Killer Blonde

by Allan Evans

  After Cade received the call from Sweetwater, Grace had wanted to grab something from her office. She returned with a gym bag and insisted on climbing into the rear seat of the truck. “I can help,” she’d argued. “No one can get into his head like I can.” On the way over, she proposed a plan. “This might be our only way to save Reynolds. Otherwise, it’s getting ugly. You go in first, and I will make an entrance that should mess him up bad. I’m going to become his worst nightmare: his mother. I have a change of clothes to fit the bill. No peeking,” she declared as she pulled up her shirt.

  As Cade rocketed down Highway 36, he’d catch an occasional glimpse in his rearview mirror as Grace transformed herself. First, it was a form fitting silk blouse, followed by a diminutive black skirt. Caught in a line of traffic at a stoplight, Cade glanced over his shoulder. She turned sideways in the seat as she slipped on a pair of black heels. Gone was the slightly shy lab nerd he’d known for the last few years.

  “Grace,” he began.

  “I had plans after work. You didn’t think I’d wear my work clothes, did you?” She reached into her bag and pulled out a blonde wig. She leaned forward and studied her reflection as she pulled on the wig and tucked her hair underneath. She glanced at Cade. “I can be whoever I want to be when I go out. Don’t judge.”

  That was the last words they’d spoken before he left with a quick, “Good luck.”

  Now, Grace stood in front of the serial killer, using nothing but her wits to take him down. And she was playing him perfectly.

  Like most of life, every moment can be ephemeral. Life can be a series of ups and downs, with change being the only constant. Disasters can be short lived. However, success can be just as fleeting. Sweetwater took a step toward Grace and said, “I never started fires.” The sickles were no longer hidden behind his back and menace radiated from his eyes.

  Sweetwater took another step toward Grace.

  “This is over, Marlin,” Cade announced as he closed the distance to Grace. He tossed the knife toward Sweetwater, wanting to distract him. The lob wasn’t meant to be an attack and Sweetwater stepped back, easily avoiding the knife. Cade put a reassuring hand on Grace’s back as he stared down the killer. “We are going to put you in a cage. Where you belong.”

  Things happened fast after that. Sweetwater let out an animalistic howl and lunged at them, blades swinging. Cade slipped his hand down, grabbing the Glock tucked into Grace’s waistband. They both dove, desperate to avoid the sickles. Cade rolled on the floor and leveled the pistol as he looked Sweetwater right in the eye. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to bring a knife to a gunfight?”

  Shock registered on Sweetwater’s face as Cade squeezed the trigger until the clip emptied and would fire no more.

  Ears ringing, he let the pistol slip from his fingers and rolled to face Grace. She thrashed and let out a scream between clenched teeth. Cade was at her side in an instant, yet his mind told him he was too late. Blood covered her fingers as it coursed out of a long gash from her knee to the hem of her short skirt, her artery pumping out copious amounts of fluid. “Give me your belt,” she directed.

  Cade had never felt so torn, but he whipped his belt off and offered it, eyes flicking towards Reynolds. Grace pulled the belt from his hands and worked to get it around her leg. “You need to help Reynolds. Go.”

  He went to Reynolds, fearing the worst. There was so much blood.

  It was difficult to leave Grace, but Cade knew Reynolds needed immediate medical attention as well. After a quick check on Reynolds to see she wasn’t bleeding out, he sprinted out to his truck for his cell, calling 911 to get the paramedics rolling. Cade suspected he was in shock as he talked to the emergency operator. He heard his voice, sounding far removed, as he pleaded for them to hurry. It felt like an out-of-body experience.

  Rob was patched into the call right after that. Hearing his partner on the phone brought him back a little. Rob’s voice was a blend of anger and frustration. “We can’t find the bastard. He hasn’t shown up at his house or his work. It’s like he’s gone off the grid.”

  Cade found his voice. “I killed him.”

  A momentary pause, and then Rob barked, “What? You did what?”

