Mike, who was in his sheriff’s uniform, had stopped by to see if Gert needed anything else.
He rapped on the door with the heavy gargoyle doorknocker. Within moments a green-skinned witch with a long warty nose opened the door. Gert, dressed all in black, looked almost exactly like the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz. She cackled, holding a broom in one hand, as she stepped back so that Mike could walk through the entrance.
She could almost be called a crazy cat lady with the number of cats she had—Mike thought at least ten prowled her house, but it was hard to tell. Right now one of her black cats twisted around her ankles that showed beneath her calf-length black dress. Mike wondered when she was going to start having flying monkeys as part of her Halloween decorations. It seemed she had everything else.
“Came early to see if there’s anything else I can do for you, Aunt Gert,” he said as she let him in and closed the door behind him.
“I think everything is taken care of Mikey, dear.” She gestured to the surroundings, indicating all of the Halloween decorations, including ghost holograms and fog from dry ice just inches from the floor. The eerie sounds and music were piped into the house, too.
A skeletal “man” dressed like a butler in moth-eaten clothes was positioned by the front door and held a tray scattered with wicked spiders of all sizes. “I think we’ll scare a few spitless,” Gert said with clear delight. “Kids and adults.”
He couldn’t help a grin. “No doubt you’re right.”
“Would you like to eat?” She moved to the dining room and he followed.
Good things to eat—at least Mike hoped they were good—covered the extensive dining room table. The goodies included things like chips and pretzels beside black moldy-looking dip; crackers with cheese covered with black jelly; cakes shaped like headstones and skulls; bowls of candy; and green punch that frothed and spilled fog onto the table. Black paper plates, plastic ware, and cups were on a smaller table.
A loud rapping sound from the doorknocker came from the front door, followed by the doorbell ringing. Even the doorbell had been rigged so that a deep spooky voice answered.
“I need to get the door.” With delight on her witchy features, Gert swept through the house to the front door. She opened the door with a cackle.
For the next hour, the doorbell and knocker sounded nearly non-stop. Mike grinned at the sight of kids dressed as wizards and witches, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Spiderman, and more came through the door. One little girl was dressed up as a pink Darth Vader, and a boy wore an Iron Man helmet, big plastic Incredible Hulk fists, Spiderman tights, and a Superman cape.
Mike grinned when Megan and Ryan arrived with their three-year-old identical twin boys and two-year-old daughter. One of the boys was dressed as a construction worker, the other an astronaut, and the daughter was outfitted as a doctor.
Danica and Creed’s three-year-old son was dressed as a superhero and Blake and Cat’s newborn daughter wore a tiger jumper.
Mike found it amazing how fast the McBride clan was growing, from marriages to kids, including his own immediate family. Two of Mike’s brothers were now married, and John and Hollie’s wedding would be this December. Garret and Ricki of course had announced that they were pregnant with the baby due in the spring, and Angel was excited to be a grandmother.
As Mike watched the children at the party, his thoughts turned to Anna and her young cousins. The three of them should be out enjoying some trick-or-treating. Better yet, they should be here at the party. Mike had the feeling that after everything they’d been through, they weren’t leaving the house for any kind of fun.
Thoughts of Anna made his gut tighten. Truth was he’d fallen hard for her, and no matter the situation, he cared for her too damned much to let her go. He was giving her time to become a mother to her cousins and for the three of them to adjust and come to terms with what their future held. But it was hard to be away from her…hard not to hear her voice.
Mike would track Anna down if he had to, in order to talk with her, but he wanted to make sure the timing was right. Everything in Anna’s and the kids’ lives had to be in complete upheaval right now.
As for Mike, he had an election to deal with and serving the people of Yavapai County was important. He’d spent his adult life working in law enforcement, dedicated to public service.
Mike didn’t consider himself perfect by a long shot, but Chad was far from being the right person for the job. The way he’d callously announced Anna’s situation in a public debate showed what kind of person he was. He was ruthless and had his own interests in mind.
