Vendetta

by C. M. Sutter

  The team of five geared up, and after securing his vest, Jamison made the call. Five minutes later, they climbed into a cruiser and an Explorer and headed west on the snow-covered streets. The drive to Scenic, where the team turned left, took fifteen minutes in the weather. Luckily, the streets were nearly traffic-free because of the snow and late hour.

  The Explorer slowed as Jack rolled down his window at the barricade. Schmitz exited his car and walked to the SUV.

  “Boss, both sides of Sunnyslope are secure. Ricks has nowhere to go if he tries to make a run for it.”

  Jack peered out the window and pointed ahead. “He wouldn’t get far, anyway. There’s no indication that this snow is going to let up tonight. The plows won’t be out until morning. According to the address and map, the house is about a half mile in on the left. It’s probably a non-permitted addition to a single family home.” Jack tipped his head to the right. “Keep your eyes peeled at the woods in case he tries to escape on foot. I may have gotten off a few rounds into his car earlier.”

  “You got it, Lieutenant. He won’t get past us.”

  Jack raised the window and turned down Sunnyslope Road. Clayton sat shotgun, and Billings took up the backseat. Jamison and Horbeck followed in the cruiser.

  Sunnyslope was a quiet narrow road devoid of streetlights. Older homes and small farmettes dotted both sides of the road. The crunching of tires on snow would give away their approach. If Warren Ricks was lying in wait, he’d definitely hear them coming.

  Brake lights flashed, and the SUV stopped. Jack climbed out of the Explorer and walked back to the cruiser. “We better hoof it the rest of the way in. We don’t need to give him a heads-up that we’re coming.” Jack pulled his stocking cap down over his ears. “Park as close to the shoulder as you can in case we need to turn around quickly. Personally, I’d rather block the road, but since other people live out here, I can’t do it with a clear conscience. There’s always the chance that somebody still needs to leave home tonight.”

  Jack returned to his vehicle and parked along the shoulder with the cruiser snugged up behind him. The five men began the approach on foot with a quarter mile to go.

  They reached the modest home with a detached garage and a pole shed. The lights inside the enclosed porch were illuminated, but with the blinds and curtains drawn, they found it impossible to confirm that somebody was there.

  Jack knelt and looked at the ground for tire tracks, but with the continuous snowfall, they would have been covered quickly, anyway. He huddled his group. “Let’s check the outbuildings first. I want to know if that Altima is here or not. Jamison, you and Horbeck check the garage, and we’ll take the pole shed. Watch for shoeprints in the snow—that bastard can be anywhere.”

  They parted ways at the edge of the driveway. Jack, Clayton, and Billings walked west to the pole shed, and Horbeck and Jamison skirted the side of the driveway to the garage. They stayed under tree cover in case Warren was watching from the house.

  Jack turned the doorknob on the shed, but it was locked. He pushed the button on his flashlight and pressed the lens against the window. The area looked to be used as storage. An old rowboat and two dirt bikes, along with yard equipment, filled the space. They circled the building and found nothing else.

  A soft owl-like hoot caught Jack’s attention. “Come on. That’s Horbeck’s alert. Let’s see what they found.”

  The men met up with Jamison and Horbeck at the side of the garage.

  “Over here, guys. The Altima is behind the garage.”

  Hidden from view of the house, Jack flashed his light on the vehicle and walked around it. A hole in the windshield spiderwebbed the glass on the passenger side, and the left headlamp was blown out.

  “At least I hit the car. Too bad I was a little too far to the right on the windshield.” Jack pressed the back of his hand against the hood. “Cold. He probably came back here right after our little meet and greet.”

  Clayton leaned down in front of the grille and pointed. “Looks like you hit the radiator too. This car is dead to the world.”

  “Good. That doesn’t give him a convenient means of transportation anymore.” Jack pulled the door handle and opened it then popped the trunk. He looked at Horbeck, who shook his head.

  “It’s empty, boss.”

