“You’re right. It’s just hard to keep negative thoughts from creeping in.”
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we pray some more?”
Chapter Nineteen
David took my advice and prayed for the best. When he was done, he took a deep breath and turned to me.
“Do you feel a little better?” I asked.
“I wish I could say yes,” David replied.
“But you can’t?”
He shook his head. “No. Instead I’m trying to figure out who would do something like this.”
“You already know the answer to that,” I said.
“Well yeah. Clearly, a maniac was behind this. I was actually wondering more about specifics.”
“You mean, which crazy person in particular was responsible for this?”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t know.”
A fire came to David’s eyes. “Neither do I. But whoever it was is going to pay. I mean, if Steven doesn’t pull through—”
“Honey, have you already forgotten what we just talked about?”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m trying to remain hopeful. I’m just really angry right now.”
“Of course you are. This is just absolute lunacy. I mean, for two officers, two of your good friends, to have been attacked in less than a week…it’s just—”
“Absolutely devastating.”
I lowered my head. “Exactly. I’m so sorry.”
“You know, during times like this, I can’t help but wonder what is going on with this town. It used to be so peaceful here. And now everything has gone haywire.”
“I know what you mean. Things like this, they don’t even happen in a big city all that often. So, for it to occur in Treasure Cove, a town of thirty-thousand people, it’s just unbelievable.”
“Yet, whether we believe it or not, it has happened—with disastrous results,” David said. “We need to put an end to this insanity.”
“It’s not like we aren’t trying. We’ve been working as hard as we can. And what do we have to show for our efforts?” I asked.
“A lot of grief. Not to mention an overwhelming amount of frustration.”
“Unfortunately, there is more.”
David squinted. “What do you mean?”
“I know this isn’t the best time to bring this up, but it has been on my mind ever since we arrived at the deputy’s house. So, I’ll just come out with it.”
“I don’t know what you’re referring to.”
“The terrifying possibility that someone in this town is targeting police officers.”
David grimaced. “Talk about a nightmare scenario.”
“Especially if it’s true. I mean, if that’s the case then it means you might be a target,” I said.
He gritted his teeth. “Just when you think that things can’t get worse.”
“Before you get too ahead of yourself. I’m not saying that’s what is happening here.”
“You can’t dismiss that theory, though,” he said. “And neither can I.”
“Exactly. Which is what makes this especially chilling.”
“I know it’s going to be hard, but let’s try to be rational about this. Do any of the suspects that we questioned have a connection to both Peterson and Wilson?”
I searched my mind. “I can’t think of any off the top of my head. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”
“We’ll certainly have to look into it.”
“We sure will. At the same time, I can’t think that far ahead. Right now, finding out if Steven is going to make it is my top priority,” David said.
Chapter Twenty
After a few more minutes ticked by, David finally got an update. It just didn’t come from the source he thought it would. While my husband was deep in thought, he got a call over his police radio from a member of the forensics team.
It was bad news. After going over the scene, the team had not been able to discover any clues. In addition, no unusual fingerprints had been found. That was not what David wanted to hear. Mostly because it meant that we would have to figure out the shooter’s identity the hard way.
That wasn’t the only update we would get that evening. Just as we were grappling with the news that the forensics technician had shared, the emergency room doctor was finally ready to tell us about Steven’s condition.
A tall, goateed fifty-five-year-old man wearing scrubs came into the waiting room. An identification badge was clipped onto his scrubs that read: Gregory Kingston MD.
As Kingston approached, my husband got up from his chair with an equal mix of worry and optimism.
“Doctor, please tell me you have good news for us,” David said.
Kingston nodded. “I do.”
David’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“The deputy is going to pull through,” Kingston said.
“That’s incredible.”
“It certainly is. Especially since things looked rather dire there for a moment.”
“How dire?”
“When the paramedics first brought him in, I was worried that the bullet had hit one of his vital organs. Luckily, that was not the case.”
“Just how close did the bullet come to killing him?” David asked.
“It was a matter of inches,” Kingston said.
David’s eyebrows rose. “Wow. Talk about a close call.”
Kingston nodded. “Too close. After all, even though the bullet narrowly missed hitting any vital organs, the deputy had lost a lot of blood by the time he arrived here. Thankfully, we were able to take the bullet out of his body quickly and stop the bleeding before it was too late.”
“I’m so grateful for that,” David said.
“Me too,” I said.
“I can’t praise you enough for saving his life,” David said.
“I wish I could take credit,” Kingston said. “But we got lucky. It could have easily turned out much differently.”
David breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God it didn’t.”
