Bourbon Blaze

by Deanna L Rowley

  “We’re still reviewing the dash camera. We have no clue how Bidwell became uncuffed, and took out two police officers. Both are dead. He took their weapons, along with the shotgun stored there. We’re looking for an armed and dangerous man. We’re waiting.” The officer in charge paused when a beat-up, rusted-out, pick-up truck arrived. He glanced at Sean. “Junior with his bloodhounds. I don’t know if your dog can track. I do know those two bloodhounds can’t take down a man like your Shepherd can. They can tree them, but not take them down. I’m going to have you and your dog work with Junior.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Kilo can track. We’ll stay in the back and follow Junior and his dogs. He can take the lead on the tracking. But he’s not a Shepherd, he’s a Belgian Malinois. I’ll keep Kilo on leash.” Sean said. He looked at Neil, Barry, and Steve. They indicated with their eyes that they would follow his lead. In less than five minutes, all the police officers received instructions. At the last moment, Sheriff Beasley pulled out a clear plastic bag with the red stripe stating ‘evidence’ across it.

  “This is a shirt pulled from the crime scene. Found it in the back of the squad car, where the officers were killed. I talked to the other officers who were at the original scene. Bidwell was wearing this.” The sheriff passed the bag to Junior, then he looked at Sean.

  “Junior Picket, this here is Miss Daisy and Duke.” Junior introduced himself and his dogs to Sean and the other police officers from Sean’s unit. Sean was the highest-ranking deputy of the four from Stormville, he was the most senior deputy with everyone except Beasley, leaving the others to defer to him to take the lead.

  “So, how do you want to do this?” Beasley asked.

  “If you’ll allow us time to change into our hiking boots, grab some supplies, we’ll be ready.”

  “Not to be a ball buster or anything, no more than five minutes.”

  Sean nodded, went to the back of his SUV, and changed his footwear from his shoes to hiking boots. He donned his flak vest, grabbed a light jacket and a backpack. It took the four men a little over three minutes. They turned to Junior when they were ready.

  Junior bent down to Daisy and Duke, opened the bag, and said. “Find.” Sean watched the bloodhounds stick their nose in the bag. Junior took it away from them, folded the top over, and stuck it in his pocket. Both dogs started barking, sniffing the ground. Sean noted Junior held a long leash. Junior let the leash out when the two bloodhounds took off running. Sean nodded to the others, and ten armed men followed Junior, letting Daisy and Duke run.

  Several hours later, Sean leaned against a tree, chugging a bottle of water. It was eight at night, they have been on Bidwell’s since they’d arrived. Several times they thought they had a lead on him. Each time was bogus. Sean called a halt for ten minutes. He made sure Kilo, Duke, and Daisy, and the other officers, had water before he nodded to Junior. Before Junior could have the two bloodhounds sniff the bag, to get the scent again, Sean’s walkie squawked. He held up his hand, and everyone froze.

  “Kilduff.” Sean answered, making sure everyone could hear what was being discussed.

  “Beasley here, Feds have arrived, what do you need?”

  “Can we have eyes in the sky?” Neil Saunders asked.

  “Yes, I need your coordinates.”

  Sean looked around before anyone could say anything, Steve Smith leaned in and gave the information from his phone. It took a minute for Beasley to come back to them.

  “Got it, if you’re where I think you are, you’re going to need the eyes. There are about thirty summer cabins about three miles from you. Junior?”

  “Yeah, you’re right, we stopped for a couple minutes to give the dogs a break. We’ve found several areas Bidwell stopped. I was wondering how we were going to take those cabins. Are any still occupied?”

  “Not aware of any, the last family left last week.”

  Junior looked at Sean, who just concluded his conversation with Sheriff Beasley. Re-clipping his walkie to his belt, Sean turned to the others.

  “Ready?”

  “Yes.” came several replies. Sean turned to Junior, nodded, and everyone watched the dogs get a whiff of the scent. Sean made sure Junior held the bag out for Kilo to get the same scent. The others looked at him, Sean shrugged.

