Delayed Justice

by Constance Bretes

  “I’d rather be killed than go to prison. So, if they are going to kill me, I’m taking someone with me, and that someone is you.”

  Sami didn’t know what to do except to keep talking and maybe keep Tom talking. “Why, Tom? Why did you plant that bomb at the pharmacy?” Sami asked.

  “Why? You want to know why?”

  “Well, yeah. I mean, if I have to die I’d like to at least know the reason.”

  “Carol was pregnant with my baby and she wanted to abort it. I couldn’t let her do that, and I couldn’t let her go. I wanted her so badly, and I planned to marry her until she said she was marrying that sheriff.”

  It’s like a vicious circle, isn’t it? Sami thought. It all centered around two individuals—Makeeta and Carol.

  The phone in the room rang, and Tom jumped. He picked the phone up. “Yeah?” After a moment’s pause as he listened to the person on the other end, he said, “There is no negotiation to be made. I have what I want. I’m going to kill her and then myself.” Tom threw the phone across the room.

  Sami tried to keep Tom talking. He waved his gun around wildly, and sometimes he’d yell, sometimes he cried, and other times he became menacing and cruel, all at once.

  “Tom, who was the guy with you that day at the pharmacy?” Sami asked.

  “Huh? Oh, he’s my brother Charles. He bought the parts for me to build the bomb.”

  “Did he help you make the bomb?”

  “What? No, he didn’t.”

  “He was with you when you planted it.”

  “Yeah, he came with me, but he didn’t do anything.”

  Makeeta tried to negotiate with Tom through the bullhorn. “Tom, this is not the way to end this. You let Mr. and Mrs. Shields and Cathy go, now do the right thing and let Sami Parker go.”

  But Tom wasn’t paying any attention, he was intent on talking about his relationship with Carol.

  Sami felt like she’d been held hostage forever when she heard Makeeta’s voice through the bullhorn. It sounded like he had taken control of the situation from Sargeni.

  Suddenly, everything began to look brighter to her. Makeeta was now in charge and he was trying to negotiate her release. The pain from the hurt and rejection left her, and she knew in her heart that she had forgiven him completely. She looked around to see what she could do to end this. She wanted to get out of this situation and run out and throw her arms around Makeeta.

  * * * *

  Makeeta climbed a tree partway up, so he could get a good look through the telescopic lens on his Heckler & Koch PSG1 rifle. If Tom raised the gun with intent to kill Sami, he would get him first. Tom waved the gun around like a maniac, but each time Makeeta thought he’d get a good shot at him, Sami moved. “Come on, darling, move out of the way for me.”

  Suddenly Tom Wilkes stood straight up and aimed his gun at Sami.

  A split second before Tom fired his gun, Makeeta pulled the trigger. The glass window shattered, and Tom Wilkes fell to the floor. The bullet from Tom’s gun hit the ceiling. The SWAT team moved in and held their guns on him until one of them checked for a pulse and announced, “He’s dead.”

  Makeeta blasted into the room and ran to Sami and picked her up in his arms. She started crying uncontrollable sobs as he held her.

  “It’s over, love, it’s over. Everything will be okay,” he cooed soothingly to her, stroking her hair. He held her tightly and possessively, encouraging her to let out the emotions that she had built up inside her.

  “Oh, Makeeta,” she whispered, “I love you.”

  “I love you too, baby. Calm down now, it’s over. Let’s get you out of here, okay?” They walked out of the house, his arm around her waist, and he listened as she told him about Deputy Sargeni. Makeeta was furious with him. He put Sami in the cruiser and told her, “I’ll be right back. You stay put.” He cupped her face with his hand gently.

  She nodded, sniffing and smiling at him.

  He closed the door and walked over to Deputy Sargeni. “You are fired. Turn your badge and your gun over to these two deputies, and clear out your locker. Don’t ever step foot in the station again,” he said, his voice made of steel.

  “I’ll take this to arbitration,” Sargeni countered.

  “You just do that,” Makeeta snarled.

