Madison sat up straighter and leaned forward. “What’s his sister’s name?”
“Emma Sutton. But you’re not going to find her in any file attached to Phil. Emma was the result of a rape when Phil’s mom was a teenager, but she didn’t give her away. Police took Emma from Phil’s mom. Said it was because she was on the streets and in no position to take care of a child.”
“How did Phil react when he found out about his sister?”
“I didn’t know him then, but I know he felt like he’d missed out on having a relationship with his sister. Really, by the time he found out about Emma, it was too late.”
“Too late?” Madison tossed a quick glance at Terry, who’d remained silent for this interrogation—no jingling change, not a word spoken.
“The system had eaten her up,” Ford went on, “and years of sexual abuse had landed her in a mental ward of a psychiatric hospital. Her mind’s so gone, she might as well be dead.”
Madison nodded.
“See? Police killed her, too. At least that’s how Phil came to see it.”
Instead of viewing the police as saving his mother’s life and making his possible, Brown was fixated on the fact that his sister was taken away and her life destroyed. He failed to see the truth that the blame for any abuse rested on the shoulders of the foster parents.
Tears fell from her eyes. “I guess when Mom died, it brought everything up for him again.”
“So you both decided to avenge your loved ones by killing Officer Weir?” That had to be one of the toughest questions she’d ever had to ask.
Ford met Madison’s eyes. “They saw how much pain I was in and they wanted to make it right.”
Make it right? By killing an innocent man?
Madison was screaming inside but managed to calm herself down as she focused on Ford’s use of the word they. Was it Brown and Snyder she was referring to or someone else, as well? Her thoughts shifted to Ford’s husband, Donnie. He had no criminal record, but for some reason, Madison had this niggling in her gut. Maybe it was because Troy had voiced his suspicions about the man’s innocence, letting her know he’d told Ford that it wasn’t worth killing herself and that Donnie had managed to quickly deescalate the situation and was the right build for the shooter.
There was a knock on the door, and Madison pried her eyes from Ford and got up to answer it.
Cynthia stood on the other side of the door, extending a folder to Madison. “The results on the unknown fingerprints.”
Madison sensed the findings without needing to look. The answer was in her friend’s intense eye contact as she handed them over.
Terry stepped up behind her, both of them standing in the doorway now. Madison glimpsed over her shoulder at Terry briefly, and then, taking a deep breath, she opened the folder. And there were the results, right in front of them in undeniable black-and-white.
“Thank you, Cyn,” Madison said as she and Terry backed up into the room.
“I did it. I shot the cop.” Ford’s eyes were going rapidly from Madison to Terry, Terry to Madison, Madison to Terry.
“No, you didn’t.” Madison kept her tone gentle yet firm.
Ford began crying. “He only did it because he loves me.”
“He killed a police officer, Melody.”
“Donnie found out about Phil, about the affair, but he didn’t care. He just wanted me to be happy again. He said he’d take care of things. He must have found out that Phil…” She paused as if trying to ascertain their knowledge of his character. “That Phil is the kind of guy who can make things happen.”
“What kind of things?”
“You know…shady things, not necessarily legal things.”
“All this was Donnie’s idea, then, or Phil’s?” Madison asked, gauging Ford.
“Donnie just wanted me to come back to him, to make things better. I might have said something about killing the cop who locked up my mom, but I would never have gone through with it.” She added softly, “But he did. For me. That’s how much he loved me.”
“He committed murder, and your sister conspired and helped facilitate it.” Madison was beyond dancing around the matter and glanced at Terry to indicate it was time to leave.
They reached the door when Ford yelled out, “Don’t take them away from me!”
Those words echoed in Madison’s head as she left the room, and they’d probably haunt her for a long time to come. It was that mentality that had started all this: that the police were somehow responsible for taking people away from their loved ones. Ford would be facing time in prison for being an accessory to murder after the fact, but she just hoped that Ford wouldn’t find the gumption to act out violently toward police officers when she got out.
-
Chapter 55
THE NEXT DAY, Madison got out of her Mazda and walked around to the passenger side where Troy was exiting. They were at the curb in front of the Weir house.
She put her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. “Are you okay?”
He leaned forward pressing his forehead to hers. “I’m going to be… What about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” she responded instinctively and realized quickly that she’d meant what she said. She had made good on her promise to Joni and got justice for Barry.
Brown would be facing life in prison, as would Snyder. As for the rest of them—Sommer, Godfrey, and Cousins—they were all facing accessory to murder charges, as Madison and the Stiles PD were able to provide enough evidence that the three roommates were well aware of what had been taking place. And in Cousins’s case, he had accepted money in exchange for providing the means to carry out the murder, but he ended up making a deal that gave up his uncle as the driver. He only realized how everything was used after the fact. Cousins also confirmed that the Devil’s Rebels was Brown’s gang and that the murder, in addition to getting even for the perceived slight by law enforcement, had a side benefit of building up the street cred for the Devil’s Rebels.
