by Scott Pratt
“Donna, did you write this?”
“When Gabby called, I called the pharmacy first, and then wrote down the names and date when I checked the schedule.”
“Did anyone else notice this?” he said, pointing to the yellow pad.
A young, blonde-haired nurse Lukas didn’t know spoke up. “Um, actually, I was standing here when Paul asked about those names earlier. I didn’t know, so I told him to check with Donna.”
Lukas grabbed Brooke’s arm and darted for the ER door. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Gabriele’s. Shit, Brooke. He’s going after her.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The spitting snow had become a light but steady fall, turning the grass white and clinging to the trees. The roads were still in decent condition, although Lukas could see the occasional slick spot. Lukas dialed Gabriele’s cell and landline numbers, but there was no answer. He hit speed dial for the ER, and Donna answered.
“What does Dolan drive?”
“A green Chevrolet Cruze, I think.”
Lukas disconnected. A mailbox or fence post whizzed by as he dialed 911. “This is Detective Lukas Miller, unit number Charlie Oscar Seven. I’m headed to 112 Landau Street on a possible 10-57.” Lukas placed an emphasis on the police ten code for an assault. “I’m in a black unmarked Impala. I need all units to converge on that location, code three. Have them BOLO for a green Chevrolet Cruz being operated by a Paul Dolan. He is to be considered armed and dangerous.”
The dispatcher responded calmly. “Detective Miller, we will reroute all available units, but be advised most units are tied up on traffic accidents at the moment.”
“Just do the best you can. And have all units report descriptions of any vehicles seen in that area. I don’t have radio communication, so keep this line open for me, please.”
“Ten-four, Detective Miller. From this point forward, I’ll be your personal dispatcher on this line.”
Lukas directed Brooke to Gabriele’s house while talking to the dispatcher. The conditions were getting worse by the minute, but Brooke was doing an excellent job of handling the vehicle at high speeds.
Brooke handed Lukas her cell phone. “Call her again.”
He tried Gabriele’s home and cell phone again.
“No answer either place. Damn.”
“Maybe she’s in the shower or something. Think positively.”
“Something’s wrong. I feel it.”
Five minutes later, they pulled up to Gabriele’s house, and Lukas informed the dispatcher they were going inside. He placed the phone in his shirt pocket to act as an improvised microphone for the dispatcher on the other end. He found the rear garage door standing open. The house was completely dark. Gabriele’s car was still parked in the garage. He drew his Sig Sauer 229 and held it pointed towards the ground. The SIGLITE night sights glowed in the darkness. He signaled to Brooke – who had her Glock 23 drawn – that they would use the button hook clearing strategy. She nodded. Lukas entered the door first moving to the right while keeping his back to the door. Brooke followed immediately, moving left.
They separated and moved slowly and methodically forward, checking every inch of the garage, including the car. Lukas could feel his heart pounding.
Once they cleared the garage, they moved to the kitchen using the same strategy. He kept Brooke in his peripheral vision, moving with her. From the kitchen, they made their way to the living room. Lukas sucked in a deep breath. His gut clenched. At that moment, he knew she’d been taken. The vase that held the flowers Lukas had bought for her was lying shattered on the floor. A chair was turned over in a corner, and the coffee table that was supposed to be in the middle of the living room was pushed up against the couch. Lukas and Brooke cleared the house in less than two minutes and started looking for anything that might give them a lead.
Lukas found a smattering of blood on the kitchen floor near the garage exit and a bloody handprint on the door frame leading to the outside. A wave of hopelessness swept over him. What had he done? First Razzy and now Gabriele. He had to get this maniac stopped. Brooke came over and took his phone from his shirt pocket. Brooke identified herself to the dispatcher and told her that the house had been cleared and that Gabriele should be considered abducted.
Brooke gently handed the phone back to him and took his hand.
“It’s not your fault, Lukas.”
“I know, damn it, it’s his fault.
“We’ll get her back. At least now we know who he is. Let’s stay focused.”
The dispatcher called his phone.
“Detective Miller, we have a unit in pursuit of the suspect vehicle. It’s currently on Meadows Avenue headed south.”
“We’re on our way. Have CSU respond to my present location for processing, please. I’ll keep the line open.”
“Ten-four.”
They were out the door and headed for the car before Lukas could finish the conversation. The snow was falling more heavily now and had obliterated any tracks that might have been left by vehicles. Brooke slammed the selector into drive and hit the gas. Traffic was light, but the cars that were out seemed to be struggling. Lukas spoke into the phone.
“What’s the current location of the pursuit?”
“They’re now heading west on Payton, passing Main.”
“We’re two blocks away.”
Lukas could hear confusion on the dispatcher’s radio in the background.
“Detective Miller, the marked unit that was in pursuit has been involved in a 10-45 and is out of service. We’ve lost contact.”
“Shit! Step it up, Brooke.” Lukas knew it was now or never. The marked unit had crashed. The direction Dolan was traveling would take him out of the city. If he made it out, Gabriele would be dead by the time they found her.