  As Sargeni turned his badge and gun over to one of the deputies, Makeeta walked back to the cruiser.

  “Listen, love, I have to stick around here to close up this nightmare. Will you be okay staying in town for a bit while I do some work? You can stay in my office.”

  “Okay, I can wait.”

  Makeeta and Sami went to the station, and he settled Sami in his office.

  “Oh, Makeeta?”

  “Hmm?” Makeeta responded as he stroked her arm.

  “The second guy in the bombing was Charles Wilkes. Tom confessed to it when I asked him about it.”

  “Really? I’ll have to do some digging and see if I can bring that man to justice too,” Makeeta replied.

  “He said that Charles didn’t actually do anything except buy the parts and go with him when he planted the bomb.” Sami let out a sigh.

  “He’s an accomplice to murder. If he bought it and knew what it was being used for, he is just as guilty as Tom for creating and detonating it.”

  After working through the issues and closing the case, Makeeta finally came and collected Sami and they left for the day, on their way to his home.

  Chapter 16

  After having something to eat, Makeeta and Sami sat down together on the couch, sipping their coffee in front of the fireplace.

  “Sami, I have to explain some things to you. I was angry at first about you keeping the pregnancy from me, but I understood it. I left after you told me because everything seemed so overwhelming…all the events and everything that happened that shouldn’t have happened. I am sad that you lost the baby. You are right—the child would have been beautiful. For now on, you will always be first in my heart, nothing else will ever come between us. I went home to talk to my parents over the weekend. That’s why I wasn’t there when this hostage situation emerged. I had a long talk with them and they now understand that it’s you and me, if you’ll have me. I blame myself for the situation that we were in because I caved into my parents’ demands. I love my parents, but they had no business pushing me into something I didn’t want. I still love you and have always loved you, even when we were together five years ago.”

  Sami looked at Makeeta, and he could see the look of surprise on her face. “You loved me back then, Makeeta?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Ne mohotatse. Can you ever forgive me for everything that happened?”

  Sami threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. “Yes, I can forgive you. Can you forgive me?”

  “I’ve already forgiven you. Sami, Tell me, love, why did you choose to sell the house and move to the cabin? You lived in isolation for a long time.”

  “I felt awful about all the things that happened and then I lost the baby, and I have all these scars. I felt ashamed of the scars and ashamed that I couldn’t give you any information that would lead to the arrest of the person responsible. The townspeople were so mean to me during that time, and I couldn’t handle it. I knew I had to get out of there quickly. I wasn’t sure I was going to stay in the cabin as long as I did, but the land sort of grew on me, and then I made friends with Shadow Dancer. He came by about once a week to check on me and we’ve become very good friends. I did all my best writing there.”

  “I went by your house in town and saw that it was empty and the realtor’s sign was gone. I went to see the realtor who had listed the house and she said the house had been sold and you left and didn’t leave a forwarding address. She said you left strict instructions that absolutely no one was to know where you were going. I knew I could find out if I did some digging, but I decided to respect your privacy,” Makeeta added softly. “Sami?”

  “Hmm?” she murmured.

  “I hav
e something to ask you.”

  “Okay,” she said, kissing him on his cheek.

  “Sami, will you marry me?”

  Sami sat back in the couch and looked into his eyes. “Oh, Makeeta, yes, yes, yes, I’ll marry you,” she said happily, and threw her arms around his neck.

  * * * *

  A week after the hostage situation happened, Mr. and Mrs. Shields and Cathy came by Makeeta’s house to talk to Sami.

  Before anyone could start, Cathy stepped forward and said, “I was completely wrong about you, and I persecuted you. I hope that someday you will be able to forgive me for what I’ve done to you. In a way, what I did to you was almost as bad as what happened to my sister.”

  “Thank you, Cathy. Nothing can take the place of losing a love one, but I hope you can move on from this,” Sami replied.

  Mrs. Shields gave Sami a hug. “I wish you great success with your new book, and I pray you will have a happy life. You deserve to have that.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Shields.” Sami hugged her back and shook Mr. Shields’s hand.

