by Maria Walton
"Where the hell are you, Cassandra?"
"Well, I realized that I wasn't going to be of any use to you so I decided to head over to my father's place."
"Oh yeah? Then why is my tower picking up your phone on Garry Road?"
"Damn it. You know it's illegal to do that without a warrant, right?"
"Yeah, about as illegal as a Fed going after someone without one. Turn back around and get your ass to the station or I'm sending my guys out with cuffs."
"Fine," I snapped before hanging up.
I glared down the road as I brought my car to a halt. I knew that Donovan wasn't bluffing. He would have me tossed in jail just for the hell of it. It didn't matter how long I would be locked up for, it was one second too many that my sister was still missing. It could be the split second that saves her life. I knew that I wasn't going back to the station. Donovan could go to hell.
Chapter Six
I slowed my car down to a crawl outside the address that Ryan had given to Donovan. Sure enough, I could make out at least three figures standing in the small house. If I was lucky, one of them would be Marcus. I reached into the glove compartment of my car and pulled out the small pistol that I'd bought myself as a graduation gift when I passed the academy. With the company issued holster at my side, I would have more than enough firepower to take out the men inside.
However, the last thing I wanted was bloodshed. I needed to find a way to get inside without them feeling threatened. My car was shut off. In the silence, I heard someone approaching. I reached for my gun but I was a few seconds too late. I saw the gun pointed at my head and I slowly raised my hands to show him that I didn't have a weapon out.
"I know you, you were at the bar last night. What the hell do you think you are doing out here?"
"I was just going for a late-night drive, some coincidence though. I should really get going."
He laughed, "I don't think so, sweetheart. Out you go. Keep your hands where I can see them."
"This seems like a little bit much, don't you think?"
He pulled open the car door and looked at my lap where my gun was laying. I reached down slowly and gave it to him as he watched my every move. I didn't have a plan and that made me more than a little nervous. As he herded me towards the house, I took in my surroundings, looking for an opening to escape. Besides us, the street was deserted. I took one more glance at the house and started to formulate a plan.
Now there were only two figures inside, confirming my theory that there had only been three of them all together.
I took a deep breath and stumbled to the pavement. I gasped as if pain shot through my legs.
"Come on, get up. Shake it off," insisted the man behind me.
Legs, weapons, neck. I repeated the mantra in my head as I played over the demonstration we had seen in training. Pushing up with my hands off the pavement I kicked out my right leg contacting his right knee. He yelped and tried to recover but with two guns in his hand, one fell to the ground. I quickly grabbed it and landed another swift kick to his groin before he dropped the semi-automatic he was holding.
I kicked the second gun away and quickly moved behind him. I wrapped my arm around his neck, feeling his heartbeat speed up as he struggled to free himself. Twenty seconds into the scuffle, he fell to his knees. His arms dropped to his sides as I let go of his neck and watched him fall forward onto the pavement. If the choke hold didn't keep him knocked out for a while, the concussion he surely got from the impact would.
Scooping up his gun, I jogged the remaining distance to the house and went to the back door. I could hear two men talking but none of my other senses picked up any other movement. Carefully, I pushed open the back door, thankful that it was unlocked. The rusted hinges sounded like a train horn to my ears and I held my breath, wondering if I had been wrong about the number of people.
"Did you get that fed bitch?" said one of the men.
He approached the kitchen and I slipped behind the swinging door just in time for him to miss me. He was heavier than the other man, making it easy for me to ascertain that he wasn't Marcus. As soon as the door behind him swung shut again I quietly moved behind him and brought the butt of my weapon down onto his head with all my force. He will definitely feel that blow when he wakes up. The sound of his unconscious body hitting the ground was loud enough that I knew my target would hear it. I pointed my gun at the door as I maneuvered myself behind it once again. It didn't talk long for him to come in, gun drawn. He spun around just as I aimed at his head.
"Well, this is an interesting turn of events. You know as soon as my people told me that your pretty little sister was missing, I knew you would come snooping around here."
"Where the hell is Alyson, Marcus?" I said in a level tone.
He shrugged his shoulders and lowered his gun, "I couldn't tell you. Even if I did know, why would I tell you?"
I pulled back the hammer on my gun, "Because I'm not here as a cop, I have no problem shooting you and dealing with the consequences later."
I lowered my gun to his kneecap. I watched as fear crept across his face. Marcus knew what all thugs knew, he could lose a leg and still live but it would be a depressing and painful recovery. He would probably lose a good deal of his clients in the process. Jail time would be inevitable for both of us but I didn't care.
"Take it easy now girl, I don't know anything about Alyson's disappearance. She was a pain in my ass but harmless."
"What are you talking about?"
