by Ana Valen
Jimmy chuckled. “He has a collapsed lung and broken facial bones. He’s also in a medically induced coma. So, no. You can’t talk to him.”
“Do you know who attacked him?” she followed.
“Not yet. But it barely happened. They’re still mopping up the blood.”
Adams turned to her. “We’ll figure that out later. We need to go after Claire.”
“What about the arrest warrant?”
“To hell with the warrant. If she skips town, it won’t matter.”
They thanked the officer and ran towards the door.
Twenty minutes later, Raven and Adams pulled up to Claire’s condo. Adams parked in the emergency area, turned off the lights and sirens, and they jumped out. After entering the building, they hustled towards the elevators.
Adams pressed the up button. Raven stepped forward and hit it five more times. An elevator finally opened and they darted inside.
“Adams,” Raven said while hitting the button for the second floor, “without an arrest warrant, we don’t have a reason to take her in.”
“We’ll give her a reason.”
“What do you mean?”
“As soon as she sees us, she’ll run or fight. That’s all the reason we need.”
Raven nodded. “That’ll work.”
The elevator opened and they exited. While hurrying towards Claire’s room, they passed a woman. Raven eyed her for a second, and disregarded her just as quickly. Now stopped at Claire’s door, Adams knocked. He then knocked once more.
Raven narrowed her eyes. Something about the woman they just passed nagged at her. But what? She looked towards this person, who just stopped at the elevators.
Raven had seen her before. Only where? Then it hit her. She was exiting Men’s Central Jail while she and Adams were entering. But why was she here? And why was there something about her? Then it hit her.
“Claire!” Raven shouted.
The woman looked over, turned back to the elevator, and repeatedly pressed the button.
“Claire!” Raven repeated.
The elevator opened and the woman jumped inside.
Raven started running, and Adams kept pace behind her. They reached the elevator right as it closed.
“She’s in disguise,” Raven said, tapping at the button. “Fuck! I saw her outside of Men’s Central.” She kept tapping. “Come on, you son of a bitch.”
Adams pointed. “Stairs. Stairs!”
They again took off running.
Adams lowered his shoulder and blasted through the access door. Raven followed right behind. They flew down the stairs and reentered the lobby. Back at reception, they looked around. Claire was nowhere in sight.
“Hey!” Raven shouted at the receptionist. “How many exits do you have?”
“Two! The main exit and one in the rear!”
“I’ll take the front!” Adams said. “You take the back! And I’ll bring the car around!”
“Got it!”
Raven turned and started running. Upon reaching the exit, she likewise lowered her shoulder and rammed herself through. She came across an alleyway, one with Claire’s Acura TLX parked up ahead. The front doors were open, and Claire was by the passenger side, throwing items inside.
“Claire!” Raven shouted, drawing her Glock. “Put your fucking hands up!”
Claire reached into her car. From this angle, Raven couldn’t see why.
“Claire,” Raven repeated, “put your Goddamn hands up!”
Claire aimed a pistol and opened fire. Raven ducked back into the building as rounds thudded into the outer wall. From her pocket of cover, she leaned out and came back on the trigger. Her rounds struck all over the Acura, but with Claire on the opposite side, she was largely safe. Still, Claire’s method of escape was gone. To commandeer the vehicle, Claire needed to come around to the driver side. Raven had that zone covered. Claire must have realized this because she took off running.
Raven gave chase. She then stopped and aimed at Claire’s back. Should she pull the trigger or no? No. Claire needed to answer for what she did. She lowered her Glock and ran once more.
Claire ducked into a concrete cutout and again opened fire. Raven took cover behind a massive pillar. Rounds slammed into the pillar, chipping off bits of concrete. While the storm raged, Raven dropped her magazine, pulled a fresh one, and locked it in. Now she just needed the incoming rounds to stop. They finally did.
Raven leaned out and aimed. “Claire, it’s over!”
“I had to do it!” Claire shouted back, still in cover. “I didn’t have a choice!”
“I don’t give a shit about your reasons! I told you! I operate on the behalf of victims!”
“I am the victim! My brother was the perpetrator!”
“Not in my eyes! You killed him in cold blood!”
“He murdered my child! He got what he deserved!”
“Maybe so! But you don’t get to carry out the sentence!”
“Nobody else was going to! That’s why I had to do it!”