  “I put him down. He’s dead.”

  No pause this time. “Cade, give me something here. What happened?”

  Leaning against the FJ Cruiser’s front bumper, Cade ran a shaky hand through his hair. A siren could be heard off in the distance. “He took Reynolds and sliced her bad. He cut Grace too. I’m wearing half of her blood.”

  “Holy shit. Where are you?”

  “Lake Elmo, not far from Stillwater.” He gave Rob the address. There were numerous sirens now and they were getting louder.

  “I can hear the paramedics coming.” Cade felt tired, so incredibly tired as he struggled to stay on his feet.

  “It’s not just the paramedics, brother.”

  “Who else is coming?” Cade asked, his voice sounding oddly thick in his own ears. The sirens were getting close, approaching from multiple directions.

  “Everyone,” Rob reassured him. “Just hang on.”

  The sirens were upon him when his legs gave out.

  After that, a blur of images: a light shining in his eyes, an oxygen mask, Rob’s overtly concerned face, a doctor—or possibly a nurse—leaning over him, Rejene’s hand on his as a tear made its way down her cheek, and finally a white ceiling with mounted lights.

  Cade became aware.

  His eyes were open and his brain caught onto the fact it was receiving stimuli again. His eyes focused and Rob stared back at him. Rob wore an expression of a man who wasn’t sure if someone can see him through an interrogation room two-way mirror. He waved a hand in front of Cade’s face.

  “I’m here, partner. I’m here,” Cade croaked. His throat felt impossibly dry and he reached for a cup of water from the side table. Rob handed it to him and Cade gulped it down. “How long have I been here?” he asked.

  “Just a day. But to be honest I was worried. You wouldn’t wake up.” Concern shone in his friend’s eyes. “Even though your wounds weren’t that bad, the doctors said you’d been through so much…” He paused, letting the words sit there.

  A flood of memories hit him hard and he sat up. “The girls. It was bad.” Cade held Rob’s gaze. “I tried to stop the bleeding. But he sliced Grace’s artery.”

  Rob moved closer, putting a comforting hand on Cade’s. “I am so sorry. That had to be incredibly rough, but your belt saved her life.”

  “She was so brave. Grace insisted on coming along when I got the call from Sweetwater. We both knew it was a trap, but she said we had no choice. She said she could get into his head, give us some options. So, she grabbed clothes and a blonde wig to look like our blonde victims. Grace argued that the pattern meant something, that it was more than a ruse. She said Sweetwater had serious mommy issues and she could use that to mess with him, buy us time and get a pistol to me.”

  Rob shook his head. “That took a lot of courage.”

  Cade nodded. “She never backed down from anyone. Ever. You don’t find her kind of combination of bravery and audacity any too often.”

  “Agreed.”

  “It was such an impossible situation. I wanted to get Reynolds out of there, but she was strapped to a table and sliced up bad. She was still alive, but I knew she’d be gone in minutes. Nothing I could do.” Cade wiped his eyes.

  “Reynolds was…” Rob began, but Cade held up a hand, silencing him.

  Cade’s gaze slid to the floor. “I don’t know where to go from here.”

  “Hang on buddy,” Rob replied, as he went to the door. “I was supposed to notify the nurse when you woke up. Be right back.”

  Cade ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. He remembered the words of his mother, as she comforted him through the struggles of his teenage years. She’d sit him down and tell him how every day was a new beginning, and when life was at its darkest, that’s when t
hings would get better. Her strength and conviction had gotten him through many dark times and was the prime cause of his normally optimistic viewpoint. However, nothing was normal about today. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

  Rob pushed open the door and held it. Seeing something in Rob’s expression made him glance toward the open door.

  It took a moment for Cade to register what he saw when the doctor entered, pushing another patient in a wheelchair. It was Reynolds.

  Emotions coursed through him, and Cade was out of his bed in a heartbeat, pulling his IV stand behind him. “Reynolds!” He went to her and got on his knees. Looking tenderly into her eyes, he reached up and touched her cheek. “I can’t believe you’re here.” His eyes teared up as he looked at her. “How can you be alive?”

