Silent Night Standoff

by Susan Sleeman

  “That’ll work,” she said. “Though I don’t think you really need to join us. Cash and I are more than capable of handling this on our own.”

  “I’ll be there.” He looked away before he got mad and made additional demands.

  He was peeved that she didn’t want him around, when he should be happy that she had this amazing team on her side. They could provide her not only with emotional support, but with their wide range of abilities that went beyond the average police officer’s skill set, they could also keep her safe.

  She doesn’t need me. The thought hit him like a ton of bricks. She had a life without him.

  Then it struck him.

  This kind of life had been his for the taking for years. Was his for the taking now. If he could only change his focus as Skyler suggested. He wanted to change. Wanted it badly. But he also wanted the promotion and couldn’t quit hoping it would finally achieve what he’d spent his whole life thinking he couldn’t live without—his father’s approval.

  * * *

  Skyler watched Roger carefully in the hazy morning light. His disheveled appearance and the indicators of paranoia obviously meant he’d stopped taking his medication. Not unusual for people with mental health issues. Yet, despite his evasive behavior and wild look, Skyler felt safe standing between Cash and Logan.

  “Why do you want to know where I was?” Roger sent furtive glances into the distance.

  Cash took a step closer to Roger. “Someone’s trying to kill Deputy Brennan and you’ve threatened her in the past.”

  Roger eyed her with the same hostility she’d seen at the standoff. “’Course I did. I want her to pay. She’s evil. She had me locked up. She should die.” He continued to ramble as if she weren’t standing two feet from him. His wild gaze darting everywhere at once. “I could do it. Now. Right now. Yes. Now.” He grinned. “I got a whole stockpile of weapons inside. Yeah, that’s right. A whole pile of them.”

  Skyler took Roger’s ranting with a grain of salt, knowing it was the illness talking. But Logan seemed furious that Roger’s crazy rambling alone didn’t give them probable cause for a search warrant or a reason to arrest him.

  “Would you like to show us your guns?” Logan asked.

  “You in my house? No. No. Not in my house.” Roger shook his head so hard his cheeks slapped. “It’s mine. My house. No. Not you.” Skyler suspected Logan’s formal dress made him seem intimidating to the disturbed man.

  “How about me, man?” Cash asked. “I mean, fellow vets have got to stick together, and I’d really like to see your stuff.”

  “You a vet?” Roger ran a hand over hair that hadn’t seen a comb or shampoo in some time.

  Cash nodded. “Army.”

  Roger gave Cash a quick once-over. “No. Army wears uniforms. Blue ones. Not like yours. You’re a cop.” He jerked his head at Logan. “Like him.”

  “I am now, but I served just like you. In Afghanistan.”

  Roger shook his head again. “I gotta go. Must go now. Right now.” He darted back inside and slammed the door. The firm click of the dead bolt echoed through the silence.

  “So much for that.” Cash shook his head sadly as they walked to his car. “Man. It’s hard to see a brother suffering like that.”

  Skyler agreed. She had to help the guy. “As soon as I get home, I’ll call Roger’s doctor to let him know he’s off his meds.”

  “So now what?” Cash scrubbed a hand over his face.

  “He threatened Skyler in an offhand way.” Logan shrugged out of his suit coat and carefully laid it on the passenger seat of the van. “Gives your team some leeway in running him in and getting him another psych eval.”

  “After all he’s been through, I’d rather not arrest him and put him through more trauma.” Cash turned to Skyler. “You’re the one affected by this. What do you think?”

  “I agree with you. Roger shouldn’t have to suffer additional stress unless we at least have enough evidence for a search warrant.”

  “We have no choice.” Logan kept flexing his hand as if itching to act. “If he’s the guy stalking Skyler, we can’t let him wander around.”

  Cash stared at the house. “Why don’t I hang out here to keep an eye on him? I’ll make sure he doesn’t come after Skyler and maybe I can find a way to help him.”