  “Can’t hurt to have another nose. Kilo has been trained on scent tracking. If there are thirty cabins, we can break up. Junior, could one of the deputies take one of your dogs if needed?”

  “Yes, Buddy has gone tracking with Duke before, has even handled him. When we get closer, I’ll hand him over.”

  “Why don’t we go in three different directions now?” Neil asked. “There are ten of us, three dogs, and thirty cabins. Why not three of us go with each dog, and you control Daisy, and take three men with you.”

  “Can do.” Junior handed Duke’s leash over to Buddy. He then gave the dogs the command to find Bidwell. Everyone took off again. At one point, Buddy and Duke broke off to go in a different direction with two other deputies. One of them being Barry Newman. Kilo, Sean, Neil, and one of the locals, went in another direction. They headed into the woods. Daisy, led Junior, Steve Smith, and the rest of the deputies in a different direction. Half-mile down the road, everyone paused when they heard a helicopter approaching.

  Kilo started pulling on his leash, Sean gave hand signals for him and his team to proceed. He gave Neil a double take to make sure he had his head in the game. Neil nodded to Sean. He gave the command to Kilo. Sean and Neil were four feet apart, abreast of each other. The other two deputies were about three feet back and to either side of them.

  If Sean hadn’t been watching Kilo so intently, he would have missed the sign of his ears moving to the left, his head swiveled in the same direction. Sean tightened his grip on the leash, having enough time to give hand signals before Kilo took off at a dead run toward the left. Kilo never stopped until they were at the edge of the woods, staring at a two-story log cabin. Kilo stopped suddenly, Sean would have gone over his head if Neil hadn’t reached out and grabbed him, halting Sean’s headfirst fall over his dog.

  “Thanks.” Sean whispered as he saw everyone had stopped. One of the locals came forward.

  “It’s the Summers’ place. How do you want to handle this?”

  “Are they there?”

  “No, I was at the station when they stopped by last Sunday. Mr. Summers said they were going home, which is in Des Moines. They were leaving on a world cruise Friday.”

  “Which is today,” Neil said. “I have a suggestion.”

  “What?” Sean asked.

  “Let’s contact the others with our location. Tell them to come in. We surround the place. Once we’re in position, we radio for the helicopter to come in and light up the place. This will give us fresh eyes from the sky. If Bidwell’s here and tries to run, they would be able to tell us which direction he goes.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Sean looked at the others, who nodded in agreement. The two locals called in their co-workers. Fifteen minutes later, watching signals from the other teams, the house was surrounded. Sean took the walkie and keyed it.

  “Beasley.” Came a gruff response over the airwaves.

  “Sheriff, this is Kilduff; we have the subject surrounded at the Summers’ cabin.”

  “Todd Summers?” Sean looked at the locals, and at their nods, he agreed.

  “Yes.”

  “What’s the plan? You said you have it surrounded?”

  “We do. We need the helicopter flying above before we approach. Lite the place up. They can see if he escapes, giving us the direction he goes.”

  “Sounds like a plan; give me a minute.” Less than a minute later, the sheriff came back over the airwaves. “Chopper’s three minutes out, I told them to hover above the house, you’ll be approaching from all sides, they’re to look for runners and radio their location.”

  “Roger.” Sean heard several people answer back as readied himself to approach the cabin. He unclipped Kilo’s l
eash and squatted down in front of him. “Good boy, Kilo. We’re all going in to get the bad guy, let’s keep everyone safe. Wait for my command.”

  Sean noticed everyone and radioed the local deputies, asking where Junior had gotten to with Duke and Daisy.

  “He backed off after your dog found him. Said he didn’t want your dog to get distracted from the scent. He’s about half a mile back, ready to take over if Bidwell gets away from us.” Kilo licked Sean’s chin, and everyone, even the dog, looked up at the chopper that hovered above the cabin. With the spotlight blazing Sean gave the command and everyone moved in slowly. They kept to the shadows.

