by Saul, Jonas
“How are things? It’s been a long time. Last I heard you’d retired.”
Dolan moved to a kitchen chair and sat down. “Sam, something has come up and I need your help.” Dolan waited at least ten seconds and then asked, “Are you still there?”
“Yes.” Another pause. “You know what happened the last time I helped you four years ago? I almost bought a ticket out of here. They’ve had me running the evidence room ever since.”
“That’s not entirely true and you know it. You were a cop doing your job. We worked together and mistakes were made. I was shot too,” Dolan drifted off as he saw the glass repairman getting up and looking at him. “One sec, Sam.”
He put a hand on the phone. “Are you done here?”
“Yes. I’ll collect my tools and leave.”
Dolan nodded and went back to the phone. “Sam, it’s about Sarah.”
“Oh and that inspires me even more.”
“No, listen. She’s mixed up in something that’s possibly too big for her. She could use some help on the inside. You know she has a problem with cops in general, but she’ll trust you. After what you and I did for her four years ago, she would be happy to have you on board.”
“Look Dolan, I’m out. I live an easy life now. I sit in the evidence room all day and go home to a quiet evening by the television. I golf too. I used to be young and naïve, but not anymore. That isn’t my life.”
“Sam, listen to yourself. Sarah is in trouble. She’s on the run with an ex-cop named Jack Tate. She showed up here this morning and we were attacked at my house. That nosy cop Parkman showed up at the right time. He shot the perp. I’ve had time to think about this. Whoever they are, they’re going after people who are close to Sarah. They know where she’ll turn next and who she’ll turn to. This is big, Sam. We need you. Sarah needs you.”
“Sorry Dolan, I can’t. With all due respect, try a little of your psychic stuff on this and inform the proper authorities. I can’t help.”
Dolan bowed his head. He heard the front door shut as the glass repairman exited.
“Will you at least call me if you hear anything about this from your colleagues?”
Silence again. Then, “I will call. But the chances of me hearing something are slim to none. Dolan, I’m down in the evidence locker. I never hear about a case unless they bring me evidence.”
“What happened to you? We used to work together. How many cases did we see through until the end? I’m a friend. I need your help. You’re the only one I would ask.”
“At any other time in our history, you know I would be there. I was shot and left for dead. If Alex’s bullet had been a little to the left or a little to the right I’d be dead and rotting at this minute. Think of it like you’re a skydiver and your parachute doesn’t open on a dive. Somehow you hit trees and finally the roof of a barn and then you flop to the ground. You almost die but the trees broke your fall. After a lengthy hospital stay, you commit to never dive again. That’s me. I don’t go in the field. I won’t go in the field.”
“Just call me if you hear anything,” Dolan said and hung up without saying goodbye.
Chapter 13
“Where are we going?” Sarah asked.
Esmerelda merged onto a two lane highway and sped up. She kept looking into the rear view mirror.
“Is everything okay?” Sarah asked as she turned around and looked out the back window. All she saw was a line of cars fading away as they were going faster and faster.
“I think we’re being followed. It’s probably the people who were watching your house. They would have tried to locate you like I did. Maybe they saw you get into this car.”
“What were they driving?” Sarah asked.
“All I could tell was that it looked like a large black SUV. They’re about eight cars back but it’s been easy for me to see them because they’ve taken every turn I have.”
“Aren’t we going too fast for this highway?” Jack asked.
“Probably, but I need to get some distance between…oh shit!” Esmerelda said and smacked the steering wheel.
Sarah looked up ahead. She saw a police officer stepping out into the road waving for Esmerelda to pull over. They were still a hundred yards away but Sarah could already see the radar gun on a tripod and the grill of a police cruiser where it sat backed on to a side road.
“That’s okay Esmerelda. Whoever is following us will get spooked away by the cops and the worst we’ll get is a speeding ticket.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. What if this traffic cop recognizes one of you two? We know they’re looking for you.”
She eased the car over and slowed to a stop as far from the road as she could. The officer walked up to the driver’s side window. Esmerelda rolled it down slowly while watching the rear view mirror. Sarah took all this in and then turned around to look through the back window. Car after car passed but no SUV.
“Do you know how fast you were going, ma’am?” the cop had leaned down to talk to Esmerelda.
“Not really officer. I kinda got carried away. We were talking and after merging I just accelerated and didn’t focus enough. I’m sorry about that.”
Esmerelda was in her sixties. The cop wasn’t buying the brand of old woman sympathy she was trying to sell him. He looked through her window and into the back seat.
“I’m going to need to see your driver’s license and registration please, ma’am.”
