by Liz Bradford
“Well, you can stop, because that’s not helping,” Jamison returned.
“Enough, boys,” the Captain said. “We’ve got movement.”
Jared lifted the binoculars to his eyes. A light had been turned on in the living room, and then the front door opened. “It’s him. Definitely him. Shaved since this morning, but he’s there. Becca has to be inside.”
“Cool your jets, Johnson,” the Captain said, “We need to do this right.”
“Doesn’t it make sense to go in while we know he is away from Becca?” Jared said.
“Yes, it does, but we don’t know everything that’s in play. We need to play our cards right.”
“Look, he’s headed to the greenhouse. Let’s go take him down in there. Doesn’t look like he’s armed,” Jamison suggested.
“Good call,” Captain Baker said. The Captain gave his instructions over the radio. The four of them were closest to the greenhouse and would follow Stuart inside; several SWAT guys were to make their way to the entrance and then wait; everyone else was to hold their positions and maintain radio silence until the Captain said.
The four crept down the hill, then took their positions before entering. The Captain and Miller would go in first since they both held AR-15 rifles, a more ideal weapon for clearing a building. Jamison and Jared took up the rear, pistols at the ready. The door creaked despite their attempt at a silent entry. Jared cringed. With sure, quiet steps the four entered the building. They had all done this before. Jared had arrested multiple hostile suspects during his days in Chicago. But this man had Becca. He had taken Becca. Had hurt her. Maybe even killed her. It was going to take all his self-control to not beat this man.
Jared forced himself to take several deep, steady breaths.
The greenhouse was dark. The sun had set hours ago, and the last bit of dusk had vanished. The only light that helped them see where they were going came in through the glass from the bright flood light on the barn 100 yards away. The soft light that had a green hue from the plants gave them just enough light to see without their flashlights. Jared kept his eyes moving back and forth as they made their way deeper into the long greenhouse.
A plant rustled to his right. The Captain was just out of his reach, so he reached across and tapped Jamison’s shoulder and signaled that he heard something. Jamison nodded and motioned that he would go down the next row. Both men leaned a little lower as they made their way down the rows of plants.
Nothing.
He must have been hearing things.
The dim light was behind Jared casting dark shadows across the room. As he reached the end of the row of various sized plants, Jared heard another sound, like a stone hitting the dirt, to his right. He turned and saw nothing.
Thud. Jared heard the sound of the metal hitting his head before the pain radiated through his skull. The force of the hit sent his head flying forward, then his neck; his body was forced to follow suit. The dark, dirt floor came rushing at his face. Eyes closed, his hands met the ground, his Glock skidded across the dirt; his hands slid through the course earth, tiny pebbles ripping into his palms. His chest hit the ground compressing his ribcage, expelling all air from his lungs as dirt filled his mouth. Eyes opened, he spit out the dirt that tasted of manure and clawed at the ground as he scrambled to retrieve his firearm. He wrapped his fingers around the polymer handle, still warm from his grasp, and rolled to his back as Stuart sneered. The scrappy man had gotten the upper hand.
Stuart stood over him, shovel in hand. “You will never get to see her again,” Stuart said. “It’s your turn to die. And you die here. Her, in the basement.” He laughed as if he was possessed, a man taken over by a sinister, external force. He lifted the shovel and lunged at Jared like a rabid dog.
Jared raised his gun, allowed his instincts to aim, and compressed his finger on the trigger pulling it back hard and fast. Click.
It didn’t fire. He didn’t have time to rack the slide and fix the misfire. Stuart was going to smash his head with the shovel. Oh, God, help!
P-chu. P-chu. P-chu.
Stuart hit the ground after the third shot echoed through the green house. The shots had not come from Jared’s gun.
Jared’s eyes darted around and rested on Jamison as he appeared beside Jared holstering his pistol.
“Are you all right, man?” Jamison held out his hand.
Captain Baker and Miller came around the corner, and the Captain knelt down and confirmed that Stuart was in fact dead.
