by Tyora Moody
Something could go wrong.
This was the first time in a long time she’d been on a stakeout. She’d gone home long enough to change into jeans and grab a bite to eat. The look on B.J.’s face when she had to explain to him, once again, that she would not see him at bedtime crushed her. Bryan’s face was blank and lacked emotion. Jo could no longer deny she was starting to despise the work she loved especially with her crumbling marriage hanging in the balance.
Both she and Pete periodically checked in with backup, which was discreetly standing by. She turned to Pete who had nodded off despite guzzling down a cup of coffee forty-five minutes ago. She snapped her fingers and then snickered as Pete’s eyes flipped wide open. “I hope he’s coming back tonight, ‘cause you look like you’re not going to make it.”
Pete slumped down in the seat more. “I’m getting too old for this, kid. I hope this guy, whatever his name, hasn’t already hauled it out of dodge or none of us will be sleeping any time soon. He hasn’t shown up to work for two days now, claiming to be sick. And, he’s not been here. This guy could be getting ready to change identities again. For all we know, he may have some other crimes we’re not aware of. ”
Jo agreed. “I know. I touched base with Matt. He told me he hasn’t talked to Josh. I don’t know what this guy has been up to, but he’s coming back. There’s no reason for him to be spooked unless his crimes have him extra anxious. Still, he wouldn’t have just left this place like it was without removing any traces of himself.”
Pete crossed his arms over his chest. “True. If he doesn’t eventually come back, we need to get inside to get his DNA and see if we can pull it up in the system.”
In the right side mirror, Jo noticed approaching lights entering the subdivision. She slid down, “Well, someone is arriving home rather late now.”
Pete’s eyes were wide as he observed through the rear view mirror. “It does look like that black Honda. We might be in luck.”
More like an answer to prayer. Jo didn’t agree on the luck part. She’d been praying for them to get this guy since she left her home earlier. It was time to close these cases.
They waited for the car to pull into the driveway and watched as a man stepped out of the driver’s side.
Jo strained her eyes in the dark, hoping the lamp post by the house next door would shine some light on the man’s face. It was him! He was the same man they saw in Matt’s office the first time. The man looked around as though he could feel them watching him. He pushed his glasses up on his nose. She kept him under surveillance as he moved briskly towards the house.
They waited a full three minutes after he went inside the house before Pete called in on the walkie-talkie. “We got eyes on our suspect. Let’s move.”
Jo slipped out the car and followed behind Pete. Her bulletproof vest felt heavy and stiff against her chest. They didn’t know who they were dealing with so all precautions were necessary. From her right side, she spotted members of her team making their way around the house. If there were any lights on in the house, none were visible from the street.
Sgt. Vince Knight came up beside them. “We’ll go in first and announce we have a search warrant and bring this guy out.”
Jo nodded and pulled her Glock from her holster. “Let’s do this.”
They slowly approached the door. Jo held her gun out in front of her and then glanced at Pete, who looked significantly more alert than he did fifteen minutes ago.
She heard Knight shout, “Police! Search warrant.” In only a few seconds, the front door was crashed in and they were inside.
Up ahead, Jo heard Knight repeat, “We have a search warrant. Please come out with your hands up.” Knight said over his shoulders, “Locate the suspect.”
The house was dark. Where is this guy? She didn’t have a good feeling about this. She pulled her flashlight out of her holster, holding it above her shoulder.
Above their heads on the second floor, Jo heard sounds of feet running and then a door slam. She flicked her flashlight towards the stairs.
“Let’s go. That has to be him upstairs.” It was time to stop playing. She wanted to catch this guy.
Jo climbed the stairs, gun and flashlight out in front of her with Pete close behind. When she reached the top of the stairs, she noticed movement to her right and swung the flashlight in that direction. She didn’t see anyone in the hall. All the doors on the second floor were closed.
Pete said behind her, “He’s hiding. I’m calling for backup to get up here.” He held is walkie-talkie. “Requesting backup. We have activity upstairs.”
Jo continued down the hallway towards the door where she sensed movement. She grabbed the handle of the door and pushed it open. She quickly pulled the gun and flashlight in front of her. The light bounced around in what appeared to be a bedroom. As Jo swung the flashlight around, she gasped. She realized something or someone was coming towards her.
“Stop or I will shoot. Come out with your hands up where I can see them.”
Out of the darkness, Daniel’s face appeared in front of her. He stared back at her. His eyes displayed no emotions.
Jo held his gaze. She cocked her gun towards him. “Don’t make this hard. Come out nice and slow.”
His mouth broke into a smile. “I can’t do that.”
She hoped Pete and the rest of the team were not far behind. It suddenly felt like it was just her and this guy. Jo grasped her gun tighter, her finger on the trigger.
“Don’t do anything stupid. Just come out with your hands up.”
Daniel said, “I control my fate.”
Before Jo fully comprehended what he meant, his hand raised towards his head.