He snorted, "She was always trying to get my girls to take a hike. She didn't like the way they were hooked to me. Personally, I think she was just jealous of the lifestyle."
"Your girls? You mean the women you get hooked on drugs then whore out so they can buy more from you? It's a wonder Alyson didn't shoot you on the spot. So, she gets in your way and you do what? Sell her off to a different hood rat in a new town?"
"Shit no! Even I know who she is. I'm not going to mess with Jenna's roommate. I would have to be a complete moron."
I glared at him, "What does Jenna have to do with any of this?"
His eyes lit up with amusement, "Well I can't say I'm surprised you don't know, given your history with the good sheriff and all. I would have to be some kind of stupid to mess with the sheriff's girlfriend's roommate. Those two get away with more crap than anyone else in this town."
I had no idea that Donovan and Jenna were an item. Suddenly his strange behavior made a lot more sense to me. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that Marcus knew more than what he was telling me.
"What are you hiding?" I asked him again.
He shrugged his shoulders, "Don't know what you are talking about. I don't have no reason to hide shit from you. I would just as soon stay out of it all together, if you ask me."
I glared at him and raised up my gun. "Yeah well, I'm not asking you, am I? Start talking or I start shooting."
He laughed, "You don't have the balls."
I grinned at him, "Big mistake."
Chapter Seven
The sound of the gunshot rang out all around me. I felt the painful vibration inside of my ear and knew that I would suffer for it later. The bullet barely grazed his thigh but it was enough to send him screaming to the ground. It wasn't a fatal wound. I made sure of that. Now he took me more seriously.
"You are going to tell me what you know or else it's going to get a lot worse."
He scowled at me as he put pressure on his wound. "What the hell is wrong with you, bitch! You shot me in the fucking leg! You are dead. Your career is dead. I promise you are going to regret this."
I cocked my gun and aimed for his other leg. "Gonna talk or should I put a bullet in the other one?"
"Fine! Jesus, you psycho! I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but you better leave me the hell alone after that!"
I lowered my gun and shrugged my shoulders, "I guess we will see how good your information is."
He took a deep breath and I settled down to listen to
what he had to say. Before he could start talking, the hair on my neck stood up. There were people approaching from the outside. In the split second that I was distracted, Marcus swooped up his gun and aimed it at my head. I dodged out of the way just as he fired the first shot. Raising my gun, I had him in my line of sight but a window broke and through it a cloud of smoke followed.
I covered my mouth and nose with my shirt and crawled over to where Marcus was. I knocked the gun out of his hand as he struggled to catch his breath. Men in heavily armored suits broke through the door and grabbed me on either side, dragging me out of the smoke-filled house and into the street.
Coughing uncontrollably, I looked up and saw Donovan standing over me. The rage in his eyes made shivers go down my spine. I took a gulp of air and tried to stand. Donovan came over to where I was sitting on the ground and kneeled next to me.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Cass? Taking on a man like that on your own?"
"Take him on? I was kicking his ass. You idiots just interrupted the show! Let me back in there. He has information, I know it!"
"You don't work for this department, Cass! I'm not going to let you back in there. I'm not going to let you anywhere near that man! Jesus Christ, you shot him! Do you even understand the repercussions for what you have done? I can't believe they even gave you a gun."
"You didn't tell me about Jenna, why not? That may have something to do with all this, you know."
"She has nothing to do with this! You are causing a full-blown crisis for a girl that could just as well be hung over somewhere outside of town! I won't stand for this any longer, you need to get out of here."
"I shot a man. I broke into his home. I must stay. You have to put me in jail."
"No, I don't. I'm going to take Marcus down to the station. You need to get out of here and stay away until I open a missing persons case for your sister. Then you can come back as a family member only. Until that time, I don't want to see you around here again. Do you understand me?"
I nodded my head, I didn't want to keep arguing with him. It was doing nothing but wasting time. He could think whatever he wanted. Alyson was missing though and he wasn't going to stop me from finding her. I finally stood up. My chest was still burning as I watched them cart Marcus out with a bandage wrapped around his leg.
"I have rights you know!" he was screaming. "That bitch shot me and I want her thrown in jail! Where is my ambulance?"
"Not today Marcus, it's just a flesh wound. We are taking you right to the station," said Donovan.
He spun back around and focused his attention on me, "Get out of here before you cause any more problems."
I nodded my head and started walking back towards my car listening to the men as they were loaded into police cars. When I reached my car, I slumped into the front seat and hung my head. I had come so close to getting information about Alyson and now it was gone again. Donovan has gotten in my way, just like I knew he would. I still couldn't believe that he hadn't told me about Jenna. I had to wonder what else he wasn't sharing with me.
As he drove by my parked car, he mouthed the word 'Go.'
