A Shot at Redemption

by Liz Bradford

  The air vanished from her lungs. “I wish I was surprised and horrified, but I’m not.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Jocelyn shrugged. “Whatever. It is what it is. But what about forgiveness and fighting for a marriage? I feel like I’m copping out.”

  “Not hardly. He left you, remember. And the Bible is clear about letting an unbeliever leave.”

  “So if he was a believer the answer would be different.”

  “Assuming we were talking about divorce aside from the abuse and his infidelity. The Bible is also clear that divorce is acceptable in a case of marital unfaithfulness.”

  “But I was unfaithful too… I really want to be right with the Lord. And I don’t want divorcing Patrick to keep me from being tight with Jesus.”

  “I can’t speak for the Lord. I’m not sure what He would say about your exact circumstances, but I really believe this is the right thing, and you can dwell with Him because His forgiveness is absolute. His blood covers it all.”

  She let Becca’s words sink in. “The last six months have been miserable, living out of sync with Him. I didn’t realize how much a difference abiding in Christ really makes in my life until I started avoiding Him because I didn’t want to admit my sin. Well, more than admit, I didn’t want to stop.”

  “Breaking the cycle of sin is so hard. I get that. But it’s broken now, so how do you move forward is the question at hand.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

  Becca pulled into the parking space outside the little bakery that served the best sandwiches in all of Hazel Hill. “Speaking of Gavin…”

  “I didn’t say his name.”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  “Ha,” Jocelyn said flatly, but she couldn’t keep herself from grinning. “What about him?”

  “How are you two doing? Becoming parents is kind of a big deal. And then there’s that whole keeping the cycle of sin broken.”

  They got out of the car and moved toward the diner. “When did you realize Gavin was the dad?”

  “I had suspected since the sniper struck at church. But I wish you had told me, especially when we started working your initial case.”

  “How was I going to tell you? I hadn’t even told him I was pregnant.”

  “Oh, I totally get why you didn’t tell me.” Becca squeezed her arm.

  They walked into the bakery, and within a couple of minutes were at the counter ordering sandwiches. Once they had their order in hand, Jocelyn said, “Feel like sitting outside? It’s a beautiful day.”

  “Exactly what I was going to suggest. Hope we can find a table.” Several other restaurants used the same parking lot and also shared outdoor seating. It was a prime location for lunch goers, especially on such a perfect spring day. They found a table under a small tree on the patio beside the bakery, despite the crowd of people with the same idea.

  Jocelyn picked up her ham and cheese out of the little yellow basket lined with red-checkered paper. “I haven’t forgotten about your question.”

  “I was wondering.” Becca smiled and took a bite out of her turkey on rye.

  “Problem is, I don’t know how to answer. We’re doing okay, I guess. I still love him. I know that. Temptation will be there. How are we not going to struggle with that? But at least we can focus on the baby. Gavin’s so excited. He’s wanted to be a dad for so long. I don’t know how much of his story he’s told you, but he and his wife, Nikki, had a miscarriage. They were both devastated, but while Gavin sought Jesus in his grief, Nikki just lost it. She was never the same.” The back of Jocelyn’s eyes burned at the memory.

  “You were close to her?”

  “She was my best friend. Had been since we were kids. We even went to college and roomed together all four years. All three of us were friends. Gavin was older. He and Ella were in the same class, but we all knew each other.”

  “What happened to Nikki? Gavin’s never told me. I mean, I know she died, but I know nothing more than that.”

  Jocelyn took a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry. This is too heavy for a lunch conversation.”

  “No, it’s okay. But I’m going to eat a little more first.” Jocelyn took a big bite, and Becca chuckled.

  “Losing her brought you and Gavin closer, didn’t it?”

  Jocelyn finished chewing and took a sip of her drink. “It really did, but only in a good way. It was Patrick acting like a jerk that made it more. When Nikki died, Gavin just pointed the way to Jesus. Even after all the hurt and betrayal, he still focused on Jesus.”

