Vendetta

by C. M. Sutter

  He applied the brakes well before the four-way stop, even though most of the back roads hadn’t been driven on. The pure white snow, uninterrupted by car tracks, looked beautiful, yet Jack knew that beneath that blanket of crystals lay a slippery and dangerous road. He pumped the brakes until he came to a complete stop, looked both ways, then continued on. He didn’t expect the deer to run out in front of his car. With both hands on the wheel, Jack overcorrected to miss the animal and lost control. The car slid into the ditch, and the deer bolted for the woods.

  “Son of a bitch.” He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. “I don’t need this shit right now!” Jack pushed on the driver’s-side door, but it wouldn’t open. With a hard shoulder shove, he pushed again. It still didn’t budge. Headlights coming up from behind him reflected in the rearview mirror.

  Good. At least somebody can help me get out of the ditch.

  Jack shielded his eyes from the glaring high beams and watched through the side mirror as the driver’s door opened. He saw the silhouette of a man stepping out of the car behind him. Jack lowered his window and popped his head out.

  “Hey, can you give me a hand? A damn deer ran out in front of me.”

  The man pulled a gun from his pocket and moved in.

  “Shit!” Jack jerked his head back in the window, unsnapped the seat belt, and yanked his pistol out of his shoulder holster.

  In an instant, the back window of the Charger blew out like an explosion. Shards of glass covered the interior. Jack scrambled to find a vantage point before the man reached his car. He returned fire as he crouched between the seats. The man ducked, and Jack lost sight of him. He jerked his head from side to side trying to locate his attacker.

  He dug through his coat pockets as he tried to stay low. The seats were his only protection. “Where the hell is my phone?” Jack swatted at his rear pants pocket then felt it. He fished it out while keeping watch. More gunfire broke through the night sky—this time even closer than before.

  Jack heard the hiss of the Charger’s tires going flat. His extra magazine was in the glove box. At that rate, he’d need it. Jack lay on the seat and reached across the dash. He popped open the glove box and pulled out the magazine as he took on more gunfire. He had to get his attacker to retreat or he’d be a sitting duck—he knew in his gut it was Warren.

  Jack fired blindly toward the ditch through the blown-out window. Then he kicked open the passenger door and scrambled to the ground. He took cover by the front wheel well. With his back pressed against the tire, he held his breath and listened. The familiar crunching sound of shoes crossing the snow would give away the location of his assailant.

  Nearby, an engine turned over and broke the silence as Jack’s attacker floored his car in Reverse. The wheels spun until they hit pavement, then the car launched backward, skidding left and right until it reached the intersection. Jack leapt from his squatting position and fired toward the headlights until his gun was empty. The ejected magazine bounced off the ground and he popped in the new one and continued firing, but the car had already spun around the corner and disappeared.

  “Son of a bitch!” Jack jumped inside the Charger and found his phone lying on the seat. He hit the contact button for Horbeck and listened as the phone rang.

  “Hey, boss, forget something?”

  “That murdering piece of shit just ambushed me.”

  “What the hell, Jack? Are you okay?”

  “I’m shaken up but still breathing, and I don’t see blood leaking anywhere. My car is destroyed, and he’s in the wind. Last I saw, he was heading west on Creek Drive, but he could have turned off on any side street. I want him found now! Call Sanders and tell him to get all of his available units out looking for Warren Ricks. Radio every deputy to report to work and tell them to block Washington Street west of University Drive. We’re going to corral that son of a bitch tonight.”

  “I’m on it, boss. Tell Jamison where you are, and he’ll come get you.”

  Jack was back at the sheriff’s office an hour after he left, rattled but okay. His car would be towed to the evidence garage in the morning. Finding Warren Ricks took priority that night.

  Jack plopped down in Clayton’s desk chair. “What I’d give for a stiff drink right now.” He shook his head then pressed his palms against his temples. “Tell me you’ve heard from Atlanta.”

  “Nothing yet, boss.”