They topped the hill on Payton and saw the police cruiser that had been following Dolan. It had skidded off the road into an embankment. The red and blue strobes marked the site like a lighthouse beacon. Brooke stepped on the accelerator as Lukas clung onto the door. The vehicle started to skid as they rounded a curve, but Brooke regained control just before the rear tires left the road. Lukas strained his eyes and thought he could see tail lights ahead through the blinding snow.
“There! See the lights?” he said. “That has to be him.” He spoke into the phone, “We are continuing pursuit. Currently westbound on Payton, passing Blackman Pike.”
“Ten-four.”
“Careful, Brooke. There’s a sharp turn coming up.” He had no more than gotten the words out when he saw it. Sitting on the side of the road, teetering on the edge of a thirty-foot ravine, was the green Chevrolet Cruz.
Brooke hit the brakes, but the snow that had covered the road kept the Impala from stopping. It T-boned Dolan’s Cruz on the driver’s side. Lukas’s head struck the dashboard. He watched helplessly through the windshield as Dolan’s car slid out of sight down the steep embankment. The hood of Brooke’s Impala had buckled. He could feel their vehicle teetering. He reached for the door handle, but the door was jammed. He looked over at Brooke. She still had a death grip on the steering wheel, but otherwise appeared to be fine. Lukas braced himself and hit the door with his shoulder. Nothing. Again. He felt the car shift and looked back over at Brooke. Her eyes widened as the car slowly shifted and slid over the cliff and into the ravine.
Lukas could see only smoke, falling snow, and trees and rocks as they slid by. He felt like a passenger on a runaway train. At one point the car turned sideways. Lukas felt sure it was about to start rolling, but it suddenly stopped. He heard a hissing sound coming from the engine compartment. The Impala’s hood was now pointed skyward. The windshield had spider-webbed. He looked at Brooke, who seemed addled.
“Are you okay?” Lukas said.
“I think so. What the hell just happened?”
“Yes, go, I’m right behind you.”
He climbed out the now shattered passenger window and took stock of the situation. It appeared that Dolan’s car had rolled several times based on the damage to the roof and sides. He trudged through the mud and snow toward the Cruz. He retrieved his mini MagLite and lit up the car. He pulled his Sig. Nothing was moving inside.
He stepped closer, shining the light into the driver’s side compartment, holding his pistol on the window. He approached from the passenger side, and when he got near enough to see clearly into the interior, he found the car vacant.
He shined his flashlight around the area looking for a body. Nothing. Where were they? Turning his attention back to the car, he noticed the keys were still in the ignition. He retrieved them and moved to the trunk. Placing the key in the lock, he opened the hatch. Gabriele. Thank God. She wasn’t moving and appeared to be unconscious. With great trepidation, he shined his light on her to check for possible wounds. There was a deep cut on her forehead, but he didn’t see any other obvious injuries. He called out to Brooke as he continued his triage. He found her right wrist and checked her pulse. It was strong. Good.
Brooke made her way to Lukas. “Found your phone. Dispatch is sending an ambulance.”
“Thanks. Gabby, hey, can you hear me?” He turned to Brooke. “She’s alive. Did you see Dolan?”
“No. Nothing. It all happened so fast. Where could he be?”
The faint wail of sirens sounded in the distance. Gabby was limp and pale. Lukas wanted to take her in his arms, to hold her, but he knew he shouldn’t move her. He caressed her hair and face, thankful she was alive. “I’ll stay with her. Go up and meet the cavalry.” He looked back down at Gabriele. “Stay with me, girl, stay with me.”
Within moments, the area was alive with activity. Three ambulances and five cruisers had converged on the scene. The on-duty K-9 unit was searching nearby. Lukas was watching the paramedics attend to Gabriele when Sergeant Adams approached.
“Any news on Dolan?” Lukas said.
“We have a clear track leading away from the scene from up top. He won’t be able to outrun the K-9’s. We’ll have him soon. Apparently, he got out of the car before you guys hit him.”
“He probably left the car in that spot purposefully hoping we’d crash into it and give him some time.”
“Is he that clever?”
“He has been so far.”
“We’ll get him.”
“Good. Keep me posted.”
Lukas couldn’t get a clear read on Gabriele’s condition, but from the actions of the paramedics, it seemed to be serious. He thought he’d seen everything during his training and the missions he’d undertaken in the Air Force, but he’d never witnessed anyone being triaged in the trunk of a car. He looked over at Brooke. She, too, was being attended to by medical personnel. She gave him a slight nod and a wave, and signaled for him to go with Gabriele, who was being loaded into an ambulance.
“I’ll meet you at the hospital,” she said.
Lukas saw Adams walking toward him and talking on his shoulder mic.
“There’s been a carjacking two blocks from here. The suspect fits the description of Dolan. He’s no longer on foot.”
“Damn it.”
“Worse news is the car he jacked was a four-wheel drive.”
Lukas made eye contact with Brooke. She seemed to know what Sergeant Adams had just told him.
A paramedic yelled across at Lukas that they were about to leave. Grateful for the ride, he hurried over and took a seat in the rear of the ambulance with Gabriele.
