by CJ Murphy
“Okay, Zeus and I will make our way around the backside. Taylor has Midas with her. How close is your other trooper?”
“He was coming down Sugarlands a few minutes ago.”
“Keep your head down. There’s Taylor.” Chance crouched and ran back to her chief deputy. Midas jumped out to his partner’s side. “Make your way around to the back toward that kitchen door. I’m betting he’s in that master bedroom. I’ll be on the other side. I’ve got reinforcements coming. He’s got the baby and Mary in with him. I’m assuming little Charlie is still with the neighbor.”
A shot broke through a window, followed by an angry voice. “Clear the fuck out of here, or I’ll kill them both.”
Chance and Taylor rolled to the right side of the house and took cover behind the disabled vehicles dotting the overgrown yard.
Harley took the lead in negotiations. “Chuck, you need to let them go before this gets out of hand.”
“It got out of hand the minute she threw me out. This is my house. She’s my wife, and these are my kids. I’m in charge here, not this bitch.”
Chance could see movement in one corner of the room through a window on the opposite side. She made her way to below the window and peered in. Mary sat on the bed, holding the baby, as Chuck paced the room near the window. He had a pistol in his hand. She could hear him screaming at Mary.
Harley yelled. “Chuck, you have to let them go. No matter what’s happened, we can work it out. If you harm them, it will only get worse.”
“I’m not going back to jail. I’ll kill us all before that happens.”
Taylor moved closer to the side of the house, within Chance’s sight. Chance needed to figure out a way to get Chuck separated from Mary. She didn’t see a way to send Zeus or Midas in safely, unless she could get them into the attached bathroom. The window was partially opened. She stood and tried to raise it. The sash stuck at first, then finally moved up. Harley still had him engaged. Chance looked around the yard and found a milk crate that would allow her to climb in the window without difficulty. She was grateful this was an old farmhouse with large windows and not the smaller windows found in most modern construction. Zeus was at her side. She bent down to pick him up and help him through the window. She whispered, “Zit.” In the background, she could hear Harley continuing to negotiate and the sound of another siren approaching. She followed Zeus through the window.
“Get off my land! I’ll kill the first person who comes through my door.”
Harley’s voice remained calm and measured. “Chuck, you’ve got to put down the gun and come out. Don’t harm Mary or the baby. Doing that won’t serve any purpose and will land you in jail for the rest of your life.”
“Not if I’m dead too.”
“What about Charlie? Who’s going to take care of him if you and Mary are gone? How does he live with the fact that his father killed his mother and baby sister? Don’t ruin his life, Chuck.”
Chance pushed the door open an inch. She could see Chuck covering his ears, gun in hand. She leveled her gun at him. She whispered to Zeus again, “Bewaken.” Chuck moved to the end of the room, opposite of where Mary cradled the crying baby. When his back was turned, she stepped out and put herself between Chuck and his hostages. “Drop the gun! Drop the gun, or I release the dog!”
Chuck spun and pointed his gun at her.
“Stellen!” Chance bellowed, and Zeus lunged forward, catching the man by the arm that held the weapon. Chuck had no time to react. “Mary, roll off the bed. Get down.” Zeus growled and snarled as Chance shouted commands. Taylor and Midas broke through the bedroom door, with Harley right behind her. Midas engaged and had Chuck by the ankle with a simple command from Taylor. He was screaming in pain as the dogs sank their teeth into him.
“Drop the gun! Drop the gun!” Chance screamed at Chuck, with her gun pointed at him. She maintained the physical barrier between him and his wife, who cowered on the floor on the other side of the bed. Chance heard the gun clatter to the hardwood as Chuck screamed for them to call off the dogs.
“Zeus, houden.” She called for Zeus to stop the attack and hold the suspect. Taylor’s command followed suit.
“Roll over. Hands behind your head,” Taylor shouted at Chuck, who tried to comply as she cuffed him.
Chance turned to Mary, who held the baby tight to her chest. “Mary, are you and the baby all right?” A bright red handprint on Mary’s face and finger-sized bruises around her neck told Chance she was anything but. “I’m going to call for an ambulance to check on you and the baby. Let’s get you out to the living room.” Chance helped her up, while Chuck screamed obscenities at her.