  “Without meds, he won’t likely respond to you,” Skyler warned.

  “Then maybe I can get him to check back into the hospital.”

  Skyler didn’t think that was likely, either, but she applauded Cash’s caring heart. “I’ll ride back with Logan. I’ll call you after I talk with Roger’s doctor.”

  Logan’s phone chimed. After glancing at the text, he held it out to Skyler. “It’s the military rings.”

  Eager to follow up on another lead, she scrolled through the list. The fifth ring sent her pulse racing, and she stabbed a finger at it. “That’s the ring Marty wore.”

  Cash looked over her shoulder. “That’s an Iraqi Freedom Ring.”

  “So Marty is military?” Logan asked.

  “Anyone can order a ring like this and have it custom designed or even buy a used one. But, yes, I’d lay odds on him being military.” Cash locked eyes with Skyler. “And if he served in Iraq, be advised that gives him skills—deadly skills—we haven’t even begun to discuss.”

  TWENTY

  “Nicole’s parents confirmed the ring Marty wore was the same one you picked out.” Logan pocketed his phone and looked at Skyler, who was fixing lunch in the firehouse kitchen.

  She looked up from spreading mayo on thick wheat bread. “It’s a start, but it’d help if we could actually figure out his identity.”

  “Why don’t I follow up with Wagner on the post office subpoena to see where it stands?” he offered. “That’s our best chance right now of learning his full name.”

  Logan didn’t wait for an answer. He dialed Wagner and started pacing. He’d been doing far too much sitting around of late and he felt antsy. He went into the family room and stared out the window.

  “Any word on the post office records?” he asked the minute Wagner answered.

  Wagner huffed out a frustrated sigh. “I talked to them this morning. They said they’d have them to me by now.”

  “Text me the contact person’s information and I’ll get on their case.”

  “Okay,” Wagner said, but Logan could tell he was disappointed Logan needed to step in. “FYI, we got a call on the Jeep. A woman saw the news bulletin and claims the Jeep’s been abandoned on a rural road on the east side. Not sure if it’s legit, but Unger’s on his way over there now.”

  “Call me as soon as he determines if it’s the vehicle we’re looking for.”

  Buoyed at the sudden good luck, Logan hung up. He waited for Wagner’s text with the post office contact information, then dialed the number and identified himself as the agent in charge of the case.

  “Before you go off on me,” the harried woman said, “I was about to email the data to Agent Wagner.”

  “Great, then you won’t mind copying me on it, too.” Logan gave her his email address and went back to the kitchen to tell Skyler the good news. He found her on the phone.

  “It’s Cash. He’s calling about Roger.” She set her cell on the island. “You’re on speaker, Cash, so Logan can hear.”

  “You’ll never guess who showed up at Roger’s house.” Excitement lingered in his voice.

  “Who?” Logan asked, half dreading the answer.

  “The squad.”

  Skyler’s head shot up and she locked eyes with Logan. “You mean the FRS?”

  “Yep. Roger placed a nine-one-one call claiming he’d taken a hostage.”

  “And does he have a hostage?” Logan asked.

  “No one went into his
house, and he didn’t come out while I was watching. I suppose it’s possible he abducted someone before we talked to him. Archer’s getting the throw phone ready. Hopefully we’ll know something soon.”

  “We’re on our way,” Skyler said.

  “No!” Logan and Cash shouted at the same time.

  “No,” Logan said, softer. “This could be a ploy to get you over there so Roger can take a potshot at you.”

  “I agree,” Cash added. “It’s best to wait there.”

  “But—”

  “The post office is emailing Nicole’s information to me as we speak,” Logan rushed on, hoping to get her excited about staying put. “We can go through the file while we wait to hear back from Cash. Plus we may have found Marty’s Jeep. Once it’s confirmed, we need to be ready to head over there.”

  “Really?” Her eyes lit with enthusiasm.

  He nodded.