“No!” Jo shouted.
The gunshot rang in her ears. She could hear shouts behind her.
With the gunshot still ringing in her ears, Jo reached inside the room and felt for a light switch on the wall. Daniel’s body slid down the wall, smearing blood behind him. She didn’t want to do it, but she walked over and placed her fingers on the side of his neck. As she stared down at him, he still had that same crazy smile on his face. Like somehow he’d won.
They were supposed to take him into custody and question him. She stepped back, realizing her body was shaking from the burst of adrenaline. She tore her eyes from the dead man to find Pete and Knight in the doorway.
Pete asked, “What happened? Did you shoot him?”
Jo shook her head. She was still trying to figure out exactly what happened. “He had a gun, but he aimed it at himself. He said, ‘I control my fate.’ I guess this was his way.”
Pete swore. “It’s like he knew we were coming. He made sure we couldn’t bring him in.”
Knight commented, “Like a rat backed up in a corner. I guess that was his way out. Looks like he had plenty to be guilty about.”
Jo placed her gun back in her holster. She peered over at Daniel again. That was the first time in her career she’d ever had that happen. He just shot himself right in front of her. She didn’t even realize he had a gun. He could have easily turned it on her.
Pete said behind her, “Let’s get a CSI here.”
Jo studied Daniel for another minute. She looked at his feet. “Tell CSI to bag his sneakers and check the closet for other sneakers. Let’s see what else we can find.”
They walked around the house, which now had every room lit up. It looked like any normal home that belonged to a bachelor. Jo went to the kitchen and decided to peek inside the fridge. The shelves were pretty bare. Either this guy ate out a lot or he was cleaning up, preparing to leave. She slammed the refrigerator door shut, frustrated that the man had taken his own life.
“Hey, Jo. Come take a look.” Pete had stepped inside the kitchen.
Jo followed Pete down the hall into a small office. Pete pointed to the wall. “He’d been stalking Laura for some time.” There were several photos of Laura pinned to the wall. Many of the photos were from Laura’s beauty pageant days, with some being when
she competed as a much younger pre-teen.
Jo thought for a minute. “So this guy knew Laura a lot longer than we were thinking. Remember our interviews with Micah and Reece? We know Laura was abrasive, could have been considered a mean girl. I wonder if there was something that happened a long time ago that set all of this in motion and this guy saw this as an opportunity to get to her.”
Jo went behind the desk and pulled out the drawers. She pulled out papers, most of them with Josh Collins as the recipient. She pulled open a small drawer on the side of the desk. A photo sat very visible on top of the other items in the desk drawer. For a minute, she didn’t know how to react to what she saw.
Pete asked, “Kid, you all right? What did you find over there?”
Jo looked back at Pete. “You may have been right.”
Pete frowned, “About what?”
Jo gingerly pulled the photo from the drawer and placed it on the desk.
Pete shook his head. “What’s this?”
Jo looked up at him. “This looks like our guy when he was a little boy. I’d say he was about six or seven, B.J.’s age in this photo.”
He was a pudgy little boy wearing glasses even at that young age. Jo thought he was the kind of kid who was a target for a bully. “But that’s not the most interesting part of this photo. Can’t you see? Look closer.” She pushed the photo towards Pete.
Pete bent down to examine the photo. “Maddock?”
Jo said, “Maddock never married, so we never looked for anything about him having a child. I'm going to revisit Maddock’s visitors list tomorrow. There has always been something about Laura and then Sarah’s deaths that seemed a little coincidental to me.”
Chapter 22
Four weeks later
Monday, October 5 at 9:32 a.m.
Jo glanced down at the clock on her computer. She had less than thirty minutes before she had her meeting with the captain. She looked over her notes one last time, so she could officially close these cases in her mind. Though, she wasn’t sure she really could. For several weeks, Jo couldn’t let go of investigating Maddock’s son.
She learned his real name was Daniel Collins. The man whose alias he’d adopted was, in fact, his uncle. Daniel’s mother, Elizabeth Collins, was a heroin addict, who died while Daniel was in high school. The young man had dropped out of high school without anyone really keeping up with him. At some point along his journey, Jo concluded that Daniel found out where his father presently lived and reconnected with him. It was Maddock’s arrest that drew his son back to the Charlotte area.
She’d testified at Maddock's trial three weeks ago, and he was finally sentenced for life last week. During her testimony, Jo couldn’t help but think as she observed Maddock that he was grinning at her. According to the prison visitation records, a man named Josh Collins had visited Maddock approximately three times in the last six months. The last time Daniel visited his father was a week prior to Laura’s death.
Jo would never truly know what father and son talked about, but she felt like Daniel had somehow escaped justice. She had to come to terms that she did the best she could and God was the final judge. Jo also had to choose to take the road that would lead her back to her sanity and her life again. The clarity of what she needed to do was as clear as the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz. She’d never imagined she would do this, but it was the only thing that made sense to her.
