Roland P D Omnibus

by Ruth DuCharme

  Camden’s face reddened with fury. He slammed his car into park and opened his driver door. Brexler began to laugh and peeled out as he drove away up the empty street.

  Camden had half a mind to chase Brexler’s old ass down and give him a little love tap. Shaw was good police and most certainly better than this old fart. God, even when she’s missing, some guys can’t help but take the opportunity to talk shit about her. He probably put the moves on her and she rejected him.

  Camden felt his anger getting the best of him and knew he needed to reign himself in. Getting angry wouldn’t help find Shaw.

  Instead of chasing down his teammate, Camden drove to the dispatch center, parked and walked in. He found Laurie with ease. She was the only one not on break.

  “Hey Laurie.”

  Laurie got up and hugged him. “Jason, I haven’t heard from her and now I’m really worried.”

  “I’m worried too. Have you tried the GPS on her car?”

  “She always checks out car 56. You know she hates having tabs kept on her. She takes the only sergeant car without the GPS locater.”

  “Can you ping her phone?”

  “I tried that too. It’s turned off.”

  “What about her personal cell? I’ve been calling it and it rings and rings with no answer.”

  “Give me the number and I’ll give that a try. If it’s just ringing and ringing we at least know it’s on.”

  Camden opened his phone and read off Shaw’s personal cell number to Laurie as she punched in the keys.

  “Nope. No signal on that one either. What the hell could have happened to her, Jason?”

  Camden tried calling Shaw’s personal cell again and this time it went straight to voicemail. Maybe the battery had died? Camden winked at Laurie and gave her hair a gentle tug. “I have no idea what happened to Shaw but I’m certainly not going to find her sitting in here and flirting with you.”

  As Camden walked back out of the call center he heard the county’s helicopter pilot announce his presence. “County Unit Star 89 is overhead. Any updates?”

  Laurie chatted with the pilot, “No updates, Star 89. Last seen at the hospital and no sightings since.”

  “Copy that. What car is she driving?”

  “Car 56.”

  “Copy. On the lookout. “

  Moments later the radio came alive once more and Star 89 said, “Ok, I got a car with 56 on the roof parked down by the shipyard. It’s in the empty parking. I don’t see anything or anyone around it and from up here I can’t tell if its occupied. I fleered it but no heat source coming off it. No sign of your missing officer.”

  Chapter Eighty-Three

  Police sirens started up across the city and their sound reverberated off the marine fog. Everyone is raced toward the location of Shaw’s car. Camden got there first.

  With the helicopter pilot flying low and lighting up the road, Star 89 directed Camden in to the scene. “Car 6 you’re almost on top of her. Head to the far empty lot where the ship docks. The car is in the middle of the empty lot. Nothing showing as far as anyone in the area.”

  Camden felt his voice tighten with dread when he responded, “Copy that. Shine that light around the bushes for me. In case we are walking into an ambush.”

  “Copy 2L6. Nothing showing so far and we got your back.”

  Camden looked up briefly as the helicopter flew low, spotlight lighting up the area. He got a glimpse of an officer leaning out the open door, rifle in hand, ready to lay down fire if danger popped out of the bushes or came from a window.

  Camden paused between two large empty buildings. He swept the area with his spotlight and let the light come to rest on the single patrol car in the middle of the empty parking lot.

  Camden didn’t wait any longer. He drove into the scene and pulled up directly behind Shaw’s car. The driver door was wide open and Camden could hear radio chatter squawking from her car radio. The MDC was lit up and since it takes about fifteen minutes for the computer to go into rest mode, Camden knew the car hadn’t been parked here long. This seemingly minor detail unnerved Camden. She had been here within the last fifteen minutes! While they had been searching for her, the car had been driving down to this very spot. She had heard them looking for her and said nothing!.

  Camden took a quick look inside the vehicle. There on the seat was her gear bag, weapon, and badge. No way she would have gone off on her own and left this stuff. Camden continued around the patrol car and just outside the passenger door he found her radio smashed to pieces.