Raven looked away when a car raced towards them. Adams came screaming down the alleyway. Raven lifted her hand, and Adams screeched to a halt. He threw open his door, took cover behind it, and pulled his 1911.
“No!” Raven told him, trying to keep her voice low. “Go around and pin her in. I’ll keep her covered.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright.”
He holstered his weapon, climbed back inside, and whipped around the cruiser. As he took off, Raven looked back down the alley. Claire immediately ducked back into cover. She probably figured out what they were doing.
“Claire!” Raven screamed. “Just put your weapon down and come out! It doesn’t have to end like this!”
Silence.
“Claire!”
Claire leaned out and fired once more. Raven ducked back and gritted her teeth. When the fire subsided, Raven peered down the alleyway. Claire again took off running. Raven likewise gave chase.
Claire reached the exit as Adams pulled in. The nose of his vehicle stopped by the wall, creating a block. But Claire was on the opposite side of the blockage.
“Back up!” Raven shouted. “Adams, back up!” She then realized the vehicle wasn’t their Crown Vic. It was a white two-door.
Raven jumped over the hood and scrambled across. On the other side, she ran towards the alleyway exit. She stopped and looked around. Claire was gone.
Adams pulled up in the Crown Vic, stopped, and again got out. “Where is she? Where is she?”
Raven kept looking around. Nothing. “God-fucking-dammit!” She started back towards the car in the alley. “Get out,” she told the driver. “Get the fuck out!”
The door opened and a young woman exited. Raven froze.
Susan.
Chapter 50
Claire walked around the wooded area behind her new home. She reached down, picked up a felled tree, and started pulling it back towards the dwelling. The nighttime temperatures remained cold, and she needed firewood to keep warm.
She had already dragged back some branches. With this new piece, she would have enough wood for weeks. She just needed to chop what she had already gathered.
About sixty years ago, a distant uncle had built this cabin. He did so by hand, meaning the home was completely off the map. Since that time, most of their family members had died off or moved away. Because of this, the only people who frequented the cabin were her and Jessie.
Jessie visited more often than she did. He loved vacationing in the California forestland. She was more city oriented. Now, this place would become her permanent residence. And it could thanks to the nearby town, which she could continually visit for supplies. She could even find a job there, make friendships, find a romantic partner—start a brand new life.
She dropped the log amongst the others and started for the back entrance. She could postpone her chopping duties until tomorrow. She had enough firewood for tonight. Plus, she ne
eded to get dinner started.
She pulled open the sliding glass door, stepped into the wood-scented abode, and locked up. After passing though the rustic living room, she rounded towards the bathroom. This brought her by the kitchen, where she abruptly halted.
The kitchen had an outward facing window. Beyond the window was her parked Acura. Another car was beside it.
This was impossible. Nobody else could be here because nobody else knew about this place.
She hurried to the window and looked around. Other than the two cars, the area was vacant. She refocused on the unfamiliar vehicle.
She couldn’t discern the make or model because it was parked opposite of her Acura. She only knew it was white, semi-compact, and slightly luxurious. Then her heart started thrumming. Someone was inside the home. She spotted them in her periphery.
Claire looked over, and there was Susan.
Susan wore dark clothing, not her typical stylish attire. She also had on gloves, but probably not to stave off the cold. She likely wanted to avoid getting fingerprints on the pistol she carried.
“I can’t believe how stupid you are,” Susan said.
Damn. The car outside was a white BMW—Susan’s BMW. It was the same car that had blocked Detective Raven in the alleyway. Claire never saw the driver, but she now knew it was Susan. She guessed why Susan had intervened.
“In this whole brilliant scheme of yours,” Susan continued, “you never thought that people would check this place?”
“This place is off the grid.”
“To those who don’t know about it. Your brother knew about it. And he brought me here countless times.”
Claire swallowed. Looks likes she didn’t think of everything.
“I’ve been here five times to be exact,” Susan went on. “And I never thought you would chance coming over. But here you are.”
“Why did you arrive?”
“Because you can’t take a life without paying for this. Isn’t that right?”
Claire pursed her lips. “That’s right. Jessie murdered my baby, so I murdered him.”
“I get that. I understand. If someone murdered my baby, I would do the same to them. But you took something from me. You took the father of my child. So while you settled your debt with Jessie, you opened one with me. I’m here to collect.”
“Susan, maybe that’s not necessary. Maybe we can—”
Susan raised the gun and fired.
