Law of Five

by Robin Mahle

  ***

  “Scarborough here.”

  “They found the woman, Nick. I’m sorry.” Myers hesitated. “They didn’t get to her in time.”

  Nick looked down at Katie, still huddled in a ball next to him, dabbing her eyes. “For Christ’s sake.” He felt as though he had been beaten. Marshall was gone and now so was the woman. Number five.

  “They got Hayden Jennings, though, and he’s talking,” Myers continued. “Richmond police say he’s spilling everything he’s got.”

  “They’re all dead now. What the hell does it matter?” Nick replied.

  Katie turned her eyes to him. He immediately regretted the comment.

  “Because we got the kid in Virginia and Sparks is holding this new suspect and he might know about others involved too. This thing isn’t over, Nick. We both know that.”

  “Just—just give me a few minutes, okay. I gotta sort through this here at the hospital.”

  “Is Detective Avery all right?” Myers asked.

  Nick didn’t want to answer the question; not in front of Katie. “I’ll call you later. Just talk to Richmond, talk to the Sparks Police, and find out what you can. See if you can brief the Las Vegas field office too. We need some goddam help here.” He ended the call.

  Captain Hearn offered Katie a cup of water. She reluctantly took hold and managed a small sip, placing it onto the side table. “What’s going on?” he asked Nick.

  “They found the woman. We were too late. They caught the suspect, though, so now we’ve got two of them. Myers is working to find the others. That’s all I got. Hell, I don’t even know if this thing is over yet.”

  Hearn looked to Katie and Nick could see the question forming on his face. He wanted to know what to do about her. She couldn’t be alone. Not right now, but Nick still had a case to solve. There were others out there following Shalot’s lead. He didn’t know what the hell to do next.

  “I’ll keep her with me. We’ve got a spare room.” Hearn said.

  “I’m not leaving without seeing Marshall,” Katie said.

  “I know, but I need to take care of some things. The captain’s going to take you to his home, okay?” Nick replied.

  “You know, you haven’t been to the house since we converted Sydney’s room. She left for college this year, remember?” the captain said.

  Katie didn’t reply.

  Nick motioned Hearn away from her for a moment. “Look, don’t let her see him until they’ve got him cleaned up. She doesn’t need to remember him that way. I gotta see Myers, but I’ll be in touch.”

  Hearn shook his head. “I’ll take care of her. She’s one of mine, remember?”

  Nick patted Hearn on the back and walked towards Katie again. “I’ll be back soon. Captain’s gonna see to it that you get to say goodbye.” He gently pressed his lips against the top of her head.

  23

  THE CLOCK IN the waiting room ticked far too loudly, further amplifying the headache that had worked its way from the base of her neck to the top of her forehead. Three hours had passed and Katie still had not been allowed to see him. Thirst and hunger settled in, neither mattering a single bit to her right now. She’d rejected the offer of a mild sedative, instead ensuring that she felt the pain, not wanting to numb it away.

  Saying the words still seemed impossible. Admitting that he was gone; unbearable. This was not her life. What had she done to deserve this? Losing those who meant everything to her.

  Katie placed a hand on her stomach, recalling that a part of him had lived in her, if only for a few short weeks. She’d regretted the relief she felt when it was over. As if it had been too much; the thought of motherhood, the thought of bringing to life a part of Marshall.

  It wasn’t her fault and her head knew that, but her heart didn’t agree. Now she had nothing of him. Material things, yes. An empty apartment that he owned, full of his things. That wasn’t nearly enough. She wanted him back. He came into her life at a time when she needed him. What was she supposed to do now?

  “Katie?” Captain Hearn approached her from the front desk. “They said you could see him now.” He helped her unsteady legs find their ground.

  She leaned on him for support as he led her to say goodbye.

  Marshall wasn’t in the morgue, lying on a cold steel slab. Instead he was in a private room, covered from head to toe with a white sheet. The room was dimly lit, the lowering sun casting a grey light through the thin curtains. Captain Hearn turned on a switch and a florescent light in the ceiling above his body illuminated. The ugly glow threw shadows against the undulations of his sheeted frame. Katie turned to the captain.

  “I’ll be right outside,” he said, closing the door until it rested just against the casing as he stepped out.

  Katie was weak, shattered from the pain, but she moved towards him, unsure if she could pull back the sheet from his face. The tears flowed freely once again, her heart aching at the sight, the kind of ache that felt like her heart might just stop beating.

  She rested her hand on his covered arm. He felt cold through the sheet. The reality started to bear down on her now. He was here, but it wasn’t him. Not anymore. The last time she looked upon a dead body it was her closest friend. Only, he had been there with her. Helped her through it. She was alone now.

  Katie took hold of the sheet and gently, slowly pulled it down to his neck. His eyes were closed; his face was an unsettling shade of ashen and purple. His hair looked as it always had, as it had when she said goodbye to him this morning before work. She leaned in closer, resting her flushed cheek against his cold face, turning it wet with her tears. Her quivering lips touched his. They were cold too. Their last kiss, she recalled, had been warm and soft, his lips moving in sync with hers. Now he was gone.

