Cold Blooded

by Anne Patrick

  Ian chuckled as he offered her his hand. "It's been a pleasure, ma'am."

  A short time later, Ian parked in front of unit twenty-six at Ace Storage and got out of the car. He had noticed the facility had several cameras at the entrance and on both ends of each of the five rolls of units. As long as they all worked, there was a good possibility they would find further proof that Dawson Bartlett followed Mandy with the intention of harming her.

  After unlocking the unit, he lifted the door. There sat the blue 2011 Lexus. Ian took his phone out and snapped several pictures of the unit and the car without stepping inside. Hopefully, come Monday, he could get a warrant for the car and have it taken to Shorewick for CSU to search it for trace evidence.

  He then called the nursing home and asked Mrs. Bartlett if he could purchase a new lock for the unit in case Dawson returned. Once he got her approval, Ian exchanged the locks. Before heading back to the nursing home, he called the owner of the facility and requested any video they had for the last eighteen days. They were only able to give him the last seventy-two hours. It was better than nothing. At least they would have Bartlett on tape returning the Lexus.

  *****

  Gwen was in the waiting room visiting with Rhea Arnett when she received a text from Ian asking her to come to the parking lot. She glanced over at Tony, who was napping in a chair.

  "Sorry, Rhea. I need to go downstairs. Would you mind keeping an eye on my stuff?" Gwen motioned to the overnight bag Kris had brought. "And if Tony wakes, tell him I'm with Ian."

  "Sure, hon."

  The parking lot was nearly full. Gwen scanned the rows for her SUV. A honk sounded behind her and she turned just as Ian pulled to a stop. She climbed into the passenger side.

  "How's Mandy?"

  "They've taken her off the ventilator, but she hasn't regained consciousness yet." Gwen noticed he had on different clothes and figured he must have showered and changed before going to Winslow. "Did you find out anything?"

  "It was Bartlett driving that Lexus on the videos. He borrowed it from his grandmother two weeks ago."

  "So she talked to you?"

  "Oh yeah. Let's go grab some coffee and I'll tell you all about it." He shifted into gear.

  "What's wrong with the coffee here?"

  "Doesn't a double espresso sound better?"

  "Actually it does." She buckled up.

  After picking up their drinks, Ian drove to Elmhurst Park. They sat on her tailgate and watched the ducks swim across the small pond while he briefed her on his visit with Mrs. Bartlett. He started with the family history and worked his way up to the medallion and then the car.

  Gwen sat cross-legged, taking it all in. "Have you put a BOLO out on the Lexus?"

  "Don't need to. Bartlett took it back to the storage unit. I was able to get video from the last seventy-two hours. I dropped it off at the station."

  "Anything from ballistics yet?"

  "You must have a lot of friends in CSU because they've been working their tails off in the last twenty-four hours on this."

  "They found a match."

  "The slugs came from the same .45 that killed Mrs. Gyman. And…" he grinned "…CSI Carpenter was able to enhance one of the video's enough to get a tag number off the Lexus. It came back to Vivian Bartlett."

  "Oh, Ian." Gwen expelled a deep breath. "Is it enough to convince the captain to let you pick up Bartlett?" Gwen thought they had more than enough but the decision wasn't hers.

  "We'll find out first thing Monday morning." Ian slid his arm around her waist and drew her closer. "I was thinking about telling the captain about us, too."

  "What?" She twisted around and looked at him. "Why?

  "Because I'd rather him hear it from me than around the rumor mill."

  "Yeah, I guess it would be better. Wait until after you get the go ahead on Bartlett, though."

  He laughed. "I had planned to."

  "He probably already knows. Nothing gets past that man where I'm concerned." She leaned her head against his shoulder and continued to watch the ducks.

  "Was that Mrs. Arnett you were talking to in the waiting room?"

  "Yeah. Have you spoken to her?"

  "Last night, while you were sleeping. Not only do you snore, you talk in your sleep. You must have been dreaming about—"

  "My dad."

