Mourning Reign

by Edward Hancock II

  “Who was that?” Shawn asked.

  Shelby shrugged.

  The radio squawked again.

  “I say again, this is Captain Danny Peterson with backup en route. Advise status of officers on the scene.”

  “Captain Peterson, Longview PD,” Shelby noted, with nervous excitement. “The Wal-Mart investigation. The explosion at Longview PD. But why’s he coming here?”

  “Captain Peterson’s coming here? Bit out of his territory isn’t he?”

  “Holy crap!” Shelby agreed. “This must be serious!”

  Shelby knew Captain Peterson. Well, she knew his reputation.

  Gilmer was a small town and she knew that Captain Peterson often worked Gilmer investigations, despite being a Longview cop. Heck the lines of Gilmer Law Enforcement had been steadily getting more blurry since the days of the Kelly Wilson disappearance. The fact is Gilmer didn’t possess the manpower to work an investigation the magnitude of the Longview Police Department explosion. If this turned out to be even close to that, Captain Peterson’s assistance, as far as she was concerned, was more than welcome.

  She pressed the button on the two-way. “Officers on scene, myself and partner. No shots fired. Need backup to assist in further investigation.” She continued her brief report, growing increasingly nervous as she realized she was reporting to the single-most superior police officer currently on the payroll of any police force in greater East Texas.

  “What are you doing?” Shawn asked.

  “My job.”

  “Your job,” Shawn said, adding an air of confrontation to his

  voice, “is to protect the city of Gilmer, not cater to some Longview idiots honing in on our territory.”

  “Hey look,” she said. “If these guys want to help us, we shouldn’t be so quick to be territorial. We’re not from Gilmer, Shawn. We’re not even Texans. We’re Americans, remember?”

  “Just the same, I’m calling Captain Simmons. That’s a Gilmer building. If Gilmer cops are going into a Gilmer building, I want my Gilmer Captain to give the order.”

  CHAPTER 36

  Battle Lines

  Alex wasn’t sure how he was going to pull off being in charge of the investigation. If they ran into any snags, if someone asked to see his badge, he’d be sunk. East Texas was a conglomerate of small communities. Alex was not exactly a stranger in many places.

  Anymore, he could scarcely go out to eat without being recognized by somebody. Having lived in Gilmer for some time now, he knew several of the Gilmer policemen. Likewise, they knew him. His nervousness only increased when he pulled into the small parking lot overlooking the south-facing side of Gilmer Elementary.

  Behind the parking lot, an easterly direction, lay Allen Street. From their vantage point, Alex could see what looked like a police cruiser peeking out from behind a dark SUV.

  “Looks like that’s our reporting officers,” Alex said, pointing.

  “Okay so what’s next, Boss?”

  Alex pointed to the small inlet street running between the fenced-in playground and the parking lot. “I want someone up that way coordinating with that unit. I want them told to guard that door in case of anyone trying to escape, good guy or bad guy.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to radio them?” Danny said.

  “Element of surprise, Danny,” Alex said. “Chances are the bad guys know they are here. But I’d bet anything they don’t know we are here, yet. We keep radio silence for now. You, me and the rest enter through the main building. We break radio silence only when we’re in position. By then it’ll be too late for them to do anything.”

  Danny looked as if all the color suddenly left his face.

  “What?” Alex asked.

  “I just had a bad feeling,” he whispered. “You ever feel like somebody just walked over your grave?”

  Through gnashed teeth Alex let go a deep growl.

  “Alex I’m serious. Hear me out. Think about what we’re dealing with here. What if these guys are strapped with explosives?”

  “Danny,” Alex sighed, “unless these guys aren’t who we think they are, I’m betting we canguaranteethey’ll be strapped with explosives.”

  ***

  Dr. Death had changed clothes. He was wearing a suit that bore a

  striking resemblance to the one worn by the man who had blown up the Longview Police Department. He looked bigger somehow, built different. The only word for it was bulky. Lisa knew immediately what was hiding under the suit and it scared her beyond words. He was smart. But he was crazy. A bomb would go off today, she thought to herself. She’d already been around one too many of those. She wasn’t sure she’d survive a second explosion. Worse, her family was in danger.

