Left Behind, page 25
Carl began cursing him, and shouting. “You have no right to do this!”
“That search warrant on the table in front of you says we do,” Gardner said. “You have about two minutes to decide whether you’re going to give us the combination to the locked room and open your safe, or we’ll get a locksmith and a blowtorch and blow the hinges off this place and let ourselves in.”
“Where’s Junior? What have you done with my son?”
“He’s being interrogated as we speak,” Gardner said.
“You don’t have anything on either of us!” Carl shouted.
“Well, yes, we do. After we picked up Lonny Pryor a few days ago, he decided it was in his best interests to cooperate fully with our investigation. And now we know that the fact you were worried about a new gang invading your territory is part of what got Billy Eggers murdered and connects you to the whole ugly mess of attempted murder on his sister as well. One thing led to another, and here we are.”
Carl’s expression froze, and then as Gardner watched it melt to one of dismay, he suspected Carl was sadly facing his future.
“So, which will it be? Blow the doors off the hinges, or the combination? And blowtorch the safe, or the combination?”
“I want my lawyer,” Carl muttered.
“Well, he’s at the PD with Junior, who’s already peed his pants. They’re making bets on how long it’s going to take for him to break. It’s in your best interests to cooperate now,” Gardner said.
“I’m not helping you do anything,” Carl muttered.
“No problem,” Gardner said, and waved down a couple of officers. “You two, Mr. Henley is ready to transport to the PD. Book him in for abetting a murder and an attempted murder, and for buying and selling illegal drugs. We’ll add other charges as the need arises.”
Carl Henley already knew he was a dead man. His death would be in his contacts’ best interests. Junior was probably going to wind up some goon’s girlfriend in prison, and it would serve him right. All of this chaos was his son’s fault. Every stinkin’ bit of it. When they put Carl in the back seat of the police car and drove away, all he kept thinking was that he should have let Junior drown.
Chapter 16
July was almost over, and with Ava and Linette settling into his space like they’d always been there, Wiley felt like the world was beginning to make sense again.
He was coming out of the morning briefing and waiting for his partner, who’d gone to pick up a warrant they needed to serve, when he saw Lilah Perry coming up the hall with an armful of files. Usually, she was all smiles, but this morning she appeared distracted.
Someone banged a door behind her, and when they did, she flinched, lost hold of the files, and then watched in dismay as they fell to her feet.
Wiley ran toward her, but when he knelt down to help, he saw that she was crying.
“Hey, hey, honey, no harm done here. Let me help,” he said, and began gathering up files and handing them to her, then helped her to her feet. “See, all done and no harm, no foul.”
“Thank you, Wiley. It’s been a rough week,” she muttered.
“Why? What happened?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows, and I feel like a fool.”
“I don’t know. I went away for a week dealing with family stuff and still playing catch-up. What’s wrong?”
Lilah sighed. “Oh, I forgot. Anyway, you know about the girl who was shot up on Pope Mountain a few weeks back?”
“Yes. Carey Eggers. I was put on guard duty at the ICU when she came out of surgery.”
“Long story short, they figured out who did it and arrested him, and I didn’t know anything about it until weeks later, when the chief said something in passing. When I heard the name of the man they’d arrested, I fainted from the shock, and I am not a fainter. I not only knew the man from when I used to live in Bowling Green, but he called me the night the Eggers woman was shot, gave me some big story about hurting himself trying to change a flat in that rainstorm, and begged me to help him get bandaged up so he could drive home.
“I hadn’t seen him in years, but relented. And when he showed up at my house about ten minutes later, I fixed him up and he went on his way. And then after hearing what the chief said, I was horrified that I had helped a murderer escape. I told the chief everything. My statement helped put Lonny Pryor at the location of the attempted murder and verified the timeline of when she’d been shot.”
“But that’s good, Lilah! Why would you be embarrassed?” Wiley asked.
“I’m embarrassed that I even knew someone who was capable of murder, let alone help him in any way.”
“Try being related to a killer and living it down,” Wiley muttered. “You just got played because you have a good heart. There’s no shame in that.”
Lilah didn’t know what Wiley was talking about, but she guessed it was personal. “You’re right. I was making a big deal out of nothing after all.”
“No. It was a big deal to you, and how it made you feel matters. Now, I better hustle before Leedy drives off without me.”
He took off at a lope, caught up with his partner outside, and jumped into the cruiser. “Sorry. Lilah dropped a bunch of files in the hall. I stopped to help her pick them up.”
“No problem,” Doug said. “We’re just doing a welfare check on a man. His neighbors haven’t seen him in days and he’s not answering his phone.”
Wiley groaned. “Please God we don’t find a body in a state of putrefaction. I’ll take a house full of cats and fleas before that.”
Doug grimaced. “Damn, Wiley. Those are some god-awful choices.”
“Yes, they are. My two worst fears for welfare checks, and so far, so good, but I don’t want to encounter one today.”
They left the precinct and headed east out of town toward Reagan Bullard’s campground, then turned south at the first section-line road and drove into a trailer park, and noticed the rows of mailboxes.
“What’s the address?” Wiley asked.