I nodded my head and started my car as I watched the last of the cruisers pull out of sight. I put my car into gear and drove around the corner of the block. Instead of turning around, I parked it once again in front of the house. I wasn't about to let a prime opportunity for finding out more information slip past me.
My phone started to shake, it was my father, "Have you found anything out yet?"
"No," I responded in disappointment, "I am getting closer though. Donovan keeps getting in my way. He really has changed since the last time I saw him."
He laughed, "Yeah. You broke his heart though kiddo. After that he took the pity and hatred for you that his friends and family had to offer and he let it change him. He's still one of the best officers we have and about as lawful as they come but there's a dark side to him now that wasn't there before."
"Great, it's good to know that I'm the reason he's a prick."
"Don't worry honey, he's not like that with everyone, just you. Keep us posted on what's happening?"
"You bet," I replied before hanging up.
I looked around and saw that the coast was clear. The onlookers who had gathered to watch men get arrested were now back in their homes sharing the gossip with others. I slipped around back to the same entrance I had used before and pushed through the door. I knew that he had to have some sort of record keeping system. It didn't take me long to find his messy office on the second floor.
For the first time since the day had begun, I felt fatigue starting to settle in. It would take me hours to go through everything Marcus had in there, I just needed a little bit of luck to find something to lead me to Alyson. As I thought about my sister, I cringed. No matter what she was going through, I just needed her to keep herself alive.
"I promise I am going to find you," I said quietly to myself. It was a mantra that kept me sane and kept me pushing through all the hard moments, "I promise."
Sitting down behind the cheap metal desk, I started to flip through the mounds of paperwork. Determination was all I needed to find her.
Chapter Eight
I had been combing through the papers in Marcus's office for well over an hour. The sun was starting to set and I knew that I would have to stop soon. It would look too suspicious if I turned on a light to continue my search but I kept pushing through. I had no way of knowing if I would get the chance to look through the paperwork again. As I sat back against the wall with my legs crossed on the floor in front of me, frustration started to take over.
I was failing. The crucial first twenty-four hours after someone goes missing was coming to an end and I still wasn't any closer to finding out what happened to Alyson. Glaring at the papers around me, I kicked my foot like a child and knocked over the nearest stack to me. As they tumbled to the ground, one file fell open. I glanced at it then looked away before the figure in the picture jumped out at me.
"Why do I know you?" I asked myself as I picked up the photo.
The man looked like a large Scotsman, his ample gut sticking out of an expensive shirt seemed familiar. He had a face that I knew but I couldn't place him for some time. I shuffled through the rest of the pictures and paperwork, looking for a name or link between him and Marcus. Finally, when I came to the last photograph, I gasped. There was the same man but now he was shaking hands with none other than Ryan.
As the realization of who he was dawned on me, I felt my stomach start to sink. Without another moment lost, I grabbed the photo and jumped to my feet, racing out of the house like it was burning down. I needed to get to the sheriff. I needed to talk to Marcus again. If he knew Fabian McDermont then Alyson could already be gone. I had to find out what Ryan's connection to him was and the only person that could tell me was in Donovan's custody.
I didn't stop to think about the consequences of my actions as I sped through town and back out to the sheriff's station. I needed to talk to Marcus and fill in the missing blanks. Why was Ryan meeting with him and who was Marcus interested in, Fabian or Ryan? Pulling up to the office, I took a deep breath and thought about what I was going to say. To my relief, it was already after hours and the station was almost empty. An older man sat behind the desk, his eyes closed and a steady snore emanating from his lips.
I heard voices coming from the interrogation room but the last thing I wanted to do was come face to face with Donovan, at least not yet. Instead, I snuck into the view room and watched him work on Marcus.
"Alright Marcus, you've been bandaged and fed. That's as far as my kindness extends. You need to start talking or this rap sheet is going to get a lot longer. Assaulting an officer, hindering a criminal investigation, I can think of all sorts of things to add."
"That's bullshit and you know it. That crazy bitch came after me!"
"I don't care what you think she did, we are here to talk about Alyson."
"Like I told that woman cop
, I don't know anything," Marcus pleaded.
"If you don't know anything, why was she getting ready to shoot you for a second time?"
"Fuck if I know. She's nuts."
"I don't think so. She wouldn't be so hell bent on you if she didn't think you knew something. Me and her aren't exactly friendly but I trust her instincts."
My stomach did a little flip at his words. It was nice to know that he didn't think I was still the wicked witch of the west. At least if he did, he was hiding it well in front of Marcus.
Marcus said nothing to him.
Donovan shook his head, "Suit yourself. I'm sure I can keep you here for a few days before county wants to take a crack at you. Hope you like stale bread and a festering wound."