  “Okay, time to breach the house. There’s no question this is where he’s staying.” Jack pointed at the only rear entrance. “That porch is likely his quarters. I have no idea if the rest of the house is locked off from that room, but at least it doesn’t appear that anyone else is here. Horbeck and Jamison, I want you to cover the front of the house. Billings, keep your eyes peeled for any movement at that cellar door, and Clayton and I will bust through the porch room. We need to take him by surprise before he has a chance to react. Any questions?”

  Everyone shook their heads—it was time to go.

  Chapter 64

  Jack and Clayton inched up the three steps to the door of the porch room. Jack tipped his ear and listened. He shook his head at Clayton—it was dead silent inside. He drew his gun and mouthed, “One. Two. Three.” He cocked his leg, and with a hard kick, the door flew off the hinges and fell inward.

  The two men stormed the room to find the main area empty.

  Clayton burst through the bathroom door and cleared that space. “He isn’t here, boss.”

  “Maybe not, but take a look at this.” Jack stood alongside a small table whose surface was covered in pictures of Jade and Kate. Scribbled notes included their addresses, workplaces, and types of vehicles they drove. He noticed a bag sitting on the chair, reached for it, and looked inside. “Sure as shit, here’s a bag of bullets for that proverbial smoking gun. We have more than enough evidence here to put him away for good.” Jack turned to Clayton. “We need to open up this house and clear it. He could be hiding somewhere inside. Tell Billings to have Jamison and Horbeck gain entrance through the front.” He tipped his head at the door that entered into the main quarters. “We’ll go through here.” Jack gave the wooden door a couple of hard thrusts with his shoulder and broke the framework.

  They walked into the darkened space with guns and flashlights drawn. Jack heard Jamison and Horbeck enter through the front. Methodically, they checked every closet, under each bed, and behind every piece of furniture. They searched the basement and attic, but Warren Ricks wasn’t there. Once more, he was in the wind.

  Jack groaned. “We need Forensics out here to go over this place. I want all of this evidence gathered up and taken to the sheriff’s office tonight.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Where the hell did he go?” Jack looked out into the blustery night. “He couldn’t have gotten far on foot.”

  Chapter 65

  He had waited long enough—he was cold and wet. Warren pushed back the sleeve of his coat and checked the time as headlights circled the cul-de-sac, followed by the taillights disappearing down the snow-covered street.

  Yep, another drive-by of the Monroe house. Now that the cops won’t be back for an hour, I can take my time with those bitches. They have to be unconscious by now.

  He stood and brushed the snow off his pants then headed for the side door. He jimmied the lock with the wrench and screwdriver then entered the garage. Inside, the Prius and Kate’s red Civic were parked next to each other. Warren rounded the cars and headed to the interior door. Once that door was opened, there would be no turning back. There would be either dead silence or shrill alarms, which might stir the women awake and alert the local police station.

  Warren pressed the button on his flashlight and found the wall switch. He flipped it, and the garage lit up. He followed the wires around the doorframe and found that the alarm was hardwired through the wall. He cut those wires as a safety measure but still didn’t know what would happen once he turned the knob. With his right hand, he grasped it and turned it to the right. The door creaked open.

  He waited for the alarm to wail, but the house was silent. Warren peered around t
he door. He was in the laundry room, and the heavy smell of gas fumes filled his lungs. He held back a cough and covered his mouth and nose with a kitchen towel he’d found in the laundry basket. He continued on into the kitchen, where the odor was the strongest. The noxious gas was making him light-headed—he had to open the slider to get some fresh air before he passed out. Warren needed to kill the women and leave before he was overcome by fumes. He would have to shelve his idea of torturing Jade and Kate before murdering them.

  He sucked in the cold outdoor air as he stood at the patio doors before continuing down the hallway. An open door to his right led to an office. Two closed doors and a hallway bathroom lay ahead. He flicked his flashlight and opened the first door, where he saw the shape of somebody lying in bed. A moan sounded, and the person rolled over. He shined the light in her face—it was Jade.

  She sprang up then fell back against the headboard. She tried to rise again. She reached out, her hands slapping frantically, searching for the gun on her nightstand.

  He smirked. “Looking for this, bitch?” Warren held her service weapon then tossed it out of her reach.

