by Amy Briggs
“Fire’s out man, but you should check the walls and shit in kitchen,” Scott called out to him.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Jax’s jaw dropped as he saw the bloody mess on the floor.
“We got another one,” Scott replied. “Where’s the rig?” He asked, knowing the victim needed to get to the hospital soon.
“Right behind me,” Jax grabbed the radio at his shoulder, explaining the scene to the incoming personnel. Looking at Clayton who was still applying pressure, Jax offered, “Here, let me take over,” and kneeled next to him.
“Thanks man,” Clayton got up, handing off his job to the Deputy Chief, who was also a trained paramedic.
“Just like the old days, eh Scotty?” Jax glanced at Scott.
“Yea, sure is. Would’ve been more fun if it was a ripping fire though, that’s for sure,” Scott replied.
Moments later, the paramedics arrived with a stretcher and took over patient care from Scott and Jax. “Pulse is thready, but it’s a through and through on the lower left abdomen,” Scott informed them as he stood up.
Meanwhile, a fire crew had entered and at Jax’s instruction, was ensuring that the visible fire Scott put out hadn’t spread anywhere else in the house, including the walls where it could hide.
As the paramedics took the patient out to the ambulance and were reassessing his vitals, Clayton and Scott followed to get cleaned up. Both covered in blood to their elbows, they needed to get some of the victim’s blood off of themselves as best they could. In a typical scenario, they would have had the opportunity to put gloves on but this situation dictated immediate action, and now they were covered in the victim’s blood.
“Fuck, this is a mess,” Clayton grumbled as he used the ambulance wipes to clean himself up.
“Yea, this is a fucking disaster,” Scott replied.
As the ambulance pulled away, Clayton and Scott leaned up against Clayton’s car when Jax walked over. “So, that was a fucking shit show, what happened?” Jax asked.
“I don’t even know where to begin man,” Scott replied, sighing.
“I gotta make some calls, we need a warrant out for this motherfucker,” Clayton said as he walked off from the chaos of the scene. Scott nodded his understanding and continued talking to Jax.
“Dude, we were going to talk to this fucking expert, and as we went to follow him, I saw a little bit of hazy smoke from the back of the house, so we kicked our way in,” Scott began.
“You kicked the fucking door in?” Jax laughed.
“Fuck yea I did,” Scott answered, smirking. His hair was wild and out of place from the activity and sweating, and he needed a change of clothes. “We didn’t really have a choice. I wish I had my fucking car though, I have way more emergency supplies in it.”
“Yea, we’ve been talking about providing the cops with better jump kits for just such an occasion, but we don’t want them going around playing doctor either,” Jax mused. “So, it looks like this was another hit like the others then?”
“Absolutely. We were going to interview this fuck when all this went down, and we lost him. We had to go after the scene and help the victim,” he shook his head, frustrated that Reyes got away.
“Why do you think he did it?” Jax asked.
“No fucking clue, other than the fact that he’s a sick fuck. None of the crimes are related at all, but maybe if this guy lives, he’ll be able to tell us more,” Scott replied.
“Well, nice fucking job Scotty. You’re a one man show,” he patted him on the back. “I gotta get my guys out of here, you handled the fire, so there’s not much for us to do here. It’s going to end up on your desk as an arson investigation by Monday though, so have fun with that,” Jax teased his old friend.
Rolling his eyes, and running his hands through his matted hair, Scott replied, “Always a pleasure man.”
Mock saluting as he walked off, Jax added, “Let’s grab some beers and you can catch me up on that lady friend of yours this weekend.”
“Sounds good, I’ll call ya,” Scott waved as Jax walked away to gather his crew.
Clayton returned to where Scott was still leaning on his car. “Okay, we have the warrants. And listen to this shit,” he said enthusiastically. “The lab guys called me too.”
“And?” Scott asked.
“The DNA came back on the blood bullets,” Clayton began. “This motherfucker made them out of his own blood.”
“What?” Scott’s eyes widened.