  “Get them on the horn. I want them to rattle Lea Lynch’s cage right now. I don’t give a shit what they say to make her talk. Tell them to let her know if she doesn’t give up Warren Ricks location, then Tony is going to get the needle for orchestrating the murder of Marvin Myers and planning the murder of two law enforcement agents. Have them remind her that Georgia is a death penalty state.” Jack slammed the desk with his open hand. “I want Warren Ricks in my jail tonight, where I can look him straight in the eyes and tell him how he’s going to live out the rest of his useless life in a federal prison.”

  Chapter 59

  With the windshield cracked and the driver’s-side headlight blown out, Warren found it difficult to see his way back to the opposite side of town. He needed to get that car off the road as soon as possible and stash it behind the garage at the rental unit. Luckily, the homeowner spent winters in Florida, and he had the property all to himself.

  Taking every side road he could find on the outskirts of town, he made his way west and avoided Washington Street altogether. That stretch of road was too brightly lit from retail stores, and he didn’t want to attract attention to his vehicle. He was sure the cops had that street staked out, anyway.

  Warren chuckled at having scared the lieutenant and put a damper on his night. His intentions weren’t to kill the man but to show him who was in charge. The adrenaline rush Warren gained would fuel the fire that he was about to ignite at the Monroe household.

  He turned in to the rental’s darkened driveway just as the car began to make hissing noises. The radiator had probably been hit too. The car would remain behind the garage for the rest of his stay. Getting around would be a problem, but it would also make him and his movements invisible to the law. Warren trudged through the snow to the enclosed porch room he had been staying in and made a call to the number he’d seen in the local free-advertising newspaper. He would use a cheap car service to get around town from now on. He’d let Lea worry about how to get him back to Georgia.

  Chapter 60

  Horbeck hung up from the call to the Atlanta PD. He turned to Jack and shrugged. “You aren’t going to like this, boss.”

  Jack groaned in advance. “Go ahead.”

  “Lea said she’ll talk after they get her a pizza and offer a deal in writing. She’ll review their offer over dinner.”

  “What a piece of work. This better be her only chance—a one-time offer. They need to start working on Mark Lynch and James Ross too.”

  “It sounds like they’re working both of them pretty hard, Jack. They’ve been informed that the first person to cough up reliable information gets the deal. The rest of the offers will be taken off the table and won’t be reintroduced.”

  Jack smirked. “So Lea must think she’s sitting in the driver’s seat by asking for pizza like she has all the time in the world. The rest of the crew must answer to her and only her, so that’s telling me she’s second in charge after Tony. We’ll find a way to use that to our advantage. She might get a deal on one offense, but believe me, she isn’t smart enough to read between the lines. I want to review that offer before she sets eyes on it.”

  Horbeck took a seat at his desk and picked up the phone. “I’ll let Atlanta know that right now.”

  Jamison crossed his knee over his leg and stared at the ceiling. “Should I call everyone back in, boss?”

  “We’re going to need Clayton and Billings in case we get a location on Warren soon. The more people available to storm his place, the better.”

  “How about Amber and Kate?”

  “After seeing w
hat Warren is capable of tonight, I’d rather they stay home where they’re safe. Knowing Jade, she’d go off half-cocked too.”

  “He did try to kill her. She has a vested interest in seeing him apprehended.”

  Jack nodded. “I know, but they’re better off at home. They already have a huge target on their backs, plus the roads are getting worse as the night goes on. I’d feel a lot better if the entire ordeal was over before they heard a peep from any of us. I’ll deal with their snarls myself.”

  “Okay, I’ll let the guys know.” Jamison grabbed his desk phone and called Clayton and Billings. They both said they were on their way.

  Horbeck hung up from his call and started a pot of coffee. “Atlanta is putting together a deal right now. They’re going to email it over in a few minutes for your approval or suggestions on how to tweak it before Lea has it in her hands.”