“You fucking bitch, this is all your fault. I’m the master of this house, and you do what I say. You hear me? You hear me? You belong to me.”
Chance pointed to the door. “Get him the hell out of here, Taylor.” She stood between Mary and her officer, who was pulling Chuck to his feet and pushing him out the door.
“We’ve got him, Sheriff.” Harley held Chuck’s arm, as she led him through the house and out the front door.
“Come on, Mary. Let’s check you out. Little Charlie’s safe. Where are you hurt?” Chance tried to completely block Mary’s view of the man who’d abused her.
Mary’s sobs prevented her from saying anything coherent. She whispered a weak thank you. Once Chance had her and the baby settled on the couch, she went to the drab kitchen and found a glass in the drainer. She filled it with water and carried it back to Mary. “Take a sip of this.” Chance found a tissue box and put it near Mary as well.
Mary held her hand to her mouth and sobbed as the baby cried. “She’s hungry. I need to feed her and change her diaper.”
“If you change her, I’ll fix her bottle. Tell me where everything is.”
“There’s one made up in the refrigerator. It needs to be heated.” Mary stood and grabbed the diaper bag at the end of the couch.
Chance headed to the kitchen and heated the formula. She brought the bottle back in the room with her when it was warm enough. “Can I feed her? Give you a chance to settle down.”
Mary handed Chance the baby. “Carissa has a hard time eating unless you bounce or sway her.”
Chance noticed the rasp to Mary’s voice. “I can do that.” Chance put the bottle to the baby’s lips and smiled as the baby greedily took the nipple.
Mary smoothed her dress with her hands. Tears continued to roll down her face.
“The ambulance will be here soon to check you both out.” Chance swayed with the baby in her arms. “Mary, I hate to have to ask you this. Did Chuck sexually assault you?”
Mary held her hand to her mouth and stifled a cry as she nodded that he had.
“Whatever you do, don’t take a shower or bath. It’s important that we preserve evidence. I want him to go away for good this time. Mary, you and your children need to be free of him and protected. You’ll have to testify and tell the court what happened. Can you do that?”
Mary looked Chance directly in the eye, tear tracks streaking her face. “I’ll scream it from the courthouse steps if I have to. That man will never have the chance to hurt my children ever again. I made the mistake of marrying him and forgiving him every time he hit me. I believed him when he said it was my fault that dinner wasn’t on the table, hot and ready for him, no matter when he decided to stagger in here. I’m done, Sheriff. My children didn’t choose this life, and I won’t shackle them to it for a single day longer. I watched him put that gun to Carissa’s head then threaten to kill her if I didn’t do what he said. He told Charlie he’d kill the baby if he didn’t behave. Where Charlie got the courage to run, I’ll never know. What I do know is it’s time for me to show that same courage.” Mary turned and went into the bathroom.
Taylor came back inside. “My other troopers are here, and Chuck is secured in one of the cruisers. Harley went to get Charlie.” She pointed her chin in the direction Mary had disappeared. “How’s she doing?”
&n
bsp; “A determined mess. When EMS gets here, let them know we have a sexual assault victim. Tell them to advise the ER to have a rape crisis advocate on hand.”
Taylor shut her eyes. Chance understood her frustration. The court system had let Chuck off numerous times for a variety of infractions. Mary had rescinded several orders of protection, always letting Chuck come back home. He’d never gone this far, and they could only hope that Mary would follow through this time and go through with the prosecution. Chance hoped, eventually, the family could completely get Chuck out of their lives. Mary came back into the room. Chance moved the baby to her shoulder. After a few gentle pats, she felt Carissa burp.
Taylor grabbed a cloth diaper and wiped the baby’s mouth. “She spit up a bit on your shirt.”
“Par for the course. No worries.” Chance heard the siren of an ambulance. Charlie ran through the door crying and into his mother’s arms. Mary dropped to her knees and held her son tightly.
“I’m okay, Charlie. It’s going to be okay.”