Within minutes, Lukas was back in the University Hospital ER. The nurses on staff had likely heard rumors of Dolan’s possible involvement in the murders. Gabriele was one of theirs, and she was getting plenty of attention. Lukas helped them get the gurney inside, and then was asked to wait in the lobby. He felt like he needed to be in there with her, but knew he’d just be in the way. The last hour seemed to have happened in minutes.
Lukas looked up and was relieved to see Brooke walk through the door.
“How is she?” Brooke asked as she sat down in the blue plastic chair beside Lukas.
“I don’t know. They’re checking her out now. Any word on Dolan?”
“I rode over with a patrol unit. They’re looking for him, but they haven’t found him yet.”
The doors to the waiting room opened, and Captain Hunter came lumbering through. His massive frame was covered by a beige trench coat. He looked like a walking cliché.
“Please tell me that I don’t have an unmarked at the bottom of that ravine,” the captain said.
“No, Captain,” Brooke said. “It’s mine.”
“Are you two all right?”
Lukas detected genuine concern in Hunter’s voice.
“We’re fine, considering.”
“I heard we have a banged-up nurse?”
“We do.”
“But one who’s alive, thanks to you two.”
“I hope she feels the same,” Lukas said.
The ER doors opened again, and a doctor came out. Lukas stood as he approached. The lab coat the doctor wore had his name embroidered on the left chest and identified him as Dr. Moseby.
Lukas introduced everyone and held his breath.
“She has a concussion and some pretty bad bruising, but she’ll be okay. She’s conscious now, but she’s drowsy from the meds we’ve given her. You can see her if you’d like, but only for a few minutes. She needs to rest.”
“Thank you.”
Lukas shook the man’s hand and sent up a quick prayer of thanks. He followed the doctor through the door to the trauma rooms. Each trauma room had two beds separated by a privacy curtain. Dr. Moseby led him to trauma four and told him to keep the visit short. Lukas pulled back the privacy curtain and entered Gabby’s section alone.
She looked up at him and then down at her hands, adjusting her IV.
“Hey, girl.” He noticed the bruises on her face and arms.
“Hi.”
“Gabby, I’m so sorry. So sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”
“He kept saying that my boyfriend should have let it go and should have kept his nose out of his business.” There was anger in her voice.
“I’m sorry. We’ll find him.”
“What was he going to do to me, Lukas?”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re safe now. We’ll put a team on your room. He won’t be able to get anywhere near you.”
“I’m tired. Just really tired.”
“I know—”
“I don’t think you do.”
She obviously didn’t want his company or his comfort. “I’ll leave you alone now,” Lukas said, “but if you need anything from me—”
“I won’t.”
Lukas stood to leave, but as he got to the door he heard Gabriele say, “Lukas, why did you involve me in this?”
He shook his head slowly. He walked out through the curtain and headed back to the waiting room where Captain Hunter and Brooke still sat.
Hunter fidgeted with the paper cup in his hand. “I figured since you two are without transportation, I’d give you a ride back to headquarters. We have a lot to go over.”
“Right,” Lukas said. “I’d like to question the staff some while we’re here.”
Hunter glanced at his watch.
“It won’t take long, Captain,” Lukas said.
“Sure, take your time.” He held up his empty cup. “I need another jolt anyway.”
He led Brooke over to the triage station and was granted access to the ER. They walked down the hall to the charge nurse’s station. “Hey Donna, I was wondering if we could get some information on Paul Dolan. His file would be great.”
&
nbsp; Donna looked around before she spoke. “I’m really not authorized to—”
“Donna. It’s for Gabby. Please.”
Donna looked down and then back at Lukas. “What the hell. If the bosses come after me…”
“We’ll cover you. Promise.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be right back.”
Donna walked out of the ER and vanished down a hall that Lukas assumed led to the HR department.
“That’s ballsy,” Brooke said.
“Let’s ask a few questions,” he said walking toward the young nurse who had initially alerted him to Dolan’s disappearance.
“Hi, I’m Detective Miller, and this is Detective Stevens,” Lukas said.
“Thanks for getting Gabby back. I’m Abby Manchester.”
“Abby, can you tell us anything about Dolan’s personal life? Who his friends were, or what he was into? Anything?”
“Not really. Paul was aloof. He didn’t seem to play well with others.”
“Meaning?” Brooke asked.
“Occasionally we would all get together and have a drink or a cookout at someone’s house, you know, at holidays and special events. Paul never showed up.”
“Did he ever talk about his significant other or family members?”
“Not to me.”
Lukas looked toward the doors to the lobby then back to Abby. “Who here knew him best?”
She bent over and picked up what appeared to be a schedule. “Let’s see… I’d say Donna, his supervisor. Or, maybe Tom Clifford. Yeah, Paul and Tom ate together sometimes. Took breaks at the same time, too.”
Lukas noticed Brooke writing in her antique notebook. He handed the young nurse his card. “Thanks Abby. If you think of anything else, please call us.”
Lukas and Brooke walked back toward the door Donna had gone through.
“What do you think he intended to do with Gabriele?” Brooke asked.
“I don’t even want to think about it.”
Lukas heard the door behind him open and saw Donna approach with a manila envelope in her hand. She handed it to Lukas and said, “You didn’t get this from me.”