  “Roger.” Sean nodded, liking the other handler having the hindsight to keep back out of the way. Sean would have done the same. Once the Summers’ place was surrounded, Sean unleased Kilo, the pair, along with Neil Saunders went up the steps of the porch to the front door. Seeing the window on the door broken, both raised their guns. Neil radioed the other police officers who halted until several others made their way to the separate entrances. A back door, a side door, and a double sliding door on the opposite side. Once everyone was in place, Sean and Kilo entered the house via the front door. This left the other officers on the outside in case Bidwell tried to run.

  With Kilo off his leash, Sean gave him the command to search for Bidwell. After clearing half of the first floor, Sean heard a crash of shattered glass, several shouts from the officers outside. Together man and dog ran through the house and out the side door. Sean saw a man running through the large open back lawn.

  He shouted. “Take! Take!” The K-9 took off like his ass was on fire. Sean and all the other deputies were hot on his tail. Within five feet of the woods surrounding the Summers’ place, Kilo lept through the air, gripped Bidwell’s forearm, and brought them both to the ground. Sean was still a few feet away from Kilo when Bidwell started hitting the dog on the head, trying to get away. Kilo doubled his efforts to hold him. Sean ran up to his dog with several officers. Their guns were trained on Bidwell and Sean approached the dog and downed man slowly.

  “Bidwell, you’re under arrest.” Sean read him his Miranda Rights. He told Kilo to release Bidwell’s arm and stay on alert. Sean rolled the man over, slapped the cuffs on him and helped him to his feet. As he walked toward the house, he saw Sheriff Beasley approach. They stopped. Two local deputies took Bidwell from Sean. The sheriff congratulated them. He told them to go back to the local office to fill out the paperwork for their part on the hunt.

  All of the officers returned to the station to give their statements to the FBI. Because Kilo had taken down the suspect, it took Sean nearly three hours to finish all the paperwork. He and Neil decided to find a hotel and leave early in the morning.

  22

  Sophia sat in the paint booth when the door opened, and her boss walked in. He looked distracted and confused. He began pacing while running his hands repeatedly through his hair.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  “Yeah.” Curt looked around, nodded. He looked lost. “What are you doing?”

  “I’ve sandblasted the ruined parts. I’m going to put the first coat of new paint on, as it dries, I’ll be working on designs for a new client. Why? What do you need?”

  “I have to leave for the day.”

  “It’s ten in the morning. Is everything okay?”

  “Don’t know yet. I got a call from Erica’s daycare. She’s running a fever. Dana can’t get away from her job. I’m on Daddy duty.”

  “Go, take care of your child. I can handle things here. We have Ginny in the front office with me. There’s Scott, Randy, and the rest of the guys out there. We’ll be fine.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes, go. And don’t feel bad about taking tomorrow off if you have to. Family comes first.”

  “Okay, yeah, I should leave.” Curt seemed confused, Sophia put her spray gun down, went over to him and gripped his arm.

  “Curt, earth to Curt.” He looked at her in confusion, Sophia gave his arm a little shake. “Talk to me, what’s wrong?”

  “Erica’s sick, the daycare called and said she’s running a temperature of one hundred and one.”

  Sophia didn’t tell him that he had repeated himself. He seemed distracted enough as it was. He didn’t need her to laugh at him. “Call her doctor, make an appointment, go pick her up, and take her home. I don’t have kids, but I’m sure if you had some soup, tissues, and held her, you both will be fine. Did you tell the daycare you were coming to pick her up?”

  “Yes, I called the doctor. I can take her right there, and they’ll see her as soon as I arrive.”

  “Good, here.” Sophia gripped his forearm and tugged Curt behind her. She continued to talk and walk. “I know you’re a smart man, Curt. This is scary, I imagine.” Sophia continued to walk until she reached the front desk.

  “Ginny, a little help here?”

  “What on earth is wrong?”

  “Curt has to leave. He said Erica’s daycare called. She has a temperature of one hundred and one. He called the doctor and can get her right in. What does he need to pick up?”

