by Judy Candis
His words were interrupted by the sound of a crude and funny “pop” and then nothing. Nothing but empty silence. Icy fingers clasped her heart with a death grip.
“Terrell, Terrell!” She was nearly screaming now. If anyone had been in hearing range they would have certainly come running to her aid.
“Well now, that’s one less nigger boy to be trying to get under the skirt of an innocent white girl.” The hateful voice was back.
“Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, what have you done? Put him back on! Oh please, put him back on the phone!”
“No can do. Too late for that. If you want to play games, you need to know who’s the master game player. Now, I have no qualms about offing this other useless nappy-head jungle monkey. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? I want to see Upton walking out of that building in the next two hours. There’d better not be any cops around, because your son will be there watching. When we see Upton, we release your boy.” The line went dead.
Jael slumped against the wall. Oh God, she had let anger kill Terrell. How could she have ever believed this evil would come to a quick resolution? How had she allowed the devil to play her so completely? Where was the victory she’d so heartily believed in just a few hours ago? The battle seemed almost impossible for her to endure. “Dear Lord,” she pleaded softly, tears clouding her eyes, “forgive me. I know you will not put more on me than I can bear.” She spoke the words through obedience, though at this moment they seemed empty and hollow.
Jael had never felt so alone in her life. Never felt as if the world was caving in on her so completely, or that the God she called “Lord” was not supernaturally intervening on her behalf, and bringing this madness to a swift end. And what was even worse, she couldn’t tell anyone about it, share her pain and fear.
“Are you all right, Detective?”
Jael jumped, then quickly straightened from her slumped position against the wall to see Officer Stephanie Woo, a Chinese-American street patroller, moving toward her from a back room. She quickly wiped at her eyes and gave the woman, whom she’d given many pep talks, what she hoped was an encouraging smile.
“Yeah, yes, just a little work-weary.”
“I can relate. Doing double duty myself, and running late,” Woo said, smiling. Moving off, Woo turned back and said, “Oh yeah, Tammy said you were near the property room and to tell you the Captain’s back.” Then, with a backhand wave she moved toward the exit and out the door.
Jael scanned the hallway for any other observers, then closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. The impact of what had just occurred slammed through her soul, and once again she nearly collapsed from the horror of it all. Steadying herself with one hand against the wall, she pushed away from it, completely dead inside.
Chapter
35
Her legs were no longer her own. They propelled her by their own will. Her mind had finally crashed. Her eyes were open, but not really seeing. God had deserted her, and for good reason—she’d allowed her anger to cause Terrell’s demise. She’d not followed protocol by involving the Captain. She’d missed her chance to put the matter in the hands of the law. Now she had to do what she had to on her own. Even though a small voice inside her cried that God would not, could not leave her alone, her guilt and pain were too overpowering to allow her to hear it. She felt as if her struggle were hers alone. No guidance, no voice from heaven, nothing but an emptiness and tightness in her chest that hurt so bad it was difficult to breathe. Where are you, Lord, when I need you so desperately? Why won’t you step forward and strike my enemies down?
In a robotic stroll, Jael headed to the left of the station and to Captain Slater’s office. The door was closed. Jael knocked twice.
“Yeah, come in.”
Jael shut her eyes, prayed words she would never be able to recall and stepped inside.
“You’ve been looking for me, Detective? What’s up?”
“Captain, I have a proposal I want you to think about. It may seem far-fetched, but if you will hear me out I think you’ll see that it’s what we need to break this entire case.” Jael moved toward the Captain’s desk, unaware that another person was in the office leaning against the back wall.
“Far-fetched? Like how far?”
“The prisoner we have in custody is just the tip of the iceberg of something much larger and more sinister. We know he’s not talking and will probably never tell us who else is behind his killing spree.”
The Captain leaned back in his chair, giving her a quizzical gaze. “Okay, I agree with you so far. But where is this all going?”
“I think if we play our cards right, we can get this guy to lead us to bigger fish.”
A movement off to her left caught Jael’s eye, and her heart sank as she watched Eric Grant move forward. She hadn’t even known he was in the office.
“And how, may I ask, do you propose we do that?” the Captain asked, never taking his eyes from her.
Jael swallowed. “By releasing the suspect and following him.”
The Captain sat straight in his chair. He stared at her for a moment and then gave her one of his ugly bulldog frowns. After a moment, he began drumming his fingers on the desk and sucked in a deep breath.
“Okay, Jael, I see this case is really getting to you and becoming too much for you to handle. Maybe it’s become a little too personal . . . because of the pending promotion and all. How about I let another of my men take over now? You’ve done an outstanding job so far, but you look like you could use a little rest. Why—”
“No, wait a minute,” Grant interrupted as he stepped closer. “Let’s hear her out. She might be on to something.”
Jael looked over at him and wished she were dead. She turned back to the Captain.
“Think about it. We could get more birds with this one stone—locate the others, get names and addresses and really clean up the town of this kind of filth. We can’t just leave this to a bunch of lawyers ready to make this a federal case and a way to spend more taxpayer dollars. We all know there’s more than just this guy involved. It might work.”