That had always been the case with Chad. From the times they were kids, Chad had done whatever he could to serve himself.
Mike helped Gert keep the table loaded with food, cleaned up spills, and righted anything that was inadvertently knocked down or out of place. He generally kept an eye out to make sure everything went as smoothly as an event could with dozens of kids and teenagers running around in costumes.
“The news reporter is here.” Gert came up from behind him as he set a refilled bowl of caramel popcorn on the table. “I’d like to meet her.”
“Well, come on then.” Mike smiled at Gert and gave her his arm.
Mike escorted Gert outside after she snatched a long black cape that went remarkably well with her witch costume. The night’s biting cold made Mike grateful for his leather jacket as they exited the house.
“Sure you’re warm enough, Aunt Gert?” Mike asked as they stepped onto the porch.
“Delightfully so.” Gert beamed as she looked at the Channel 7 News reporter, Paige Windhaven, and her cameraman who stood on the walkway. The cameraman had his camera on and a light shone brightly, illuminating their faces. Gert’s green-painted face looked even eerier in the lighting.
“Good evening, Ms. Windhaven.” Mike held out his hand and took hers when he greeted her. “Welcome to the McBride family Halloween party, courtesy of our Aunt Gert.” Mike gestured to his aunt. “Gert, this is Paige Windhaven.”
Gert gave another witch’s cackle and held out her hand. “I know who you are, dearie. I watch Channel 7 all the time.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Paige gestured around them. “This is an amazing setup.”
“Halloween is my favorite holiday.” Gert gave a wicked laugh as she watched a pair of children dart past them. “The younger the kids, the juicier they are in my oven.”
At the look on Paige’s face, Mike almost choked on laughter. He managed to hold it back.
The reporter composed herself. “When we’re finished with the interview, do you mind us taking a look around? I’d like to add some of the atmosphere of the party to the piece.”
“Absolutely,” Gert said with a nod.
“Do not film the faces of any kids who are not wearing masks.” Mike was firm on that. Even though the reporters could get approval from the kids’ parents, Mike would not allow it.
“Of course.” Paige smiled. “We reviewed the requirements stipulated by Ms. Anna Batista when she set up the coverage.” Mike felt himself grow hot under the collar as Paige went straight into the territory Mike had expressed he did not want to cover. “How could a campaign worker, the woman you’re seeing, harbor illegal aliens without you knowing?”
Mike gave Paige a long, hard look. “It would be considered racial profiling to do a background check on any individual based on ethnicity. I do not believe in or support racial profiling.”
Paige looked taken aback just for a second before she recovered. “I understand Ms. Batista is fighting for custody of the two children who are U.S. Citizens even though their parents were here illegally.”
Mike’s ears began to burn and he felt like his chest was on fire.
“Would you like a tour of the house?” Gert stepped in front of Mike. “I’ll show you around.”
“Yes, but—”
“Come along, dearie.” Gert looped her arm in the reporter’s and not so gently
guided her up the front stairs. Gert glanced over her shoulder at the cameraman who was following with his camera focused on the backsides of Gert and Paige. “You’re welcome to eat something while you’re here,” Gert said.
Despite Mike’s anger at the reporter’s questions, he almost smiled at the way Gert had swooped in to take over and protect one of her own.
Paige and her cameraman stayed for another thirty minutes, filming the extravagantly decorated home, kids who wore masks or the backsides of children who didn’t, as well as filming adults in costume. Most of those in attendance were happy to support Mike’s campaign. It was well known that the McBrides were a close-knit bunch.
When Paige turned to Mike one more time before walking out the door, she held her microphone up to Mike’s face, “Sheriff, are you certain you don’t want to comment on the situation with Ms. Batista?”
Before Mike could respond with something that wouldn’t have put him in the best light, he heard a small scream and a gasping sound.