“It’s trailer number eleven,” Doug said, and slowed down so they could read the numbers as they passed.
“That one!” Wiley said, pointing to a rusting white and turquoise single-wide with the front half of the skirting lying on the ground.
They pulled up in the drive behind a black Dodge truck. The hood was up, and the engine block was hanging on chains from a nearby tripod.
“If he’s gone, he left afoot,” Wiley muttered, carefully eyeing the concrete blocks stacked up for steps as he went up onto the stoop and knocked.
No one answered.
Wiley knocked again, and then called out, “Mr. Carlisle, it’s the police. Are you able to come to the door?” He knocked again, but heard nothing.
“Try the knob,” Doug said, and to their surprise, the door was unlocked.
“Here goes nothing,” Wiley muttered, and stepped over the threshold.
The trailer was hot. Dirty dishes were in the sink and on a table, and flies were rampant all over the kitchen. But there was no one home. And after a quick check of the bedrooms, it was evident that Mr. Carlisle was no longer in the residence.
“No clothes and nothing in the bathroom,” Doug said. “Not even a toothbrush. We’ll check the bus station when we get back into town to see if he took the bus, but it appears he left of his own accord. The only crime here is stinking garbage and dirty dishes, which is a reminder to me of why I do not ever want to be a landlord.”
“Then we’re done here, and I need some air,” Wiley said.
After a quick trip by the bus station to check the records, they learned Sam Carlisle left Jubilee two weeks ago on a bus bound for Denver.
“Welfare check completed,” Doug said as he got back into the car. You call and notify the chief ASAP so the family will at least know that much. I’ll write up the report later.”
“Will do,” Wiley said, and made a quick call off radio to give Chief Warren the details.
***
Linette was on duty in a patient’s room, administering a pain med via the shunt in the patient’s IV.
The patient, a twelve-year-old boy who was two days out of surgery for the repair of a compound fracture to his leg from a rollover on his ATV, was miserable. His leg was in a cast from the ankle to just above his knee. He couldn’t get comfortable, and when she’d entered the room with his meds, he was alone and in tears.
“I’m sorry you’re having such a rough time, Davey, but these pain meds will kick in very soon.”
He swiped at the tears on his face, embarrassed to be caught crying. “I know. Thank you, Miss Linnie.”
“You’re welcome, honey. Looks like someone moved your table too far away to reach the water. Are you thirsty?”
He nodded.
“We can fix that,” she said, and poured some cold water into his cup, held the straw up to his lips, and watched as he drank.
As soon as he’d had his fill, he sank back into the pillow and glanced at the clock.
She saw the frown on his face. “Where is your mother this morning?”
“She got a phone call from Dad. Said she had to run home for a bit, but she’d be right back. That was three hours ago.”
“Hmm, there are a dozen reasons why she might be delayed. I’ll bet she shows up soon. In the meantime, why don’t you just close your eyes and let those pain meds do their job?”
Davey was already getting sleepy and closed his eyes.
Linette straightened his covers, gently brushed her hand across his forehead, and then waited until she knew he was out. But as soon as she left the room, she went straight to the nurses’ desk.
“Anyone here know why Davey Andrews’s mother suddenly left this morning? He said she got a phone call. Said she’d be right back, but that was three hours ago. He’s worried. I administered his pain meds, so he’s asleep now, but this is unlike her. She has hardly left his side since they brought him in.”
Then a nurse behind the desk looked up and pointed. “There she comes now, Linnie, but I think something’s wrong.”
Linette turned around, saw the panicked look on Shelly Andrews’s face as she reached the station.
“I saw a man in the parking lot getting out of his truck with a gun in his hand. I don’t know who he is, but I saw him entering the lobby just as the elevator doors closed on me.”
Before any of the nurses could react, they began to hear gunshots, and then a lockdown alarm. Linette’s first thought was Wiley, and then she thought of their patients. Who the hell was this man and who’d he come after?”
“I’m shoving the recliner against the door to my son’s room,” Shelly said, and ran.
The RN jumped into action. “We have twelve patients on this floor and six nurses. Get anyone who’s mobile into a bathroom. Tell them to lock the door and stay in there. The rest of you, get in a room with a patient, bar the door as best you can, and wait for an all clear on the intercom.”
The nurses turned and ran.
***
The dispatch went out to every police car and to every handheld radio.
“Active shooter inside Jubilee Hospital. Proceed with caution. Hospital is on lockdown.”
Wiley was in the passenger seat of the patrol car, and Doug Leedy was driving when they received the dispatch. Doug hit the lights and sirens and made a U-turn in the street before speeding off toward the hospital with more than a dozen other police cars doing the same thing, coming from all over town.
Wiley tried to call Linette, but when the call went to voicemail, his heart sank. He told himself it was because she was likely involved in securing her area and patients, but that didn’t alleviate his fears.
They reached the hospital in less than two minutes and saw people pouring out of the front entrance on foot, trying to get to their vehicles. Wiley and Doug got out of the patrol car on the run.
A man came running toward Doug and Wiley, carrying a small child.
“How many shooters?” Wiley shouted.
“One man. Big, heavyset. Long gray hair in a ponytail. Black T-shirt and jeans. Black and white baseball cap,” the man said, then kept going.