  “Good enough. I want her to focus on thinking we’ll take the death sentence for Tony off the table if she cooperates. We’ll say Warren will be the only one responsible for killing Marvin and that she, as well as Mark and James, will get a pass on that. She’ll think she’s home free. What she won’t see written in that deal is that we’re still going to charge all of them for conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder on a federal agent. That in itself is a possible life sentence. That old hag isn’t getting away with anything, and none of the deals will be honored unless we have Warren in custody.”

  Minutes later, Clayton and Billings entered the bull pen.

  “Jesus, Jack, are you okay?” Clayton took a seat next to Jack in his own guest chair.

  Jack swiped the air. “I’m good, just really pissed right now. Can’t say my Charger went unscathed, though. That car is a total loss.” Jack stood and paced. “You know I don’t do well at waiting.”

  Horbeck jiggled his computer mouse. “Here we go. I just got an email attachment from Atlanta. Let’s see what it says.”

  “Print it out so I can write in the margins. We’ll scan it and send it back. I’ll add a note to the PD to tell Lea she has fifteen minutes to sign it or Tony will be moved to death row. She has no idea the legal system doesn’t actually work that way, but it should be enough to make her give up Warren’s location.”

  Chapter 61

  “This is fine. Just drop me off at the next corner.”

  “You got it, sir.” The young man, who supplemented his income by driving people around town in his own car, slowed to the curb.

  “How much?” Warren slipped off his glove and pulled the wallet from his back pocket.

  “It’s twelve bucks. Do you need a pickup later?”

  Warren muttered under his breath. “Yeah, I’m not sure. How about giving me your card? Are you available around the clock?”

  The driver took a card out of the cup holder and handed it to Warren. “I’m available as long as the weather doesn’t get too gnarly.”

  “Good enough.” Warren handed him a ten and a five and exited the car. He held his position until the driver left the area. With his hood pulled up and his coat zipped to his chin, he headed south. He had a mile walk ahead of him before he reached Ashbury Woods. The Monroe house—and the women inside, who were about to die—were located at the end of the cul-de-sac.

  Warren trudged through the snow that blanketed the sidewalk in the predominantly residential neighborhood. One subdivision led into another, and he weaved in and out from street to street until he reached the entrance to Ashbury Woods. When he saw a city police car turn in at the columns, he dipped into the shadows of the clubhouse. Bracing himself against the wall, he stayed as flat as possible and watched as the squad car turned in to Jade’s cul-de-sac. It made its rounds, flashed the spotlight several times, causing Warren to duck behind a dumpster, then pulled out and drove away.

  He sucked in a deep, frigid breath and headed for the woods behind the homes.

  That was close.

  Warren pushed back his sleeve and checked the time. He made a mental note to check it often in case the cops were making hourly wellness checks of the house. He recognized the back of Jade’s home. When he saw it, the blanket of snow helped to lighten the way to the gas meter.

  Warren crouched and took off for the side of the house. He hoped to stay low enough that the cameras wouldn’t catch his movements. He reached the back wall without alerting the motion detectors. He was good to go as long as he stayed under the soffits and against the wall, where he was well hidden from the cameras. With a few short bursts from his flashlight, Warren found the wires that connected the cameras and security system to the house’s electrical box. He snipped them then looked up at the camera mounted at the corner. It stopped rotating. It was possible that the security system was backed up by battery, but it wouldn’t matter before long.

  Soon enough, gas would leak into the house and render the women senseless. He skirted the house to the opposite side and knelt at the gas meter. The window well to Kate’s bedroom was nearby. He’d have to separate the pipes as quietly as possible. Wrong moves and dropped tools weren’t an option. Warren held the small flashlight in his teeth and loosened the screws. He pulled out the wrench from his pocket and turned the pipe to the left. He held his breath when it creaked from the cold. He waited and watched for lights then carried on. With the pipes separated at the wall, he removed the fittings and listened. He heard the hiss of escaping gas. It wouldn’t be long now.

  Chapter 62

  “I hope everything is under control at the sheriff’s office and Jack actually went home to rest.”

