Across State Lines

by C. J. Johnson

  Frankie affirmed then disconnected the call. She looked at her notepad, turned to Heather and asked, “Can I see your wrist?”

  Mia and Alex both looked at Frankie with question in their eyes. Heather put her arms on the table, laying her palms on the tabletop.

  “Would you turn them over, please?”

  Heather flipped her arms over, palms facing upward. Mia nodded in understanding.

  “Heather, when did you get that tattoo?”

  Rubbing the rose on her wrist, Heather said, “It’s been a while. Like a year or two.”

  “What made you get this particular tattoo?”

  Heather looked down at her clenched hands. Pursing her lips, she said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Frankie thought better than to push the issue. She’d come back to it later. After she’d done some research on Heather. Instead, she asked, “Are you ready to drive around and try to identify Big Bruce’s house?”

  Heather nodded.

  Mia said, “I’ll go make space for you guys and bring the car to the door.”

  “Thanks, Mia.”

  Frankie waited in the lobby with Alex while Heather went to her room to retrieve her purse.

  “What’s up with the tattoo?” Alex asked.

  “We have three dead women with the same tattoo and at least two others from cases I’ve worked. She probably worked with the women at the Shady Lady. If so, she may be able to help us – or she may be in danger. I’ll press it after I’ve done a little more research.”

  “Damn, she can’t catch a break. You think you’ll be able to find these guys?”

  “I don’t know, but we are sure going to try. It’ll be extremely helpful if she can identify the house. Then maybe Big Bruce will be a good guy and turn over the creeps that did this to her.”

  Alex started to say something then stopped when Heather walked into the lobby.

  “I’m ready.”

  Frankie held the door for both women. At the car she said, “Heather, why don’t you sit upfront. Alex and I will sit in the back.”

  “Okay.”

  Once they were all in the car, she said, “We are going to drive to the area where your phone is. If you recognize any houses or if you recognize where they stopped and threatened to kill you, I want you to point it out. If you see any of the men involved, I want you to point them out but do not get out of the car or do anything that will draw attention to us.”

  Heather nodded in understanding.

  Mia drove out of the shelter gate and headed towards Wabash. The drive was brief with the only sounds in the car coming from the police radio. Mia turned off Gregory Boulevard onto Wabash and drove north. The car had barely made it through the intersection of 70th Street when Heather leaned forward in the seat and yelled, “Slow down! That’s it! That’s Big Bruce’s house!”

  Frankie noted Heather was pointing to 6923 Wabash.

  Chapter 13

  Mia drove the car past the house without stopping.

  “Wait! Why aren’t you stopping? My phone is in there. Go back!”

  Frankie acknowledged Heather’s frustration. “We cannot stop with you and Alex in the car. We will take you back to the shelter, and then Mia and I will come back and try to get your phone.”

  “But what if she leaves? What if she takes my phone? What if Corey and Tubby are inside?”

  “Then we’ll find her and your phone.” Frankie paused for a moment and then added, “And Heather?”

  “What?”

  “You cannot come back here. And you cannot call her or Corey or Tubby. Do you understand?”

  With a huff, Heather said, “Yes.”

  Mia turned the car towards the direction of the shelter. Operating on a hunch, she didn’t immediately turn onto the main road. Frankie started to say something but stopped when she saw Mia give her a look in the rearview mirror. Frankie nodded, soon recognizing where they were going.

  Silence fell over the car as it began to slow. Heather scooted forward in her seat and began moving her head from side to side, scanning the area. Where the streets had once been lined with houses, there were now trees. They drove down a hill. To their right was a plot of dirt with old, run-down mobile homes with no skirting to hide the axles. The homes did not look inhabitable, but cars parked on the dirt indicated people were living there. Dogs were chained to trees outside, and trash blew across the grassless yards. Frankie recognized the area officers in the district called “Little Arkansas.”

  Mia was preparing to turn and leave the area when Heather asked, “Can you go back? Past those trailers.”

  Mia nodded. She slowly drove past the make-shift trailer park.

