“Nurse Region,” he said, pointing to the name.
“Okay, I guess I overreacted. Thanks,” I said.
“No problem, but you did scare the crap out of me,” he said.
“Sorry about that,” I told him.
Okay so I freaked out. Probably the guy and his girlfriend used the van to play some games in. I was just about ready to turn the corner when I stopped and said to the guard.
“You mean no one at all has gone in the room right?”
“Yeah. Well, just the janitor but he had to empty the trash and mop the floor,” he said.
He had hardly gotten the words out of his mouth before I had my gun out and yanked open the door.
The janitor was standing there, looking down at Lauren. He had the mop handle in his hand. He looked at me but without really seeing me. He was in his own world.
“I want you to put the mop down and move away from the bed. Understand?”
He just stood there, not moving.
“Look, I’m not going to say this again. Drop the mop handle and step away from Lauren or I will shoot you, understand? Now drop it and move back.”
He shook his head quickly and looked at me. I could see one arm was hanging down. His nose was cut and his cheek was ripped open under his eye.
“Don’t even think about it,” I said.
He looked at Lauren and then at me.
“What goes around comes around,” he muttered.
Suddenly he raised the handle higher and that was it. The bullet hit him just below his ear sending most of his brain and cranial cavity onto the ceiling and wall. He crumpled to the floor and the broom handle rolled across the floor and stopped at my foot.
My ears were ringing from the shot but Lauren hadn’t even flinched. I was glad for that.
**
Lauren was moved to another room and Doctor Slaughter had checked her out to make sure she was alright. The guy had been in the room for over ten minutes before I broke in. I don’t know why he didn’t just kill her and get it over with. He might have even gotten away.
Whatever the reason, it was pretty much over. At least that part. Lauren would have a long road of recovery and I would have to go through the shooting board. The media would have to go through their frenzy before dropping the story and moving on to something more sensational.
Brad had stopped by my desk while I was waiting on the hearing about the shooting and reminded me that he would be hoping to hear from me. He felt stronger than ever that I was the right person for the job. It was a nice compliment and it did make me feel pretty good.
Finally the FBI packed up and left. Captain McGregor and the Commissioner had agreed I should get another accommodation. I argued against it tooth and nail but that man is so stubborn sometimes.
“What if the shooting wasn’t justified?” I had argued.
“Yeah, I’m really worried. Now go, and close the door behind you,” was his answer.
It wasn’t until the next day that we found out the perp's name, Beauford Chromwell. He had been wanted for murdering his parents almost ten years ago but had never been captured.
A sidenote was that Jameson was found guilty of being a pedophile on eleven counts and was sentenced to twenty years in prison of which he would have to serve at least 80 percent before being eligible for parole. I would be at those hearings.
And life and death go on. There are still good people out there and still those who do evil for whatever reason.
- CASE CLOSED -
Marshall W. Huffman did not begin writing until after he retired from teaching. He decided to start with a trilogy based on a cataclysmic event. Marshall’s first trilogy is THE EVENT and consists of THE END, THE BEGINNING, and THE REVELATION. With THE EVENTS success he decided to write a second trilogy that is a frightening look at the events that could lead to THE SECOND CIVIL WAR. It is made up of: Book I – A NATION DIVIDED; BOOK II – A NATION AT WAR; BOOK III – A NATION HEALING.
Marshall was born in Bainbridge, Georgia and grew up in Indiana. After spending eight years in the Navy, he attended Ball State University, earning a B.S. degree in Business.
During and after college, he was involved in the restaurant business and spent the next twenty-five years in all types of venues, eventually owing his own fine dining restaurant. After years of long hours, he decided on a career change. He attended Eastern Illinois University earning a MBA. Because of his business background, Eastern Illinois University asked him to teach in the hospitality management program. He was recruited from Eastern to Parkland College and soon took over as the Program Director for the Hospitality Program. During his tenure there, he became a chef and had a television show called Cooking around the World with Chef Marshall and taught a series of Gourmet cooking classes for Continuing Education as well.
Professor Huffman retired from teaching along with his wife, Dr. Susan Huffman, to the Tampa Bay Florida area.
You can find his e-books or in paperback under: MARSHALL HUFFMAN at Amazon.com.
WHAT GOES AROUND - ANGIE BARTONI CASE FILE #4 (ANGIE BARTONI CASE FILES Book 1) Page 13