  “Call us as soon as you know anything, Cash.” She hung up and set a sandwich in front of Logan. “We should eat now so we’ll be ready to go.”

  He climbed onto a stool and took a bite of the thick ham and Swiss sandwich before opening his laptop to check his messages. He spotted the USPS return address. “Email’s here.”

  Skyler came to stand behind him. He was aware of her closeness. Could feel her warmth. Smell her fresh scent. But even that wouldn’t distract him from learning Marty’s address and maybe his real name.

  “There.” He stabbed a finger at the screen. “Nicole’s mail was forwarded to a William Anderson III in an L.A. neighborhood not far from her previous address.”

  Her gaze flashed to his. “You think Marty’s real name could be William?”

  “I hope so.”

  “The Hills said he’d been arrested.” She took over Logan’s laptop and started typing. “I’ll connect to the county’s database to see if he has a rap sheet. If so, we can confirm the name and picture.”

  Logan let her take charge and pull up the record for William Anderson III. Logan took another bite of his sandwich and as the window opened, he swallowed hard. She tapped the screen, bringing his focus to the photo of a male in his early thirties.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said, shooting a fist up. “William’s middle name is Martin.”

  “And his mug shot looks exactly like his sketch.” She thumped her finger on his picture, then looked up at Logan, her eyes luminous with excitement.

  Logan smiled at her. Moved to draw her in for a celebratory hug, but remembered his place in her life and stopped. “Looks like we finally have an ID.”

  “William Anderson III,” she said as if trying the name on for size. She focused on the screen again. “He’s been arrested for drug possession a few times, though nothing in the last year. He also served in the army in Iraq, specializing in EOD.”

  “Explosive Ordnance Disposal,” Logan said.

  She looked at him, her eyes wide, a smile playing on her lips. “Marty’s our guy.”

  “Looks like it.” Logan ignored the continuing urge to hug her and jerked his gaze away. He reached for his phone. “We need to get an alert out on him.”

  She grabbed hers, too. “It’ll be faster if I do it.”

  Logan’s phone rang under his hand. Spotting Wagner’s icon, Logan quickly answered.

  “The Jeep’s registered to a William Anderson III,” Wagner said before Logan could get a word out. “And you’ll never guess his middle name.”

  “Martin.” Logan resisted letting his joy loose in a whoop of laughter.

  “How’d you know?” Wagner sounded disappointed.

  “Post office records. Text me the address for the Jeep and we’ll head over there.” Logan hung up and looked at Skyler. “Hurry up with that alert. We’ve got a Jeep belonging to one William Anderson III to process.”

  * * *

  On the deserted country road, Skyler circled the red Jeep—pausing at the dented front end. She ran a gloved finger over streaks of silver paint. Residual anxiety from the crash returned, sending her pulse racing. She swallowed it down and breathed deep until she regained her focus.

  “Looks like a match to Darcie’s car,” Skyler said, stepping back.

  “It’ll be easy enough for the forensic lab to confirm.” Logan pulled open the passenger’s door. “Let’s see what the interior holds.”

  From the driver’s side, Skyler rifled through items in the middle. Loose change—pennies mostly—gum wrappers, an empty cigarette pack. Nothing of interest until a napkin in the cup holder caught her eye.

  “Check this out.” She held it out for Logan. “It’s for a motel bar in a seedy part of Portland. He could be staying there.”

  “I’ll call and confirm.”

  She shook her head. “It’s a known drug hangout and they’d give you the runaround on the phone. We’re better off going there once we finish up here.”

  “We should get a uniform over there in the meantime to keep an eye out for Marty.”

  “I’ll call it in.” She backed out of the car and dialed dispatch. Normally she’d route her request through Jake, but Cash had called on their way over to say Roger hadn’t taken a hostage. He’d escaped through a side window before the squad showed up, and they were now involved in a manhunt.

