by Lora Lindy
One of the men called for Mike.
“Hi babe you should be in bed resting.” Mike worried about her, she looked tired and frail.
“I’m fine, can we talk?” She didn’t know why all these men were standing around in the living room. All the men had to be football player, linebackers. They were huge. None of them looked at Lana and she thought it was because of the bump on her head, they didn’t know what to say.
“Sure honey, let’s go in the bedroom, excuse us guys and Joe will you finish the coffee? I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Mike followed her.
“Why are all these men here?” She asked while sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Well sweetie, we have a little problem. The blood type on the window doesn’t match any of the men in jail.”
Even though she was groggy, the news hit her like a ton of bricks. “Umm, so there’s another guy?”
“Yes.”
Here again his short answers, and she didn’t want short answers. “Is that why there are gun packing men out there?”
“Yes these are the men who work for me, and they’re here to help find this other guy. All we know is the men in jail do not match the blood type of the sperm. All this is just a precaution until we find out who broke into the house. We decided it is best for us to use the beach house as our headquarters. This allows you to rest.”
“Mike, maybe I’m stupid, but I don’t get it. Who in the world would do something like this?”
“Honey I don’t know. That’s why I’ve called my team in, to investigate and we’ve already started.”
“This whole situation is crazy. I don’t know what to say. I can’t imagine the sperm wasn’t one of those three guys. What are the odds it wasn’t one of them.” She looked in Mike’s eyes for answers. “Who do you think would do such a thing? Do you think it has something to do with you being in law enforcement?”
“Sometimes the bad guys do come after law enforcement but it doesn’t happen often.” The years of questions from families, he knew not to give any more information than necessary.
“If they were after you, why didn’t they kill us while we were making love? Why would go through all this trouble?” Her mind was fuzzy and she tried to comprehend all this new information.
“You can’t predict what goes through their minds. It’s a possibility they wanted to scare us or it could even be a fluke, random crime.”
“If they were trying to scare me they did a good job.”
“Until we get the results of the DNA, we have to work every angle. Honey I told you I wouldn’t lie, we even have to work the angle that someone might be after you.”
“Me? I don’t know why anyone would be after me?” Deep down she knew no one was after her. She also knew this was Mike’s job to check that angle. She leaned her head on his shoulder, she needed some reassurance.
He didn’t need any coaxing and he put his arm around her. Worry devoured his rational thinking. What if it was someone after Lana? “Tonight I want you to rest since you already fainted, and we don’t need you to do that again. When you’re feeling better, why don’t you come out and meet the team. I know they would love to meet you.”
“I would love to meet them.”
Mike looked at the big bump on her head. “Honey that is some goose egg, does it hurt?”
“Yea, but I think I feel worse from the drugs. One thing for sure about this medicine, it makes me hungry. I’m starving. Maybe the medicine made my metabolism off balance. But I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week.”
“We ordered pizza if you’re in the mood. But if you want something else I’ll send one of the guys to get it for you. I’m glad you have an appetite.”
“Pizza sounds great. I’ll walk out with you.” She couldn’t wait to meet the guys. They were a big part of Mike’s life. If they were important to him, they were also important to her.
All but two men left. The two men left were busy setting up computers and printers. When she walked in the living room both men turned to her and nodded their heads. One man was Raymond whom she had already met and she walked over and shook his hand. The other man was younger, buff and he had a friendly smile. She walked over and introduced herself. “Hi I’m Lana Andrews and you are?”
“My name is Joe Badger and I’ve heard a lot of nice things about you.”
“Oh really, well I’ll have to talk to you later and find out what you’ve heard.” She looked at Mike and winked. Immediately she knew she would like Joe. He was tall about 6′3″ and he had brown hair and brown eyes with dimples, and he’s about twenty-eight years old. He keeps his hair longer than some of the older agents and he slicks it back like a gangster, and that helped him stand out more. His personality was different from the other men. He seemed more kind hearted than the rest of the deputies.
“Uh Oh,” he said while looking at Mike.
Mike grinned and winked at Joe as if to say, give her a hard time. But when Joe saw her big goose egg on her forehead and he didn’t have the heart.
In the kitchen there were two boxes of pizza left on the counter, and there were only five slices left. Hamburger, meat lover, and one slice of pepperoni, so she got the last slice of pepperoni. She poured some diet Pepsi and sat down at the bar. The pizza was warm and she was glad she didn’t have to wait for it to cool.
Mike sat on the barstool next to her. “Is that all you’re going to eat?”
“Yep, that’s a lot for me. This is a large slice of pizza.”
“I think I ate an entire box.”
She took a bite of pizza and pointed at the boxes that were empty, about twenty. “How many men were here?”
“Six.”
Her eyes widened. “Six of you ate all that pizza?”
“Joe ate three boxes by himself.”
“Are you serious? Mike your pulling my leg.” She could tell by his bright eyes and grin that he was teasing her.
“Yep, I’m teasing you. I think we had fifteen men here. They were coming and going all evening bringing computers and tables. So I just ordered a bunch. Babe, are you feeling well? Do you want some medicine?” Her eyes looked lethargic, and normally they looked alert.