“Mary, the ambulance will take the three of you to the hospital to be checked over.” She looked at the bruise forming on Charlie’s face. The anger began to bubble up. No child should have to go through this. Not one. She handed Mary the baby. “Let’s find Carissa’s car seat. Charlie, do you have your booster around here?”
Charlie wiped at his tears and nodded. She held out her hand and he led her through the house. She could feel how badly he was shaking. She stopped and knelt beside him. Tears streamed down his face. “You’re safe now. Your mom is okay, and so is your baby sister. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Charlie wiped his face. “You taking my daddy to jail?”
“Yes, Charlie, I am. He hurt you guys. That’s wrong.”
“Good. He’s mean, and he hurts Momma.”
Chance gathered the small boy into her arms and wiped his tears. “He hurts you too, doesn’t he?” She watched, as the little boy nodded. “We’re not going to let that happen ever again, okay? You were very brave today. You saved your family. That makes you a hero. I’m proud of you.”
Charlie nodded again and grabbed his booster seat as the medics entered the house. Chance brought him back to his mother and made her way to Harley. The entire incident would generate tons of paperwork and take hours to wrap up. She wouldn’t make the regional meeting but felt she could make the meeting with the federal prosecutor. That was extremely important to her. Putting away the men who’d kidnapped Martin held a very high priority in her life. She would do everything she could to make sure they went away for what they’d done. The thought that it could’ve been Jax still rattled her.
Taylor met her in the yard. “Penny called the regional meeting organizers and told them you wouldn’t make it. She also called Taya Chapel and let her know what was going on. Your meeting has been moved to three. She said if you needed to cancel, she’d understand and could reschedule it if necessary. My half unit also called to tell Brad that your meeting with him is rescheduled for tomorrow at two.”
“I’ll bet he had a few things to say about that. I’d be lost without your wife.”
Taylor clapped her on the back. “That makes two of us. Let’s see if we can get this wrapped up. Zeus and Midas are in my vehicle. They did really well, given the limited space. I know I’ve said it more than once, our K9s certainly make our job easier and safer. I want to make sure they both get a good checkup.”
“I’ll call Jax and see if she can see them.” Chance looked at her watch and pulled out her phone. “She should be in the office.”
“Three Rivers Animal Hospital,” a female answered.
“Hey Lindsey, this is Chance. Is Jax busy?”
“Oh hey, Sheriff. No, she’s finishing up a chart. Hang on.”
The local radio station filled the silence until the line was picked back up again.
“Hey gorgeous, how’s your day?” Jax asked.
“Rather busy for a Thursday. Do you have time to check Zeus and Midas over? Neither appears hurt, but they had to engage a suspect.”
“Of course, I’ll see them. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Domestic violence call. The victims are headed to the hospital to be evaluated, so is the suspect. The boys got a hold of him. Too much paperwork to even think about. I’d feel better if the dogs were looked at. Midas got tossed around.”
The urgency in Jax’s voice went up. “You didn’t get hit, did you? I know you, Chance. You’ll think because it hit your vest, you’re fine. Did you get shot?”
“No, he never fired at me. Zeus and Midas made sure of that. If you can see the dogs, Taylor will bring them by. I’m still on the scene, and I’ll need to make out a report. I’m supposed to head to Elkins to meet with the federal prosecutor. I’m likely to be home later than I’d like. Keep your fingers crossed I’ll make it in time to go for a ride. If I don’t, will you take Kelly out with you? She’ll go nuts if she doesn’t get to go.”
Jax chuckled. “I can do that. Try to make it home. Remember, I’m pretty fond of her rider. Stop by the office if you get a minute. I love you.”
“I’ll try. Love you too.”
They ended the call and Chance found Taylor. “Take the boys over to Jax. She’ll see them. I’m going to follow up at the hospital. I can do my paperwork there, and it will put me that much closer to my meeting with Taya Chapel.”
“You got it. Good job today. I’ll tell Harley where you’re headed and take the dogs to the clinic.”
“Thanks, catch you later.” Chance strode over to her Suburban and climbed in. She grabbed her mic. “SD-1 to Comm Center.”
“SD-1, go ahead.”
“This unit will be clearing the scene en route to Davis Memorial.”
“Copy, SD-1.”