Barry’s funeral was scheduled for Wednesday, the following day, and at least he would be going in the ground with his killer and those who conspired against him going to prison.
Troy pulled out a small box with a bow from a coat pocket. “Have you given any more thought to—”
Her eyes went to the box. What was he asking her? Was that a ring box?
I thought he just wanted to live together.
She met Troy’s eyes and licked her lips. Her heart was racing, and her palms were sweaty. Had the original question changed?
“What’s that?” She pointed to the box.
He gave her a subtle smile. “Answer my question and find out.”
“And the question is—”
“Really, Maddy? You’re killing me here. Will you move in with me?”
Relief coursed through her. She could resume breathing now. But was she truly ready to take this step? The last time a man had asked her to live with him, the relationship had come to an end before she had acted on the invitation. Going further back in her dating history to Sovereign, the situation had turned out even worse.
“Maddy?”
“Yes.” She grinned.
His gaze latched onto hers. “You’ll mo—”
“Yes!” she interrupted.
Holy crap! Their relationship was officially on to the next level…
Her mother would be so happy to see at least some commitment from her daughter. She might even be able to overlook the fact that he was a cop for a while. But all those thoughts disappeared when Troy kissed her.
When he pulled back, he handed her the box. She eagerly took it from him and tore the ribbon off. Placed on the silk inside was a key. She looked up at him.
“You didn’t think it was going to be a ring, did you?” His voice was teasing, as if that would be the last thing she’d ever
think about, but the way his facial expression became serious, he’d read her mind. He must have seen that the thought of being engaged didn’t seem quite as scary now as it used to seem.
“No. Heavens, no.” She smiled at him, tucked the box into her pocket, and looped her arm through his. She nudged him toward the front door.
Footsteps approached from inside, and the door opened.
Joni’s eyes were full of tears. “Madison? Is it true? I just heard…”
“We caught them, Joni,” Madison said softly.
“Oh thank God.” Joni stepped back inside the house, motioning for Madison and Troy to enter. She wrapped her arms around Madison, holding her briefly but tightly. Then Joni went to Troy. She put her hand to his cheek, and he pulled her in for a hug.
Troy didn’t cry, not a single tear, but Madison sensed his pain and regret for not coming by to see Joni sooner.
Joni kissed Troy’s cheek before leaving his arms.
Then Allison came into the room and ran toward him, her arms wide. “Uncle Troy?”
Troy looked at Madison as the girl’s arms wrapped around his waist, and even now he didn’t let tears fall, but his eyes were wet.
Joni’s other daughters must have heard Allison and came running toward the door. They piled on behind their older sister in hugging Troy. After they hugged him, Allison and the girls hugged Madison.
Up until then, she’d been doing a good job keeping herself together. But with the love of Barry’s family so strong amid facing such loss, she was overcome with emotion. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she found that she wasn’t in a hurry to wipe them. She simply let them fall.
Joni was dabbing a tissue to her nose. “Come in. Tell me everything.” She pointed toward the living room. “Would either of you like a drink? Something to eat?” She looked directly at Madison and mouthed, A cigarette?
Troy turned to Madison. “What?”
Madison shrugged, smiled, and waved him off.
“Girls, why don’t you go play?” Joni said. “We’re going to talk for a while. Allison, would you…?”
“Okay.” Allison gave Troy one more hug and left, her younger siblings in tow.
Madison sat where she had days ago when this nightmare first began. It was hard to grasp time, as it had a way of feeling as though infinity lived in a second. What was short felt long, and what was long felt short.
Troy took a seat beside her and put his arm around her, and Madison leaned against him.
Joni swallowed hard from her place in the reclining chair. “Tell me everything. Who did this to my husband and why?”
Madison nodded and went on to tell her everything about the case.
“So this lady Erica?” she asked unsure.
“Yes.”
“She and the lady who managed the gas station were half sisters? And they killed my Barry…” She paused and dabbed her nose again. Tears fell down her cheeks. “He was the one who arrested their mother, and she killed herself in jail because of Barry.”
Madison nodded. “Their minds are messed up, Joni.”
“Given her lifestyle…and that she was a prostitute, she probably overdosed because she was getting high for pleasure,” Joni said, hot anger lacing her words.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Madison said gently. “Her daughters looked at it—”
Joni held up her hand. “If their mother was in jail, she deserved to be. Barry was a great cop.”
“No one doubts that, Joni,” Troy said.
Joni nodded. “So they will all be charged?”
Madison told her how everything had played out from that standpoint.
“This Donnie guy is the one who actually shot Barry?” Joni looked confused, and Madison had to admit there were a lot of intricate parts to this case.
“Yes.” There would be no advantage to revealing his motive.
“What made that other man set everything up? The car, gun… What did my Barry ever do to him?”
“Sadly, nothing. But he was having an affair with the gas station manager, and when everything came out about her mother, the past came back to haunt him.” Madison explained about Brown’s sister Emma.
Joni was crying now and glanced at Troy.