“You’re right to thank the Lord. I think we had a little heavenly assistance in there,” Kingston said.
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” I said.
“Nor me,” David added. “But back to Steven, for a minute. When you say he is going to pull through, does that mean he’s going to make a full recovery? Or are there some potential complications that we need to worry about?”
“You never know what might happen. That’s why we’re going to keep him here under close observation for the next few days,” Kingston said.
“And if all goes well?” David asked.
“He will be released in approximately seventy-two hours.”
“That soon?”
Kingston nodded. “Barring any complications.”
“That’s incredible news,” David said. “What a relief.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Kingston said.
“Just one more question. When can I see him?” David asked.
Chapter Twenty-One
Much to David’s surprise, the doctor allowed us to visit Deputy Wilson a few minutes later. Even though I entered the hospital room with my husband, I didn’t immediately walk up to Steven’s bed. Instead, I let David speak with his good friend first.
Steven was sitting up in his bed staring out the window as David greeted him.
“I’m so glad to hear that you’re going to be okay,” David said.
Steven pulled his head out of the clouds, turned to David, and replied, “You and me both. I thought I was a goner.”
“I’m sure the doctor already told you this, but things didn’t look all that great for you when you were transported here.”
“Trust me. I know just how lucky I am to be alive.”
“It’s also great to hear that you are expected to make a full recovery.”
“It sure is.”
“You have a lot to thank the doctor for.”
“And I have been thanking him—profuse
ly. But he’s not the only recipient of my gratitude.”
“Did you thank all the nurses too?”
“Well, yeah. But I saved my biggest thank you for God,” Steven said. “I’m not sure why, but he decided that my time on Earth wasn’t over.”
“He certainly did,” David said.
“Do you know what the craziest part of all of this is?” Steven asked.
David’s nose scrunched. “Is that a trick question?”
“No. It’s more that I was just thinking about how surreal life is. I mean, I always figured that if I got shot, it would be in the line of duty. But for this to happen in my home, long after my shift had ended, it’s just unbelievable.”
“It is certainly a nightmare scenario. I can’t pretend that I haven’t worried about something like this happening to me,” David said.
“Which is all the more reason to pray that something this outrageous never happens again,” Steven said. He wiped his forehead. “What a crazy night.”
“Unfortunately, it’s not even over yet,” David said.
Steven clutched his chest. “Why would you say that? Are you trying to spook me?”
David shook his head. “No. Sorry if that made your blood pressure spike. I was just thinking of what happened from an investigative standpoint.”
Steven exhaled and then replied, “Right. Of course. Your night is just beginning.”
David groaned. “Unfortunately. Although, I’m hoping that you might be able to help me out in that regard.”
“Are you asking me if I can give you details about who shot me?” Steven said.
David nodded. “I’ll take all the specifics I can get. Do you know who did this?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
David’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“Uh-huh,” Steven said.
David remained quiet for a moment as he processed Steven’s answer. My husband realized what an important moment this was. As a matter of fact, it had the potential to become a turning point. Especially if the Wilson case and the Peterson case were connected. After all, what if the same person was responsible for both incidents?
If that was true, one arrest could lead to the solving to two different cases. But that was a big if. And at the moment, it was only speculation.
I listened intently as David asked his next question. “Who shot you?”
“You’re not going to believe this, but it was April Howard,” Steven said.
Just when I thought life couldn’t get any nuttier, it found a way. So much for the theory about the Wilson and Peterson incidents being connected. Instead, the universe found a new way to surprise me.
April Howard was no stranger to me. While I wasn’t friends with her, I had met her a few times. She had always been nice to me. So, hearing her name was pretty shocking.
I wasn’t the only one who was slack-jawed. David was also having some trouble wrestling with Steven’s statement.
“Wait a minute,” David said. “Are you telling me that your girlfriend shot you?”
Steven waggled his pointer finger. “Ex-girlfriend.”
“Since when is she your ex?” David asked.
“Since I broke up with her last night,” Steven replied. “Suffice it to say, she didn’t take things very well.”
“Talk about an understatement,” David deadpanned.
“I can think of a few more colorful ways to describe April right now,” Steven said.
“I’ll bet.”
“I will just keep them to myself, though.”
“While I respect your restraint, now is not the time to hold back.”
“Are you sure you want to hear all the crazy details?” Steven asked.
“I don’t need to hear all of them. Just enough to be able to put her behind bars,” David said.
“I understand.” Steven took a deep breath and then laid out the situation, “Things just weren’t working out for us. She was having all kinds of wild mood swings. Not to mention the fact that she was really possessive and would get jealous anytime I spoke with any of my female friends. Including the ones I had known for years. If that wasn’t enough, there always seemed to be drama swirling around her.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of red flags,” David said.