  ***

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us tonight?” Captain Hearn asked for the third time as he drove Katie back home.

  “Thank you, but I think I prefer to be home. I’ll feel closer to him there.”

  “Okay, but we should stop to get you some food. You haven’t eaten all day.”

  “Please, captain. I just want to go home.” Her eyes suggested that while she appreciated his help, he needed to leave her be.

  Hearn continued to drive downtown to the apartment she and Marshall shared. The hour was approaching eleven and the streets were quieter than usual. He pulled into the parking garage and helped Katie upstairs.

  She began searching for her keys and was overtaken once again in a wave of emotion. The waves came without warning and, once they hit, she couldn’t control them. Katie raised a hand to shield her eyes.

  “Here, hand me your bag. I’ll find them.” He searched through the small purse until he found the keys. He held up one that looked as though it was a key to a home. “Is this it?”

  She glanced to him for just a moment, nodding her head.

  The blast of cool air inside felt like a shock to her system, but her body had been overheated all afternoon. She stepped inside the dark apartment and flipped the switch next to the door. The dining room light turned on.

  “Let me help you get settled,” Captain Hearn said.

  “Thank you, sir, but I’ll be okay.” She knew he didn’t want to leave her in this state. He’d been a mentor and very much a father figure to her and she loved him for it, but no one could make this better. Not him, not Nick Scarborough; not anyone. Instead, she reached around his plump mid-section and hugged him.

  “He was a good man, Katie. Know that,” Hearn said.

  “I do. I know. Thank you.” She pulled away and managed a meager smile. “Goodnight, sir.”

  “Goodnight, Katie.”

  She was alone for the first time since Nick called her earlier today. She still hadn’t understood why Marshall had gone to Shalot’s home. Why would he have done that? Unless he knew something. That was the thing about Marshall. Once he got a hunch, no one could convince him otherwise. And that was especially true if he thought it would
protect her.

  She dropped to the sofa, curling her legs beneath her, and peered out the window onto the city lights. “I’ll never forgive you for this.” The words were not directed to Marshall. They were directed to a God who she believed had abandoned her.

  Katie rested her head on a pillow tucked in the corner of the sofa. The smell reminded her of him. Everything in there was a reminder.

  ***

  Sleep could not take hold and now she watched the sun rise in the morning sky. Wave after wave of heartache and grief consumed her through the night, mind and body. Even the knock on the door didn’t break the grip that the pain held on her heart.

  The sound came again. This time, she shifted her head slowly towards the door, for a moment believing it was Marshall and that he’d just misplaced his keys.

  “Katie? It’s me, Nick.”

  Her eyes blinked. It was not Marshall. He was never coming home again. She rose from the couch, her legs aching from having been in the same position most of the night. Pulling the door open, she then walked back to the sofa.

  Nick didn’t look much better than Katie. “How you doin’? Have you eaten anything?”

  Katie shook her head.

  He walked to the couch and sat down next to her. “We did it, Katie. We know everyone who was involved. Hayden Jennings, the man who killed the woman in Virginia, told us where to find the others. The local authorities, the Feds; we’re all out rounding up the remaining suspects. According to Jennings, Shalot and Branson were each vying for position and Shalot had grown more and more extreme, recruiting others in the process. It’s over now, Katie.”

  None of this meant anything to her. Not anymore. His words rolled off of her with ease. Shalot was dead. Another person Marshall had to protect her from, only this time it had cost him his life. That was all that mattered. She turned to Nick. “You think I care about any of this?”

  Nick lowered his head. He seemed to think this news would help. “Marshall took out the worst of them. He got Shalot. That should matter to you.”

  “You would’ve caught Jennings anyway and he would have told you what you needed to get Shalot. Marshall died for nothing because he thought Shalot would go free and come after me. Don’t you see that?” She turned away. “I can’t do this, Nick. I don’t want to be around anyone right now.”

  “I don’t believe he died for nothing. I believe Marshall did what he thought he had to do to protect you.”

  “Maybe you should tell that to his mother and brother?” Katie knew it was the grief talking, but she didn’t care and was directing her anger towards Nick.

  “I’m sorry to have bothered you. I’ll leave you in peace.” Nick moved towards the door. “Please let me know if I can help with arrangements.” The click of the latch sounded as he walked out.

  Katie lifted herself off of the sofa and shuffled down the hall to their bedroom. She stood in the doorway, staring at the bed that they had shared. It didn’t seem long, in the grand scheme of things, not nearly long enough. She’d been with Spencer much longer. But Marshall was different. He’d unlocked something inside her that she didn’t know existed. He’d forever changed her path in life. She felt lost now as she scanned the empty room. His side of the bed still tousled from the restless night he’d had. The last night she’d shared with him.

  Katie sat on his side of the bed, lifting his pillow to her face. It smelled like him, his cologne and hair gel. A corner of her mouth raised as she recalled his morning styling routine.

  Placing the pillow back down, Katie pulled out the top drawer of his nightstand. Inside was a Tom Clancy book. He wasn’t much of a reader, but he did enjoy it when time allowed. She pushed it to the side; some lose change was beneath it. Further back was the remote for the TV, but it was the box in the far back corner of the drawer that caught her attention.

