I laughed at that. We had identical pay scales. He laughed, too. I turned and looked for a place to sit down. Carver saw what was going on and helped me sit down on the curb. The GSP Medic checked my pulse and shrugged then spoke up. “I know this thing on your leg is just a burn, but it is technically a gunshot wound. You really need to be transported by an ambulance.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Carver asked.
I nodded. “I think the adrenaline is wearing off. Could you get someone to check on Rose? She’s the DA’s secretary, and they used her to get me out of my room tonight. She’s probably in the Sheriff’s Office.”
Captain Jenkins motioned for a couple of the troopers. He told them to go around to the Sheriff’s Office and look for Rose. The rain picked up pace, and Carver and Willie pulled me up and took me over to Carver’s car. I climbed in the passenger seat, leaned my head back, and took several deep breaths. The car was running, and the heat felt great. All I could hear were more sirens coming in our direction, and everything was bathed in the blue lights that were flashing in the square. I closed my eyes and tried to get my heart rate back into normal range.
I had been bandaged up pretty well, and the Medic had given me some ibuprofen for the pain. I thought I was tough and insisted on staying at the scene. I knew the Agents working the crime scene would benefit from me telling them what I had seen. Chief Givens had been hauled away by an ambulance, handcuffed and escorted by one of the Troopers.
I watched as Agents from the GBI Regional Office, my new office, arrived on the scene and began the process of documenting the crime scene.
The mini panic attack came when I laid my head back to relax a little. I wanted to get out of the car and walk around, but I knew that was a bad idea. The rain on the roof of the car was a steady drumbeat.
I had been in the car for about a half hour when someone opened the door on my side. I was feeling sick to my stomach, and the rush of cold, damp air didn’t help. I turned toward the open door and hung my head out. That’s when I threw up on the GBI Director’s shoes.
CHAPTER 13
ONCE THE SMOKE HAD CLEARED
The Director ordered me to be taken to a hospital right away. An Agent I had never met took me around to her Crown Vic and drove me to the hospital in Jasper. Willie agreed to follow us down. I don’t remember much about the ride, except that the rain had finally stopped. The Agent assigned to drive me was a pretty woman, a couple of years younger than me. But I couldn’t bring myself to make small talk. When I got in her car, she warned me not to say anything about the incident tonight. I would face an official interview by the Case Agent. Until that time, I wasn’t to discuss the facts of the investigation. I couldn’t think about anything else, but I kept my mouth shut for the thirty minutes it took to get to the hospital.
It seemed like a weight was lifted off my shoulders when we crossed the county line. The hospital staff took me straight back and got me in an examining room. I brushed past an offered wheelchair and walked down the hall. The Agent who drove me down helped me to the first room on the right.
The bright lights in the exam room gave me a chance to do a personal inventory. My blazer was soaking wet and ripped down the right side. My pants were torn near the seam on the left side and had a powder burn where the pistol went off by my leg. My shirt was brown with mud. I didn’t protest when the nurse came in and helped me out of them. My clothes would be kept as evidence. When the nurse finished getting my clothes, she handed me a gown. The Agent who drove me stayed right where she was. I didn’t really care at this point. Everybody involved, including me, had seen people in worse shape.
I stretched out on the exam table and shivered from the air conditioning running full blast. The nurse saw me shaking and covered me with a blanket. I was just happy they stopped short of covering my face. I asked that they put my empty leather holster somewhere safe, along with my watch. They placed all that and my wallet into a bag and gave it to my driver. She told me she would make sure I got it back when I got released.
Willie made his way into the room, but he didn’t look well. His face was white as a sheet and he was wringing his hands. I asked him what was wrong.
“I hate hospitals,” he said.
“Weren’t your kids born in hospitals?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Sure, but this is not a joyous occasion. This is all bad. What did the Doctors tell you?”
“Still waiting. I’m not shot or stabbed, so it takes longer to get checked out.”
Willie kept shaking his head. “I ain’t never seen nothing like this. The Judge and the Sheriff both dead. Blood and guts everywhere. Laying right out in front of the courthouse, out there for God and everybody to see.”
“Well, I’m not sure I’d be sitting here if you hadn’t come through. They were sure leaning toward killing me.” I was propped on my left elbow, trying to get where the examination lights weren’t blinding me.
“Never thought of myself as a hero ridin’ in to save somebody,” Willie said.
“You’re my hero, that’s for sure. I kept looking at those bodies under the raincoats, thinking that could have been me.” I finally laid back on the table.
Willie excused himself when the hospital staff came in and started buzzing around me. They started an IV line for fluids to overcome the dehydration that comes from the adrenaline ups and downs I had experienced. I asked for a shot of Valium, half joking and half wanting to forget. When the ER Doc came into the room, that was the first thing she ordered.
“Doc, I was kidding when I asked for Valium,” I said.
She stared back at me. She had a no-bullshit attitude I immediately respected. Many ER Docs are reluctant to give patients painkillers and benzos for fear of abuse. She had taken a look at my chart, and a look at me, and made her diagnosis. “We need to get your heart rate and your vital signs back in order. I am told you have been through a very traumatic experience. I recommend diazepam in a light dose. Are you going to give me a problem?”