  After making her request, she and Logan completed the search before heading to the motel. They arrived at the low-slung building with chipped paint and crumbling sidewalks as a flurry of snow began falling from dark skies. A county cruiser was backed into the lot where the deputy could watch the entire place.

  Logan parked in front of the office. “You’re off duty so let me ask the questions.”

  Not wanting to be the cause of some legal loophole when this case went before a jury, she nodded. “Let me tell the deputy he can take off before we head inside.”

  She stopped at the car and the deputy reported no suspicious activity. She sent him on his way, then followed Logan into the lobby. It smelled like stale cigarettes and orange-scented air freshener. Logan went straight to the desk clerk, an elderly man who looked as tired as the motel.

  With the patrol officer gone, Skyler watched the parking lot. Fast-food wrappers skittered over the cracked asphalt leading to a rusted-out Dumpster, where she was sure they’d find used needles and other drug paraphernalia. Light flurries continued drifting toward the ground and even the promise of the fresh white blanket didn’t improve the place any.

  She saw movement on the upper balcony. A man fitting Marty’s build stepped from a room near the end. It was too much to hope that it could be this easy to find him, but her heart kicked into gear anyway. He turned and walked toward the office. Nothing about the guy’s build ruled him out, but his face was shadowed by a black hoodie and she couldn’t make a positive ID.

  He reached the stairs and turned.

  Please look up. Please.

  He paused. Stared across the lot.

  His face was a direct match for Marty’s driver’s license. Her heart started galloping.

  “It’s Marty,” she shouted at Logan and reacted like any cop would, charging out the door. She reached for her weapon before she remembered she was off duty and her gun was in her purse. She fumbled for it on the run.

  Marty looked up and recognition dawned on his face. He barreled down the stairs and flew across the parking lot. If he was carrying, he didn’t draw his weapon. He had a head start and rounded the end of the building, disappearing from view.

  She heard Logan coming after her. Protocol said she should let him take over, but she wouldn’t end her chase and risk Marty’s escape. She managed to free her weapon as she charged for the end of the building. Gun at the ready, she shot around the corner. Logan called out for her to stop.

  No way was she stopping now.

  A hand chopped into her arm, sending her gun cla
ttering across the pavement. She caught a quick look at Marty’s drug-crazed eyes before he threw her to the ground.

  She landed on her back, her breath knocked from her body. Marty jumped on top of her and wrapped his fingers around her throat.

  “Stupid cop,” he screamed, spittle flying everywhere. His hot, angry eyes locked on her, but they didn’t seem able to focus. “I decide to let you live and you still don’t know when to leave things alone.”

  “Let me live?” she tried to ask, but she couldn’t squeak out a word as his grip tightened.

  She clawed at his fingers and tried to pry them free. Didn’t happen. The drugs made him crazy strong. Her vision started to darken. She was losing consciousness.

  Marty got in her face. His teeth even more hideous, his breath more disgusting up close. “Bye-bye, Dep-u-tee. This’s the end of the line for you.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  Panic curdled Logan’s blood. He’d seen Skyler disappear around the end of the building, but she’d had a significant lead on him. He had to get to her. Now! He pushed himself to run harder, faster, pumping until his lungs felt as if they might burst. He rounded the corner. His heart stopped. Marty straddled Skyler. His fingers were wrapped around her neck, her face red, her eyes bulging.

  Rage claimed Logan’s core. Roaring like a lion, he rushed to Marty and clamped his arm around the creep’s neck, cutting off his oxygen. Marty thrashed and let go of Skyler, lifting his hands to free himself as Logan had hoped he’d do.

  “Choking isn’t much fun, is it?” Logan growled at Marty as he searched Skyler’s face for life. She was so quiet and still that Logan’s heart lurched.

  He was desperate to check on her, but first he had to eliminate the danger. Flattening Marty on the concrete, Logan jerked his arms behind his back. As he snapped cuffs on the loser’s wrists, Logan heard movement next to him. Was it Skyler?