  She wrapped her thumb and forefinger around it and retrieved the box. Her brow creased as she worked to figure out what it was. The top raised with ease, and inside was a smaller box. There was no guessing as to the contents it held. It was navy blue velvet and shaped in a most familiar manner.

  Her heart dropped to her stomach as she raised the lid. Inside was a ring. Square cut diamond, gold band. It looked very old; vintage, they called it nowadays. Beautifully ornate. She slipped it on her ring finger. The fit was perfect.

  It was nearing their one-year anniversary. Not from the day they met, but from the day they moved in together. “He was going to propose.”

  The wave of grief that came this time felt like a tsunami.

  24

  THE SOUND OF her cell phone vibrating on the nightstand penetrated the sleep that had finally caught up with her. Light had not yet found its way into her bedroom and as she turned towards the sound, the digital clock confirmed that it was an hour that was barely considered morning. Five a.m. A full day had passed and she had hardly moved from that spot.

  The caller ID gave her pause as to whether to answer. Condolences were not something she could bear to hear right now, considering she’d found peace in her dreams. That peace was gone now.

  “Hello.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear about Marshall. Is there anything I can do for you, Katie?”

  “Why are you calling so early, Marc?” Acknowledging his comment would only bring more tears.

  “I—I wanted to tell you that we’re running the story this morning. The Feds confirmed only hours ago that the Highway Hunter was—well, you already know. National news has picked it up, but I wanted to say that I would be anchoring it on the six a.m. news. Katie, I just can’t believe what happened and I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

  Katie remained silent. What was there to say? It was a national story, she knew that. Marshall would be called a hero. She knew that too. But no one would know that he died because he needed to protect her—again. Neither Nick nor Captain Hearn would let word get out that Marshall was at Shalot’s for any reason other than because he found evidence missed the first time around. They would not say he broke in. They would not say he felt Shalot would come after Katie. They would not say that San Diego Police Department veteran Detective Marshall Avery died because of Katie Reid.

  “Thank you, Marc. And thank you for telling me. It’s okay. I’ll be okay. I need to go now. Goodbye.” She turned to her side, the side where she would normally find Marshall sleeping.

  It was only a matter of time before Nick would call, or show up at her door. He would shield her from the press, not letting it be known that she had been involved in the case. That Edward Shalot had developed an obsession with her and that was why he was here in San Diego. None of that would ever come to light.

  The darkness still surrounded her and now it had found its way inside her once again. But the worst had yet to pass. Captain Hearn would have already called Marshall’s mother and brother. She still hadn’t met either one of them. His brother, Kyle, four years his junior, had moved back to Chicago where he lived with his wife and two girls. His mother, Vivian, had moved in with her sister in Florida two years ago. Both were retired and living in St. Petersburg.

  There was still so much to Marshall that she had yet to uncover. He rarely spoke of his family and she didn’t even know why.

  Katie took a deep breath and pulled herself out of the bed. There were things that needed to be done. She had to find the strength to do them.

  ***

  Her arrival at the station set off an outpouring of sympathies, making it difficult for Katie to keep it together. She found her way into the captain’s office as quickly as possible.

  “Katie? You didn’t have to come in today.” He moved towards her for an embrace.

  She couldn’t let him hold her; it would bring too much to the surface and so she pulled away quickly. “I need to collect his things, captain—from his office. He’s got so many books and things. I just need to bring them home.”

  “Katie, sit down—please.” Hearn moved back to sit behind his desk. “I inform
ed Marshall’s mother late yesterday. She’s coming in today. I’ve already made arrangements to pick her up from the airport. I told her you were resting at home and that I would ensure you were made aware of her arrival. I hadn’t realized you two had never met.”

  “No. Not yet.” She twisted the ring on her finger that was intended as an engagement present.

  “Well, Marshall was a very guarded man, Katie. You know that perhaps better than I.” Hearn took pause. “Listen, I’m working on the press release this morning. Marshall will receive the Category I Protocol.”

  This was law enforcement’s funeral protocol for full, military-style honors reserved for those killed in the line of duty. It was a major public event that would draw thousands to pay their respects.

  “This is in accordance with his mother’s wishes as well,” Hearn continued.

  “Of course.” Katie wasn’t his next of kin, not officially, and so they would defer to his mother on these matters.

  “There’s one other thing. Agent Scarborough is busy briefing the local authorities in the other jurisdictions where the victims were found. He’s got his hands full at the moment, but asked that I ensure your name is kept out of the media as much as possible, which I agree is the right course of action. But I want you to be prepared. There will be the inevitable connection with Marshall to your case last year. All of that will come to light once again. There’s only so much I can do to squelch that, I’m afraid.”

  It seemed there was no escaping her past. Katie would forever be labeled “the girl who got away.” Now, greater attention would be thrust on her again. Her boyfriend, the man who killed her abductor, was gunned down in the line of duty. There was no doubt the book offers would come flooding in once again. The thought of reliving everything, dealing with this loss, the attention; it was too much for her. It was too much for anyone.