“No, ma’am. You’re the Doctor.”
“Let’s not forget that. We’ll get you something to help you relax, and I’ll have someone come in and get the blood and tissue off of you.” She looked away and started examining the charts they had started for me. “Do you know if any of the tissue or blood should be preserved?” the Doctor asked.
The Agent who drove me down told her “yes.” I laid back while samples were pulled from my hair and face. I tried to relax, but it just wasn’t happening.
Then a nurse walked in and checked my arm band. He asked my name and date of birth before he shot something into my IV line. I felt the warmth spread through my body. It only took a few seconds for me to start feeling the effects. In just a moment, my eyes started to droop, and I was out.
When I woke up, there was a pow-wow going on in the corner. GBI Director Hicks had cleaned his shoes since I last saw him. The Director was talking with Will Carver. Hicks seemed to be in constant motion. Hicks was about five-ten and in good shape for a man in his mid-sixties. His hair, which was thick and combed straight back, was pure white.
Hicks came over, with Carver following close behind. Before either one could speak, Rose came pushing through the exam room door.
“Rose, how are you?” I asked.
She frowned. “I’m fine. You’re the one on a hospital table.”
I waited for the others to leave, but they didn’t.
Rose stood close to the table. “I didn’t set you up for all this mess. They wanted me to introduce them to you so they could help in your investigation. I guess I was a fool to trust them, but Cliff is the father of my children. I just didn’t think he would go this far.”
“Rose, I know that I put you in a bad spot. I hope you can forgive me for getting you caught up.
Carver spoke up. “You can’t see Mrs. Mitchell again. She will be a witness at any trial, but as far as you are concerned, she is off limits. Is that going to be a problem?”
I
knew Rose wasn’t wanting a long-term situation, but I did feel a connection to her. I didn’t want the bosses to know the extent of our relationship, but I knew they had guessed most of it.
“No, I get it. She’ll be an important witness. Any relationships would just complicate things. I guess you have already told her that.”
I thought for a moment Rose would cry. Instead, she leaned in and kissed me, quickly. Then she stood with her hands folded, looking sad.
Carver nodded. “If this investigation goes to court, you two will be under enough scrutiny without any complications.”
“Do I have any say in this?” Rose asked.
Hicks walked behind her. “We understand your being upset about this. But you are going to be dealing with all the issues in your personal life right now. Your children are going to have to deal with their dad being arrested.”
Hicks continued, “Your ex-husband, his partner, and the Chief Deputy are going to stand trial for kidnapping. That would be for dragging you both back to Ellijay against your will.” Hicks turned his attention to me. “And we are pushing for the Chief Deputy to be charged with the murder of your old informant, but at this point we don’t know if we can make it stick. The kidnapping will be charged in Fannin County, but the murder of Harris will have to be done in Gilmer County.”
Rose nodded glumly, but she didn’t talk anymore. I didn’t know what to say, and neither did she. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it for a moment, then she walked out of the room. And out of my life, I guessed.
An agent assigned to the crime scene unit came in and took pictures of my body from head to foot. He also took my clothes into evidence. I watched what was happening with detachment and then fell back on the emergency room bed. Willie was dozing in a chair in the corner.
I don’t know how long I was out, but when I woke up, I had a dull headache. I couldn’t tell what time it was, but I felt the need for something to drink. When my eyes would focus, I saw a clock that said it was eight a.m.
A nurse in green scrubs came in and took my vital signs. The nurse offered me a cup of lukewarm water, and I gulped it down. Willie was gone and the room had cleared out. The nurse asked if I wanted breakfast. I nodded and worked to shake the cobwebs.
By the time she came back, I was sitting up on the bed. She told me I could sit up by the bed, but she would have to help me get to the chair. I let her support me as I limped to the chair, dragging the IV stand with me. I was sore all over and couldn’t remember why some of the parts of my body were complaining.
“It says on your chart that you were in an automobile accident. I’ve never seen so many cops investigating a car wreck. You must be somebody special.”
I stopped eating. I thought about what she said. “No, just a guy lucky enough to survive last night. Not anything special.”
She seemed disappointed. “Well, you sure were banged up. I doubt they will admit you, though. The Doctor will probably give you something for the pain and inflammation and send you home. If she gives me the word, you could be out of here in a couple of hours.”
I thought about home. I hadn’t been in my apartment in over a week. I was ready to go home, that was for sure.
I realized it had been almost twelve hours since the Judge pulled that trigger. I kept running the events through my mind, wondering if I could have done something different. I tried to eat, but the food didn’t have much taste.
I was as thirsty as I had ever been. I guessed it was from a combination of the IV Valium and running out of adrenaline. My whole body felt strange and tender. When I sat back in the chair, I noticed how tender my shoulder was, probably from the seat belt. I decided to sit up on the edge of the chair so I didn’t aggravate any of my problems. I was gulping down a cranberry juice carton when the Director and Will Carver came back into the examination room.
The nurse excused herself. You didn’t have to tell her these two guys were big wigs, even if Carver was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt.