  Camden clicked on his flashlight and directed its beam around the empty parking lot. His stomach lurched as his adrenaline went into overdrive. A lone pile of items lay close to the edge of the pier. Camden ran to the pile and gasps sharply. Shaw’s jacket and cell phone. Camden can’t swallow past the lump in his throat. This is really bad.

  Lopez was the next officer to arrive and quickly made his way to Camden’s side, “Holy shit man! You think maybe she jumped?”

  Camden swung around and blindsided Lopez with a shove that almost knocked him to the ground. “Never! Don’t let me hear you say anything like that again, kid.”

  Lopez ignored Camden’s anger, “You don’t know that. It happens all the time. You think someone’s good and then the next you know they are eating their gun in some isolated spot.”

  “Not her. She wouldn’t.” Camden keyed his mic, “2L6 cars empty, send us a CSI unit to process it and send me two more units to search the surrounding area. And route me W114.”

  “W114 what did you find?”

  “2L6 to W114, I think you better get own here.”

  Camden and Lopez stood by the forlorn pile of Shaw’s belongings and watched as a line of patrol cars with flashing lights made a parade towards their location. The chopper started to make small but ever widening circles across the water and surrounding hills in search of anyone and anything that might shed light on what had happened to Shaw.

  Maybe she had gotten out and had been dragged into the bushes. Camden refused to believe she was in the water. He looked at the waves crashing against the pier. It was at least a hundred foot drop. Even if Shaw had survived a fall into the icy bay there was no way she could have gotten out. The drop was enormous and there were no ladders or stairs. Could she have swum? Possibly, but that water had to be in the 20’s and the nearest shore was a good two miles away. She’d be frozen if she made it.

  Lopez interrupted Camden’s train of thought, “What do you want me to do? Point in a direction and let me get started doing something. Anything!”

  “Head over to the harbor and start doing patrolling the shoreline. If she went into the water and was physically able to swim, she will have to come out on that side. It’s the closest and there are a lot of boats. Go wake the harbor master up and then patrol there until the boat officers get here.”

  “You think We are gonna find her?”

  “Yes. We won’t stop until we do.”

  Chapter Eighty-Four

  One last drink and I’ll go to bed. Crime reporter Kevin Bernstein doesn’t usually have any trouble falling to sleep but tonight he is suffering with insomnia. A full moon always triggered his insomnia but as he stared out at the night from his window he could see the moon wasn’t even close to being full.

  Infrequent bout’s with insomnia were no big deal, at least compared to the nightmares. Kevin hadn’t had one of his nightmares in quite a while. As a reporter for the Washington Post, he spent time imbedded with the Army during Operation Desert Storm. Aside from winning a Pulitzer prize for his reporting he had come back with some serious PTSD. Whenever he had a nightmare or insomnia, Kevin reminded himself he was lucky to have come home at all.

  Bernstein. The name wasn’t exactly a common one. Unlike his namesake, Kevin had graduated journalism school before joining the ranks at the Post. He was under no illusions that his last name hadn’t opened the doors to his dream job. How many college kids get a shot like that, fresh out of the e
ducational gate. Then the Gulf War happened.

  As Kevin continued to stare out his living room window overlooking the Pacific Ocean, he tried not to think back to all that happened before he landed here in Roland. The very public mental breakdown. The collapse of his career. The heartbreak.

  A D.C. police officer had been killed while he was riding along with her. Jasmine. Jazzy. His Jaz. They had been set to be married after only three months of high speed courtship. She was a fireball and he adored her. He had gone on one ride-along and it had changed both their lives forever. She had unexpectedly driven right into a fire fight between gang members and taken one to the neck before he could blink.

  Kevin had tried desperately to save her. He had screamed into the radio calling for cover and tried his best to stop the bleeding. He used all the skills he had learned during his time in the war but by the time they had gotten her to the hospital she was gone. Kevin pretty much lost his mind. His PTSD kicked into high gear and he almost hadn’t survived.