Jared took Jamison’s offered hand and stood. “I think so.” He reached up and rubbed his sore head.
“You’ll probably have a nasty bump.”
“Becca’s in the basement.”
The Captain said, “Go!”
Jared sprinted out the door. He ran across the clearing as the Captain’s orders crackled across the radio. Jared entered the house right behind the SWAT team. He flew towards a door that revealed stairs down to the basement that two SWAT guys had just opened and followed them down the stairs. They didn’t move fast enough for Jared’s liking.
Jared pushed one of the SWAT guys out of his way as his foot left the bottom stair to the basement. Where was she? She had to be down here. Stuart had said she was down here before Jamison had put three bullets in him. But he could have been playing mind games with him. The deranged man could have done anything with her. He had already killed six women, had he killed Becca, too? Jared shook his head. He couldn’t think that way. He had to find her. Their daughter needed her mother. He needed her.
Jared holstered his pistol. His pulse raced. Stuart had been neutralized, but had they done so soon enough? His eyes scanned the basement. The room was so poorly lit that he pulled out his flashlight. The beams of light from the other officers searching the basement of the old farmhouse crossed paths with his. Junk. That’s all he saw. Piles of junk. An old banana seat bike. A metal shelf with boxes and tools. Wait! He redirected his light back to the shelf. The marks on the floor looked new. His long legs had him to the back of the basement in four quick strides. He jerked the shelf away from the wall, sending empty boxes and loose tools flying to the ground.
A door. A solid gray, steel door. Cold; just like Stuart had been.
She had to be behind it. But there was a heavy padlock on the door. His heart pounded. He had to know if she was okay. But what if she wasn’t? He closed his eyes. Oh God, please… he had no more words to pray. The door needed to be opened. He grabbed the padlock and yanked on it to no avail.
“We have to get this open!”
A SWAT officer came up behind him. “I’ll grab the ram we used to bust in the door upstairs.” He disappeared up the stairs.
Jared’s arms shook as he waited. The thirty seconds of waiting felt like a torturous eternity.
The officer was back at his side. “Here.”
He took the solid metal ram. His strong hands wrapped around the handles, and with all his pent-up rage from the last nine hours of searching for his love he swung the ram. Thud! The lock gave way with a single blow.
He dropped the ram and reached for the pewter colored knob. He couldn’t turn it fast enough. He yanked the door open. “Becca?” he called into the dark room.
“J-j-jared?”
He pulled out his flashlight and clicked it on. The light fell on her fragile, nearly naked form. She’s alive! His heart soared as he crossed the room to her as quickly as he physically could. She was sitting against the far wall with her hands tied above her head. Jared fell to his knees beside her and pulled his knife out of his pocket and cut the rope. She collapsed in his arms. Her skin was red and already showing signs of bruising. Stuart had beaten her.
“I-i-I knew y-y-ou… would f-find me,” her voice shook.
She was ice cold and shaking like crazy. He scanned the room for something to cover her with, but there was nothing. He eased her away from his body and ripped off his Kevlar jacket and pulled his shirt off over his head, grateful he had put on an undershirt t
hat morning. He eased Becca back toward himself and pulled the shirt on over her head and eased her arms into the sleeves. He was especially careful with her left arm, as it looked especially bad.
He wrapped his arms around her. “Of course, babe, of course I found you. I told you, I’m never leaving you again. Never.”
“S-s-stuart?”
“He’s dead.”
“D-did you?”
“No, Jamison shot him.”
It wasn’t but a few seconds later that the other detectives and the Captain joined him. Miller found the light switch. On their heels were Caleb and his partner.
“Hey, Becca. Glad we found you. How are you doing?” Caleb said as he handed Jared a blanket to cover her with. Her breathing was rapid, and she continued to shake. Caleb began to check her. “Her heart rate is through the roof. Becca did he give you something?”
