Amy said. “I’m scared shitless—and I have been plenty of times on this job—but I don’t run from it. I try to embrace it and use it to my advantage.”
