In the Shadow of the Shield (Secret Lives Series Book 2)

by Carolyn LaRoche

  She fell back against the mattress again, exhaling heavily. “Oh, thank God.”

  “I’m sure the nurse will take you to see him as soon as the doctor says it’s okay.”

  “Why are you being so nice about this, son?”

  Jackson shrugged. “I don’t know. Some guy named Lookie Louie was here when I got here last night. Said Carter saved your life.”

  “He did. I am not sure how he even found me, but if not for him the ending wouldn’t have been the same.”

  “Who’s Lookie Louie?”

  Good question. How was she supposed to explain a drug-addicted confidential informant to her son?

  “Just some guy we met when we were staking out the place.”

  “What place, Mom?”

  “The place that made your dad sick.”

  “You went there?”

  She nodded.

  “Why?”

  “To find out what happened!”

  “Well, you almost made me into an orphan.”

  “I’m sorry, Jackson. I really am.”

  He relaxed a little. “I know you are, Mom. I’m sorry too.”

  “What day is this?” She realized she had no idea how long she had been asleep.

  “It’s Monday.” Oh, good, she hadn’t lost weeks of her life.

  “You should go home. You have school tomorrow.”

  Jackson yawned. “I’m not going. I am staying the night with you.”

  “Now, honey, you don’t need to do that. You already missed today. I’ll be fine. Really.”

  “It’s done, Mom.” He nodded toward a bag in the corner of her room. “The doctor said you should be able to go home tomorrow. It’s only one more day, and I never miss school.”

  She sighed and offered her only son a smile. “Okay. If you want to stay, you can.”

  A knock on the door sounded. Jackson got up and opened it. A uniformed officer and the chief of the Virginia Beach Police Department entered her room.

  “Good evening, Mrs, Massey.” The chief of police stepped to the side of her bed and extended his hand.

  “Chief. What brings you here?” She hadn’t seen the chief since Donnie’s funeral.

  He pulled the chair Jackson had vacated close to her bed and sat down. “I’ve come to apologize, ma’am.”

  “Apologize?” Jackson asked as he stood behind the chief, looking as confused as she felt.

  “It seems the department has done you and your son a great disservice after the death of your husband.”

  “Oh?”

  “Two of our officers, patrolman Luke Wilkins and Assistant Chief Pete Roman, were arrested late last night trying to board planes for the Cayman Islands. It was brought to our attention that they may have been involved in a crime that led to Detective Massey’s death.”

  “May have been? They tried to kill me and Officer Ryan!”

  “Yes, ma’am. We have an eyewitness who has confirmed all of the events of last night. They will be charged accordingly.”

  “Did you find the drugs?”

  “Drugs?” The chief and his officer both looked at her questioningly.

  “In the storage locker. At the place where they found me and Carter last night. That’s how I ended up there. They threw me in the back of the truck with all the drugs they planned to sell. The whole reason Donnie is dead.”

  “Lewis, call the station. Get some guys out there to check it out.”

  “Yes, sir.” Officer Lewis pulled a phone from his pocket and stepped into the hallway.

  “Did anyone find the truck?”

  “What truck?”

  “The one in the retention pond? There’s a body in it. Another cop who was in on Donnie’s death. He handcuffed me to the door frame, and I nearly drowned trying to get out when the truck sunk to the bottom.”

  “I had no idea how big this was.” The chief sounded really aggravated. “You can bet I’ll be cleaning house as soon as I get back to headquarters. I am so sorry you had to go through so much.”

  “I only wanted Donnie’s name to be cleared. Ever since his death, we haven’t heard a word from anyone in the department. I know people think he made a mistake, that his death was his own fault. But he was set up, and everyone needs to know that.”

  The chief rose and pushed the chair back to where it had been. “Please believe me when I say that the city of Virginia Beach thanks you for the service of your husband. I will get to the bottom of all of this. The officers involved are an embarrassment to the department.”

  He was gone before she could think of a reply.

  “Wow, Mom. You’ve really started something here.”

  “That wasn’t my intention. I did it for your father.”

  “I know that. But you have singlehandedly turned the police department upside down. Good job!”

  She couldn’t help but laugh at her son’s exuberance. What had started out as a stealthy investigation to find Donnie’s killer had turned into a major, department-wide witch hunt.

  She shrugged. “Go big or go home. Isn’t that what your dad always said?”

  “It sure is.” Jackson laughed and picked something up from inside his overnight bag that he handed to her. “I brought your computer. The hospital has Wi-fi. I thought you might want to talk to your girlfriends or something. They couldn’t find your cell phone when they brought you in.”

  She accepted the computer. “Thank you for thinking of this. I lost my phone after I got out of the water.”

  “We’ll pick you up a new one when you get out of here. In the meantime, I’m starved. I’m going to go check out the cafeteria.”

  “All right. But remember the hospital food isn’t so great.”

  “It’ll do.” Jackson leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Mom. Thank you for not making me an orphan.”