Esmerelda fumbled in the glove box and produced what the cop wanted. He asked her to wait for him as he walked back to the cruiser. Sarah kept an eye on the road. Jack sat beside her, fumbling with the rip in his shirt. What the hell is it with that damn rip? she asked herself.
“There’s a problem,” Esmerelda said.
“What problem?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know yet but there is. He’s got another cop with him. They’re both in their cruiser looking at their computer screen and talking. Every few seconds the cop who took my license looks up at us.”
“This is all routine. There’s nothing to worry about,” Jack said.
Sarah spotted a black SUV slowing down to park on the shoulder about two hundred yards back.
“Esmerelda, look behind us. Is that the SUV you saw?”
She turned around and looked out the back window. “Yes it is. Okay, this isn’t good. These guys are serious. Who could they possibly be? The only thing I can think of is they’re well trained and organized like a police agency of some kind. But why would they be kidnapping and threatening to kill people?”
Sarah saw the cop getting out of his car. She saw him place a hand on his holster as he got close.
“Okay, what are we going to do?” Sarah asked. She moved her right hand behind her to touch the gun she had back there. She hated cops and did not trust them. She had no idea what this cop was up to.
“I have no clue.”
But Esmerelda’s words were lost to her as Sarah blacked out.
***
Sarah swam back to consciousness, as usual with no idea how long she’d been out. The pen Esmerelda had given her was held firm in her grip. The notebook had scribbles of words across it with sentences spelling out a mystery. Before reading it all she looked up at the officer who seemed to be shouting by Esmerelda’s window.
“I’m asking you to step out of the vehicle.”
“Okay, I will officer, but first I want to know why?”
The cop unclipped his holster. His partner was coming around the front of the vehicle.
“I have reason to believe that you are aiding and abetting two people that are wanted in connection with a shooting. I need all three of you to exit the vehicle and keep your hands where I can see them.”
Esmerelda reached for the door and said under her breath, “Are you okay Sarah?”
Sarah didn’t have a chance to respond as Esmerelda had already gotten out of her car and was standing beside it with her hands raised in the air. Jack was also standing beside the car now. Both doors
remained open. A vehicle raced by giving the car a subtle shake.
“I won’t ask you again,” the cop leaned down and said to Sarah. “You don’t want us to use pepper spray and then drag you out.”
Sarah edged to the door and sat there. “Officer, can I ask you something?”
“No. Just get out of the vehicle.”
“Do you know an Aaron Beck?”
She saw the cop look at his partner.
“Yes I do. He’s a close friend of mine. How do you know him?”
“Did he tell you what happened on Front Street with his wife Carol a few days ago?”
“Yes he did. Why are you asking me this?”
Sarah placed her feet onto the gravel shoulder and looked up at him. “I’m telling you this because I want you to trust us. That woman there is a well-known psychic named Esmerelda. This man here is a retired police officer named Jack…”
“Tate,” the cop cut in. “I know who all of you are and we’re supposed to take you in, Sarah Roberts. That is your name, right?”
“I’m the girl from the bus that spoke to Aaron and told him to call his wife so she wouldn’t get killed by that truck.”
This hit a nerve. Both cops looked at each other then back at her again.
“Here’s why I’m telling you this. If we do not get back on the highway within a few minutes you and your partner might be killed.”
His hand went back to a spot on his belt where he removed his pepper spray canister.
“Okay, enough fooling around. Get out of the fucking car. We have a job to do and right now that job is taking you in.”
Sarah stood slowly and looked back at the SUV. Its headlights were lit as it idled on the shoulder of the highway. It hadn’t moved yet.
Her hands were raised above her, the notebook out in front. She glanced up at it and started speaking.
“Officer Cooper is your name. You’ve been on the force for eight years. Your wife Sofia has asked you to consider another career as she fears for your safety.” Sarah stopped to let that sink in. She looked at him. “Mr. Cooper. We are being trailed by highly professional people who will stop at nothing to get what they want. I know it sounds over the top but it’s true. They have kidnapped my parents and were following us when you pulled our car over. There’s an SUV about two hundred yards back parked on the shoulder. Those are the people responsible for the shooting last night and this morning. We also believe those are the people responsible for the dead body Mr. Tate found last night.”
Officer Cooper was staring at her. He still held the pepper spray in his hand. His partner had not drawn any weapon. While Sarah spoke, he had taken a quick look back at the SUV.
“Whatever your story is you can tell it to the cop who takes your statement. My job is to take you in. But I’m curious, how did you know all that stuff about me?”
“It’s written right here. I’m an automatic writer. Sometimes I black out and write things that someone on the Other Side channels through me. They just gave me this information to show you how real this is so when I say that you could be killed if you don’t let us go, it’s not a threat, it’s the truth.”