  A buzz filled the cafeteria. Everyone was noticing Dr. Death’s new attire. The terrorist fashion show was alarming young and old alike.

  Knowing glances filled the faces of many teachers. Most of the children seemed interested, but only mildly distracted. Even Christina, who sat all too silent, seemed concerned.

  Dr. Death whispered to a couple of guards who nodded, whispered a brief reply and exited toward the main school building.

  Finished? That’s what Dr. Death had said earlier.It is finished.

  For some reason Lisa had a feeling that whateveritwas, it had only just begun.

  ***

  They were ten in all. Alex, Danny, Tisha, Moe Sutton, Tim Parker, three uniformed officers and two “off-duty” FBI Agents at Alex’s disposal. Still trying to shake the dust off his “cop genes”, Alex dispatched the two FBI Agents to coordinate with the uniformed officers positioned in the staff parking lot across Allen Street. He gave them strict instructions and ordered radio silence until contacted by himself, Moe or Danny. It’d be easier for them to take control of a couple of uniforms than to try and send his own uniformed officers into a battle of wills, jurisdictions and such.

  He wasn’t about to separate from Danny. His own cop genes needed Danny as backup; and, he surmised, Danny wouldn’t have given over control so easily if he’d felt in charge of his own cop testosterone. The two veterans, he cogitated—the leaders of the pack, the self-assured experienced ones. If only the rest of the team knew what Alex and Danny both surely knew; that each of the self-assured experienced veterans was fighting the uncontrollable urge to urinate all over himself. We’re getting old, he thought as he regarded his police officer chum.

  With the two junior FBI agents dispatched, Alex did the only thing he could with the remainder of his team. He left the two uniformed officers to guard the fence and to prevent escape either through or over the chain-link enclosure. Whether or not two uniforms with hand guns and a shot gun each could stop an unknown number of marauding terrorists remained to be seen but at the very least they’d hopefully be able to delay them. There wasn’t much cover Alex rationalized so a couple of sturdy pine trees would have to do.

  With the back door successfully covered, and the fence about as well-guarded as it could be, Alex directed the rest of the team toward the front of the school building.

  “We’re going in teams,” Alex said. “Officer Brantley, you’re with Agent Parker. Officer Warner. Moe. I need an experienced person going in with the rookies. No offense Tisha.” Turning toward Danny, he said, “That leaves you with me, Partner.”

  “Like old times,” Danny said.

  “So, who’s he with?” Tisha asked, pointing toward the feeble-looking figure puttering up the cement walkway leading toward the front steps of Gilmer Elementary.

  “Ah, geez!” Alex said, turning in the direction of the old man.

  In the distance, sirens blared, redirecting Alex’s attention.

  Tapping Danny on the shoulder, Alex broke off into a jog, “You’ve got to be kidding me! Please tell me this is not happening!”

  “Sir, this is an emergency. I’m going to have to ask you to get back a safe distance.”

  “You’re darn right it’s an emergency,” The feeble old man shouted. “I’ve been tryi
n’ to get you fellas to listen to me all day. Somethin’ fishy’s goin’ on in there.” A small black tailless dog scampered about the old man’s feet. It didn’t appear the dog was any danger to anyone. Likely he was merely a frolicking pet of the elderly man.

  “Yes, sir,” Alex admitted. “We’re investigating a report of some suspicious activity. May I ask your name, Sir?”

  “Keslar,” the old man said; his voice filled with amazingly dogged determination. “Charles Keslar.”

  “Well, Mr. Keslar,” Alex continued. “I’m Lt. Alex Mendez. We are investigating the report so I’m going to have to ask you to please vacate these premises.”

  Though his voice was surprisingly powerful for a man of his obvious years, Charles Keslar made no verbal acknowledgement of Alex’s reprimand, and no apparent attempt to redirect his path.