“Yep. It’s a positive match to Dean Reyes. He’s in the system because he’s a government contractor. This fucker drained his own blood, and turned it into fucking frozen bullets.”
“Holy motherfucker man, that’s crazy,” Scott replied, completely stunned.
“Yea, it sure as shit is fucking crazy,” Clayton agreed. “So, look, we got an APB out on this fucker, and the necessary warrants. You ready to help me bring him down?” He clapped his hands, rubbing them together enthusiastically.
“You’re Goddamn right I am, let’s do it,” Scott replied.
26
Before they got back in the car, Clayton waved Scott to join him at the trunk. Pulling out a vest and handing it to Scott, he said, “Most people I’d send home to wait for a call that we caught the guy, but you earned the right to be here for it. You need to put this on though, this guy is fucking crazy.”
Not wanting to be sent back to his desk, Scott obliged, putting the bullet proof vest on, “Now I just need my gun,” he replied.
“Yea, that’s not happening,” Clayton gave him a sarcastic glance, turning his eyes down. “That sounds like too much paperwork if things get hairy, thanks I’ll pass.” He made his way to the driver’s seat, motioning for Scott to get in as well.
“Worth a try,” Scott replied. He had a carry permit, which was completely legal in his state, however he didn’t carry his firearm around regularly, and didn’t have it with him that day. Additionally, Scott knew that Clayton was right, if things got crazy, which they very well could, it could be a delicate situation for him to be carrying when he was technically on the job to some extent.
Under the circumstances, Scott thought it was a good time to touch base with Dani. He was less concerned with her safety, since Reyes had no clue they were onto him, but he knew he’d scared her a little bit earlier and wanted to check in.
Hey babe, just checking in
About time Walker. What’s going on?
Things have heated up in the investigation
What’s that mean
Basically shit just got real. We know who did it and we’re going after him.
What do you mean ‘we’? You’re an arson investigator.
Today, I’m a fugitive hunter too
Oh good God. Are you with my brother?
Of course
If you get hurt, I’m gonna fucking kill him
Aw, that’s sweet. You’re worried about my safety?
Of course I am. You feed me all the time. And I get off whenever you’re in the same room as me. Who would want to give that up?
That’s totally fair, I’ll be careful
You better
I’ll touch base soon, I promise
Again, you better
xoxo
“Checking in with your girlfriend?” Clayton smirked.
“Yes, yes I am,” Scott admitted, feeling his face get a little warm as if he were blushing.
“Nice,” Clayton was pleased and smiled, knowing that someone was looking out for Dani, and happy it was Scott.
“Okay, so where do we start?” Scott asked.
“We’re going to go by this guy’s house again and see if we’re lucky and he went home after this,” Clayton replied.
“Okay, but might I make a suggestion?”
“Go ahead.”
“In all of the previous murders, this guy found a place to watch. So wouldn’t it stand to reason that he’s somewhere here? And knows we know it’s him at this point? I mean we were
able to stop the madness before it got out of hand, but normally, he watches. Or at least, we’re pretty sure he does,” Scott offered.
“Oh shit,” Clayton slammed his hands on the steering wheel. “With all the commotion, that didn’t even occur to me!”
They both sat in the car, looking around cautiously, hoping that Reyes would be obvious to pick out. The scene had died down. The fire trucks that had arrived were leaving, and the ambulance had left some time ago to take the victim to the hospital.
“Well there’s almost nothing to see here now, and you and I were inside the house the whole time, so maybe he hasn’t seen us?” Scott suggested.
“That’s possible,” Clayton was contemplating what the next best course of action should be. “If he was here, and I agree with you, he probably was, he’s likely gone by now, so let’s stick to the plan and go back to his house. There’s an APB out on his vehicle now, but he wouldn't know that, and that’s what I told my superiors I was doing anyway. We’ll regroup on that side of town if he’s not there.” He really couldn’t think of what alternative there was at that point.
“Okay, sounds like a plan to me. So we operate under the assumption that he has no idea about you and I, and you’re gonna what… question him? Or take him down? Do you need backup for that?” Scott had no clue what to expect.