“I’m taking it as a threat. Give me that notebook,” he said and grabbed it from Sarah’s hand. “I want all of you down, on the ground. Now!”
Esmerelda and Jack started to get down, but Sarah remained standing.
“You’re not listening, Officer Cooper. We don’t have the time–”
“You’re not listening. On the ground, now, or I will spray you.”
Sarah started to edge down, keeping the gun at her back hidden. She looked over and saw the SUV merging with traffic. It was heading straight for them.
She looked the other way and saw Cooper’s partner working on securing Esmerelda’s hands and then he stood and started on securing Jack’s. Officer Cooper had returned his weapon to his holster.
“Officer Cooper, that SUV is coming. Please, I implore you. Pull your gun back out and get behind the vehicle.”
He wasn’t listening. He read out loud from the notebook, “They’re like a sect or a cult. They’re different though. Meaner, more organized and they enjoy the hunt, the kill. Beware of Armond. He is too cunning. What is this stuff? Are you serious? Were you referring to cops when you wrote this too? And who is Armond? Hey Joe, do you know any ‘Armond’?”
The other cop shook his head as he finished with Jack’s wrists.
“Get away from the front of the highway. Everybody!” Sarah yelled.
She saw Esmerelda get to her knees and start around the grill of her car. Jack wasn’t moving. Before she rolled away towards the back she saw Cooper and his partner turn to address the SUV as it slowed.
“Move along. No show here,” she heard Cooper saying.
Then he yelled the word gun. She heard bullets hitting metal as they embedded themselves into the side of Esmerelda’s car. Instinctively she ducked her head even though she was already on the ground.
Doors opened and closed. It all happened so fast. She looked up as a large man grabbed her arm and half lifted, half dragged her to the SUV. Esmerelda and Jack were already being tucked away inside.
She knew better than to say anything. These guys meant serious business. Anything could set them off. Before the passenger got into the SUV he turned and emptied his gun into the two policemen who lay on the dirty shoulder.
Sarah saw Cooper’s body spasm as each bullet hit him.
She eased out her gun and aimed it at the guy who threw her into the back of the SUV. As professional as they seemed to be she was surprised they didn’t frisk her.
She had to reach out and around the back but her aim was solid. She had two bullets left and both hit him in the back of the head. He went down like a heavy bag of rocks.
She turned to address the driver but he had already drawn on her.
“Drop it or I will shoot.”
She stared at him. The look in his eyes told her he was serious. He wouldn’t hesitate. She knew her gun was empty. In the second or two she had, she needed to decide whether to bluff or drop her weapon.
As it turned out, the driver was a bit of a marksman. He fired and the next instant Sarah’s gun was ripped out of her hand. It landed on the shoulder of the road.
“Now throw out your cell phone.”
“I don’t have it on me,” Sarah tried to show a brave face to cover the lie.
The driver adjusted his aim to the point where she saw directly down the barrel of the gun. “I won’t ask again.”
She reached back and pulled it out slowly. Then she flung it like she was throwing a Frisbee. It landed a little past the shoulder in the tall grass.
A Plexiglas partition rose up between the driver and the three prisoners. The back door window rose simultaneously.
They were imprisoned in the back. Sarah tried the door; locked. She began kicking the door as the driver pulled back onto the highway.
Finally, Esmerelda asked her to stay calm. Save her energy. Wherever they were going they would probably need it.
Sarah looked up at the driver as he used his cell phone.
When she glanced back to the parked cruiser and the three bodies strewn about she could see cars pulling over.
Her gun was left at the scene with her prints on it. Also, bullets from her gun were in the dead guy who shot the two cops.
It looked like another full manhunt would be on again.
But this time, she wondered if she would make it out alive.
As frustration rose, a feeling of peace came over her at having shot another human being. She had just killed in cold blood and without hesitation. Not only didn’t she flinch when she took another life moments ago, but she almost felt a certain pleasure in it knowing that another piece of human scum had been wiped out.
Before this was over she knew a few more bottom-feeders would need to die.
Chapter 14
Dolan got up and ran to answer his phone. He’d been waiting for a security guy
to come by and give him an estimate on installing an alarm system. They could be calling to tell him they were going to be late.
“Hello.”
“Dolan, we have a bigger problem than I thought.”
“Sam, I’m glad you called. What’s going on?”
“Two traffic cops are dead and they found another dead body with the officers. Obviously a full investigation will have to take place but I’m hearing that the guy found on the side of the highway with the two dead officers had the same caliber gun and identification as the guy found in Tate’s house last night. But that’s not all.”