  “No, no, no, this can’t be happening.” Jade’s voice was frantic and raspy. She tried to stand, but her knees buckled under her weight. She toppled to the floor. Warren kicked her in the back as she lay in the dark, trying to feel for her gun.

  “I’m finally getting my chance to finish you off. All three of you are dying tonight. Your guns won’t save you since the house is full of gas. One spark and we all go up in flames.”

  Jade screamed for help as he kicked her again. She grabbed his leg and pushed, trying to make him lose his balance, but he jerked it away. Warren grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down the hallway as she kicked and screamed.

  The opposite door opened, and Amber, barely able to stand, appeared in the hallway. She held a gun between her outstretched, shaking hands. “Leave my sister alone and get on the floor! Jade, call the cops!” Amber’s voice was thick and slurred. She wobbled and slumped to her knees.

  Warren held his position and laughed. “Go ahead and shoot me. The house will explode as soon as you pull that trigger.”

  Jade cried out to her sister. “The house is full of gas, Amber. You can’t fire your gun!”

  Warren charged Amber as she tried to stand. He kicked the gun out of her hand and threw her across the room. “Mind your own business, little sister. This isn’t your fight. You’ll get yours after the other two.” Warren pulled out his pocketknife and turned to Jade. “You’re first.”

  With only three feet between them, Jade pushed herself up from the ground and lunged at him, knocking him off-balance and sending him into the coffee table. Amber grabbed a barstool and swung blindly, catching him in the right arm and sending the knife spinning across the kitchen floor. Warren rose up with his face contorted in rage. He charged again and sent Amber crashing into the kitchen table, where she dropped to the floor.

  “It’s just you and me, bitch, so let’s get this over with.”

  Warren turned to look for his knife but instead found himself face-to-face with Kate. Holding a twelve-inch butcher knife, she swung it fast and hard.

  Chapter 66

  Clayton ran across the house to find Jack. “Boss, North Bend PD just alerted dispatch that a silent alarm was triggered at Jade’s house. The nearest patrol unit is en route.”

  “Son of a bitch, it has to be Warren. Let’s go!” The men ran to their vehicles with Jack yelling commands as he dove into the driver’s seat. “Get Sanders on the phone. Tell him to dispatch every patrol car he can to Jade’s house immediately. Warren Ricks is armed and dangerous. We have no idea what he’s capable of after the stunt he pulled on me earlier. Make sure they know that.” Jack handed Clayton his cell phone as he spun the Explorer around and gunned it down the road in four-wheel drive. “Try Jade’s number. Billings, call Amber and see if she picks up.”

  “Nobody is answering, boss,” Billings said. “I’ll try Kate’s phone.”

  Jack jerked his head at Clayton. “Anything?”

  “It goes straight to voicemail.”

  Jack slammed on his brakes at the end of Sunnyslope. The Explored skidded to a stop next to the cruiser Schmitz was sitting in. Jack yelled out his window. “Keep one car here in case he comes back. I want the rest of you to follow me to the Monroe house and block the entrance to Ashbury Woods once we get there.”

  “You got it, Lieutenant. We’ll be right behind you.”

  Jack led the way through town with lights and sirens engaged. The drive to Jade’s house would take at least fifteen minutes in the slippery conditions.

  “I need an update, Clayton. Call the PD’s dispatch desk and find out if their patrol units have arrived yet.” Jack pounded his fist on the steering wheel. “Damn it, it’s all my fault. I thought they were safe in the house, and it was the worst place for them to be.”

  “Boss, there’s no way you could have known.” Clayton covered his cell’s microphone with his hand. “Hang on. Dispatch just answered.” Clayton ran his questions across the PD’s dispatch operator. He turned to Jack. “She’s getting me an update.” Worry crossed Clayton’s face. “Two ambulances have just been sent to Jade’s address, Jack.”

  “Son of a bitch!” Jack pressed the gas pedal deeper against the floor. The Explorer wobbled then corrected itself. “Get a phone number for anyone who’s on site. Have the cops even gotten there yet?”

  “Give me a second to find out.”