  Just as the distant police sirens grew not so distant, their blaring call ceased all together. Coming up Scott Street, Alex noticed a police

  cruiser and an unmarked police car—dark blue, or perhaps black, Alex couldn’t really tell from this distance—with a siren on the dashboard.

  A tall man in cowboy boots, overly-starched blue jeans and a shirt that would have been the talk among any circles of rodeo clowns, stepped out of the unmarked vehicle. He was older than Alex—looked to be around Danny’s age, maybe a little older. His salt-and-peppered hair was full but gave the impression of a stressful life. If stress added to your graying, this cop had led quite an adventurous life.

  “Sir, I’m afraid you’re going to…”

  “I’m Captain Simmons,” the tall man began. “Gilmer Police. You wanna tell me what in the Sam Hill you Longview badges think you’re doing here?”

  “Sir, I’m…” Alex began again.

  “I’m Captain Danny Peterson,” Danny interrupted. “Us Longview badges are here to get one of our own out of that building and we’re here backed up by the United States Government.” He pointed to Moe.

  “So would you like to check your attitude and help us or are we going to yank on each other’s bootstraps while these guys are getting more prepared by the second?”

  “That’s a Gilmer building, son,” said Captain Simmons.

  “And this is FBI Agent Sutton,” Danny repeated, pointing to Moe. Moe pulled out his badge and showed it to Captain Simmons without so much as a word. Say one thing about the FBI, Alex thought, but they sure knew when to put on that stoic air for which they were so famous.

  Two uniformed cops stepped out of the Gilmer Police cruiser. Both were older men, dark-complected—Italian perhaps. Each possessed a slight paunch and hair that was more salt than pepper. The driver bore a thick mustache equally salted and peppered while his partner remained almost pristinely clean shaven. It was, to Alex anyway, as if Mario and his brother Luigi had stepped clean out of their latest video game adventure to don police uniforms.

  Another officer, a female, stepped out of the unmarked. She was dressed in khaki pants and a dark blouse. Not exactly regulation detective attire, Alex thought.

  “Look,” Alex said, again trying to diffuse the situation. “I do not want to have a problem here. We are looking into what’s likely to be a hostage situation. At least one child we can confirm, likely more— likely many more. We are all here to get this situation under control. I understand that’s Gilmer property, but the hostages in there aren’t just from Gilmer. We have reason to believe one of our own is in there. We want any hostages out alive. Whatever happens to the hostage takers is, to be honest, secondary.”

  The captain started to speak again, but Alex continued.

  “We’re not here to steal anyone’s thunder. We are here to do a job and go home. Simple as that. Now do you want to help us or do you want to sit out here and continue arguing while these guys are arming themselves, maybe turning themselves into human bombs? Every second we waste makes them more prepared. The way you charged in here like Wyatt Earp and his Merry Men, I’m guessing we’ve probably lost the element of surprise.”

  “Robin Hood,” Danny whispered, leaning in to Alex.

  “What?”

  “I think you meant Robin Hood and his Merry Men.”

  “The way these guys are dressed?” Alex whispered back, chuckling softly.

  “You have a point,” Danny said, just loud enough that Captain Simmons could hear him. They winked at one another and laughed again, as if they were a couple of high school boys making fun of the nerdy kid in class.

  “Okay so what do you boys need?” Captain Simmons asked.

  Wow, Alex thought. That was easier than I expected.

  “Well the first thing we need is for you to tell your troops over there on Allen Street to stay back and follow the orders of the two FBI agents I sent back there. Other than that, I’d like for your two uniforms to guard the front door. We’re going to go in, but we have that part covered. I don’t want to insult you but it would be a great help if you and your partner there would help coordinate from the outside. Keep bystanders back, corral any concerned parents that may show up and keep any news media from getting too close. If you need more bodies out here, all you have to do is call Chief Steelman in Longview and tell him Captain Peterson needs help now. In fact, I highly recommend it before you have a media frenzy on your hands.”

  “Son, there ain’t a whole lot of news media out this way, but I don’t much care for grandstanding so if you want me to be on the look-out for some, I’d be much obliged.”