  Six months after the funeral of his precious Jaz, Kevin quit his job and moved across the country. He still wasn’t convinced that moving to the west coast was the answer to finding peace but at least it afforded him a chance to start fresh. Kevin had taken the crime reporting gig at Roland Confidential because the newspaper was small. It wasn’t even close to being on par with the Post but he had to pay the bills. He still reported news but his past had changed him.

  Kevin poured himself one more drink. One drink was his self-imposed limit but on nights like tonight when the ghosts of the past came haunting, he made the exception. He continued to sit and watch the city lights twinkle. He had purchased a home in the hills of Roland and the floor to ceiling glass afforded him a unique view. From his perch he could see a bright shining moon and stars, layered on top of a huge fog bank. Below the fog, city lights sparkled. Soft music from his record player kept him company and he let his mind wander to Sarah.

  Kevin hadn’t dated anyone seriously since Jaz. In fact he had become so bad at that particular social interaction that he tended to come across as a huge jerk anytime he tried to flirt or even pay a compliment. It was as if something smart in his brain had been turned off. He hated that part of himself. Especially since meeting Sarah.

  Sarah Landon was the newest reporter at Roland Confidential and she was cute. Not beautiful, no, that was reserved for women like Jaz. Mature women with fire in their veins and boldness in their every move. Sarah was more like an adorable puppy with her enormous brown eyes and sweet demeanor.

  Kevin had fumbled in his attempts to ask Sarah out and eventually gave up. He told himself he was a little too old for her anyway. Besides she was the polar opposite of Jaz. Jaz had been wild and strong. She could hold her own in a fight and rocked that uniform like a star. The men she worked with loved her and she had made quite a name for herself before her passing. Jaz drank hard, played hard and loved hard and it had lit him on fire. No, Sarah was nothing like her. Maybe that was a good thing?

  Kevin mentally shook himself and frowned. Why was he letting his mind wander this far? He had to go to bed. It was four-thirty in the morning and he had to work tomorrow. He was going to be late on his piece on the police retirement reform initiative and he had to interview the police association president bright and early.

  Kevin tore himself away from the view and his thoughts of romance. He flipped off the record player and placed his now empty Scotch glass in the sink.

  As he flipped off the kitchen light, the silence was interrupted by the police scanner Kevin kept in the kitchen. He kept the thing on from habit. When he had first arrived at Roland Confidential Kevin had kept himself glued to that police scanner, ready to chase any and every story down. He had almost always been the first reporter on scene. Nowadays the scanner served more as a sound machine, bubbling in the background and never really reaching his full consciousness.

  Kevin reached to turn it off but the scanner seemed to spring to life. There was an urgency in the chatter and instead of off, he turned the volume up. A patrol sergeant was missing and they were looking for her.

  The responding officers were keeping any really good info off the air and Kevin’s interest soared when he heard the watch commander make all the officers switch to a tactical channel. Dammit. Kevin’s scanner can’t access the tactical channels but the switch told him the situation was serious. There would be no sleep tonight. Not with a story this big brewing.

  Kevin grabbed a jacket and his cell phone and headed out the door. As he made his way to his car he dialed up his camera man.

  “Hello?” A sleepy voice answers.

  “Zeke. Sorry to wake you man but I need you. Big stuff brewing. Get up and meet me at the police station. A sergeant has gone missing.”

  “I’m up!”

  Kevin made it halfway to his car when suddenly he doubled over from the sharp pain in his chest. He couldn’t seem to get air into his lungs. With no precursor, a full-fledged panic attack took hold of him. It was happening again. Kevin sat down in the middle of his driveway and forced himself to breath. “This sergeant, she isn’t Jaz.” He whispered aloud to himself. He willed his heartbeat to stop racing. Sweat is poured off his brow despite the 40 degree weather. When the attack finally passed, Kevin climbed shakily to his feet. His hands shook as he inserted his car key into the driver door lock. He climbed in and gripped the steering wheel tightly for a few seconds before starting the engine and backing out of the driveway.

