“What’s the address?” a nasally voiced operator asked.
“Uh,” I glanced at Andre. “Address?”
He told me in short gasps and I repeated it.
“Someone is on their way,” the operator said. “Sir, if you’ll stay on the line –”
I ended the call, then dialed Detective Spillman. “You need to come to Edwin Thacker’s house.” I gave her the address. “It has to do with William Rasmus’s murder.”
She didn’t bother with a greeting. “What have you done?”
Sure, I’d done something…I shook my head. “I’ll explain when you get here.”
I ended that call before she could interrogate me more. I crawled over to Thacker and checked his pulse. It was fluttering.
“Hang on,” I muttered. “We wouldn’t want you to die instead of going to jail.”
“Don’t tell the cops what he did,” Andre said.
I stood up and looked down at him, then shook my head. “I don’t have any loyalty to him, and you shouldn’t either.”
Then I staggered back into the hallway, picked up Andre’s Ruger, and went to the stairway where I stood guard over Charlie and waited for the police to arrive.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
6:40 AM
I don’t know how long I waited, but it seemed like a long time. Charlie remained unconscious, and I went once to check on Andre and Thacker. They were both hanging on. Then I returned to Charlie. I was leaning against the staircase post and fighting sleep when a loud banging jarred me awake. My eyes flew open, but I wasn’t sure what the sound was. In my befuddled state, I immediately aimed the Ruger at Charlie, then it dawned on me that she was still out cold. The pounding intensified and I realized someone was hammering on the front door. I glanced down the staircase. The front door was a long way away. I sighed heavily, then trudged down the stairs, crossed through both foyers and unlocked the door. I had to step aside, it opened so fast. A couple of uniformed officers from the Cherry Hills Police Department barreled through the door.
“Drop the gun!” a tall, stocky one shouted at me.
I dropped the Ruger and stepped back. He stepped over and kicked the gun way. “What’s going on?” he asked. He scrutinized me suspiciously.
“They’re up there,” I motioned through the foyers. “I knocked out the woman. She shot Thacker and another man…in the library.”
Somewhere in the distance, I thought I heard sirens. I wondered why I hadn’t heard them when the police arrived, then concluded I hadn’t been alert enough to notice.
“Where?” asked the other officer, a big burly black guy who could’ve been a linebacker for the Denver Broncos. He’d drawn his gun as well.
See, I thought. I get the big bruisers.
They kept their guns drawn as I showed them through the foyers.
“Stay here,” the burly guy said. Then he headed hurriedly, but warily, up the stairs. The second one motioned for me to stay put. The burly guy got to the top of the stairs.
“One down,” he called out. He disappeared through the archway. A moment later, I heard his voice in the radio, calling for backup.
The sirens grew louder and then stopped. A minute later, two EMTs rushed through the front door.
“Upstairs on the right,” the officer with me said.
They rushed upstairs, carrying a stretcher.
“You’re going to need another,” I muttered.
The officer eyed me, then gestured to a bench near the staircase. “You look dead on your feet. Come over here.”
I plodded over to the bench and sat down, barely aware of the officer until he said, “What happened?”
I explained everything and he listened quietly. When I finished, all he said was, “Huh.”
Then it seemed like the house exploded with activity. More police and EMTs arrived and began rushing up and down the stairs. I heard Charlie yelling. Someone told her to shut up and she did. A while later, two officers escorted her down the stairs and across the foyer. She was wobbly on her feet, but she turned her head and saw me, and I’ve never been pinned with such a crazy look in my life.
“You shouldn’t have helped them,” she said.
I didn’t respond, just watched her vanish through the foyer. Then I heard a familiar voice. Detective Sarah Spillman arrived, in jeans, a gray T-shirt with a DPD logo on it, and tennis shoes. Not her usual business attire, but I’m sure she’d been waked up, first to deal with William Rasmus, and now this. She glanced up the stairs, then spied the officer, and finally me. She walked over to us, then surveyed me.
“I’ll take it from here,” she said to the officer while she continued to gaze at me.
“Sure thing.” He turned around and walked away. A moment later, he disappeared out the foyer.
“Do you have jurisdiction here?” I asked.
“This…situation has to do with my case,” she said. “So I have some latitude.”
“Oh.”
Spillman didn’t say anything for a moment, then ran her hands over her face and sighed. “What are you doing here?” she finally asked.
Before I could answer, EMTs brought down stretchers with Andre and Thacker on them. Thacker wasn’t moving, but Andre was gazing around, his face gray. He saw me and glared. He should’ve been grateful. I’d probably saved his life, but I’m sure he was worrying about his bosses.
“Reed?” Spillman said.
I looked up at her and focused. “Sorry.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I said slowly. “I’ve been up all night…and I got knocked out a while ago.”
“Oh?” She sat down next to me. “Busy day. Tell me about it.”
Spillman and I usually did a little dance where I’d tell her how I had arrived at the conclusion of a case, carefully omitting the illegal things I, or Cal, had done. But right at that moment, I was just too tired, so I told her everything, starting with the phone call from Honey-slash-Holly.
“So you picked the lock at the warehouse?” she asked when I finished.