  * * * *

  Shadow Dancer came over for dinner the day after the Shields stopped by. He was so relieved that Makeeta had arrived in time to save Sami, and they were a couple once more. He cautioned them to never allow anyone or anything to come between them again, and to make time for each other, no matter what.

  Makeeta said, “You know, Granddad, your prayers and the peace pipe worked.”

  “Yes, it did,” Shadow Dancer replied, smiling.

  Sami looked at Shadow Dancer and then at Makeeta. “What prayers and peace pipe?”

  “Granddad always knew that we were meant to be together. He offered up prayers, and the peace pipe carried the prayers up to heaven. Granddad received revelation that something stood in the way to test our relationship and he also received revelation that your life was in danger and he relayed that information to me,” Makeeta explained. “I was at my parents’ home when he called me and told me, and that’s how I got to town so quickly and was able to shoot Tom to prevent him from killing you.”

  Shadow Dancer could see the gratitude in Sami’s facial expression as she said, “I’m so thankful to you, Shadow Dancer, for saving my life, and to you, Makeeta, for rescuing me. You two are the most important people in my life, and I love you both so much.”

  * * * *

  The people in Milne City changed dramatically toward Sami after the trial and the hostage situation. She no longer felt she couldn’t go to town. She knew that she would have to live in Milne City if she wanted to be with Makeeta, and she was okay with that.

  A month after the hostage situation, Makeeta and Sami got married. She moved out of the cabin and brought her few things to Makeeta’s beautiful home. She’d always loved his house and wondered what it would be like to be the mistress of it. Soon after their marriage, she became pregnant with their son.

  Sami finished her book, and it became another best seller. In the latest book, she wrote about herself, her life, and the wonderful happy ending, just as in real life.

  * * * *

  On November 2nd, election day, Sami snuggled deeper under the covers in the bed. She felt someone nibbling on her neck and she turned around to look into Makeeta’s eyes. He smiled at her. “How are you this morning, Mrs. Robertson?” He planted a kiss on her shoulder.

  She giggled with delight. “I’m doing great, my handsome husband.”

  “How is my son doing, dear?” he asked.

  “He’s kicking just fine.”

  He let out a warm chuckle, rubbing her swollen belly. He kissed her throat, then coming back up to claim her lips again. “I think I should have at least waited a few more months before I got you pregnant,” he said musingly.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, I just sometimes think it would have been the proper thing to do. Maybe waited until after the election to see if I’m going to be employed or not.”

  “Oh, you silly man, of course you’re going to be employed, I have no doubt about that. The people in this town adore you, and after what Sargeni did, I don’t think the town wants a vigilante sheriff.”

  Makeeta got up and looked lovingly at Sami. “Shower time.” He kissed her again and then went into the bathroom. Sami laid there basking in the pleasure of it all.

  Chapter 16

  After having something to eat, Makeeta and Sami sat down together on the couch, sipping their coffee in front of the fireplace.

  “Sami, I have to explain some things to you. I was angry at first about you keeping the pregnancy from me, but I understood it. I left after you told me because everything seemed so overwhelming…all the events and everything that happened that shouldn’t have happened. I am sad that you lost the baby. You are right—the child would have been beautiful. For now on, you will always be first in my heart, nothing else will ever come between us. I went home to talk to my parents over the weekend. That’s why I wasn’t there when this hostage situation emerged. I had a long talk with them and they now understand that it’s you and me, if you’ll have me. I blame myself for the situation that we were in because I caved into my parents’ demands. I love my parents, but they had no business pushing me into something I didn’t want. I still love you and have always loved you, even when we were together five years ago.”

  Sami looked at Makeeta, and he could see the look of surprise on her face. “You loved me back then, Makeeta?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Ne mohotatse. Can you ever forgive me for everything that happened?”

  Sami threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. “Yes, I can forgive you. Can you forgive me?”