“I think I might feel better if I took some medicine, but it makes me sleepy. Plus it makes me so hungry. Would you love me if I gained weight?”
“Honey, you could gain a few pounds. Besides, I would love you no matter what. If you need some medicine don’t worry about sleeping. Since we’re going to be up most of the night anyway, you might as well sleep.”
She leaned over and asked softly. “If I do take some medicine, will I be in the way if I stay in the living room and talk with you all for a little while?”
“I’d love that. Honey, you can come in the living room any time you want. Or you can go to bed and watch TV if you want. You can watch Netflix in there as well. You go wherever makes you feel comfortable.”
About that time Raymond walked in and poured himself some coffee. He was quiet so she spoke first. “I bet you all go through a lot of coffee during your cases.”
“Yes ma’am. Folgers loves us when we have an investigation going strong. In that sense we’re the true stereotype cops. We even like donuts.” He said while grinning.
Mike added. “We order a lot of pizza as well.”
Lana laughed looked at the stack of pizza boxes and shook her head in agreement. “I see that. How many do you all order?”
Mike and Raymond looked at each other.
Raymond looked at the ceiling trying to remember. “I think it was the Costella case when we order over three hundred boxes of pizza, and we only had four people working.”
Lana toggled glances between the guys. “You’re kidding, right?”
Mike raised his eyebrows and answered. “He’s right. Pizza was the only decent food for miles. We were there about six weeks and we ate pizza for lunch and supper. I hated pizza for a long time after that job.” He glanced at Raymond. “I don’t think we ordered pizza for
several months after that case.”
“At least seven months.” Raymond cringed at the thought of how much pizza they ate. He rummaged through the empty box of donuts.
She suddenly realized he wanted something sweet and she did too. It must be the medicine that made her have a sweet tooth. “How about I make a batch of chocolate chip cookies? Would you guys like some homemade cookies?”
“Yes ma’am, I would.” Joe answered from the living room.
“Let’s see what we can do about that.” She looked through the fridge and cabinets. She didn’t think she had everything she needed for the cookies, but she could make some brownies. As she looked through the cabinets and fridge, they were empty. What the hell, she looked bewildered.
Mike and Raymond looked at each other. “Babe we had all the food sent to the crime lab, everything in the cabinet and the refrigerator.”
“Why?”
“Since we know someone was in the house we don’t know if they did anything to the food. We had to send it all to the crime lab for analysis. But if you want something sweet Joe can go to the store. Besides I don’t want you to have to do a thing. Doctors orders, you need to rest.”
“Mike you don’t understand, cooking does relax me. I do understand about the food, and I would be devastated if something happened to your guys. I sure could eat something sweet. Do you mind if we run to the store and get something to cook and get some more coffee and creamer. Besides, I could use some fresh air.” She thought Mike acted too protective.
He could tell by the look in her eyes she was determined. Besides, the store was only a few miles up the road. “I don’t mind taking you. Joe and Raymond can stay and watch the house.” He remembered the medic telling him she needed fresh air. Getting away from the house would relax her.
Joe smiled and said. “I don’t mind at all.”
She could tell Mike didn’t want her to go, but they did need supplies. His look did not detour her, she picked up her coat. “Are you ready?” She quickly made a mental note of everything she needed for cookies and breakfast. Sam’s grocery was the closest and she knew they had the basic ingredients.
“Yes ma’am,” he said while grabbing her hand.
Off they went. It felt good to get out of the house, the cold air woke her up and that was exactly what she needed. She took long deep breaths.
Mike knew every breath she took helped clear her head. Immediately he saw a change in her eyes, they were coming back to life.
Joe walked them out and stood there as they drove away.
They got maybe a tenth of a mile, and Mikes’ phone talked to him.
Joe called him on his walkie-talkie. “Hey Mike, you may want to do a 311. A 412 is in progress.”
Mike turned off his lights, slammed on his brakes and backed in between trees. The SUV was dark and would be well hidden.
“What is a 311 and a 412?” she asked. She did figure out it was some kind of code.
“That’s a code we use with our team. We are the only ones who know the code, so if anyone listens in on our frequency they don’t know our plan. A 311 is Joe heard a car start and leave with their lights off and they left when we did. The 412 means Joe is on his way to us as we speak. Raymond will stay at the house.” He explained while watching the road.
“Joe stood outside listening?”
“Yes we always listen when an agent leaves in case someone is following one of our cars. That’s one of the reasons we try to stay at isolated places, so we can hear and see what goes on around us.”
“That’s smart.”
“Lana I want you to take a close look at this car as it drives by to see if you know this person.” Mike pulled his Glock from his side and held it just in case he needed it. Concern and guilt overwhelmed her. What if there were several people in the car and they get out and shot at them.
“Okay. What do you want me to do if someone starts shooting?”
“Duck, and if you have to run—run towards Joe, he’ll protect you.”