  He nodded against her head. "It sounded like a good one."

  "It was. We were in a plane and I was sitting next to him in the cockpit. It was at night. There were a million stars out. He pointed upward and was telling me that was where heaven was. I told him all about you and how happy you make me. It seemed like he already knew, though, because he kept smiling and nodding his head."

  Gwen thought about the conversation she had with JoAnn Saturday. A lot had transpired since then. The thought of a future with Ian wasn't nearly as scary now.

  "Had you ever flown with him outside of your dreams?"

  "He took me flying in a Cessna for my seventh birthday."

  "That must've been exciting."

  "It was." She slid sideways on the tailgate and met his gaze, the warmth in his eyes made her heart swell with joy. "So what exactly are you going to tell the captain?"

  "Just that we're dating, why?"

  "Oh."

  "You sound disappointed."

  "No. It's just that JoAnn told me Saturday…never mind."

  "Nuh uh." He snagged her hand. "You opened this door. Tell me what you were going to say."

  "Well, she kind of freaked me out."

  Ian grinned.

  "JoAnn told you."

  "Does the thought of getting married again really scare you that much?"

  "Honestly, not as bad as it did Saturday. I feel like we've grown closer together in the last twenty-four hours than we have the whole time we have known each other."

  "That's because I've finally gotten you to open up to me." He took both her hands into his. "I do want a future with you, Gwen, but we can take things as slowly as you want. I'm not going anywhere."

  "Okay." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  *****

  Ian glanced down at Gwen nestled against him, sound asleep. Her gentle snoring prompted him to smile. The waiting room was empty except for a younger couple he remembered from last night. The Arnett's son had been moved from ICU so they were no longer around. He prayed it wouldn't be much longer till they received similar good news about Mandy. When the doctor made his rounds earlier, he said she had woken briefly, and that they would be easing her off the pain medication. Having been shot himself, he knew the girl would have a long road ahead of her till she was fully recovered.

  Gwen stirred beside him. "What time is it?"

  "Two-thirty." She had been out since midnight. "Go back to sleep."

  "Did Tony leave?"

  "About an hour ago. He said he would relieve you around seven."

  She raised, stretched her arms out, nearly whacking him in the nose, and yawned. "Why don't you go on home, too? You can take my car."

  "I'm not leaving until you do."

  "And you call me stubborn." Gwen scooted to the edge of the sofa and picked up her empty cup. "Did you drink my coffee?"

  "Sorry." He grabbed her cup and refilled it.

  She thanked him with a gorgeous smile.

  "Since your up, you wanna go for a walk?"

  "Sure." Gwen stood and tried to pull up her jeans with one hand.

  Ian chuckled. Kris's clothes were a couple of sizes too big. "You want me to hold your coffee."

  "I'm good." She yawned again as they left the waiting room. "When Tony gets here I think I'm going to go home for awhile. I need a shower, and to make sure Lizzie hasn't killed Mrs. Bernstein."

  "And a long nap."

  She linked her arm through his. "I appreciate you staying with me. You don't have to, though."

  "You trying to get rid of me."

  "Absolutely not." She squeezed his arm tighter. "Hey, I was thinking on
ce you get the go ahead on Bartlett, I could talk to Judge Larkin. He could help expedite the warrants through the prosecutor's office."

  "You mean like he did with Mandy's paperwork so she didn't have to go to juvenile detention?"

  Gwen smiled at him. "You know about that?"

  "Yeah. I had a talk with him Thursday morning. Actually, he did most of the talking. That man really cares a lot about you."

  "The feeling's mutual."

  "If you think you can get Judge Larkin to work his magic, we could meet with the captain today."

  "Together? I don't want to leave Mandy alone for too long, Ian."

  "Tony will be here."

  "No, I mean incase Bartlett shows up wanting to finish the job."

  "It's a secure ward, Gwen. Only family members are allowed to visit…but if it'll make you feel better, I'll give Nick and Ron a call and have one of them stay until we get back."