“It can work,” Grant agreed. “Since this is sure to be a federal case, I can have a surveillance team in operation in less than two hours. It could be just what we need to crack this ring and get the big guys at the top.”
Jael held her breath. The words “two hours” scared the beeswax out of her. If Grant got involved, he could delay the release.
“If we’re going to do it, we have to do it now. Make it look like a screwup on our part, and we’re covering our behinds, or whoever he’s working with might get suspicious,” she quickly added.
“No way am I going to allow this,” the Captain said, shaking his head. “It was foolish of you to ask.”
“But, Captain—”
“I said NO. This is the dumbest thing I’ve heard yet. Release a prisoner, Detective? The only suspect we have?”
“I think it might be the only way,” Grant offered.
Captain Slater sucked at his teeth, then twisted his lips. “And you think this might work, Grant?”
“It’s the best idea I’ve heard so far.” Grant nodded his head at Jael, then back at the Captain, waiting for his answer. Jael waited, trying to keep her body from shaking all over.
“Something like this, as you know, has to be cleared through the State Attorney’s Office first. And if it backfires, I don’t want the press trying to hold me responsible for releasing a criminal in this case. They’re already waiting around outside like vultures for us to make a slip.” The Captain began shaking his head again in the negative. “No . . . I just don’t—”
“I’ll take full responsibility,” Grant quickly interjected, placing both his palms on the Captain’s desk. “I’ll get the approval from the State Attorney’s Office, even if I have to pull some federal coattails. The FBI’s not here simply to see that this case is handled by the books, but to completely eradicate this bunch from any further activities.”
“I . . . Well, if you’
re taking it out of my hands,” the Captain said, settling back in his seat with his palms held outward. He gave both Jael and Grant a look she couldn’t decipher. “Then you can do what you feel the FBI thinks necessary.”
“How soon can we move this along?” Jael asked, a little too eagerly.
“Why don’t the two of you work that out. I’ll sit back and see how it plays out. But make damn sure this doesn’t fall back in my lap. This department doesn’t need any more bad press,” the Captain barked. And if the bark had any bite, for once it had little effect on Jael. She was simply glad this part of her plan had worked out so easily.
“Yes, sir. You’ve got it.” Jael glanced over at Grant, gave him a weak smile, then quickly exited the room. She was afraid if she gazed at him any longer, he might see something in her eyes she couldn’t afford to let him see.
Thank you, Lord. Please let this be the right thing I’m doing. Please let this all work out.
Jael was passing the rest rooms, just a few doors away from the Captain’s office, when suddenly she was pushed through the entrance of the men’s room, nearly falling on her face. She heard the loud slam of the door as she fought to keep her balance while swiftly turning to confront her attacker.
Grant was glaring at her, his back against the door to keep out any intruders.
“What the . . . ?” Jael began.
“Okay, talk to me. I want to know right here and now what’s going on with you.” Grant pointed to the floor for emphasis, his eyes burning with intense anger.
“What are you talking about? Let me out of here.” Jael pressed forward, attempting to push Grant aside, but he grabbed her upper arm and held her tightly a few inches away from him. “Let me go,” she hissed. “I have no idea what you mean by stopping me like this.”
Grant released the tension, but not his hold.
“You know exactly what I mean, Jael. Ever since we returned from dinner last night you’ve been acting like another person. I don’t have to have known you for any great length of time to tell you’re scared out of your mind about something. And that little charade you pulled in the Captain’s office has a lot to do with it.”
“You’re wrong. I—”
“Don’t play me, Jael. I just went along with your idea because I could hear the desperation in your voice and I wanted to see what this was all about. Now either tell me what’s going on with you or I march back in there and tell the Captain it’s off.”
Jael threw her palms up against his chest as if to hold him back. “Oh please, Grant, no. Let me do this the way—”
“Then talk to me, and talk to me now.” Grant placed his hands over her palms with a consoling touch.
Jael’s lips began to tremble. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back the tide of tears threatening to break forth, and pulled her hands away to clutch them into fists at her side. She struggled to maintain control, but as she realized what he was asking her to put into words, the reality of it all set in.
At first she couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think of how to say it. Her hand rose to cover her trembling lips; then her entire body began to shake.
“Jael, please . . . talk to me.”
The concern in his voice and the gentle touch of his hand on her shoulder was her undoing. As flashes of Ramon in pain, crying out for her when she couldn’t help him, raced across her mind, it finally all came crashing down on her. Her head slumped and she couldn’t hold back the tears.
“They have my baby! They have Ramon! He was taken last night and unless I release Upton, they’ll kill him just like they did Terrell.”
“What?” Grant’s eyes widened in shocked disbelief.
“I heard it! I heard what couldn’t have been anything but a weapon being fired while I was on the phone with Terrell.” Jael reached out and grabbed Grant’s coat with both hands, her expression naked with pain and desperation. “I know they’ve ki—done something terrible to him. And if I don’t get Upton out of jail today, in two hours, the same thing happens to Ramon.”