  When he was gone, she turned on her computer and logged into the Internet.

  Diana: Hello, ladies! Anyone out there tonight?

  Cyndi: Oh, thank goodness! I’ve been trying to call you.

  Diana: My cell phone is dead. I’ll get a new one later this week.

  Jessy: Diana! How are you? Are you okay?

  Diana: I’m fine, I promise.

  Angela: It’s all over the news!

  Diana: What is?

  Angela: How you saved Carter Ryan’s life!

  Diana: I didn’t save him. He sort of saved me, actually.

  Jessy: ?

  Diana: I was kidnapped by three drug traffickers, and Carter found me. He was shot trying to rescue me.

  She deliberately left out the part about the three cops being the drug traffickers. After her conversation with the chief, she thought she better let him do his thing before she started spreading the story. Not that she owed the department anything, but Donnie would have wanted it that way, and her husband deserved that from her.

  Jessy: Drug traffickers?

  Cyndi: Um…does any of this have anything to do with the two guys on the job that got arrested last night?

  Leave it to Cyndi to put two and two together. She couldn’t lie to her friend.

  Diana: Maybe. Okay, yes.

  Cyndi: What did they do?

  Diana: Well, it’s still under investigation, so you really have to keep this quiet, but it looks like they were involved in a meth cooking operation back when Donnie died. We—I—think Donnie was onto them, and they set him up to make his death look like an accident. Remember how they said he went into that house because there were kids inside?

  Cyndi: Yes, Jason said he was dispatched because neighbors saw two kids enter the house, and there was a terrible smell coming from it, so they were afraid of a gas leak.

  Diana: No gas leak. Bleach and ammonia intended to kill my husband. The whole thing would look like carelessness on his part because he shirked regulations and ran in after the kids. At least that is the working theory Carter and I had.

  Jessy: So, where did you getting kidnapped come in?

  Diana: We were st
aking out the house Sunday night. Carter got a lead that the guys involved were cops, and they were going to be moving stuff to another location. So we snuck in and set up a stakeout. Only we got separated, and one of the guys found me hiding out.

  Angela: And they were all cops?

  Diana: Unfortunately, yes.

  Cyndi: Jason told me about Luke Wilkins and Chief Roman.

  Jessy: Chief Roman was involved?

  Diana: Yes. There was a third one too. His name was Schmidt.

  Angela: How is that possible? He’s been on leave. Cut two fingers off building a shed in his backyard.

  Diana: Or they got caught in the cutting machine they used to wrap their packages of drugs.

  Angela: Are you kidding me?

  Diana: I wish I was. It doesn’t matter though. He’s dead now.

  Cyndi: I haven’t heard anything about that?

  Diana: As of thirty minutes ago, he hasn’t been found yet. I bet they will be pulling him out of the water in time for the eleven o’clock news.

  Jessy: I’m still stuck on Pete dealing dope. I have known him my whole life. He and my dad were buddies in the National Guard.

  Cyndi: I know, Jessy, it’s all really surreal right now. What water is the body in?

  Diana: The same retention pond he tried to drown me in.

  Cyndi: Oh my God, Diana! Did you kill him?

  Diana: No. But if I’d had my gun on me like I should have, then I would have.

  Angela: I am so glad that you are all right! I nearly had a heart attack when I heard you were in the hospital again.

  Diana: I’m fine, Ang. Just still really cold. But the nurses have hooked me up with a bunch of toasty warm blankets.

  Cyndi: How’s Carter?

  Diana: Jackson said he will be fine. I haven’t seen him or talked to him.

  Cyndi: Jackson knows about you and Carter?

  Diana: Yes.

  Angela: Knows what?

  Diana: That there is more between us than a cup of coffee and the questions surrounding Donnie’s death.

  Jessy: So, you really like this guy?

  Diana: Yes. But it doesn’t matter.

  Jessy: What do you mean by that?

  Diana: Nothing can ever come of it. I can’t live in the shadow of the shield anymore. Not when those shadows have become so much murkier, with dirty cops and set-ups and drug deals and murders. No matter how much he thinks he is falling in love with me.

  She wasn’t sure when she had made that decision. Was it when Wilkins threw her in the back of the truck? Or when Carter texted her his goodbye from the burning drug house? It could have been when she watched him get shot in the chest, or maybe when she nearly drowned in the icy pond. All she knew was she couldn’t live with losing another man she loved to the job.

  Angela: He said he loves you? And now you want to break his heart?

  Diana: He said he loved me when he thought he was dying. People say all sorts of things when they are dying.

  Cyndi: Are you sure about this, Diana?

  Diana: I’m sure.

  Angela: I only want you to be happy, and I thought Carter made you happy.

  Diana: It was probably just a crush, Ang. I’m not a schoolgirl anymore. The choices I make have consequences that affect Jackson, not only me.

  Jessy: You have considered that Jackson will be leaving for college in a few months, and then you will be by yourself?

  Diana: I am aware of that fact, yes.