  Reynolds held his gaze and smiled. She pulled back her hospital gown, showing off her heavily wrapped upper arm. “It was all for show. He cut the soft tissue of my arm and bled me. He took his time and used his knife to spread my blood around, basically painting me with my own blood. I was terrified, but he used a rubber hose to curtail the bleeding. He said he wanted to save me for later when he could take his time.” She gestured to her arm. “This is my only wound. I’m going to be fine.”

  Cade leaned into her and pulled her close. Relief washed over him, as he gave in and broke down, his tears welcome as he held her.

  Cade left the hospital the next day with Reynolds. After what they’d been through, no way he’d be leaving her side anytime soon. They tried to get out without anyone noticing, but the media was all over the hospital. It wasn’t long before they were cornered by the pack of reporters. Cade let Reynolds speak, deferring to her media experience. He stood back as she lit up the room when the cameras were turned on. She was brave, passionate and articulate as she related her experience. No longer a star in the making, Reynolds had truly arrived.

  The media had insisted on speaking with Cade and eventually, he relented. But just one question, he told the assembled group. This caused a moment of hesitation as everyone looked around. The Twin Cities’ most-senior anchor from WCCO stepped forward. “How was it that Marlin Sweetwater ended up dead, with 13 of your bullets in his chest, instead of being arrested?”

  Cade stepped forward, looked directly at the camera and gave his answer. “I could give you the safe, politically correct answer that law enforcement officers are trained to keep shooting until the threat was over, but it’s not that complicated. The killer was playing cat and mouse with me and I was tired of being the mouse.”

  Cade’s statement had led the news that night, as well as splashing across the front page of every paper in the state the following morning. Requests for interviews came in from all the national news programs. The story spread around the world, as the video went viral, of the outspoken cop who gunned down a serial killer. That Cade had gone off grid after that had only fueled the controversy.

  After leaving the hospital—and the media circus—Cade steered the truck onto 35, headed north. Reynolds asked about their destination and Cade smiled and said they needed some alone time. The five days spent at a lakeside resort in Duluth was exactly what they needed.

  They returned for Grace’s hospital homecoming. When it was one of your own that stood up and fought against a killer—and was severely wounded—the law enforcement community banded together. The “just a small get together” was actually a packed house at a local Saint Paul restaurant, Cossetta’s. Officers filled the second level and cheered wildly when she emerged from the elevator. The head of the BCA guided her wheelchair through the throng, as Grace received handshakes, fistbumps and hugs from hundreds of cops.

  Cade had been asked to speak and was torn on what to say and ultimately hadn’t prepared anything. As Cade watched the officers greet her with passion and tears, he came to the conclusion that Grace lived her life without fear. She did what she believed was right without concern for failure. Whether it was her career or her life, Grace approached life head on, consequences be damned. Hers was truly a life to be celebrated. Cade stood up in front of the packed gathering, looking out at the hundreds of law enforcement officers lining the hall, and spoke about his friend Grace. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, especially Grace’s.

  “You didn’t have to make up all that nice stuff,” Grace said when they found a moment together. Her hug felt better than he could have imagined. “But it was nice to hear.”

  “You are an amazing person, maybe a little too cautious in life, but amazing nevertheless.”

  “That’s me, little Miss Cautious.” She batted her eyes at him.

  “I can’t argue with your results, you got into his head alright. But I’m guessing his mother must have gotten there first. Sweetwater was a piece of work.”

  Grace held his hand as she studied him. “Tell me you’re doing okay. That couldn’t have been easy for you either.”

  Cade took a moment to answer, memories of that night flashing by. “I’m going to be okay. I’m taking a little time away from work, and I’m in no hurry to get back. In the meantime, people will continue to do bad things or stupid things, so I’ll have plenty to keep me busy when I return.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” Grace said with a chuckle.