Grant was silent, digesting all she was telling him. When he pulled Jael into his arms, the burden she’d endured for too long relieved itself in great sobs of despair. Her entire body heaved against him as she let go of the pent-up anguish. The weight she carried for so long gradually began to ebb with the knowledge that finally someone else knew, finally there was someone to share the fear and pain. Grant held her until the shaking began to subside.
As the racking moans turned into pain-riddled sobs, Grant gently pushed Jael back to look into her eyes. “Jael, do you understand what’s happening here?”
She tilted her chin, struggling to hold back more tears. “Of course I understand. I have two hours to get Upton out of jail!”
Grant put his finger to her lips and shook his head. “You’re allowing your fear to play right into their hands. I’ve seen too many of these kidnappings not to know that it’s rarely that simple.” His strong features creased with worry.
“No, don’t say it.”
“Listen to me, just listen,” Grant hushed her. “We’re going to follow through with the release, but you have to trust me and let me handle this.”
“I can’t. I’m being watched. I was going to inform the Captain earlier but things escalated too fast. I—”
“Jael, I want you to walk back to your desk as casually as possible. When I come up to you, begin screaming at me like you hate my guts.”
“Wha—”
“Just do it. Say something like you wish I’d leave your case alone, or something to that effect, which will make anyone watching believe you’re trying to get rid of me so you can follow through with what they want. After I leave, wait about fifteen or twenty minutes, then head to your squad car—not your Bronco; the press might see you—and drive off. Do you understand?”
“Should I tell the Captain?”
“Just go directly to your desk. Trust me.”
She took a deep breath. “All right.”
“All right. Play the angry role, then after a while go get in your squad car and drive away. Let me do what I’m trained to do and you do what you know how to do.”
“What’s that?”
“Pray.”
Chapter
36
Minutes passed like drug-intoxicated hours. Jael could barely stand the waiting, watching everyone who moved around the office with looks of suspicion, because now everyone was a suspect. At the same time, her eyes fell consistently toward the phone on her desk.
At one point, she was so intently studying the phone and thinking how such an inanimate object could be the epitome of so much fear, she didn’t hear Grant walk up behind her. When he touched her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin. She didn’t have to pretend.
“What is wrong with you? You scared the daylights out of me!”
“Sorry, didn’t know you were so jumpy.” Grant stepped back holding his hands up in front of him. A broad smile crossed his face. “Just thought we could go celebrate our first arrest together.”
“Celebrate? Are you insane? I’ve told you before, leave me alone. Don’t you understand English, or should I write it in some kind of FBI code. LEAVE ME ALONE!”
The change on Grant’s face was so abrupt Jael almost rose from her seat to apologize.
“You’re coming through loud and clear, Detective,” he said, turning his shocked expression into one of anger. “I guess the name they call you around here was well earned.” Grant made a gesture of tipping an imaginary hat. “Consider me a thing of the past.” With that, he pivoted and left the office.
Watching him leave the squad room, Jael noticed the three duty officers standing in varying parts of the room, transfixed in their spots while pretending not to have overheard her outburst. She offered them each an ugly scowl, which sent them all quickly back to whatever errand they were doing before her shouting match with Grant.
Jael had partly risen from her seat while acting out her part with Grant. Now she slumped
back into her chair, drained.
What the heck am I doing? I don’t have time for these games when my son’s life is in jeopardy. I need to be getting Upton out of jail, not waiting around for precious minutes to pass.
She wondered how Grant expected her to sit patiently for fifteen or twenty minutes while he did whatever it was he was doing. And exactly what was he doing? Was he talking to the Captain, putting plans into action to rescue her son?
When Sills walked in, Jael was grateful for the diversion.
“Hey, partner. What you got going?” Jael prayed her voice gave nothing away of her anxiety.
Sills flopped in his seat before answering, then grabbed his trusty pencil and began circling it around his fingers. “A team from the prosecutor’s office is in the conference room poring over the Upton file. I hope you don’t mind, but when you couldn’t be found I had to take what was on your desk and hand it over to them.”
“Thanks, Sills, you’ve covered my butt a lot lately. I won’t forget it.”
“You’d better not. But if I can be so bold, what the heck is going on with you? I just saw your FBI friend storm out of here. Is he the reason you’ve been miles away from this case? Normally, you would be all over the prosecutor and defense lawyer. This just ain’t like you.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve had other things on my mind, and it hasn’t been that FBI agent. I’m just so concerned about whoever else might be involved with Upton and these murders.”
“What’s this fascination with the phone all of a sudden?”
Sills was a good detective, and Jael realized now that she should have known his keen and observant nature would soon start formulating a reason for her actions. Besides that, he could certainly be the one telling those guys what she was doing.
“Okay, I’m busted. It’s my ex-husband and a personal matter that I have unfortunately allowed to interfere with my work.”
“He’s threatening to seek custody of Ramon again?”
Jael jumped at this line of thinking. “He’s gone way past threatening. He’s got a lawyer. Can you believe it?”