  Cyndi: The man nearly gave his life for you, and to find out the truth about Donnie. Seems to me like you owe him a little bit more than a too-bad-so-sad goodbye.

  Diana: I’ll talk to him when he gets out of the hospital. I don’t want to do anything to get in the way of his healing.

  Cyndi: I’m actually thinking that you falling out of his life, while he is in the hospital, will have a far more negative effect.

  Diana: I’ve made up my mind. I have to do what’s right for me and for my son.

  Cyndi: Forgive me for saying this, you know how much I love you, but you are just being a big chicken.

  Diana: This coming from the woman who tried to talk me out of a relationship a week ago? A little two-faced, aren’t we?

  Angela: Ladies, this isn’t helping anyone.

  Diana: The conversation is over anyway, Ang. I’m going to get some rest now. I’ll talk to you all soon.

  Cyndi: Wait, Di…?

  But she didn’t wait. Diana had no desire to explain herself to her friend any more than she already had. Shutting down her laptop, she placed it on the bedside table and snuggled under the layers of blankets. She was still chilled to the bone, although her fingers were no longer blue. That had to be a good sign. Diana yawned. Exhaustion settled over her, forcing her heavy eyelids to finally close.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The house was unbearably quiet when her phone rang. She had been home from the hospital for nearly a week, but hadn’t left the house. Jackson had finally gone to the mall and picked up her replacement cell phone for her, and Cyndi had texted a few times. Diana never responded. She didn’t know what to say. Last she heard, Carter was set to be released from the hospital that morning. An old friend worked in the intensive care unit, and had been keeping her updated via email. Other than that, she’d been avoiding the outside world.

  The ringing of her phone startled her.

  “Hello?”

  “Good morning, Mrs. Massey. This is Chief Brannon of the Virginia Beach Police Department. I hope this call finds you well?”

  “Good morning. Yes, thank you. I am feeling much better. How can I help you, Chief?”

  “I wanted to let you know that both Officer Wilkins and Assistant Chief Roman have copped to everything. They traded confessions for a reduced sentence. There won’t be a trial.”

  No trial. Good. She had no desire to ever see either of them again.

  “Including Donnie’s death?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “How reduced?”

  “Twenty-five for each of them.”

  Well now, that wasn’t too reduced. She could live with twenty-five years.

  “Any chance for parole?”

  “No.”

  “Good.”

  “I want you to know how sorry I am—for everything. With your husband’s reputation in the department, someone should have caught onto this sooner. Officer Ryan will be receiving a commendation for cracking the case. Is there anything at all the department can do for you or your son?”

  “No. Not for us. But do something for other families who are affected by line-of-duty deaths. Make sure you have the whole story before closing the case.”

  “I understand, Mrs. Massey. If it’s all right with you, I would like to present Detective Massey with a commendation posthumously. I know it won’t do much to ease your mourning, but I feel like it is long overdue.”

  “A commendation? For what?”

  “Officer Ryan turned over some evidence that was collected by Detective Massey prior to his death. It appears he was onto the drug scheme and was about to break the case when he…”

  “When he was murdered?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you. If Donnie was here, he would appreciate it.”

  “Once again, I apologize, and I hope that this will give you a bit of the closure you need.”

  “Thank you, Chief.”

  He bid her goodbye, and disconnected the call. Diana sat for a long while in a chair in the kitchen, holding her phone and considering what she had just heard. Donnie was going to be honored. So was Carter. Donnie finally had the justice he deserved, and she could move on with her life.

  But what exactly did that mean—moving on with her life? She was in her forties, widowed, and about to have one very empty nest. The only job she had ever held as an adult was a phone sex girl—she wasn’t sure exactly how that would translate to a resume.

  It didn’t matter. She had Donnie’s pension to live off of. Maybe she could vo
lunteer or something. Get a hobby, even. Diana had no idea what she even liked to do for fun anymore. Donnie had proposed the day they graduated high school. They married when she finished up at the community college. A year later, Jackson came along, and the last seventeen years had been chock full of everything Jackson needed and did. Her son was now a young man, about to start his adult life. She needed to figure out how to be on her own.

  Big changes were needed. No more status quo. The first thing she had to do was quit her job. She got up and went into the office to dial Rick on the work phone. For some reason, her conversation with Leo the week before had been weighing on her. He had moved on. It was time she did too. Staying with her job meant living in her past, and Diana was finally ready to move forward.

  Rick picked up on the first ring. “Hey, doll.”

  “Hi, Rick. How are you?”

  “You’re calling to quit, aren’t you?” She thought she detected a hint of a smile in his voice.

  “It’s been a hell of a week, Rick, and I have finally figured a few things out. I think it’s time for me to start my life again.”

  “I’m gonna miss you, Misty Dawn. You bring something to the company that is hard to come by. But, honestly, I always knew I was on borrowed time with you. Ten years is a long time in this job, and when you left after—well, when you were gone for a bit there—I figured that was it.”