  “I’ve already forgiven you. Sami, Tell me, love, why did you choose to sell the house and move to the cabin? You lived in isolation for a long time.”

  “I felt awful about all the things that happened and then I lost the baby, and I have all these scars. I felt ashamed of the scars and ashamed that I couldn’t give you any information that would lead to the arrest of the person responsible. The townspeople were so mean to me during that time, and I couldn’t handle it. I knew I had to get out of there quickly. I wasn’t sure I was going to stay in the cabin as long as I did, but the land sort of grew on me, and then I made friends with Shadow Dancer. He came by about once a week to check on me and we’ve become very good friends. I did all my best writing there.”

  “I went by your house in town and saw that it was empty and the realtor’s sign was gone. I went to see the realtor who had listed the house and she said the house had been sold and you left and didn’t leave a forwarding address. She said you left strict instructions that absolutely no one was to know where you were going. I knew I could find out if I did some digging, but I decided to respect your privacy,” Makeeta added softly. “Sami?”

  “Hmm?” she murmured.

  “I have something to ask you.”

  “Okay,” she said, kissing him on his cheek.

  “Sami, will you marry me?”

  Sami sat back in the couch and looked into his eyes. “Oh, Makeeta, yes, yes, yes, I’ll marry you,” she said happily, and threw her arms around his neck.

  * * * *

  A week after the hostage situation happened, Mr. and Mrs. Shields and Cathy came by Makeeta’s house to talk to Sami.

  Before anyone could start, Cathy stepped forward and said, “I was completely wrong about you, and I persecuted you. I hope that someday you will be able to forgive me for what I’ve done to you. In a way, what I did to you was almost as bad as what happened to my sister.”

  “Thank you, Cathy. Nothing can take the place of losing a love one, but I hope you can move on from this,” Sami replied.

  Mrs. Shields gave Sami a hug. “I wish you great success with your new book, and I pray you will have a happy life. You deserve to have that.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Shields.” Sami hugged her back and shook Mr. Shields’s hand.

  * * * *

  Shadow Dancer came o
ver for dinner the day after the Shields stopped by. He was so relieved that Makeeta had arrived in time to save Sami, and they were a couple once more. He cautioned them to never allow anyone or anything to come between them again, and to make time for each other, no matter what.

  Makeeta said, “You know, Granddad, your prayers and the peace pipe worked.”

  “Yes, it did,” Shadow Dancer replied, smiling.

  Sami looked at Shadow Dancer and then at Makeeta. “What prayers and peace pipe?”

  “Granddad always knew that we were meant to be together. He offered up prayers, and the peace pipe carried the prayers up to heaven. Granddad received revelation that something stood in the way to test our relationship and he also received revelation that your life was in danger and he relayed that information to me,” Makeeta explained. “I was at my parents’ home when he called me and told me, and that’s how I got to town so quickly and was able to shoot Tom to prevent him from killing you.”

  Shadow Dancer could see the gratitude in Sami’s facial expression as she said, “I’m so thankful to you, Shadow Dancer, for saving my life, and to you, Makeeta, for rescuing me. You two are the most important people in my life, and I love you both so much.”

  * * * *

  The people in Milne City changed dramatically toward Sami after the trial and the hostage situation. She no longer felt she couldn’t go to town. She knew that she would have to live in Milne City if she wanted to be with Makeeta, and she was okay with that.

  A month after the hostage situation, Makeeta and Sami got married. She moved out of the cabin and brought her few things to Makeeta’s beautiful home. She’d always loved his house and wondered what it would be like to be the mistress of it. Soon after their marriage, she became pregnant with their son.

  Sami finished her book, and it became another best seller. In the latest book, she wrote about herself, her life, and the wonderful happy ending, just as in real life.

  * * * *

  On November 2nd, election day, Sami snuggled deeper under the covers in the bed. She felt someone nibbling on her neck and she turned around to look into Makeeta’s eyes. He smiled at her. “How are you this morning, Mrs. Robertson?” He planted a kiss on her shoulder.