“I’m going to casually ask him if he’ll come downtown with me to get interviewed again on his expertise, and if he resists, I’m going to take him the hard way. Technically, I could get SWAT down here to take him down and drag him in, but it takes awhile to coordinate them. To get a team together, I’d have to get a different kind of warrant, we’d have to call in the team, they’d have to get suited up and shit. Then, they’ve got to get debriefed, and all that shit. It can take hours, and I have no interest in waiting,” Clayton replied. “The perk of being a detective is that I do get to make a handful of those decisions on my cases from time to time. That being said, if this guy gives us the slip again, it’s gonna be all hands on deck for a manhunt and I’ll definitely get SWAT involved to take his ass down with all the regalia that they bring. I think you and I can handle this if he’s at his house though.”
Scott contemplated Clayton’s explanation, exhilarated to be a part of the team. Pumped at the idea of taking down what was basically a serial killer, his adrenaline was pumping and he was ready to throw down. “So what do you want me to do?” Scott asked as they started to drive toward Reyes’ house back on the other side of town.
“I want you to wait in the car,” Clayton said matter of factly, his face expressionless like a stone.
“Come on man, seriously?”
“Yea seriously. You’re not armed, and now you’re my sister’s boyfriend. She’d fucking kill me if something happened to you,” Clayton tried to tease Scott to soften the blow.
“You two are definitely related. She actually said that to me earlier. What the fuck.” Scott was agitated; who wants to wait in the fucking car?
“Look, it’s honestly more helpful if you wait in the car and observe. I’m not being a dick, but I am busting your balls a little. I’m one guy, so I can only see what’s in front of me. This guy’s not gonna let me in his house. I think he’s going to figure out we’re onto him as soon as I knock on his door. So, what that means, is you gotta keep an eye out for anything suspicious at the scene. You’ll be able to see me at the front door, we’re going to park much like we did at the last scene, but a little closer,” Clayton explained. It was unorthodox to have a partner with him that wasn’t a cop, but since Scott had really helped them get to this point in the investigation, it seemed only fair to take him along. Clayton typically worked alone on his cases, but since Reyes was such a loose cannon it couldn’t hurt to have backup.
“You got it,” Scott replied.
As they approached the house, they realized simultaneously that Reyes was home, parked in his driveway. “Fucking jackpot,” Clayton uttered. “Ok, it’s go time.” He adjusted his gun belt, making sure everything was in order. “There’s a handgun in the glovebox if shit gets wild. Only if shit gets fucking crazy do you touch it - you got me?” He pointed in front of Scott.
“Understood,” Scott replied with a smirk, appreciating the heads up. “I’ll be watching.”
27
Even though the sun was extremely bright, Clayton took off his sunglasses, putting them in his chest pocket. Attempting to look as casual as possible, Clayton approached the front door to Reyes’ house, observing his surroundings, and unsnapping his holster for faster access to his sidearm. Knocking on the door loudly, he waited for Reyes to answer. The slight sound of movement could be heard from the porch, indicating Reyes heard him, so he knocked louder and announced himself, “Mr. Reyes! It’s Detective Moore! I know you’re in there, I need to ask you a few questions,” he drew his gun from his side.
Scott slowly opened his car door, letting one leg out slowly to hit the pavement. Something wasn’t right, Reyes should’ve answered the door by now. He’d forgotten about the gun in the glovebox already, but he was ready to chase this guy if he had to. Clayton checked back to where Scott was now standing between the interior of the car and the open door, and shrugged his shoulders as he walked off the porch to check out the other side of the house. Waving his finger in a circle above his head to indicate to Scott that he was going around the other side of the house.
Feeling like something wasn’t right, but not being able to hear if there was an exchange at the door, Scott moved and shut the car door behind him, starting to walk cautiously toward the opposite side of the house that Clayton was searching. Out of the corner of the house, he saw a side door open slowly, as Reyes poked his head out to look around.