  “Billings, call Jade’s number again. Call all of them.”

  “Yep, I’m on it.” Billings tried again, starting with Jade. “She still doesn’t answer.”

  “Keep calling.”

  Billings dialed Kate’s number, and she picked up on the third ring. “Boss, Kate just picked up. She sounds okay. Here. Take the phone.” Billings handed his phone over the seat to Jack.

  “Kate, what the hell is going on? Are you guys okay?” Jack handed the phone to Clayton. “Put it on Speakerphone before I crash this vehicle.” He heard Kate’s voice crack.

  “Yes, we’ll be okay. Please get here as soon as you can and call the gas company. They need to shut our service off. It’s an emergency.”

  “Gas company?”

  “Please, boss, I’ll explain everything when you get here.”

  Jack hung up and nodded to Clayton to make the call. He turned in to the Ashbury Woods subdivision at two o’clock, and city police were already posted at the entrance. Jack lowered his window, showed his badge, and was waved through. Jamison followed the Explorer.

  “Holy shit, the cul-de-sac is lit up like a Christmas tree,” Clayton said.

  In front of Jade’s condo sat four squad cars, light bars still flashing, the personal truck belonging to Chief Sanders, and two fire department ambulances.

  Billings looked over his shoulder out the rear window. “I think the gas company truck is taking up the rear.”

  Jack got as close as he could and pulled to the curb. He jumped out of the vehicle, and he and his four detectives ran toward the house. “What in the hell is going on?”

  The entire yard was lit up, and all the doors stood open. Snow blew into the house. Jade, Amber, and Kate sat in the back of an open ambulance, covered in blankets and shaking while they were being checked out by two EMTs. Oxygen masks covered their mouths and noses. Jack ran to the ambulance.

  “What happened? Are they going to be okay?”

  “They’ll be fine tomorrow, Lieutenant. Right now, Jade and Amber are still a bit disoriented. They probably have raging headaches too.”

  Jade waved Jack toward her.

  Jack gave her a nod then called his men over. “Get in the house and see what happened. Preserve whatever evidence you can and get Forensics out here immediately. I need to check on my detectives and Jade.”

  Clayton rounded up the crew. “You got it, sir.”

  Jack opened the ambulance doors wider and peered in. “Are you three okay?”


  Amber pulled down her mask. “The EMTs said that we will be by tomorrow. Jack, Warren released gas into the house to knock us out and then attacked us. We were barely conscious when he broke in.” Amber’s voice cracked, and she began to sob. Jade wrapped her arms around her only sister.

  Jack noticed Kate silently staring at the floor. “Kate, are you all right?”

  Jade reached for Kate’s hand as her own tears flowed. “Kate saved our lives. If it wasn’t for her…” Jade’s voice trailed off, and she closed her eyes.

  The EMT shut the ambulance door. “They’re still groggy from the fumes, Lieutenant. We need to get them to the hospital now. They’ll be staying overnight for observation.”

  “Okay, I’ll head there later. What about Warren Ricks?”

  The EMT pointed. “There’s a man in that ambulance, but I’m not sure of his name. He has a serious neck injury, he’s unconscious, and he’s lost a lot of blood.”

  Jack walked to the second ambulance and peered in. “Is he going to live?”

  “We stopped the bleeding, and no major arteries were hit, so he’ll survive. He’ll be sporting a dandy scar across his neck for life, though.”

  “That sounds perfect to me. He’s handcuffed, right?”

  “He is. Jade took care of that while he was still inside the house. We have him secured to the gurney too.”

  Jack raised his brows. “Jade handcuffed him?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jack let out a long sigh and slapped the side of the ambulance. “Okay, get that piece of shit out of here. I’ll check on all of them as soon as I can.”

  He watched as both ambulances drove away, then turned and headed up the driveway to the house. Inside, the home was filled with police officers, Chief Sanders, and Jack’s own detectives. The living room was in disarray with furniture tossed around from what appeared to be a violent struggle between Warren Ricks and Jade, Amber, and Kate. The broken coffee table lay on the floor, its legs twisted and snapped off. A barstool with the back missing rested on top of it.