  “Betrayal?”

  “Yeah, well, let me back up. After they lost the baby, Nikki went—there’s no better way to say it, but stark-raving mad. It was like she’d lost her mind. She was completely inconsolable. Nothing Gavin or I did helped. She wouldn’t go to counseling or anything.

  “Then three months later, she just left. Up and took off without a note or anything. Had the whole police department looking for her.”

  Becca wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Oh, yeah, I remember that. It was around the time I started dating Caleb.”

  “Wait, you dated Caleb? As in your brother-in-law?”

  “Yeah, long story…”

  “I can’t believe I missed that.”

  “It was brief. But finish—what happened?”

  “He couldn’t find her. No one could until around November. So, like four months later, she showed up on Gavin’s doorstep, drunk and high. He did everything he could to help her. Got her into rehab, but she just left again.

  “She didn’t leave town this time but went out looking for drugs, even prostituted herself for money for drugs. He went into one nasty motel room after another, pulling her out and dragging her home or back to rehab.

  “Happened for months. And he kept getting her and trying so hard to nurse her back to health, but she was already gone. She didn’t want to live anymore. Then, about a year after they lost the baby, he found her in a motel room on the bad side of town, but it was too late. She had taken so much heroin… she was gone before he got there.”

  Becca covered her mouth with her hand. “She overdosed?”

  “I’ll never forget that phone call…” Tears choked out Jocelyn’s words. She swallowed past the lump. “When I answered the phone, he didn’t say anything. I could hear him sobbing and the ambulance siren in the background. And I knew. I drove as fast as I could. Left Patrick sitting on the couch watching TV and went to see our—my friend—who had just lost everything. I just held him. What else was I supposed to do? I’ve never cried as much as I did that night. It was horrible. But Gavin fell into Jesus. God sustained him through it. And God used Gavin to draw me to Himself.”

  A few tears slipped out of Becca’s eyes. “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “Gavin tends to be a more reserved person, so I’m not surprised he hasn’t told you.”

  “I don’t blame him, that’s hard stuff to talk about. He’s told me about his time in the Middle East, but that’s a different level, not as personal. But you two, you’ve really been through a lot together. No wonder you guys love each other so deeply.”

  “Really makes not being with him so painful. Excruciating, really.”

  Becca nodded.

  More tears pooled in Jocelyn’s eyes. “Becca, I love him. I’m having his baby. But I can’t be with him because he’s not my husband. No, I have a jerk for a husband. A man who never thinks of anyone but himself. Who thinks it’s okay to push me down the stairs. Who never had any respect for me or my desire to have a family.” She grabbed a napkin and wiped her face.

  Becca pulled her chair over next to Jocelyn and put her arms around her. Jocelyn leaned into Becca’s shoulder and sobbed. Grief for everything lost overwhelmed her. She missed Nikki, but even more she missed the closeness she had shared with Gavin. Not the sexual closeness. No, she mostly missed the friend she’d had long before the affair had even started.

  As the sobs subsided, she li
fted her hand and wiped her face with another napkin. “Sorry.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  “Thanks.” She balled up the napkin and tossed it in the sandwich basket.

  A loud snap sounded over their heads. Then screams. Lots of screams.

  “Down!” Becca shouted and grabbed Jocelyn’s arm. They dropped to the concrete under the table. “This isn’t good enough. We need to—”

  Pkew! Again. More screaming.

  Becca dragged Jocelyn between the cars less than ten feet away. Becca pulled her gun and looked around the car.

  People continued to scream as they ran inside the buildings or hid under tables and between cars. Jocelyn peered around the SUV they hid behind. A man lay on the ground less than one-hundred feet away. A woman hit the ground next to him. The sniper was back.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Gavin popped the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth. He wished Becca had invited him to go along with her and Jocelyn for lunch, but he understood they needed girl time too. But he’d like to see Jocelyn.