  "Thank you."

  *****

  Shortly after seven, Tony & Kara arrived to relieve Gwen.

  "Go home and get some rest." Tony hugged her. Then Kara handed her a small sack.

  Gwen peered inside. "Breakfast burritos?"

  "For you and Ian. Enjoy."

  "We will," Ian assured.

  They got off the elevator on the first floor and Gwen handed the bag to Ian. "I'll meet you in the car."

  "Grab me some coffee too, please."

  "All right."

  On the way to the cafeteria, Gwen stopped at the hospital chapel. She had noticed it yesterday when she was with Kris. It was her original destination. She entered the small room and was relieved to find no one else inside. Six rows of pews lined both sides and there was a podium on the altar. Behind it, a beautiful stained glass window with Jesus knocking on a door. Gwen remembered hearing a sermon once, a long time ago, in which the pastor had used a similar painting and said that the door represented a person's heart. In order for Jesus to enter, that person had to open the door. Much like what Ian had told her about freewill. The choice was hers.

  Gwen moved to the first pew on her right and sat down, smiling up at the beautiful image of Jesus. Tears formed as the words came gushing out of her. "I've been wrong about you for a long time, God, and I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I would like very much for you to be in my life again. I know now that you never stopped loving me, even when I turned my back on you. Lately, I've realized a lot of things. Like how you always had my back, even when I was on the streets. The people you placed in my path, like Judge Larkin and the Greer family, who changed the course of my life. And Kris and Ian, for continually sharing their faith. You were reaching out to me all along, through them, and I just couldn't see it."

  She swiped at her tears. "I still have a lot of questions and doubts but I figure those will be resolved in time. I do know I wouldn't be the cop I am today if I hadn't gone through some of those experiences. Anyway, I'm thankful for your patience. Guess you probably knew a long time ago you had your work cut out for you in my case. Thank you for not giving up on me. I also want to thank you for Ian. He's the best thing to come into my life in along time, present company excluded, of course. Please continue to be with Mandy and help her through this battle she's fighting. And be with the doctors and nurses who are caring for her. Amen."

  Two large coffees in hand, Gwen rejoined Ian in the parking lot. She found him eating his burrito while jamming to her U2 cd. He turned the volume down as she climbed into the passenger seat.

  She handed him his coffee. "You didn't wait on me?"

  "They were getting cold. What took you so long?"

  "I was getting reacquainted with an old friend."

  His eyes narrowed on her.

  "I visited the hospital chapel."

  He smiled. "If you want, we could go to church this morning before we go see the captain."

  "I'll go with you next Sunday," she promised.

  He handed her the bag. "You may want to wait until you get home and reheat it."

  She took a bite and then rewrapped it.

  "I warned you."

  "Just drive." Laughing, she reached for the volume control and turned it up.

  *****

  Ian sat next to Gwen in Captain Bradley's office and looked on as the man watched the video from Wednesday morning when Dawson Bartlett had dropped by the station to talk with Gwen. Ian had already briefed him on the evidence they had collected against him and showed him the ballistic report stating that the slugs recovered from the crime scene where Mandy was shot matched those retrieved during the autopsy of Mrs. Gyman.

  Captain Bradley leaned back in his chair, locking his hands behind his neck. "So we have an army medallion belonging to Bartlett's grandmother, video of him following the caseworker's car the night the girl took off, and the ballistics report matching bullets from both scenes. All we need now is the gun in his possession."

  "Which we'll have once we execute a search warrant on his home," Gwen said.

  His gaze landed on her. "Unless he's gotten rid of it."

  "You just watched the video, sir. He's as cocky as they come. He still has it."

  "Even if he doesn't, Captain. We're certain Amanda Kingsley can ID him," Ian backed her up.

  "And if she doesn't make it, all we have is her typed statement."