He whirled and saw Ricki with her hand to her neck, her face turning purple.
“Oh, my God,” Paige said, but Mike was already rushing to his sister-in-law.
“She’s choking.” Megan sounded panicked. “Candy.”
Mike grasped Ricki from behind, and using the Heimlich maneuver, he caused the piece of candy to dislodge from Ricki’s throat.
The piece of candy flew out of Ricki’s mouth and she would have collapsed to the floor if Mike hadn’t been holding her. She coughed and wheezed as Garrett pushed through the crowd and pulled his wife into his arms.
The room had gone entirely silent.
“Honey.” Garrett held Ricki close. “Are you all right? Is the baby all right?”
Ricki nodded but seemed to be having a hard time recovering her voice. “We’re fine,” she managed to get out. “Thank God for Mike.”
“Thank you.” Garrett looked at Mike. “I owe you.” He put his hand to Ricki’s belly. “We owe you.”
Mike gripped his half-brother’s shoulder. “You don’t owe me a damned thing.”
It was then that Mike heard Paige as she said, “There you have it, people. A demonstration of true heroism by our own Sheriff Mike McBride.”
Mike whirled on Paige who pushed her microphone into Garrett’s and Ricki’s faces. Mike stepped in front of Paige as he pushed the microphone aside.
“She just about choked to death, Ms. Windhaven,” Mike said, holding back his anger. “Give her some privacy.” Trying to remain cool, he added. “I ask that you don’t show that footage.”
“Our watchers just saw it happen live,” Paige said.
Mike rarely had to fight to control his anger, but he was finding it excruciatingly difficult to rein it in. Garrett appeared livid and Ricki looked mortified.
Paige, seeming to sense that she’d better leave while she could, said, “Thank you all for your hospitality.” She looked nervously at Aunt Gert, who wielded a broom like she wanted to take out the cameraman. “We’ll see our way out.”
Mike thought he heard his aunt growl low in her throat and she looked menacing. “I’ll walk you to the door,” Gert said, her eyes narrowed.
Paige and her cameraman scuttled from the house with Gert holding the broom in both hands. When the front door closed, Gert returned.
She raised her hands, still holding the broom. “Lots more food is coming out of the kitchen. Come on, kiddos. Let’s eat.”
General cheering went up and the party fell back into full swing. Kids went back to running around, some chasing Gert’s cats while some chased each other.
Mike was hugged multiple times by family members wanting to thank him for saving Ricki’s life. Mike stopped arguing that anyone would have done it if he hadn’t reached her first, as his protests seemed to fall on deaf ears. Angel was practically in tears as she squeezed him to her and thanked him for saving her daughter-in-law and future grandchild.
With a shake of his head, he thought about the incident being filmed. He was furious with Paige Windhaven for broadcasting Ricki almost choking to death, but there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it now.
When things died down and everyone appeared to be having fun again, Mike let out his breath. Ricki’s moments of choking had scared the shit out of him, if he was being honest with himself. What if he hadn’t been right there or if Ricki had been alone?
He knew better than to play what if games, so he pushed those thoughts aside. Instead he found himself thinking about Anna and what it would be like for her to be pregnant with their child. He thought about raising Pablo and Josie as his own and something in his chest lightened and loosened. They were good kids and he would be proud to raise them.
A big smile curved his lips as he pictured Anna with a swollen belly as they expected their first child. Yes, he and Anna would give them a young cousin or three to love, too.
It was not going to be easy for Josie and Pablo, for any of them for that matter, but as far as Mike was concerned, those kids would continue to know love as they had with their own parents. One day they would be reunited with their birth parents, but until that day, Mike would do everything in his power to make them happy.
Chapter 22
On Sunday, the afternoon following the Halloween party, Mike stood in his home office as he stared at his cell phone. He’d once again tried to reach Anna, but the call had gone straight to voice mail, just like all of the others.