I nodded. “Breaking-and-entering.”
She stared down the long hallway. “I think we can overlook that.”
“What about at the Rasmus house?”
“It’s not breaking and entering when the door was unlocked. Obviously I think you should’ve called the police, and I hope you didn’t tamper with the scene too much.”
I pulled out the letter that I’d taken from Rasmus’s briefcase and handed it to her. “I think Charlie sent this.”
She took it from me, read it, and then looked over at me.
“I don’t think Ryan knew there was evidence, I think he just told his mother that, and she took it from there.”
She nodded, then held up the letter. “How’d you get this?” I didn’t say anything.
“I see,” she finally said.
“It’s been handled by so many people, I’m sure there aren’t any prints on it,” I said.
“Uh-huh.”
We stayed silent for a few minutes. The sounds of people milling about and voices drifted down the staircase to us.
“Are you going to arrest me?” I asked.
She glanced over and then ran her hands over her face again. “I ought to, but I don’t know what good it would do. And you did stop Charlie.”
Another silence.
“You look tired,” she finally said.
“I am.” Then a thought occurred to me. “I’m supposed to meet my future in-laws tonight. Oh, man…”
“I’m sure Willie can smooth things over,” Spillman said. She’d met Willie and knew how great she was. “Are you okay to drive?”
“Sure.”
She eyed me closely, then shook her head. “Nope. I’ll have Spats drive you home.” I knew Spats, one of her partners. His real name was Roland Youngfield, but I’d heard he got the nickname “Spats” because he liked to dress well.
I glanced around. “He’s here?”
“He’s upstairs.”
>
I hadn’t even noticed him come in. I was more tired than I thought. “What about my car?”
“Moore can follow in it.”
“He’s here, too?”
Ernie Moore was her other partner.
She laughed. “Sit tight and I’ll arrange things.” She stood up. “I’m sure there’ll be a lot more questions, so be ready for that.”
“I will,” I said.
“Oh, can you have your friends get Holly to the police station as soon as possible?”
“Yeah. Which one?”
“Thirteenth and Cherokee.”
“And when you get a chance, come by the station. We’ll have your phone and gun, and some…tools.” She gave me a sly grin.
My lock-pick set. “Thanks.”
She chuckled as she strolled away. Then I called Cal.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“It is now.” I gave him the briefest update ever, then told him to get Willie.
Twenty seconds later she came on the line. “Are you okay?” she asked breathlessly.
“Yes,” I said. I gave her a downsized version of events, then said, “Get Cal to bring you home. And drop Holly off at the station on Thirteenth and Cherokee.”
“I will.”
“What do we do about dinner? Are you furious with me?”
“Of course not, and don’t worry about it,” she said. “You’re okay and I love you, that’s all that matters.”
“I love you, too.”
“I’ll see you soon,” she said.
I ended the call, then closed my eyes. Someone grunted and I looked up. Ernie Moore was standing over me. His typical attire was a rumpled suit, the epitome of the detective cliché, but now he was in jeans and a T-shirt that at one time had been white, but now was a dingy gray. At least a jacket covered most of it.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Spats stood nearby, in brown slacks and a blue shirt. Did the guy ever dress down? I followed them outside to a white Ford Taurus, then got in the passenger side. Spats drove and Moore followed in the 4-Runner. Spats didn’t say a word as I directed him back to the condo. I almost fell out of the car, then waited on the sidewalk while Moore parked the 4-Runner on the street. He got out, locked it, and handed me my keys.
“Get some rest,” was all he said as he got into the Taurus.
I watched them drive off. The sun was emerging over the buildings to the east as I trudged up the stairs to the condo. I went inside and peeled off clothes as I walked down the hallway to the bedroom. I crawled into bed and immediately fell asleep.
CHAPTER THIRTY
2:55 PM
I awoke later, when Willie’s arm draped over me. I rolled over and hugged her.
“Hey, babe,” she said.
I kissed her and then glanced around. Light streamed through the edges of the closed blinds. “What time is it?”
“Almost three.”
I sat up, then regretted it, as my head started to pound. “What about dinner?” I lay back down.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I picked my parents up from the airport at noon and took them to their hotel. They’re spending some time walking around downtown. I explained everything and said if you’re not up to dinner tonight, we’ll go tomorrow.”
I flopped back on the pillows and groaned. “Oh no! What are they going to think of me?”
She snuggled up against me. “Reed, they like you, and they also understand your business, my dad more than anyone.” Because her father had been a cop, Willie had grown up with his erratic hours and concerns for his safety. That experience had been a reason why she initially hadn’t wanted to date me. “They both understand irregular schedules and…injuries. They’re glad you’re okay, and proud that you found Holly and Charlie.”
I ran a hand over my face. “Ugh.”
“Reed, it’s okay.”
I looked up at her. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.” She studied me. “How’re you feeling?”
I assessed my health, then said, “Pretty good. A little sore.”
“Headache?”
“A bit. I’ll take some aspirin.”
“Do you feel like going out to dinner?” she asked.
“Yeah. But I need a shower first.”
“I’ll call my parents and let them know we’ll meet them later.”