Claire doubled over as the shot rocketed through her stomach. Face tight, she looked up. “Susan,” she groaned. “I—”
Susan fired another round, the bullet again striking her midsection.
Claire spun away while reaching towards her stomach. She didn’t feel much pain, not with adrenaline pumping so vehemently, but the trauma was undeniable. Not only were her organs punctured, blood started pouring from the gaping holes.
“Susan,” Claire said while turning back. “Please—”
Susan fired another round into her midsection.
Claire dropped onto the cold tile. With her hands covering her destroyed stomach, she curled onto her side. Then the pain arrived. It was a sharp, buzzing pain—one that increased to agonizing levels. She tried to move, but every action triggered white-hot anguish. Was that from torn viscera or punctured flesh? Either way, the torment was unimaginable.
Footsteps approached, and Claire forced herself to look over. Susan stood there looking down, just as she looked down at Jessie. Claire lifted pleading hands, her palms sticky with blood.
Susan aimed and fired. Then she fired again, and again, and again.
Now wheezing uncontrollably, Claire kept looking up. Susan kept looking down. Slowly, her wheezing subsided, as did her pain. This was it. This was the end.
Her fear also ebbed, and the strangest sensation of peace took hold. But why? The answer gradually arrived. She was going to meet her daughter. They would soon reunite, and spend the rest of eternity together.
Susan pulled her cellphone and took a picture. Claire didn’t know why. She didn’t even know if that had actually happened. Her lightheadedness made it hard to discern the fanciful from the real. Then the lightheadedness intensified, and darkness started taking hold.
Jenna Gray, I’m coming home. I’m coming home, sweetheart. Mama is coming…
Epilogue
Detective Stacy Raven sat at her desk. She catalogued the evidence from the Harlan Nichol crime scene, while Adams sat next door doing the same. They needed to get things organized for when they caught Claire. Or rather, if they caught Claire. Claire was now in the wind. But with luck, she would appear on the radar. Either way, the case was effectively over. They had identified the killer, figured out how the killer committed her crimes, and complied enough evidence to support this. Done deal.
Footsteps approached.
“Hey,” Lieutenant Brand called out.
She and Adams turned.
“What’s up, Lieutenant?” Adams asked.
“Have you two wrapped up everything on that case?”
“Not yet.”
“Can you put it aside?”
“I think so.” Adams looked to her and shrugged.
Raven nodded and looked to their supervisor. “Yeah. I think we can put it aside. Why’s that?”
“A patrol unit found a body behind a fancy restaurant—white guy, lower forties, wearing a ten-thousand dollar Armani suit. He has a single entry wound to his head. Something tells me this wasn’t a random act of violence. What do you say?”
“We’re on it,” Raven replied.
“Great. I’ll text you the address.” Brand turned and headed back to her office.
Raven and Adams put aside their work, rose, and followed their normal routine—grabbing their suit jackets, slipping them on, and getting into detective mode. They then headed for the exit.
“Hang on,” Raven said, stopping when her cellphone buzzed.
She pulled the phone and observed the screen. An unknown person had sent a text. That was odd. She only gave her phone number to those in her confidence.
She opened the text and saw that the person had sent a photo. She quickly narrowed her eyes. The photo was of Claire Jacobson, sprawled on her back, her stomach perforated, her empty eyes staring into nothingness.
Raven smirked and shook her head. Susan.
Obviously, Susan tracked down Claire, took her out, and photographed her handiwork. Just as obviously, she snapped the photo with a burner. But given Susan’s lack of crime familiarity, she probably purchased the burner with her credit card, kept it on her while tracking Claire—all sorts of mistakes that any investigator could pick up on. But that was fine. Later on, Raven would erase any traces of wrongdoing, thus putting Susan in the clear.
“What’s up?” Adams asked.
“Nothing,” she said while lowering her phone. “An informant just messaged me. She wanted to give me an update.”
“Good news, I hope.”
“Great news. Looks like she found closure. That means her case is officially over.” Raven slipped the phone into her pocket. “Come on. Let’s go start another one.”
THE END
Author’s Note:
Greetings Reader!
Thank you for completing the story. If you enjoyed what you read, please consider posting a review on your preferred platform. As an independent writer, reviews are particularly useful for exposure, especially since I operate without a formal promotion team. Either way, I sincerely appreciate your willingness to experience my work. My gratitude is beyond words.
With the utmost honesty, thank you.
Ana
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