  “Can we stop here for a minute?”

  Mia slowed the car when they got to the wooded area, eventually bringing the car to a stop. Heather removed her seatbelt and opened the car door. Frankie jumped out of the back of the car with Mia and Alex close behind. They trailed Heather as she wandered up one side of the road and back down the other. She stopped and scanned the area, looking into the woods on both sides of the road.

  “I think this is one of the places where he stopped the car. He parked on this side of the road.” She pointed towards the police car, “Not far from where your car is but facing the other way.”

  “How certain are you that this is where they stopped?” Frankie asked.

  “Positive. I remember hearing a chain hitting a piece of metal when we drove away. When we drove by the trailers just now, I heard the same noise and I saw a big dog chained to a metal pole. That was the chain I heard. It was only a few seconds after he pulled away when I heard that sound.”

  Frankie shook her head in amazement. Mia’s hunch and the sound of a chain got them another location. Hopefully, cellphone tower records would corroborate Heather’s statement.

  The four women got back into the car and drove back to the shelter. When they pulled up to the front door, Heather asked, “Are you going to bring me my phone?”

  “We will try Heather. I know it’s not easy, but please be patient. And trust us.” Frankie paused, then asked, “What kind of phone is it?”

  “It’s a silver iPhone. It has a pink case with Hello Kitty on it.”

  “Are there any other marks on it? Or anything that would identify it as yours if they took the case off?”

  Heather did not immediately answer. Finally, she said, “There’s a photograph of me on it. It’s from this one night when my ex-boyfriend beat me up. He took a photo of me lying on the bed. I was naked and covered in blood. He said it was so I would remember what he did to me. As if…”

  “I’m sorry he did that, Heather. We’ll try to get your phone back for you.”

  Heather nodded and walked inside the shelter. Outside Alex asked, “What’s next?”

  “We’ll go do a knock and talk at that house and hopefully identify Big Bruce and the rest of the clowns.”

  “What about her phone?”

  “We’ll recover it and then call the prosecutor. Hopefully, they will tell us we can release it after we process it.”

  Chapter 14

  “Hey Mac! Are you and Payne working tonight? Mia, Fitz, and I want to go do a knock and talk.”

  “We are. Where do you want to meet?” Mac asked.

  Frankie was relieved her former patrol partner would be available to assist.

  “Put yourselves out at Metro Patrol. We’ll meet you there.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Frankie and Mia were standing in the parking lot, making small talk with Fitz.

  “JIm’s grandfather is in the hospital. Possible stroke,” Frankie said.

  “Man, that sucks. I hope he is okay,” Fitz said. “Jim’s super close with his granddad. He lived next door when Jim was growing up. Have you heard from him since he left?”

  “No. He said he’d let me know when he gets back.”

  Mia started to say something but was interrupted by Mac’s booming voice, “Frank-ee!”

  Mac reached ou
t to shake Frankie’s hand then pulled her into a hug. They embraced with the comfort of siblings and the affection of people who had been to hell and back together. For the next five minutes, the group exchanged pleasantries about their families. After the niceties were complete, Frankie began to brief everyone on the case.

  “Last night, I was called to County on a rape/kidnap that started in Kansas and ended here. The offenders stole the victim’s car and her cellphone. Earlier today we attempted a pre-text phone call and a woman answered. She said ‘her dude’ gave the phone to her. Fitz triangulated the phone to 6923 Wabash. When we drove by the house, the victim identified it as the house where she was taken. An oral assault occurred inside the house. The victim said Big Bruce lived at the address and took her back to the shelter because his lady friend was coming by and there would be ‘trouble’ if the victim was there. By all counts, it sounds like he helped the victim and did not assault her. I ran the address on the computer, and it comes back to a man by the name of Bruce Dolphus. We assume the woman who answered the phone is the lady friend he told the victim about. We don’t have a warrant, so let’s try a soft approach and hope he’s there and cooperates.”

  “Did the victim mention any dogs or weapons?” Payne asked.