When she talked to Bryan about what she was going to do, he looked at her as if he wanted to cry. He asked, “Are you sure you want to do this, Jo? That’s pretty major.”
She assured him she was at peace with her decision.
Jo looked at the clock again. It’s time. She got up from her chair and walked towards the captain’s office. When she entered, the captain and Pete both looked at her. She’d given a letter to the captain yesterday and told him she needed him to break the news to Pete first.
She sat in one of the other chairs across from the captain’s desk. Finally, Pete said, “Well, you got to do what you need to do, kid. I know this last case was rough.”
Jo swallowed. “Sorry, Pete. I didn’t know how to tell you.” She looked at the captain. “Are we good?”
Captain Ransom answered back gruffly, “This is a difficult job, Detective. But, I understand your need to take some time off after these last couple of cases. I accept your leave of absence.”
She placed her gun and badge on the captain’s desk. Jo reached her hand out. The captain stood to shake her hand. “Thanks to the both of you.”
Jo walked out with Pete trailing behind her. “I hope Bryan knows what kind of woman he has as his wife. Now you got me wanting to retire. What am I going to do without you, kid?”
She reached up and gave her partner a hug. “You’ll survive. But, do me a favor. Find a way to get to know your kids again. Be happy, Pete. Get some joy in your life.”
Pete smiled. “I hear you, kid. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’ll be in touch.”
Jo snickered, knowing she would hear from Pete. She went inside her office and looked around. She could take unpaid leave up to twelve months if needed. Bryan promised her he could take care of the bills. That was good to know. Still in many ways she was going to miss the work, but she knew in time she’d be back.
God had promised her. She trusted Him.
Epilogue
Seven months later
May
Jo sat at the kitchen counter enjoying a cup of coffee. The warmth felt good flowing down her insides. Pete had been calling every other week to check on her, threatening to retire if she didn’t come back soon. His new partner was a young guy whom Pete was apparently not getting along with. Unfortunately, Jo wasn’t ready to go back yet. The timing still was not right.
At first, she didn’t know what to do with all her free time. Then she began volunteering at B.J.’s school and then at Victory Gospel’s women’s shelter.
She had climbed out of the bed earlier, knowing in an hour she would wake up B.J. for school. He had a few more weeks before summer vacation started. For the summer, she already had activities planned for B.J. to keep learning. It was going to be an exciting couple of months.
We needed these changes. Thank you, Lord!
For a solid three months, Bryan had slept in the guest bedroom. Even after Bryan and she attended eight weeks of marriage counseling last fall, Jo still struggled. It wasn’t until one night she woke deeply disturbed by a dream to find Bryan beside her. He’d prayed with her and then climbed beside her in bed. The next morning he asked her about the dream. She spilled it out to him as she would have in the past.
During their marriage counseling sessions, Reverend Freeman reminded them they were best friends and communication was key. It was a strange miracle, but Jo’s nightmare about Maddock and his son broke down her walls for Bryan’s return to the bedroom and to open a new chapter for their marriage.
Jo turned to see Bryan enter the kitchen. She smiled as she watched him grab a mug from the cabinet and pour coffee. The first few times had been awkward around her family, but everyone knew they were back together as a couple. While they didn’t think B.J. had noticed, Jo’s mother mentioned to her that because she and Bryan were happier, B.J. was happier.
Bryan sipped from his coffee. “Are you ready for me to wake up B.J.?”
Jo sighed and rubbed her stomach. “We can let him sleep a little longer. Remember, he doesn’t have to get up as early since I’m dropping him off at school.”
Bryan observed her. “You seem in a really good mood this morning. I assume you’re feeling better."
Jo rinsed her mug out and placed it in the dishwasher. She’d been under the weather the past few days. She walked over to Bryan. “Well, the doctor said I definitely don’t have the flu.”
Bryan raised his eyebrow. “No? You were really ill. I could tell.”
She nodded. “It was my body adjusting to a new addition.”
“New addition?”
&
nbsp; “We’ll be doing a lot more Christmas shopping this year. Shopping for two, in fact.”
Bryan’s eyes grew wide. “You’re pregnant?”
Jo nodded. “Yes.”
Bryan wrapped his arms around Jo and picked her up off the floor. “Yes! Yes!”
As Bryan gently placed her feet back on the floor, he continued to hold her. Jo laid her head on his shoulder. She was thankful God had blessed them with another child, and even more thankful God had healed her broken heart.
TROUBLED HEART
Reed Family Series
Book 2
Troubled Heart
Reed Family Series, Book 2
Copyright © 2016 by Tyora Moody
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.
Troubled Heart is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Published by Tymm Publishing LLC
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Columbia, SC 29201
www.tymmpublishing.com
Cover Design: TywebbinCreations.com
Copy Editing/Proofreading: Felicia Murrell
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”