Steven nodded. “It sure is. So, I went over to her place last night to tell her that I thought we should see other people.”
“How did she react to that?”
“Poorly. But she didn’t get violent with me or throw anything across the room. She just broke into tears and begged me to give her one more shot.”
“What did you do then?”
“I told her that I wasn’t going to change my mind. That it was the end of the road. I then got up and left,” Steven said. “I figured that would be the last I would see of her.”
“I wish you were right,” David said.
“So do I. But as you know, things turned out much differently.”
“What exactly happened earlier this evening?”
“I finished up my work shift, left the police station, and headed home. But when I arrived back at my place, I wasn’t alone. As I entered my living room, I saw April sitting on my couch.”
David squinted. “Wait a minute. She broke into your house?”
Steven nodded.
“But how? The forensics team didn’t find any signs of forced entry.”
“That’s because she didn’t have to force her way in. She knew where I hid my spare key. So, she just grabbed the key and let herself in,” Steven said.
“That clears up my confusion.”
“In retrospect, I probably should have moved the key after I broke up with her. But I never thought she’d do something as crazy as sneak into my place and wait for me to come home.”
“Or to shoot you,” David said.
“Exactly,” Steven said. “That thought never entered my mind until I saw her pointing a gun at me.”
“Did she say anything to you before she fired the shot?”
Steven nodded. “She told me that I had ruined her life. And that this was her way of getting revenge.”
“What happened after that?”
“She gave me an icy glare, pulled the trigger, and then walked away.”
“Wow.”
“I know. Talk about crazy.”
“And this night isn’t even over yet,” David said. “Which leads me to my next question. Do you have any theories about where April might be right now?”
“The obvious choice would be her house. But as nutty as she is, I don’t think she’d be foolish enough to go back home,” Steven said.
“I agree. At the same time, I’m going to send a patrol car over there to check. Does she happen to own a second property? Or a cabin?”
Steven shook his head.
“How about friends and family?” David asked. “If you can give me a list of anyone close to her that she might turn to for help, that would be great.”
“Of course. I’ll tell you all the names I can think of. Although, I have a feeling that April probably just bolted out of town,” Steven said.
David’s nose scrunched. “What makes you say that?”
“After what she just did, she has to know that every police officer in town is going to want to track her down. It would be foolish of her to stay in Treasure Cove.”
“I agree. But she was also crazy enough to shoot you in the first place, so there’s no telling what she’ll do.”
“True.” Steven took a deep breath. “I’m just glad she’s a lousy shot.”
“I agree.”
I could see that both Steven and David were on the verge of getting lost in thought.
Before David’s head disappeared too far into the clouds, Steven brought him back down to Earth.
“If I were you, I would put out an all-points-bulletin immediately,” Steven said.
David nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“Here’s hoping that you track
her down.”
“I promise you this,” David said. “I’m not going to rest until she’s in custody.”
“I’m sure you won’t,” Steven said.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Before David left Steven’s hospital room, he wrote down a list of friends and family members that April might turn to for help. Once he was done scribbling down names, David radioed dispatch. It was essential that a patrol car be sent over to April’s house immediately.
Unfortunately, when the officer arrived at April’s beige Spanish-style home on Buchanan Road, he discovered that she was not there.
While David was disappointed to hear that news, it didn’t surprise him. After all, April was crazy. But she wasn’t a fool. She knew better than to return to her house after shooting Steven. In all likelihood, she had left town.
If that was true, David didn’t have any time to waste. Putting out an all-points-bulletin on April was a necessity. Within the hour, her photo would be plastered all across the news and the internet. At that point, it would be difficult for her to hide from prying eyes.
My husband wasn’t content to just wait and see if he got a hit on that bulletin, however. He wanted to be proactive. After all, there was still a possibility that April was hiding out with one of her friends or family members. In an effort to cover all bases, a patrol car was sent to each of those locations.
Unfortunately, once those deputy’s made the rounds, they did not have any good news to report. According to the officer’s that David spoke with, none of April’s friends or family members had heard from her that evening.
***
After getting such a discouraging update, it was difficult for David not to be frustrated. He let out a groan and then turned to me in the waiting room.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” David asked.
I reluctantly nodded. “April probably booked it out of town.”
David exhaled. “Exactly.”
I gritted my teeth. “Just what we didn’t need. A maniac on the loose.”
“I know what you mean. As if we’re not under enough stress already.”
Sabrina Carlson Cozy Mystery Anthology Page 6