  On the drive to the station Kevin focused on the breathing techniques his doctor taught him. He tried to keep his eyes on the road ahead. By the time he reached the police station his breathing had returned to normal and while his adrenaline was pumping, Kevin knew it was only from the thrill of getting a good story, rather than from fear.

  Kevin drove into the police parking lot just as Zeke pulled in behind him. First reporter’s here. Good. We can get prime real estate. Time to get the story.

  Kevin picked up his cell phone and dialed.

  Chapter Eighty-Five

  Police Information Officer, Ford Leary, looked down at his ringing cell phone and snorted. Leave it to that turn Kevin Bernstein to be the first. “Lieutenant Leary, how can I help you?”

  “Ford! Buddy! What’s the story?”

  “Good morning to you too Kevin. You’ll have to wait like everyone else.”

  “C’mon. Just give me the highlights.”

  “Kevin, you know I will give out the information once I have it. I’ve set up a….”

  Kevin interrupted, “I heard she jumped into the bay. Any truth to that?”

  Leary took a calming breath before his temper got the better of him. He always hated reporters but Kevin was the most annoying. He was always snooping around, ingratiating himself with police sources and command staff and had more than once undermined him with the chief. “Kevin, sit with everyone else and when I’m ready, and not a moment before, I will come out and answer as many of your questions as I possibly can.”

  Kevin bated him, “Should I just call the Chief?”

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  Carson made his way to the old shipyard for the third time that night. He parked his car behind Camden’s and joined him near the edge of the dock.

  “This is all hers?”

  “Yes sir. The only thing missing is her vest.”

  “If she fell in or jumped that vest’s gonna way her down.” Carson keyed his shoulder mic, “W114, all officers are to switch to tac 2 for further communication regarding this detail.”

  Camden briefed Carson on what he had accomplished to this point. “LT, I’ve got Lopez waking the harbor master and keeping an eye on the shoreline in case she swims out. I figured you’d want to call in the harbor patrol officers and maybe coast guard?”

  “Already done.”

  “The chopper is scanning the water and the hillside. Anderson is on his way with his pup try to find a track in the event she’s in the hills somewhere. Sir, we could use anothe
r dog.”

  Carson immediately advised dispatch to call in the county K9 officer on duty as well as request any additional available officers from the surrounding cities. “Anything else you can think of Camden?”

  “No sir. I had dispatch try pinging her phones but they were both off. As you can see this one is still right here but the battery is out.”

  “Phones? She had two?”

  “Yeah she always carried her personal phone.”

  “Did you search her car for the other phone? Maybe it’s in her car?”

  “No, I didn’t get in it. I want CSI to process it first. If she was taken then maybe someone was in her car and we can get some leads.”

  “Good thinking. Ok ,when the first K9 gets here I want you to lead the search. Until a hard stripe sergeant gets here you’re the boss at this scene. Got it? You’re in charge. You were the first here so the scene is yours.”

  “Copy that sir.” Camden yelled to Lopez, “Lopez, on me!”

  Lopez trotted over and listened carefully as Camden gave him instruction. “Get up the crime scene tape and start a log. I want to know everyone who comes in and out of this lot. Also, go talk to the site manager. See if you can wake him and tell him to put up some barriers so his employees don’t arrive and disturb anything. Get him to put up the chain across the road at the entrance of the lot. We need to do a lot of searching out here and the press will be on scene before we know it. This is a crime scene now until further notice.”

  As Camden watched Lopez head off to do his bidding, the CSI officers car pulled in slowly. He saw CSI Officer Angie Sharp behind the wheel. She was crying.

  Camden pulled Angie from her car and gave her a friendly hug. “It’s ok. We are gonna find her. Now listen, I need this car dusted for prints and the whole scene documented. Including her clothes. Somethings not right here Angie.”