  “First, have lots of patience.” Ginny smiled. “You’re going to want soup, orange juice, ginger ale. Sometimes I mix those two together. You’ll want tissues, paper towels, in case she gets sick. Make sure you have extra diapers and baby wipes. If she has what’s going around, you’re going to need them. If she continues to run a fever, there’s nothing you can do but let her sleep. Make sure she’s woken several times to drink. And if she has a favorite stuffed animal, blanket, or movie, you’ll be holding her most of the afternoon. Give her plenty of fluids and lots of love. She’ll be miserable. If you have patience, you can do this.”

  “Thanks. Sorry I spazzed out there for a second. Dana handles this stuff.”

  “What does Dana do?” Sophia asked.

  “She’s a teacher at the high school. She can’t leave her kids on such short notice. That leaves me as the first emergency contact.”

  “Go.” Sophia gave him a gently shove toward the door. Ginny handed him a piece of paper with a short grocery list on it.

  “Stop and pick this up before getting Erica.” Together Ginny and Sophia helped Curt gather his things and got him out to his truck. Sophia smiled when she saw the car seat in the back seat.

  “Call me later tonight or in the morning if you’re not coming in. Since today is Friday, I imagine you’ll want to keep Erica home tomorrow. Don’t worry if you’re not there for Connor’s birthday. I know it’s not my place to say anything. I’m sure Susan will understand.”

  “Is Sean coming with you?”

  “Don’t know, he called earlier and said he was needed out of town. Something about a manhunt and they needed Kilo.”

  “Oh, don’t work too late, and I’ll call you later.”

  “Good, now get the stuff, get to your daughter.” Sophia stood in the parking lot, watching her boss leave. She shook her head, smirking at how flustered the rock-solid man was. She hoped if she ever had a family, her child’s father would be the same way. The image of Sean came to mind. Him with a little boy on his shoulder and with Kilo sitting beside him looking at him with a baby. Sighing, Sophia headed back inside, but not before looking around. Sophia had a gut feeling that she was being watched. This sent shivers up and down her spine. She hurried inside.

  “Ginny, I’ll be in the paint room, then in my office.”

  “Okay.” Ginny waved her hand to acknowledged then answered the phone.

  Several hours later, Ginny was closing up the front office. She noticed Sophia still bent over her work table in her office. Ginny knocked on the door, not wanting to scare the other woman.

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s five and I’ve cleaned up. I’m heading out. I wanted you to know, so you didn’t get spooked when you came up for air.”

  Sophia rolled her neck side to side, stretching the kinks out of her shoulders and back. “Thanks, I’ve got a couple more designs
to sketch. Then I should be going home.”

  “Don’t work too late, I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Have a nice night.” Sophia stood, stretched for several minutes, went out to the reception area, and grabbed a bottle of water from the small mini-fridge in the corner behind Ginny’s desk. She walked over to the front door, locking it after Ginny left. Sophia wrinkled her nose when she noticed it was snowing. Shaking her head, she went back to the paint booth to check the last coat of paint she had applied hours ago. Satisfied with the results, she went back to her office, and within minutes she became lost in her designs again.

  Hours later, Sophia yawned, stretched, and moved her head back and forth. Cringing when she felt the crunching of her neck bones. It was after midnight, time to call it a night. Picking up her work area, she gathered her things and went out to her car in the parking lot.

  Once outside, Sophia used her arm to brush the snow off the driver’s door, to clear the window and the lock. She unlocked it, climbed in, and started it. Turning the heater on high, she grabbed the snowbrush, hopped out and cleaned off the whole car. By the time she climbed back in, the heater was hot. Grinning, she did a happy dance in her heated seat. “Man, I can get used to this.” She laughed out loud, left the parking lot in a pleasant, but exhausted mood.

  The first thing Sophia did was take a long, hot shower. Dressed in warm, fuzzy lounge pants, an extra-large tee, and thick socks, she made her way out to the kitchen. Starving, she didn’t want a bowl of cereal or a cold sandwich. She pulled a single serving frozen meal from the freezer and tossed it in the microwave. While it cooked, Sophia got down her bottle of Bourbon and poured herself a drink. Sipping it, she pulled out a napkin and silverware. The microwave dinged and Sophia pulled her meal out and sat down to eat.