The Explorer crept by and the windows were foggy and she couldn’t see a thing. Mike instantly turned on his lights and darted out of their hiding place and started chasing the SUV. “If you need a gun there’s one in the glove box.” If Lana wasn’t with him he would have rammed the SUV, or at least pull out in front of him so he could stop them. He should have listened to his instincts and left her at home.
“Are you kidding me, what do you mean if I need a gun? You’re going after him?” Oh God, not again! She held on for dear life, praying.
“Yep, we always want the upper hand.” He knew she wouldn’t understand the danger of it all, and it’s like a firemen running into a burning building when everyone else runs the opposite direction. Cops chase the bad guys when everyone else runs away from them.
“If you need me to do something, let me know,” muttered Lana.
“Shoot out his tires.” Mike grinned waiting for the shock look she was about to give him.
“I thought I would shoot the gas tank and blow it up to smithereens.”
“Grab your gun Annie Oakley.”
The man saw them chasing him and he drove faster and faster. “Lana, get your cell phone and text the license plate to me.” He had his phone and he talked to Joe. “Joe, Lana is texting me the license plate. We are in pursuit, and it’s a green ford explorer, maybe a 2001. Looks like only one person, but the windows are foggy.”
Joe responded. “I’m right behind you and I see your tail lights not far ahead, and I copy that. Be careful the road is slick.”
Mike put both hands on the wheel because they slid side to side. He focused on his driving, when all of a sudden they spun out of control and hit a guard rail on a bridge, bounced off then landed in the ditch.
“Are you okay?” He tried to drive out of their predicament, but they were stuck.
“Yes,” she said.
“Hey Joe I ditched the SUV. You need to hurry up and get here.”
“I’m right here.”
Mike and Lana got in Joe’s SUV and started their pursuit of the Explorer, but it was long gone. They stopped and Mike got out, and he couldn’t have been more pissed. “We should have had him.”
Joe knew exactly what to say. “We have a license plate and make and model. We’ll get him, and the police are on the way. Let’s call in the license plate.” Mike immediately looked up his text and Joe called dispatch.
She walked back and sat in Joe’s SUV because it was so cold.
When Mike calmed down, he walked over to Lana. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine. I thought that was kind of fun but I wouldn’t want to do it again.”
Joe interrupted. “The license plate came back to an Eddie and Donna Borders. They live out here just a few blocks from you off Wabash road. My guess he stole the Explorer. Let’s hope they’re not home.”
Mike said. “Let’s head over there and call our crime scene investigators just in case. Honey do you see that convenience store, we’ll grab a few things then we need to head over to the Borders house.”
Joe called detective Quent and told him about the incident and about the Borders.
Lana said. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll grab what they have and I know you need to work to catch this bastard.” Joe drove them to the store and they grabbed some snacks, coffee and water. They didn’t have any liquid creamer so Lana got milk.
They were heading to Wabash road when Mike got a call from Quent. “Mike we can’t get hold of the Borders, but we found your Explorer. No one was found around it, and it is being processed it as we speak. We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. If you get there first call me before you do anything, he might go back to the house.”
“We’ll be there in a couple minutes. I’ll let you know what we find.”
Wabash road was dark and it didn’t look like anyone was home at any of the houses. That was a relief for Lana. She hoped the Explorer had been a vacation vehicle.
When
they pulled up to the house Joe tried to position the SUV so the lights would shine on the house. The angle of the house was higher than the road. This caused the headlights to reflect off the snow. “Lana, I want you to lock the doors and if you see or hear anything, honk. Joe and I will be here in just a few seconds. Okay?”
“Yes, please be careful.” She locked the doors and she noticed they were very careful not to step on the snow that had prints.
Joe knocked on the door and they had their guns pulled. It was pitch black other than a little snow on the ground that was reflective from the headlights. Mike motioned for Joe to go around to the side of the house. He had been gone a long time, and it seemed like forever. After several minutes she could see his flashlight before she saw him. Joe pointed to the back left side of the house. Mike shook his head side to side. He then got out his phone and made a phone call. If she’s right about the body language, Joe found them dead. Tears whelped up in her eyes.
To her right she could see police lights coming. Mike saw them too and he knew he would get busy when they got there. He quickly walked back to the SUV. “Baby we will be here for awhile, so Raymond is on his way to get you. He’ll take you back to the beach house and stay with you.”
“How long do you think you’ll be?”
“I think we will be at least a couple of hours.”
She hated to ask but she had to know. “Are they dead?
He looked in her eyes. “Yes.” He hoped she wouldn’t ask. He stayed with her until Raymond arrived, which was only a few seconds. Mike opened the door for her and hugged her for several seconds. Raymond just sat in his SUV, not saying a word. They walked around to the passenger door. He kissed her then sat the bags of groceries in on the floor board. “Take good care of her, and I’ll be home in a couple of hours.”
“Yes sir.”
Raymond and Lana drove the few short blocks to the house. “Wait here while I make sure everything checks out okay.” He stepped out of the truck and thoroughly checked the house. His demeanor was totally different than Mikes. Mike would give instructions on what to do if anything happened. He didn’t say one word during their short ride to the house. It was obvious to her that he was the serious, quiet deputy.