“You’re not alone. You know that, right?” Troy asked. “And I’m so sorry I didn’t get here sooner. I wanted to be strong for you, but I wasn’t feeling so—”
Joni got up and walked over to hug him. “Thank you for being here now and for your part in solving all this.”
“Of course.” His voice was gravelly.
Joni walked back to her chair and sat down. “They had quite a complicated plan going.”
“They figured if they threw out a lot of variables we’d never get to the truth,” Madison said.
“Thank God you did. And thanks to your partner, too, Maddy. All of the Stiles PD, really. I owe all of you.”
A few tears fell down Madison’s cheeks at Joni’s sincere gratitude, and Troy rubbed her arm. She put her life on the line every day without thought to consequence and without concern for her own safety. It was the last thing on her mind each morning when she grabbed her badge and headed out the door. She just wanted to serve, to make a difference, to change lives, to bring about justice for murder victims. And in this moment, she felt like she had accomplished just that. If only for right now, she would let the appreciation for what she did sink in, and not discount all that she sacrificed and put on the line. Really, she wouldn’t want to live her life any other way.
-
Chapter 56
MADISON HAD ATTENDED LINE-OF-DUTY funeral services in the past. Intense was one way of describing them. A punch to the gut was another. And with each service came the all-too-true realization that it could have easily been her in the casket instead of her fallen brother or sister.
The day of the funeral was sunny, and colored leaves blew, carried on a cool breeze. The service started with a convoy procession through the downtown core, and the community came out to show their support for the officer who had fallen in the line of duty, who had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Madison and Terry were part of the motorcade, of course, as were most ranked officers in the Stiles PD. All officers were in dress uniforms whether they helped manage the crowds or took part in the procession.
Civilians waved American flags from the sidewalk, and the crowd, despite its size, was quiet—eerily so. It was a dark reminder that what had transpired was final. It had taken someone they loved away from them.
Joni, her girls, her parents, and her in-laws were in a black limo directly behind the hearse.
They were all headed to the cemetery where they would say their final good-byes.
Madison wanted to do nothing more than cry as she drove the department sedan, overwhelmed with emotion by the way the community had come together to honor the brotherhood of blue. Somehow, she managed to suppress the tears, to keep her eyes on the road and her mind on Barry, smiling slightly as she conjured up good memories.
Terry sat next to her, as silent as she, likely lost to his own thoughts, his own memories, his own emotions.
The procession wormed into the lane toward the cemetery. It wouldn’t be long before they’d be lowering Barry into his final resting place.
There was a fire truck on each side of the cemetery entrance, the back ends of the rigs to the drive, their ladders extended in the air. Attached to the ladders was a banner that read, IN MEMORY OF OFFICER BARRY WEIR, A FALLEN HERO.
MADISON SCANNED THE GATHERED CROWD. She saw her fellow officers with the Stiles PD, those from surrounding communities, and those with the Stiles FD. While those here mourned the loss of their brother, officers from surrounding communities were asked to step in while they remembered Weir.
She spotted Price, one of the paramedics who had arrived at Rico’s to he
lp Janet Hines. Chelsea and her husband were also in attendance, and so was Terry’s wife, Annabelle.
Joni and her daughters were in the front row with her parents and in-laws.
The casket was braced above the ground, where it would soon be lowered to its final resting place. An American flag was laid over the lid. Bouquets and floral arrangements lined the perimeter of the box on the ground. Their perfumed fragrance was strong, bringing with it the sour alert as to their purpose here: a life had been lost.
Terry joined his wife, and Madison and Troy were in the third row near Andrea and her husband. Next to the burial site, officers in dress uniform were standing at attention.
The crowd was silent.
Breaking the still, a dispatcher’s voice came over the speakers. It would also go out over all officers’ radios.
“Dispatch to 235.”
A pause and then she repeated, “Dispatch to 235.”
Pause.
For a third time, “Dispatch to 235.”
A longer pause.
“Dispatch to 235. Come in Officer Weir.” The dispatcher’s voice broke.
Silence.
“Attention all units, there is no response from 235. Officer Barry Weir was killed in the line of duty on Saturday, September 24 at 6:10 AM. 235 is now 10-7.”
Out of service.
Tears slid down Madison’s cheeks and her heart raced in her chest, yet her breathing slowed.
Three tones sounded over the speakers to notify on-duty officers that the radios were back for active communication.
As a priest spoke a sermon, Madison was caught up in an overwhelming moment of thoughts of life and death, of mortality, of what really matters in life and what doesn’t. She was crumbling apart, her body shaking, and sobs heaved in her chest, heartbreak burning in her throat and lungs.
When the priest concluded, officers took the flag from the coffin and folded it thirteen times to form a triangle and passed it off to Joni.
A helicopter flew overhead, the whirling blades drawing everyone’s attention briefly up to the sky. Bringing them back a moment later was the cry of Sergeant Winston, marking the start of the 3-volley salute. “At attention!”
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