  “And I’m sure I’ll be reaching out again for your help. It’ll give you another reason to wear that blonde wig.” Cade tried to keep a straight face.

  Grace gave him a look. “That went so well last time. Maybe we just meet for a beer instead.”

  Cade laughed and Grace joined in. “That sounds like a better plan. You take care.”

  The parting hug was long and heartfelt.

  A week later, Cade went back to work for the first time.

  Rob stopped him in the hallway, asking how he was doing. When someone stares you down as they ask if you’re okay, it goes beyond concern—they were having serious doubts about your stability. Cade smiled and reassured his partner everything was just fine. He could read Rob’s expression well enough to know he didn’t believe it, either.

  They sat in Rejene’s office discussing the case’s fallout. “There’s been some heat on the Patrol,” Rejene said. “But the majority has been on Governor Ritter. When the media discovered the killer was on Ritter’s own security detail, they had a field-day. It was amazing. I’ve never seen a political animal have his nuts removed in prime time before. The slippery bastard finally got what was coming to him.” She smiled, clearly enjoying herself.

  Rob spoke up. “He’s in full damage-control mode now, trying anything and everything to repair his reputation. I even heard he signed up for the Big Brothers program,” he said with a grin. “Now a guy comes and takes him to the circus every other week.” That broke up the room.

  “There’s been a shift of power in the state’s law enforcement management,” Rejene continued. “The Commissioner for the Department of Public Safety—who oversees the State Patrol, as well as the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Homeland Security and Emergency Management—is putting together a major crimes task force. They wanted the task force to be immune from jurisdictional issues and political maneuvering. This task force will be called in for any high-profile cases.” She leaned back in her leather chair, putting her heels up on her desk. “This is where you come in.”

  She had his attention now. “Really? I’m going to be part of this task force?”

  She nodded. “Really. But it gets better. I’ve heard through back-channels that you are the task force. When something major comes along, the Commissioner will be handing it off to you. It will be up to you to pull together whoever you need, from wherever you want.”

  Rob waved a hand at Cade. “You can bring me in anytime you’d like. I need the overtime.”

  Cade leaned back, taking it in. “This sounds interesting, but not at all what I expected. I thought my answer to the media was a little too honest and I’d be reassigned to regulating commercial vehicles down in Worthington.”

  “Your s
tatement sparked a big commotion. Of course, the politicians were holding up a finger to see which way the wind of public opinion was blowing. Fortunately, the public saw you as someone who got things done and as someone not afraid to speak their mind. And just between us, both have been missing in our state leadership for a long time. So, you, my prized investigator, are safe. You have the state’s full backing on this.”

  “All of our state?” Cade said, thinking of Ritter.

  Rejene smiled. “Yes. The governor, in a rare moment of common sense, decided to stay out of it and gave his blessing.”

  Cade stood up and moved toward the door. “Thanks, boss. This should make things interesting.”

  “Dawkins.” Rejene held his gaze, studying him. “Just don’t make it too interesting.”

  Cade simply smiled and kept walking.

  Like parenting, writing takes a village. To bring this novel from the germ of an idea to a published book, took the help of so many.

  First and foremost, my lovely wife. Her belief in me moved mountains. Thank you, Jen!

  My family in no particular order (other than alphabetical), Abbey, Andrew, Ben, Cade, Dan, Suzanna, as well as my brother, Mark and mom, Eleanor.

  Tony Policano, who was responsible for Governor Jesse Ventura’s and Governor Tim Pawlenty’s security, for providing the background on the governor’s security detail function the Minnesota State Patrol provides.

  Troopers Mike Swanson and David Kalinoff, for exciting ride-alongs. There’s nothing like a 100-mph ride with lights and siren to get one’s heart racing. Thanks for all you do.

  Officer Robert Zink with the Saint Paul Police Department for his inspiration for the oddly similarly named character.

  Staci Olsen, from Immortal Works for discovering this book during the Twitter #pitchmad event.