  "Which clearly states that the man who ran into her outside the store is the one who dropped the medallion with Bartlett's print." Gwen stood, a hand to her hip. "We let this guy walk three years ago for the murder of his family. How many more people have to die before this department stands up to his injunctions and threats of lawsuits?"

  "None, Detective. Get your warrants."

  She looked at Ian. "I'm gonna go call Judge Larkin."

  "Okay."

  The captain stood. "Good work, Jamison."

  "Thank you, sir."

  Once Gwen had left, the captain sat on the edge of his desk and looked at Ian. "She's right, you know. If I hadn't shut her down three years ago, maybe none of this would've happened."

  Knowing how hard Gwen had worked to prove Bartlett's guilt this time, Ian didn't doubt it for a minute. He wasn't going to state the obvious, though. "Is it okay with you if I pull a couple of patrol units to help in executing the searches."

  "Whatever you need, Lieutenant. Good luck." He went back to his chair.

  "There is one other thing, sir. Unrelated to the case."

  The captain met Ian's gaze.

  "Detective Jamison and I have been dating for a couple of weeks now and I just wanted you to hear it from me instead of a second party."

  "I appreciate you being forth coming about your relationship, Lieutenant, but I think pretty much everyone already knows about you two. I have to admit, I didn't really believe it until just now." He smiled. "You do know what you're getting yourself into?"

  "We both do, sir. And we've agreed to keep our work and private lives separate."

  "Since the two of you aren't partners and neither of you can benefit professionally by being in a relationship, there shouldn't be a problem as long as it doesn't interfere with your duties."

  "Thank you, sir."

  *****

  Gwen joined Ian on her balcony, handing him his refill of iced tea. After leaving the station, she had invited him back to her apartment for a lunch consisting of spaghetti and salad. Judge Larkin had promised to call the district attorney and have the warrants ready by morning. She knew it would be a bitter victory, though. There would be no justice for the murders of Terrill, Nina, or Leigh Bartlett.

  "Did you call Nick?"

  "Yeah. Tony and Kara are still there. Mandy's still in and out of it. I told him I'd relieve him in an hour." She propped her feet up on the railing and leaned back in the chair.

  Ian reached over and took her hand. "Why don't you stay here and get some rest. I'll go."

  "I'm all right." Gwen turned her head towards him just as he yawned. He was as exhausted as she was. His determination to be at her side through all this was hear
twarming. No man in her life had been this devoted or loving to her.

  "So were you surprised when the captain gave his go ahead on Bartlett?"

  "He did have me worried there for a while," Gwen admitted.

  "How many warrants did you request, besides the one for his arrest?"

  "On everything I could think of. His house. Garage. Surrounding property. Vehicles. Work. Financials. And the storage units."

  "We're going to be busy tomorrow."

  "Yeah, the captain will have a stroke when he sees the overtime. Oh, I forgot to ask you earlier, did you tell him we were dating?"

  Ian laughed. "You were right, he'd already heard. He said he didn't believe it until I told him."

  "I don't know, I think we're a pretty good fit. You're definitely the first man who's been able to put me in my place."

  "Oh yeah." He grinned. "When was that?"

  "There have been a couple of times. The last one being Monday morning."

  "Geez. That seems like months ago."

  "I know. It's been a long week." And it had made her realize she couldn't imagine her life without him in it.

  "Are you anxious about tomorrow?"

  "I've been waiting three years for this. My only regret is we can't charge him for the murders he committed then."

  "We could get him to confess."

  "Not Bartlett."

  "I have an idea that might just work."

  "You get him to confess and I will marry you any day, any where you want."

  "You've got yourself a deal, Detective." He leaned over and captured her lips.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Gwen arrived at the station just before six o'clock, just as Ian was briefing the rest of the unit.

  "Detective Jamison and I will take the front. You three will take the back. Chavez, once we obtain the information, I want you to go over his financials."

  "Yes, sir."

  "I can't believe this is actually happening." Kris fastened the Velcro straps of her vest.