Likely he needed to give her time, but he wanted to be there for her, to help her through everything she was going through now. He wanted to be there for her every step of the way, give her someone to lean on, and he wanted to give her his love. He missed her.
He would just have to go see her…but would the timing be right?
Damn but he couldn’t stand staying away from her. It would take everything he had not to go to her home. For all he knew the kids could have seen him on TV and realized that he was a law enforcement officer and that might frighten them.
Time. He had to give them time.
His phone rang as he stared at it and he saw that it was dispatch. He answered the phone and was told there was an explosion and fire outside the Prescott town limits in an obscure area. It was suspected to be a meth lab that had gone up.
It didn’t take Mike long to leave the ranch in the department SUV and hit the road with sirens and lights going.
When Mike reached the scene, the fire was still burning. Red and blue lights flashed from emergency vehicles that had arrived moments before Mike, including the fire department. It wasn’t long before HAZMAT, more sheriffs’ deputies, and ambulances were on the scene. Mike was informed that agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency were also on their way.
Deputies set up barricades the equivalent of a city block from the former meth lab, dangerous fumes keeping most emergency personnel at a distance. Those working near the meth house wore full-face respirators with supplied air.
“Sheriff.” Betty Turner strode up to Mike. “We’ve got two men who claim to have been forced to work in the lab. They don’t speak English and from our conversation, I’ve learned that they are UDAs.”
Mike gave a nod. “Where are they?”
“This way, Sheriff.” She jerked her head in the direction of an ambulance. “Border Patrol agents are on their way. Agent Davies indicated he was a couple minutes from here when he got the call, so I expect him to arrive any moment.”
Mike strode with Betty along the outside edges of the perimeter. They reached an ambulance where two men sat on the ground as paramedics attended to them, treating their wounds and giving them oxygen.
Both men looked underfed, frightened, and dazed, with cuts on their hands and faces. However, they didn’t look like meth addicts or act as if they had recently used the drug. It wasn’t uncommon for individuals working in a meth lab to not be allowed to use the drug themselves.
Agent Davies from the U.S. Border Patrol approached Mike, along with a male and a female who wore b
adges on their belts. Mike guessed they were likely the DEA agents and he waited until Davies and the other two reached him.
Mike shook their hands and they introduced themselves. The DEA agent in charge was Leslie Wallace.
After the quick introductions, Betty looked from Davies to Mike and the two DEA agents as she launched into the explanation one of the men had given her. Their names were Kino and David, and they had been brought across the line with several other illegal immigrants.
Instead of gaining traditional employment, albeit illegally, Jesus Perez had forced the six Mexican nationals to live and work in the meth lab. Perez had starved them, treated them poorly, threatened their lives, and not one of them had been paid a single American dollar.
Mike moved in front of the two men. Kino was clearly in shock, and was still breathing in oxygen that paramedics had supplied. David took off his oxygen mask. He was beyond angry and spoke in non-stop in Spanish about what they’d been forced to do and to endure. It had been slavery, David shouted.
After Mike got David to calm a little, the man continued in Spanish, stating that Kino’s wife had also been forced to work in the lab and was likely dead. David and Kino had been attending to something outside the house, behind a small structure, when the lab exploded. They’d received minor injuries while two women and two men in the house had probably perished.
The charred remains of the house smoldered as firefighters fought to put out the fire. Mike saw that two bodies had just been pulled from the wreckage and were being carried to the perimeter.
David went quiet as his gaze fell on the bodies and Kino stiffened beside him.
“Perez’s threats are meaningless now,” David said in Spanish as he stared out the bodies. “We will tell you whatever you want to know because we wish to avenge Kino’s wife and our friends. Perez must pay for his crimes.”
Mike nodded and asked questions. As he listened, his skin prickled, almost burning with every word David said.
“This is not the only meth house Perez has,” David continued. “They have more in places like this where it is difficult for the police to find.”
Belong to You Page 15