  “No to both. She said he made her food and eventually dropped her at a bus stop by Rose Brooks. He didn’t have the victim’s cellphone when he dropped her off at the bus stop. Since the woman who answered the phone was at his house, we can assume he has had contact with the men that kidnapped her.”

  While they were briefing, Frankie, Mia, and Fitz pulled on their bulletproof vests. The word “police” was imprinted on the front and back of the vest in all capital, reflective letters.

  The drive to Big Bruce’s house was less than five minutes from Metro Patrol Station. They parked in front of the house next to Bruce’s and began a tactical approach, moving towards the front door through the yard at an angle. Mia and Payne walked to the rear of the house with Fitz while Frankie and Mac went to the front door.

  Once everyone was in place, Frankie knocked on the front door. Before anyone could answer the sound of gunshots filled the air. Frankie and Mac carefully scanned the area while seeking cover behind a giant oak tree in the front yard.

  “The shots are close. Where do you think they’re coming from?” Frankie asked. Keying up the portable radio on her belt, she said, “1061 to dispatch. Hold the air. Shots fired in the area of 69th and Wabash. 1064, 242, and 1712 are out with me.”

  “Holding the air.”

  Mia keyed up the radio, “1064 to 1061. The shots are coming from the block west of us. We’re starting...”

  The sound of more gunshots erupted before Frankie could respond. Frankie and Mac began running towards the sound.

  “1061 to 1064. We’re…”

  Mia reached the back of the house facing Olive, one block west of where they started. The sound of shots echoed and were followed with a guttural scream and tires squealing. Mia and Payne rounded the corner of the house as an older model Chevy Capris turned towards the highway. Mia caught a partial plate.

  “1064 to dispatch. Older model Chevy Capris, dark in color, partial Missouri license Frank Frank 3, headed north on Olive from 6916 Olive. Occupied one time. Looks like he’s armed with a semi-automatic rifle.”

  The dispatcher sounded on the radio, “246.”

  “64th and Prospect,” answered the officers holding radio number 246.

  “Respond to the area. 1845 hours.”

  “242. We’re a couple of doors from that residence. We will be approaching on foot. 1061, 1064, and 1712 are with us. Continue holding the air.”

  Together they began to move with a determined, yet steady, gait. Suddenly a man could be seen standing on the porch of the house in question. Mac started shouting commands, “Show me your hands!”

  Chapter 15

  The man stayed crouched down with his hands hidden.

  “Show me your fucking hands!” Mac and Frankie shouted in unison.

  The man looked up with a vacant stare but still didn’t move. The sounds of sirens from the approaching ambulance filled the air.

  “Let me see your hands!” The officers shouted.

  Shaking his head as if hearing the group for the first time, he said, “I…I…I can’t. I have to apply pressure. My brother. He’s been shot.”

  Frankie exchanged a knowing look with Mac. She started to walk towards the porch, ready to adjust her position if the man pulled a weapon. Stepping onto the first step, Frankie could see a young man lying on the floor of the porch, his brother hunched over his body. The man had applied a belt to the man’s uninjured leg. A chrome-colored weapon lay on the floor an arm’s length from the man’s reach.

  Frankie nodded to the group to come forward and then asked, “Where was your brother hit? Is anyone else here?”

  “In the leg,” the man pointed to the leg without the belt. “My niece and my sister are inside.”

  Frankie said, “You might try putting the belt just above the wound on the leg that was hit if you want to stop the bleeding. Mia, you and Fitz come with me to clear the house.”

  They pushed the front door open, and before the trio could make entry a child ran and grabbed Frankie around the waist. The child clung to Frankie with a death grip as tears streamed down her caramel-colored cheeks. Frankie moved so Fitz and Mia could finish clearing the house before they called for the ambulance to come in.

  Stepping aside Frankie lowered her weapon and kept hold of the little girl while still scanning the room. Across from where they stood sat a leather chair with a blanket and baby doll on the cushion. Just above where Frankie assumed the child had been sitting was a bullet hole. Frankie squeezed the child a little tighter, softly reassuring her she was safe.