Director Hicks looked me over and then met my eyes. “You took a beating last night. Are you doing okay?”
“Sure,” I said. “I look a lot worse than I feel.”
Carver laughed. “God, I hope so. Otherwise they’d have you in the ICU.”
“That bad?” I asked. I hadn’t seen a mirror.
“Bad enough. The Doctor says you’ll feel rough for a couple of days, but within a week you should be back to normal. They’ll be giving you prescriptions for the inflammation and the pain.”
Hicks spoke up. “You’re going on paid leave for a couple of weeks. An Agent will drive you home. Then we’ll get an Agent and a Secretary to take an official report from you. But all that can wait until you’ve had time to heal.”
I nodded. “I am pretty sore. But I don’t think I’ll need long to mend. Any chance I could get something to wear?”
“Scott Andrews, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge, is bringing your stuff from the motel room. As far as healing goes, don’t rush things. You have been through a lot, and we owe you the chance to recuperate.”
When Hicks finished, there was an awkward silence.
I felt like there was more to the story. I looked from Hicks to Carver. “What are you not telling me?”
Director Hicks spoke up. “The DA put a call in to the Governor last night. He called him and woke him up. Having two elected officials die in one night is a little unusual.”
“I’m sure. Lots of political questions to be answered, I guess,” I said.
Director Hicks seemed at a loss for words. “What Will told you about the Chief Deputy and his boys is part of the story. I was on the phone with the Governor most of the morning, too. I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but the DA and the Governor struck a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” I was still a little fuzzy and thought I was misunderstanding.
The Director met my eyes. “They have cut a deal to allow the survivors, the ones who were there last night other than Givens and the Deputies, to give up their elected or appointed positions. They won’t be prosecuted. He feels like the death of the Judge and the Sheriff are enough to balance the spread sheet. All the Deputies who worked for the Sheriff will lose their certifications, and they’ll never carry a badge again.”
I stood up from my chair, but a man dressed in a backless hospital gown isn’t particularly imposing. “What about the Judge’s daughter, Linda? She profited from this deal and was up to her eyeballs in making all this happen. And what about all the money these people stole from the county?”
The Director looked stricken. He hung his head. I didn’t see his answer coming. “The Governor plans to appoint Linda Pelfrey to her father’s judgeship. The Governor and the Judge made a deal sometime yesterday.”
I looked from Hicks to Carver. “What the fuck is going on here?”
Carver put his hand on my arm. “Calm down. We will do all we can to keep that from happening, but there is only so much we can do. If we were closer to Atlanta, we would be getting calls from the TV and radio stations. The media would be running this as the top story. But up here, the news doesn’t travel as fast. The GBI will make an official press release on the death of the Judge and the Sheriff. We’ll just have to see if any media pick up the story and look deeper.”
I sat back down and hung my head, too. We must have all looked pretty sad that day. “Any chance the GBI’s Public Information Officer can give a Reporter a nudge?”
Carver spoke up. “We don’t get into the politics. But I can’t imagine any way this story won’t keep building. It may take a week or two for Reporters to make their way up here. But give it time. This story will be hard to bury.”
Scott Andrews came into the room with my luggage. Everyone stopped talking for a minute. Andrews had me sign for the return of my credentials and my service weapon. They had taken them off of Givens, he said. Andrews took one look around and turned to leave. Carver caught him in the hall. I could hear Carver telling Scott to take
me home as soon as I was released.
Hicks just stood with me in the room. I could see him making a fist with his hands. He seemed fit to be tied.
Since there wasn’t much left to say, I took my bag and found pants and a shirt. Hicks gave me some privacy, and I got dressed, which went a long way toward feeling back to normal. I didn’t realize how many places I hurt until I tried to push my gun and holster down into my pants. My left arm was stiff, and I got a sharp pain when I stuck it behind my back to guide the holster in. I would discover more injuries and aches for several days.
When I was dressed, I brushed my teeth and saw myself in the mirror for the first time. My eyes were bloodshot, my forehead had a large bandage, and the rest of my face had smaller bandages here and there. I was a sorry-looking soul.
Willie came back to my room as I was getting ready to leave. He took one look at me and grabbed my elbow. I told him I felt good enough to get around, but he wasn’t buying any of that.
“Man, you need to get somewhere quiet and rest for about a week.”
I smiled. “The Director says two weeks.”
Willie nodded. “That’s why he’s the Director.”
We shook hands and made plans to get together soon. Willie wouldn’t walk with me outside. He said his truck was parked in the back. But his eyes were red, and I could tell everything was taking a toll on him. He’d been involved in the death of two men who had been given power and authority and done wrong with it.
Hicks and Carver came back to the room and shook Willie’s hand before we all left. Willie didn’t care for all the attention and got out of the room as quickly as he could. Hicks turned to Carter, “Will, make sure we get that DNR Ranger a letter of commendation. He had a lot to do with keeping our boy here safe.”
The nurses insisted I be pushed in a wheelchair to the front door of the hospital. Hicks walked along with me. “If you need anything, call Will. I’ll see to it you get taken care of.”
Mountain Justice Page 20