  Captain Baker sprinted out of his office. “Sniper!”

  Gavin sat upright in his desk and turned toward the captain.

  “Two down at Monica’s Bakery,” the captain shouted.

  That’s where Becca and Jocelyn went… Gavin’s heart slammed into his ribs.

  Jared’s cell phone rang, and his voice thundered across the room. “What? Are you okay? Jocelyn?”

  Gavin’s phone buzzed. He grabbed it off his belt. Jocelyn. “Joc!” There was screaming on the other end.

  “Sniper.” Her voice was soft and steady.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. But he hit two people this time.”

  Gavin met Jared’s eyes. They both nodded.

  “Joc, I’m on my way. Jared, too.”

  “Can you bring my gear? I’m gonna need it.”

  “Sure thing. Stay down, though, in case two isn’t enough. I don’t want you—”

  “I’m safe, Gavin.”

  “Okay.” He didn’t want to get off the phone with her, so he turned it away from his mouth and told Jared, “I’m going to get Jocelyn’s gear.”

  Jared nodded. “I’ll get vests and the car, then meet you at the side entrance.”

  Gavin took off down the stairs, praying as he went, the phone still at his ear.

  Jocelyn pressed the phone against her ear. It was good to hear Gavin’s voice. Just knowing he was on the other end of the phone settled her heart. The hot asphalt stung her bare shins. She shifted her legs out from beneath her and leaned up against the SUV she was hiding behind. The heat from the metal burned her back, but she didn’t move. In less than five minutes the place had gone from a bustling lunch hub to an eerily silent parking lot. All the restaurants and shops in the area and the many people lunching in the sunshine made it a prime location for a sniper.

  Sirens filled the air.

  “What do you see, Jocelyn?” Gavin’s voice echoed in her ear.

  “Lots of people hiding. All the outside tables are—”

  “You were eating outside? What were you two thinking?”

  “We were thinking it’s a nice day.” Her voice cracked. “Don’t go sounding like Patrick.”

  Silence fell between them. She leaned her head back against the car. She needed to turn his focus back to the facts of the situation. “A man and a woman were shot in front of the sushi place. They’re maybe in their thirties, but I can’t see them that great. From here it looks like they were both shot center mass, just like the other two victims.”

  “Based on the way they’re facing, where could the shots have come from?”

  “Well, from behind where I’m at now, so…” she crawled to the edge of the vehicle. “Probably the office buildings to the south.”

  He relayed that information to Jared. “Apparently Becca agrees.”

  She turned back toward where Becca was at the other end of the car. They made eye contact. Becca hung up her phone and slid it into her pocket before crawling over to her. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Gavin’s voice filled her ear. “Joc, we’re here. Stay down until I get to you. But I’m going to hang up now.”

  “Okay.”

  They hung up, and Becca took her hand. Becca was shaking as badly as she was. Sometimes Jocelyn forgot that behind her friend’s steel outer demeanor was someone who scared just as easily as she did. Jocelyn squeezed her hand.

  They waited, but every second felt like an hour. Gavin finally appeared at the end of the car. Becca jumped up, and Jocelyn got to her knees. She grabbed Gavin’s strong hand, and he pulled her up against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.

  Setting her at arm’s length, he smiled, but then the smile faded. His hand came to her face and brushed her hair to the side. “You’ve been crying.”

  Tears threatened again, the intensity of her emotions amplified by the adrenaline of the last fifteen minutes. His thumb wiped a tear away. “Becca and I were having an emotional conversation before it all happened.”

  He tugged her close again.

  After a moment, she leaned back. “I told her about Nikki.”

  He pursed his lips. Sorrow and compassion washed over his face. “When I heard there were shots fired, I was so afraid I’d lose you too.”

  “But I’m safe.” She hugged him one more time, then took her camera out of the bag Gavin had set down when he’d found her and Becca. Without any more words, they both moved toward the scene.