  When Tisha Warner cleared her throat rather loudly, Alex turned toward her.

  “You have something to say?” Alex asked.

  “Well, Sir,” she said, pointing at Mr. Keslar, “I feel it is important to remind you that we still have a civilian on scene.”

  “Mr. Keslar,” Alex acknowledged, “Yes, I’m afraid we are going to need you to head on back to your house now. For your own safety, please.”

  “Son, I just wandered over here from all the way across the road there. Think it’d be too much if one of these big strappin’ fellas helped an old gentleman across the road?”

  Alex turned toward Gilmer’s finest, motioned to the uniformed officers.

  “Will you two escort Mr. Keslar back to his home. Be quick about it but be sure he is safe and secure. Then I want you two at the front door. Shoot anything that comes out. I promise it won’t be friendly.”

  Neither moved at first; both choosing to offer confused looks to Captain Simmons.

  “You heard the man,” Captain Simmons said. Turning toward Alex, he stuck out his hand. “Captain Wesley Simmons,” he offered,

  “at your service, of course.”

  “Alex Mendez.” Alex took Captain Simmons’ hand in his. Their grips were mutually firm, the ultimate sign of respect between soldiers. The weight of the situation was not lost on Captain Simmons. A noticeable change had descended upon him. His eyes were serious, his gaze focused, intense. He was ready for action. God, how Alex envied this man!

  CHAPTER 37

  Rescue

  Alex had to believe their element of surprise had been lost. Captain Simmons’ loud blaring sirens and the fanning out of cops on all sides of Gilmer Elementary was bound to have drawn someone’s attention inside that building. If the silent, somewhat stealthy approach of Alex’s team had drawn the attention of an elderly man, Alex wondered why the entire town of Gilmer hadn’t turned out for Captain Simmons’ arrival. Too, he wondered why they had made no move to defend themselves, to escape or to harm anyone they might be holding prisoner.

  No sounds came from within the school, but Alex couldn’t help wrestling with a terrible anguish that Lisa’s fate may have already been decided. A knife doesn’t make much noise when it slices through flesh and bone.

  He told Captain Simmons to radio his two uniforms over on Allen Street. It appeared quite a few tense moments had occurred between them and the agents Alex had dispatched.

  Alex had drawn that mythical line in the sand.

  This far and no further
!

  Finally, he had them trapped. Regardless of the outcome, Alex needed to stop them. He needed to stop them and protect the other children of the world—the other fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, friends, pets and loved ones.

  No matter what “Daddy Alex” might think, rationality said you waited. You assessed the situation and moved in, slowly, deliberately.

  As frustrated as he’d been with Danny before, Cop Alex knew that police work was one of patience and timing. Daddy merely screamed at him to get off his butt and do something.

  He reached down and adjusted the bullet-proof vest just slightly. It wasn’t all that uncomfortable. Alex just wasn’t used to wearing body armor anymore. Surprisingly, it was pretty comfortable for a prototype.

  Prototype.

  As that word resonated in his thoughts, nervousness reverberated through Alex.

  “God,” Alex whispered, bowing his head reverently. “Protect me.

  Please protect us all today. Protect Lisa, Christina. Protect Alyson, my mom, Brandy and the baby. Protect all the innocents today, God. In Jesus’ name…”

  “Amen,” Danny whispered, placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder, startling him just slightly. “Ready, boss?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” Alex sighed.

  A slight wind kicked up again, sending a chill through Alex despite the warmth of God’s summer breath.

  “Hope you included me in that prayer,” Danny whispered.

  Smiling nervously, Alex whispered “I knew I forgot somebody.”

  “Oh really funny,” Danny smirked. “So very funny.”

  “Stick with me, kid,” Alex chuckled. “You’ll be fine.”

  CHAPTER 38

  Precision

  “Would you boys care for something to drink?” Charles Keslar

  offered as he opened the door to his home. He knew that they’d have to get back, but that didn’t mean he needed to forego manners. He could hear Dollie and Rex barking with uncharacteristic vigor.