Chance drove away from the two-story farmhouse. It was a call like this that took her father from her. She’d pushed herself to back Harley up, determined to bring the incident to a successful outcome. She looked at the dash clock that read eleven thirty, astonished that somehow two hours had slipped by as Chuck held his family hostage. Lessons learned the hard way. Let’s hope they aren’t repeated.
Chapter Four
JAX STARED AT THE RECEIVER as she placed it back in the cradle. She took comfort in the knowledge that Chance was an exceptional officer, well trained to face those who wanted to hurt her. Jax was proud to be the type of partner who could accept the danger Chance faced, without burdening her with unnecessary fear. Jax wanted her always to know she could handle whatever happened, as long as Chance told her about it. A voice in the doorway brought her out of her thoughts.
“Sheriff Fitzsimmons okay?” Lindsey walked in and offered a steaming mug to Jax.
Jax took a deep breath and released the tension. “She said she is. Taylor’s bringing in two of the K9s to be looked over. Nothing seems wrong; she wants to make sure. Call and see if you can cancel my one o’clock, so I’ll have time to see them without being rushed.”
Lindsey nodded. “That’s no problem. It’s just the animal shelter bringing a few new intakes for a checkup. We can do that tomorrow. I’ll call them.” Lindsey started to walk away and turned back. “It’s not always easy, is it?”
Jax smiled. She knew Lindsey was in the same boat she was rowing, now that Meg was out of the academy and on active duty in Elkins. This was the life they’d chosen because of the women they loved. “Loving her is, worrying about her, not so much. She says she’s fine. That’s all that matters.”
Lindsey squeezed her hand. “We’ll lean on each other, okay?”
Jax squeezed back. “Yes, we will. How’s Meg doing?”
Lindsey’s smile grew wide. “She’s patrolling by herself and happy to finally be putting her academy training to use. I wish she had a K9 with her all the time, like Chance’s officers. I know she loves being a trooper and wants to make a difference in the community. It’s important to her that her mom is proud.”
“Chance told me the same thing. Ok
ay, let’s get ready to see the boys.”
Lindsey turned on her heel. “I’ll make that call and get Room 3 ready. It should give you enough space to see them both.”
Jax looked at her hand and the diamond Chance had placed there. Soon, her dreams would become a reality, and she’d marry the woman she’d always loved. Her phone rang. The number displayed was her dad’s. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, Jibber Jack. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Daddy. How about you?”
“The same. And Chance?”
“She’s good too, Daddy. It’s nice coming home to someone who looks forward to spending time with me. It’s something I haven’t known in a very long time.”
“Have you two set a date yet?”
Jax rolled her ring around with her thumb. “No, we’ve been throwing dates around. We just haven’t settled on one yet. I promise to let you know. I’d love for you to come.”
“You give me a date, and I’ll be there. I’ll drag your mother there kicking and screaming if I have to.”
“I love you, Daddy, but if it requires you to drag her, I’d rather you not bother.”
“Jax, your mother is a complicated creature who’s set in her ways. You know her. She keeps her armor up. If Jacqueline isn’t in charge and calling the shots, everything feels out of control.”
“I’ve heard all this before, and I’m not disputing the facts. She can be in charge of whatever she wants, except me. I took control of my life the day I left for California, and I have no intention of changing that. I’m sorry, Dad, I’ve got to go. Chief Deputy Lewis just pulled into the back lot. She’s got two of the K9 units for me to check. I’ll call you soon. I love you.”
“Love you too, kiddo.”
They disconnected as Taylor walked in with Midas and Zeus. Both dogs greeted her with exuberant tails. Jax knelt and rubbed all over both of them. “Hey, boys, how are you? Such good boys. Let’s get you back in the room. Everything okay, Taylor? Chance told me a little about the incident. Everyone come away unharmed?”
Taylor walked down the hall and into the room with Jax. “Our suspect has a few bite marks on him, so I’ll need the shot records for the hospital. The guy terrorized his family. Unfortunately, his wife took the brunt. I’ll never understand it. If anyone ever laid a hand on Penny or our baby, I’d—” She stopped. “Well, let’s just say that person better hope someone else gets to them first. I’ll leave it at that.”