  Gavin leaned against the wall next to the doorway of an abandoned office space on the tenth floor of a high rise across from the shopping plaza, gun at the ready and close to his chest. He lifted his chin to Becca, who was behind him, and the SWAT team with them. There was a good chance this was the room they were looking for, the place from which the sniper had ended the lives of two more people. He reached for the doorknob. It was unlocked. A SWAT guy squared himself with the room and gave Gavin the go-ahead.

  Gavin pushed the door open and followed the SWAT guy in. They quickly cleared the room. This was the place, but the shooter was gone. Gavin holstered his gun and crossed to the desk next to the window. The spot that undeniably had held the sniper rifle just thirty minutes before.

  On the desk sat four .308 bullets. No surprise. But what was that? He took a step closer. Under the bullets was a piece of white paper. In simple all-caps type, a note said, “ONE OF YOUR OWN IS GOING DOWN NEXT.”

  His heart dropped into his stomach. This killing came with a threat.

  “Riley?” Becca stepped over next to him. “What is i—?” Her hand gripped his elbow.

  He finally broke his gaze with the note and looked at his partner.

  “What do you think he means?” Becca said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “I’m not sure. Does he mean one of us?”

  Becca’s eyes were wide. “Is he going to shoot a cop? A detective?”

  “What else could it mean?”

  All four SWAT guys stood around them now, looking at the note. An eerie quiet had overtaken the room.

  Jocelyn’s voice broke their trance. “What do we have?”

  Gavin turned and in eight long steps was standing in front of her. She handed him her bag and took out her camera.

  “So, are there three or four bullets? Was he planning on hitting them both?”

  “Four. But there’s something else…”

  “What?” She tilted her head to the side.

  “Just come look.”

  She followed him back across the room. The guys and Becca stepped aside and revealed the desk, along with the bullets and the creepy note. She walked up to it and gasped. She wobbled on her feet.

  He reached out and grabbed her elbow to steady her.

  “But who? What do we do?” Jocelyn bit her lip.

  Becca answered. “We work the snot out of this case and find this son of a gun before he can hurt any
one else.”

  Jocelyn brought the camera to her face. She snapped a picture.

  Gavin stepped back. Who was the sniper targeting next? He resisted an urge to look over his shoulder. Did someone want him dead, other than Patrick?

  Gavin slammed the car door.

  “Good grief, Riley. Take a chill pill.”

  He gave his partner a death glare and tramped around the car to join her on the sidewalk. The last three hours had been intense, and finding the note had left him on edge.

  “How can I? And why are you so calm?”

  She pointed at the house. “Because we have to go in there and tell a man his wife was shot down by a sniper not two hours ago. He probably doesn’t even realize something is wrong yet. I have to be calm for him.”

  Gavin took a deep breath. She was right. He forced his shoulders to relax. He could imagine what it would be like to have someone tell you your wife was dead. He had found his wife dead. That was an entirely different kind of horrible.

  Both victims had their driver’s licenses on them, so identification had been simple. Lab had even run their prints, confirming it. A quick search of Sylvia Callahan had brought up her husband’s name. What she had been doing at the plaza with Eddie Morris, the other victim, remained to be seen.

  The partners took the three steps to the front door of a larger two-story home in a ritzy neighborhood, and Becca knocked. A man in his mid-thirties answered.

  Gavin spoke. “Ronald Callahan?”

  “That’s me.”

  “I’m Detective Gavin Riley with the Hazel Hill Police Department, and this is my partner Detective Becca Palmer. May we come in and speak with you for a moment?”

  “Sure.” He opened the door farther and swept his hand to welcome them into his home. “What’s this about?”

  Becca said, “Can we sit?”

  They followed Mr. Callahan into the formal living room. The man’s hands where shaking. As they sat, Gavin asked, “When did you last hear from your wife, Sylvia?”

  “This morning when she left for work.” A shadow crossed his face. “What happened?”