  Chapter 16

  “246 copy a car check. Gregory and 71 Highway. Black Chevy Capris Missouri License Frank Frank 3 4 Nora 7. Occupied one time. Continue to hold the air.”

  “246. Gregory and 71.”

  “240’s out with them,” Sergeant Seever added.

  The officers gave the man slumped over the steering wheel orders, but he didn’t move. They approached the car slowly, carefully ensuring no one else was inside. As Sergeant Seever approached the driver’s side door, he continued to shout orders. Seeing the limp body against the steering wheel, he holstered his weapon and grabbed a pair of latex gloves from his back pocket. With gloved hands, he reached in and felt for the man’s pulse. Feeling a slight heartbeat, he said, “Grab some crime scene tape.”

  Keying up the radio he said, “240. We have a party down. He’s breathing, but barely. Start us an ambulance and at least two cars for traffic. Get crime scene en route as well. You can clear the air for us.”

  The dispatcher went to the business of ordering an ambulance and getting additional cars to the scene for traffic.

  “240 to 1061 on private.”

  “Go ahead, Sarge.”

  “I think we have your shooter. He wrecked out at Gregory and 71 Hwy. Looks like your guy got off at least three rounds.”

  “Copy that. We’ll let the Assault Squad know when they get here.”

  Mia yelled to Frankie, “The house is clear, but we have an injured female in the kitchen.”

  Frankie keyed up her portable radio, “1061 clear the air. Send MAST in and start us another ambulance.”

  “The air is clear and MAST is en route at 2014 hours.”

  Frankie loosened the little girl’s grip and then knelt down, “What’s your name, sweetie?”

  Wide, golden eyes bore into Frankie’s.

  “It’s okay, we’re here to help you.”

  Frankie’s question was met with furrowed brows and tear-filled eyes, “Mommy?”

  “The ambulance is going to come and help her. Can you tell me your name?”

  “London. What’s your name?”

  “Frankie.”

  “That’s a boy’s name.”

  Frankie st
ifled a laugh and said, “It’s short for Francesca.”

  “Ches-ka?” she asked with a puzzled look. “Frankie is a lot easier.”

  “I agree. How old are you?”

  “I just had my birthday. I’m four,” London said, holding up her right hand with four fingers raised. “Where’s my daddy?”

  “He’s outside. The ambulance is going to help him too. Can you tell me what happened?”

  “Daddy was on his phone. He was yelling and I didn’t like it. Mommy told him to stop ‘cause he was scaring me. But he didn’t listen; he just kept yellin’. Uncle Dom come over and they was being real loud. He told daddy, ‘let ‘em come over. I’ll have somethin’ waitin’ for him when he gets here.’ Mommy told me to go to my bedroom while she and daddy went out to the porch with Uncle Dom. Frankie, I didn’t do what my momma said ‘cause they was still fighting and I was scared. I climbed into my daddy’s chair and turned the TV up real loud so I wouldn’t have to hear them yelling.”

  Frankie never let her gaze falter as she listened to London describe what happened.

  “I heard my mommy scream then there were lots of loud pops. Like firecrackers. She ran inside and told me to get down. I slid down in daddy’s chair but was too scared to run. I heard more loud pops and then my mommy fell down. She was hurt and kept screaming at me to go to my room. I think she went to the kitchen but I was afraid to follow her. Then you came.”

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that London.”

  Before Frankie could say anything more, the paramedics pushed the door open.

  “She’s back here,” Mia said.

  Frankie waited until the paramedics looked London over and the ambulance had taken her parents away before she asked, “Where’s your jacket?”

  “On the hook by the door.”

  “Let’s put it on so we can go for a ride, okay?”

  “Where are we going?”

  “How about we go to the hospital with your mommy and daddy?”

  “Can Teddy and Uncle Dom come too?”

  “Teddy can come, but Uncle Dom might have to talk to some other detectives, okay?”