She nodded and in a staggered voice said, “Hhhe g-gave me ad-adr-adren-adrenaline.”
Caleb’s partner found the injector on the ground by the door and picked it up. “Yep, full dose of epinephrine.”
“Okay, we can give you something to counteract that when we get to the bus. Let me look at your arm quickly before we go up, okay?” She relinquished her arm and let out a piercing scream as Caleb gently touched it.
Jared’s heart shattered. He held her tight as she buried her head into his neck.
“It’s broken.” Caleb opened his bag and took out supplies and splinted her arm. He then looked her in the eyes, “Becca, you need to try and slow down your breathing. Slow, deep breaths or you’re going to hyperventilate. Jared, we need to get her to the bus.”
“Okay, I’ll carry her, probably easier than trying to maneuver a stretcher on the stairs.”
“Absolutely. Just be careful of her arm.”
Jared wrapped the blanket beneath her then cautiously lifted her and carried her up the stairs and outside to the waiting ambulance. Her head rested on his shoulder and made it incredibly difficult for him to lay her on the stretcher and let go. He never ever wanted to let go of her.
He held Becca’s right hand and sat back as Caleb and his partner worked on her. They put an oxygen mask on her, and then they were checking her vitals, starting an IV, and getting something in her system to counteract the epinephrine. It didn’t take long for her breathing to return to a normal pace. They were headed to the hospital as Caleb checked her for any internal bleeding.
“Becca, is there anything else we need to know about what happened?” He looked to Jared.
“Becca, did he deviate from his MO?” Jared asked.
She shook her head, and then spoke, her voice much steadier than it had been, “No, but he was going to kill me when he came back,” She shuttered. “If you guys hadn’t come when you did…” Tears started streaming down her face.
He reached over and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Then he leaned his forehead against hers.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It was over. Becca was safe. She leaned back in the hospital bed but sat up again. She wanted to see Jared. The hospital staff had made him wait outside the room since they had arrived. They had admitted her overnight since she was dehydrated, and now that she was settled into her room for the night hopefully he would come in soon. She yearned to be near him, needed to feel his strong arms wrapped around her. She started to cry again as she waited in the lonely hospital room. She was grateful that she didn’t have a roommate, but she needed to not be alone right now.
The door swung open, smacking the wall behind it, and revealed the best sight she had seen all day. Jared opening a door and finding her was the best thing she could imagine experiencing, and now it had happened twice in one day. In a few quick, long-legged paces he was beside her bed. But before either of them could say anything, a short, round nurse who’d come in behind Jared spoke, “How are you doing, Becca? Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m okay.”
“All righty, don’t hesitate to press the call button if you need anything, and I’ll be here in a jiffy. And sir, Becca needs her rest, so don’t plan on staying very long.”
Becca watched as Jared’s expression dropped, and he nodded reluctantly. The nurse left, and he turned and looked back at Becca.
She felt hot tears run down her cheeks. “Please sit with me and hold me. I need you.”
“Of course.”
She choked back further tears as he leaned over, took her face in his hands, and planted a kiss on her lips. She scooted over, and he squeezed in next to her on the bed. Wrapping his arm around her, she snuggled into him and leaned her head on his chest.
“I love you so much, Becca. I was so afraid that I had lost you.” It was his turn to cry. She reached up with her casted arm and touched his stubbly chin with her fingers.
“I love you, too, Jared. I knew you would find me. Do you want to know what, in addition to God and scripture, helped me through it?”
“Of course.”
A smile formed on her face as she looked him in the eyes and said, “Our trip to Cancun.”
He smiled in return, and then kissed her deeply on the mouth. She settled on his chest, and he used the controls to lower the back of the bed a bit. As they snuggled she felt sleep encroaching. She just allowed it to come since she was safely resting in Jared’s arms.
“She’s settled into her room now,” Caleb told Becca’s sister over the phone. “They will release her to come home in the morning. If you and Callie want to meet us at Becca’s house, Jared and I will bring her home as soon as they let her go.”