Wiley gave the description over a handheld radio. “People running out of the hospital. None appear to have been wounded. We’re entering the front lobby now.”
Aaron and Bob Yancy came in right behind them, as did a half-dozen other officers, while more were still en route, including Chief Warren and his driver.
Inside the lobby, a security guard was sitting against a wall, bleeding from a bullet wound in his arm. Aaron stopped to apply a tourniquet. Calling for help was futile. Everyone on-site had taken cover.
“I’m going to move you behind the front desk,” Aaron said, and helped the guard into a hiding spot. “Stay down. I’ll radio your location to the EMTs.”
“No! Don’t!” the guard said. “He has a two-way. He can hear all of your traffic.”
“Shit,” Aaron muttered. “Do you know him?”
“Gene Terry, ex-EMT. Got fired and went to prison for stealing and selling drugs. I didn’t know he was out,” the guard said.
“Do you see where he went?” Yancy asked.
“Into the stairwell.”
“How many security guards on duty?” Aaron asked.
“Three, so there’s two more besides me. One might be in the ambulance area and one patrols the perimeter.”
Wiley overheard the conversation and took off running while Aaron sent a cryptic message over their handhelds.
Go to emergency channel.
Then he issued a second warning there.
Shooter has ears. Took the stairwell. Maintain radio silence or use emergency channel.
Wiley paused in the stairwell to listen, trying to see if he could hear footsteps, and heard nothing. He sent Linette a brief text, knowing she’d pass the info along to the nurses.
One shooter in the building. Took the stairwell. We’re searching floors. He has a two-way. We’re maintaining radio silence to keep him from knowing what we’re doing. We’ll find him. Stay safe.
***
Linette read the text, then forwarded it to the hospital link that would automatically send an alert to every employee’s phone. It put all of them on the same page with what was happening. But it didn’t make her job easier.
She was holed up in a room with a ten-year-old patient named Crystal, who was recovering from a car wreck. She and her family had come to Jubilee on vacation, then had a wreck outside of town before they arrived. Her mother was in a room on a different floor, recovering from hip surgery. Her dad had been flown to Bowling Green for burn treatments.
Linette had been particularly empathetic toward the little girl for having to be alone throughout her ordeal and had headed straight for Crystal’s room for lockdown.
Crystal had heard the alarms, and people running and shouting, and was already terrified and sobbing when Linette came running into her room.
“What’s happening?” she cried.
“We’re going to hide from a bad man,” Linette said. “But don’t worry. I’m going to be right here with you the whole time. Okay?”
Crystal froze. “Is this like school lockdown? Does the man have a gun?”
Linette nodded. “Exactly like that. So, we know what to do, right?”
“I want Mama,” Crystal sobbed.
“I know, but your mama is on a different floor, and she’s in bed, too. Someone is taking care of her, just like I’m taking care of you, okay? Now you can watch me while I push this empty bed across our door.”
Once she had blocked the door, Linette moved back to stand beside Crystal. She’d already come to terms again with the possibility of dying, and it made her sad. But she knew her role in this chaos, and if the shooter came into this room, he would have to go through her to get to the child.
She glanced down at the little girl again and could tell her pain meds were still making her sleepy. “Just relax, sweetheart. Close your eyes and rest. I’m here with you.”
***
Wiley knew Linette worked on the third floor, but he had no idea which room she’d taken shelter in. It took everything in him not to storm up the stairs and go find her, but he couldn’t. They had to clear floors in order, going one hospital room at a time before moving up to the next level.
They had officers on guard at every stairwell and at every elevator, on the off chance that the shooter slipped past the searchers and tried to escape the building. It was a tedious and tension-filled search. They’d heard no more gunshots. And there was no one talking anywhere. The officers were communicating with hand signs as they cleared the first floor, and then the second.
They were back in the stairwell on their way to the third floor when Doug Leedy caught a glimpse of movement above him and saw the backside of a man in a black T-shirt and cap dart into an exit door onto the third floor. But it was the long gray ponytail that solidified the ID.
“He’s on the third floor!” Doug shouted, and immediately radioed the message on the emergency channel so the other searchers in the building could converge.
Wiley leaped past two other cops on the stairwell, hit the latch on the exit door, and flew into the hall. He caught a glimpse of the man running down the hall on the left, and took the right junction instead and started running parallel, while following the sound of the man’s footsteps.
***
Gene Terry knew the cops were coming. He’d heard them in the stairwell. He’d already knew he would be going back to prison if they caught him, but he’d made his peace with dying. He just had payback on his mind. He’d already taken out the security guard and ambulance driver who’d ratted him out to the cops, and the only one left standing was an RN on the third floor. He’d put a bullet in her head, then one in his own, and be done with it.
The moment he exited onto the floor and heard nothing and saw no one, he headed for the nurses’ station. He saw the corner of the desk from twenty yards away and increased his speed, but as he took the turn, he realized the desk was empty.
“Connie Parsons! Where the hell are you? Come out now or I’m gonna start shooting at everyone!” he roared, then aimed his gun at the first door in front of him and fired, and then kept firing at every door as he ran.