“Sounds good. Oh, and what about that place in Castle Rock? For the reception?” I’d forgotten about that.
“It might work,” she said. “We can talk about it later.”
I crawled from under the covers and then gave her a kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“I’ll hop in the shower and be ready in a while.”
“Okay.” She got up and left the room.
I plodded into the bathroom. As I showered and dressed in pants and a nice shirt, I felt nerves building within me. I longed to make a good impression on her parents, and even though Willie said they understood why I hadn’t been with her earlier, I didn’t know if she was just saying that to make me feel better. Once I was ready, I paced in the living room until she came out of the bedroom. She wore a skirt and blouse with heels, and she looked lovely.
“You look great,” I said.
She nodded, barely acknowledging the compliment. “Let’s go.” She was nervous, too.
I took her hand, opened the front door, and went out to the landing. Then I stopped. Holly Rasmus was coming up the stairs.
“Oh, hello,” she said. “I’m sorry. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Sort of,” I said. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes…well, it will be. I just wanted to thank you for everything you did.” She smiled at Willie. “And you, too.”
“I’m glad we could help,” Willie said.
“It’s no problem,” I said to Holly. “I couldn’t just let it go. You paid me. And speaking of that, I think it was too much. I was going to return some of the money once I delivered you to your sister.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Holly took an envelope out of her purse. “Here’s the other five thousand.”
I shook my head. “I can’t take that.”
“Yes, you can.” She forced it into my hands. “You rescued me. That’s priceless, as far as I’m concerned. And you could’ve died.”
I finally took the envelope. “Thanks. You’ll be okay?”
“Yes,” she said. “There’s still a lot to resolve, and the police have a lot of questions. But I’ll make it. Charlene Devereux is in jail, and I’m sure she’ll spend a long time in prison. Even though I didn’t like William, I think that’s right.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked. I was thinking about her relationship with Paul, but I didn’t want to say so.
She was perceptive. “It’s over between Paul and me. I’ve talked to my sister a lot, and I…well, I have a lot of repair work to do with her. I doubt our relationship can ever be the same, but I have to try to do what I can to fix the mess Paul and I made.”
“Good for you,” I said. “Have you heard how Andre and Edwin Thacker are doing?”
“Detective Spillman said they’ll both recover and will have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Thacker’s slick, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets away with this.”
“And he’ll protect Andre as well,” Holly said.
I nodded.
“Anyway,” Holly said as she started down the stairs, “I’ll let you two get back to whatever you’re doing.”
We told her goodbye. She walked downstairs and waved, then I rushed inside and put the envelope in my office.
“Ready?” I said to Willie when I came back out.
She smiled. “Let’s do this.”
We hurried downstairs and, as we started down the sidewalk, Ace and Deuce came outside.
“Hey, guys,” Ace said.
“How’re you feeling, Reed?” Deuce asked.
“I forgot to tell you,” Willie murmured as
we turned around. “They stopped by to make sure you were okay.”
“That was nice of them,” I said, then to Deuce, “I’m doing okay.”
“Good enough for pool?” he grinned.
“Not right now, but soon,” I said. I turned to Ace. “I’m afraid I ripped your coat. I’ll buy you a new one.”
“Nah,” he said. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Well, when we go, the beer and pool’s on me, my way of saying thanks for your help.”
“You bet,” they both said. “We’re going over to Bob’s for dinner.”
“Tell him we said ‘hi’,” Willie said.
“We will.” They chatted as they disappeared around the side of the building.
“Okay,” I said. “Any more interruptions?” I was worried we’d be late.
We were having dinner at Marlowe’s, near where her parents were staying. I drove us in the 4-Runner, and on the way, my cell phone rang. Another interruption. I glanced at the number.
“Oh, man, it’s my mother,” I said. I started to put the phone away.
“She called earlier, wanting to talk to you about dinner. I told her you were busy.”
“So why is she calling me now?”
“Reed, hon, just answer it.”
I swiped across the screen with a sigh.
“Reed, dear, it’s Mother.”
“I know. Now is not a good time.”
“Have you met Willie’s parents?”
“Going there now. Don’t have time to talk.”
“Don’t be fresh, dear. I just wanted to tell you good luck. We’re proud of you, and I’m sure Willie’s parents will be, too.”
I paused. “Thank you.”
“I love you, dear. Call me later.”
“I love you, too. And I’ll let you know how it goes.”
I ended the call and glanced at Willie. She had a little grin on her face.
“She told me she just wanted to wish you the best,” she said.
I reached over and held her hand. We drove in silence to Marlowe’s, on the Sixteenth Street Mall, Denver’s downtown outdoor mall. Marlowe’s was a good restaurant, not too fancy, which Willie didn’t want. At Marlowe’s, we could sit outside, have a nice meal and enjoy a beautiful evening. I parked nearby and we walked to the entrance. Near the door stood a tall man with closely cropped gray hair and a goatee. Next to him was a woman slightly shorter. She wore a light blue dress and heels, and she had the same eyes and blond hair as Willie.
Night of the Hunted: A Reed Ferguson Mystery (A Private Investigator Mystery Series - Crime Suspense Thriller Book 11) Page 16