  I gave Kate a quick smile. “If only rainbows, leprechauns, and unicorns were real. Nothing is ever under control, and Jack has always said he’d rest when he’s six feet under.”

  Kate swiped my comment away. “Rainbows are real.”

  Jade grabbed the remote. “Let’s focus on something fun like a good reality show. The weather sucks, and hopefully Warren Ricks has retreated to his hole for the night. That way nobody has to deal with him in this snow and cold, and you and your team of excellent detectives can nail his ass tomorrow.”

  “Should I call Jack?” Kate reached for her cell phone.

  Jade got up and filled three wineglasses. “What the hell for? Let the man have a night of beer, TV, and rest. He’ll be back at the grind first thing in the morning.” She grinned. “Warren Ricks isn’t going anywhere.”

  Kate rubbed her brow and rolled her neck. “That wasn’t funny.”

  “Shush and drink your wine. It’s Saturday night, so take a load off. There will be more than enough drama to keep everyone busy tomorrow.”

  I dumped a bag of potato chips into a bowl and plopped down on the couch. “I’m getting really tired. One show and then I’m off to bed. I think we all deserve a good night’s sleep.”

  “I won’t be able to sleep,” Jade said.

  Kate gave her a glance. “Why’s that?”

  “Because Jack promised to take me car shopping tomorrow. It’ll be a blast.”

  I chuckled. “Like he has time.”

  “Humph, and here I thought you guys were good detectives. You need to have Warren in lockup by morning so I can have Jack for the rest of the day.”

  “Is there something going around?”

  I turned to Kate and gave her a curious frown. “Meaning?”

  “I don’t know. I’m getting a headache and starting to feel lethargic.”

  “Lightweight. You just can’t handle the wine.” Jade stood and stumbled alongside the recliner then laughed. “Oops, maybe I can’t handle the wine either.”

  Chapter 63

  The phone on Clayton’s desk rang. Jack grabbed it and answered. “Lieutenant Jack Steele here.” He pressed Speakerphone and handed the receiver to Clayton.

  “Lieutenant Steele, it’s Captain Michaels at the downtown Atlanta PD. We’ve gone over the offer with Lea Lynch, and she has signed it.”

  Jack fist pumped the air. “And?”

  “And we’ve made it perfectly clear to h
er that if she’s bullshitting us about Warren’s location, the offer will be null and void and there won’t be a second one.”

  “She didn’t ask any questions?”

  “Nope. Just like you thought, as soon as she saw the words ‘death penalty’ crossed out alongside Tony’s name, she skimmed over the rest and signed at the bottom of the sheet.”

  “Good, so she doesn’t even realize that she’s still on the hook for other charges?”

  “Apparently not.”

  “Okay, so all I need to know now is the location of Warren Ricks.”

  “She doesn’t know how to direct anyone there since she’s never been to Wiscon—”

  Jack interrupted. “I only need the address.”

  “Sure. It sounds like it’s an enclosed porch at the back of somebody’s house. Probably never permitted and likely rented out discreetly on the internet. She said her neighbor booked it for her under her husband’s name.”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “No wonder we couldn’t find it. And the address is?”

  “It’s 63405 Sunnyslope Road, somewhere off a major street through town.”

  “Yep, that would be Washington Street. We’re on our way, and I’ll keep you posted. Your department has been extremely helpful, Captain Michaels. Thank you.” Jack clicked off the call. “Let’s head to the conference room and check the wall map. We need to know how many ways there are in and out of Sunnyslope Road.”

  The team checked the inbound and outbound streets that connected with that road. Sunnyslope dead-ended at a marsh a mile back. There was only one way in and out off Scenic Drive, which intersected with Washington Street going north, and south, it traveled deeper into dark country roads.

  Jack jerked his head at Jamison. “Call Schmitz and tell him to move the roadblock to Scenic and Sunnyslope. I don’t want to give Warren Ricks an escape route. Tell him we’re on our way and have his men prepared to back us up if necessary.”