“Moore!” Scott screamed as he ran toward Reyes.
Reyes locked eyes with Scott, realizing he’d been spotted, and took off running toward his neighbors unfenced back yard, rail gun in hand. Scott didn’t realize that Reyes had the gun until he was already halfway to him, sprinting at full speed. As Clayton rounded the back of the house, he watched as Scott caught up to Reyes, full throttle tackling him to the ground like a linebacker.
As the two men hit the ground, they rolled over into the grass while Reyes struggled to get away. Grabbing at each other, Reyes still holding the gun, he kicked at Scott in an attempt to unfurl himself from the wrestling match. Reyes’ lanky, out of shape frame was no match for Scott’s athletic physique and Scott was quickly able to regain control. Scott clutched the collar of Reye’s shirt, reeled back and punched him square in the jaw, causing Reyes to fall to the ground. As Scott recovered from the punch and doubled over from the pain in his hand, Reyes, still on his back, lifted the rail gun, pointing it directly at Scott’s core. Before he was able to squeeze the trigger, Scott lunged at him, twisting the gun out of Reyes’ grasp while Clayton looked on, waiting for a chance to get a shot in carefully.
As Scott tossed the gun to the side, Clayton intervened, cuffing Reyes quickly and shoving him onto his stomach. “Brother, what in the actual fuck was that?” He chuckled.
Scott got up to brush himself off and replied, “I was a defensive tackle in high school man. I guess it’s like riding a bike. I didn’t even think about it.” As he took stock of himself, he realized his t-shirt was soaked in blood, but he didn’t feel any pain.
“Fuck!” Clayton rushed to Scott’s side, grabbing at the vest, and patting Scott down. “You’re hit. Where?!” He demanded as he meticulously inspected Scott all over, turning him around, searching for the wound.
Pushing him away, Scott said, “Dude, I’m not hit. I don’t know what all this fucking blood is. Back it up man.” He took off the vest, and began inspecting himself, realizing that the gun must have fired in the scuffle, but he was wearing the vest, and wasn’t harmed at all. The blood was from a blood bullet inside the rail gun. “Fuck dude, the blood is from one of this creep’s blood bullets,” he kicked Reyes in the leg, causing Clayton to laugh.
“Okay,
Jesus Christ, you had me worried for a minute there hero,” he continued to chuckle. “I gotta call this in, and have some black and whites take him downtown.”
“I feel like I need to get fucking hosed off man, I’m a mess,” Scott realized that he now had the victim’s blood from earlier on him, Reyes blood and mud and grass all over him as well. All he wanted was a shower, and maybe some ice on his hand because he didn’t realize how much it hurt to punch someone in the face.
“You know I need your clothes for evidence right?” Clayton said, trying stifle a snicker.
“Are you fucking serious?” Scott rolled his eyes and stared at Clayton hoping that he was kidding.
“I’m not joking. You’re essentially a walking bag of evidence, man,” the laughter started rolling out. “We’ll find you some clothes, or we’ll send someone to your place to get some.”
“This fucking day, man,” Scott lamented, throwing his hands in air.
It didn’t take long for a squad car with two officers to arrive to take Reyes back to the station for questioning and booking. Scott went back to Clayton’s car to wait, and to text Dani while Clayton talked to the officers and handed Reyes over.
Hey babe
Hey yourself, how you making out?
We got him
Awesome job! Wanna come over and celebrate?
I wish babe
I gotta go downtown with Clayton, there was a scuffle
A scuffle?
Yea… I’ll explain later, but I need a favor?
Anything
Can you come get my keys at the precinct and then go get me some clothes?
Do I want to know why you need new clothes?
Probably not
Alrighty then
Should I meet you there now?
That would be awesome
I’ll take you to dinner later, I promise
Yea yea, that’s what they all say lol
I’m lucky
You sure are xoxo
Thank you babe xoxo
Exhausted, filthy and pretty well done with the day, Scott sat down in the passenger’s seat of Clayton’s car with the door open, waiting for him.