“Oh, thank you so much, Caleb. I’m so glad she’s okay. I so want to come over right now, though.”
“I’m sure, but I don’t think they’re going to let anyone else see her right now. I think they’re even going to kick Jared out in a few minutes, so you might not be able to see her until morning anyway.”
“Okay, fine. Thanks again, Caleb. We’ll see you in the morning. G’night.”
“Night.”
He hung up the phone and slid it back in his pocket. Captain Baker came over to him. “Hey, how’s she doing?”
“She is doing well. Her arm was broken but it was simple to set. Shouldn’t need to be in a cast very long. Jared’s with her now, of course. Although, I guess I’m going to have to take him home soon. There’s Becca’s nurse.” He raised his voice and called out, “Carolyn, I’m assuming Jared is still in there with Becca?”
“He is.”
“Gonna kick him out?”
“Well, I was going to. In fact, I just went in there to do so, but they were both sound asleep, so I couldn’t bear to wake him. I was worried his presence might keep her from resting, but considering the circumstances, I think his being there is for the best. Good chance she’ll have nightmares tonight and having him right there might be best.”
“Probably. Thanks, Carolyn. We’ll get out of here then. And I’ll come get them in the morning.”
Amy wasn’t sure what had woken her up, but she decided to get up and check on the kids. She found Callie crying in her bed.
“Hey, sweetie, are you okay?” she asked, pulling the little girl into her arms.
“I miss my mommy and daddy.”
“I know, Callie. But guess what. After you went to bed, your Uncle Caleb called me. They found your mommy, and she is okay!”
The girl wiped her face. Eyes wide she said, “Really?”
“Yep, and we’ll meet her at your house in the morning.”
“Yippee!” Callie threw her arms around Amy’s neck. Then pulled away, “But what about school?”
“You don’t have to go to school tomorrow. Seeing your mommy and daddy is more important.”
What a wonderful day it had been! Becca sat on the couch late Wednesday afternoon and smiled as Jared played with Callie. She sat in his arms laughing in delight as he swung her back and forth across the room. The Captain had made Jared take the last three days off with her. She had desperately needed the time to re
juvenate. She had kept Callie home from school Monday and Tuesday, but she had gone back today. Becca and Jared used the opportunity to spend the day just the two of them. He hadn’t come over until lunch time, and then they talked wedding details until they picked Callie up from school.
But he still hadn’t asked her, so she refused to set a date until he did. The mischievous look on his face in response to her refusal let Becca know he was planning something. She couldn’t believe how different her life was today than it had been just over five weeks ago before Jared walked through her door. Thank you, Lord, for everything you have done. Thank you for bringing Jared back into my life. Thank you for sparing my life and helping the team find me before Stuart could take my life or hurt me more than he did. Thank you for getting Caleb to Jared in time and for sparing his life so that we can all be here today. The doorbell rang interrupting her prayer.
“You expecting anyone?” she asked Jared.
He smiled. What did he have up his sleeve?
“Well, if you know who’s at the door, you can go get it.”
“Let’s go let them in, Callie.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
Whispers and giggles were exchanged between the two as they went to the door hand in hand. Becca eased her still sore body off the couch and followed them. She reached the entry way as Jared was opening the door to Amy and her family. Caleb arrived before they could close the door.
“Hey, sis! We come with dinner in hand.” Becca gave Amy a hug.
“And as always, I brought dessert,” Caleb added.
“Yay, pie! Leave it to Caleb to bring the pie,” Becca said.
“Life is not complete without pie.”
She laughed at Caleb.
“I had no idea you all were coming over and bringing dinner no less.”
“You weren’t supposed know. That was the whole point,” Amy responded.
“Okay then.”
They all made their way into the great room. Amy’s casserole needed a bit longer in the oven, so the ladies went into kitchen while the guys and kids all went into the family room. “All right, Amy, spill it. What do you know?”