by Anne Patrick
Gwen went to the supply closet and got hers and put it on.
"Jamison, you must be on cloud nine," Nick teased.
"I will be once he's in custody." She looked at Ian. "Any word on the warrants yet?"
"Mr. Curry's assistant is meeting us there with them. Are you ready?"
She smiled at him. "Let's do it."
"Hey, how's Amanda doing?" Kris asked.
"She's still pretty out of it. They're easing her off the meds."
The five of them rode down together in the elevator. Gwen stepped out first and saw three patrol cars lined up near the entrance of the parking garage. She glanced over at Ian, who walked beside her. "Did you get Davenport's approval on this?"
"Nope, but I got the captain's."
Gwen grinned. "Welcome to the dark side, Lieutenant."
Nick chuckled as he led the other two detectives to one of the unmarked cruisers.
"You wanna drive?" Ian offered.
"No. I wanna finish my coffee." Ian left the hospital shortly after two that morning, but Gwen had only managed an hour's sleep. "Is CSU going after the Lexus?"
"Within the hour. Siequest told me to tell you they expect brownies by the end of the week."
"Did Carpenter get anything from the storage facility videos?"
"Bartlett returned the car Friday afternoon at three-fifteen and left by taxi. She even called the cab company. He was dropped off at the bus station."
"They've definitely earned some brownies."
*****
Adrenaline surged through Gwen as she knocked on the door. Behind her, on the street, blue and red lights lit up the block. "Police, Bartlett, open the door." She took a step back, turning slightly. Several seconds passed. "Last chance, Bartlett." She motioned for the officer with the battering ram to come forward.
The door opened. Dawson Bartlett stood wearing gray shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt with a bowl of cereal in one hand. Gwen pushed past him. "Sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but I've got a search warrant here for ya." She handed him the papers and waved the uniformed officers inside. "Come on in guys."
Dawson set his bowl down on a nearby table then, with a grin, he stepped within inches of her face. "You aren't nearly as smart as I thought you were, Detective. I'm going to sue you for every penny you've got, then I'm going after the department."
"You're welcome to try but you'll be doing it from death row." She pulled the arrest warrant from her back pocket and unfolded it for his viewing. She then handed it to Ian and removed the handcuffs at her side. "Dawson Bartlett you're under arrest for the murder of Vera Gyman, and the attempted murder of Amanda Kingsley." She went on to read him his Miranda rights as she snapped the cuffs tightly shut.
He wrenched. "My attorney will have me out by the end of the day."
Gwen grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Not this time, Bartlett." She began to pat him down. "We've got your grandfather's medallion you dropped outside Gyman's Liquor with your print on it. We've got you on three different video tapes driving your grandmother's Lexus the night Amanda Kingsley took off after seeing you. We have the slugs you put into Amanda, which match the ones that killed Mrs. Gyman. And we have an eyewitness to all the aforementioned."
"Plus the evidence we'll be collecting today," Ian added. "Then there's also the charges the Phoenix police department will be adding to the list."
Gwen and Ian walked him outside. All up and down the block, people stood in their yards, and a small crowd had gathered at the curb.
"Detective, I hate to burst your bubble," Ian began, "but even with first degree murder, he could get life without parole instead of the death penalty."
"Hey, even better." Gwen placed Bartlett in the backseat and went around to the passenger side and climbed in. She waited for Ian to get behind the wheel. "Last I heard, prisoners share a cell with another inmate, and are outside their cells several hours a day with the other inmates. A pretty boy like him, he's gonna get a lot of attention."
Bartlett was quiet on the ride to the station. Gwen was tempted to pull down her visor and look at him in the mirror but didn't. She prayed Ian's suggestion worked, and that providing Bartlett with the knowledge he wouldn't be segregated from other violent prisoners would scare him into confessing to the murders of his family.
Either way, Gwen was glad he was in custody, where he wouldn't be able to take the life of another innocent victim ever again. They still had a lot of work ahead of them to make sure his situation was permanent, but Gwen was determined to find enough proof to guarantee an indictment.
Ian drove up to the sally port, a secure entryway to the jail adjacent to the station, and buzzed security. After announcing himself and that he had a prisoner, the door slid up and he drove inside. Gwen waited until the door had reclosed before removing Bartlett from the backseat. A transport van was parked in front of them with the side doors opened. As they approached the entrance, two uniformed officers led five shackled prisoners, dressed in orange jumpsuits, to the van. Two of the men were huge, with tattooed arms the size of weightlifters. The scraping of their leg shackles echoed in the enclosed garage. All five of the men looked their way and a chill came over Gwen.
She glanced over at Bartlett. The smirk he had worn earlier at his house had vanished.
Ian moved ahead of Gwen and held the door. Once inside, Sergeant Upshaw stood next to a receiving window. "What'cha got, Jamison?"
"Dawson Bartlett. Murder and aggravated attempted murder."
Ian handed Upshaw the paper work, and the officer buzzed them through the steel door into booking. The intake area had ten temporary holding cells where prisoners were placed until they were processed. Only one was currently occupied. The sergeant came forward and unlocked one of the caged doors. Gwen moved in behind Bartlett and removed the handcuffs.
He twisted away and glared at her with cold dark eyes. "You and I aren't done, Detective."
Both the sergeant and Ian stepped forward.
"Oh, we're done, Bartlett." She grabbed him by the arm and pushed him inside, then slammed the door shut. "The next time I see your face will be from the witness stand at your trial…if you make it that long."
Back in the car, Gwen exhaled a deep breath.
Ian placed his hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Did you see his eyes?"
He squeezed her shoulder. "Thought he was going to slug you."
"I kinda wish he had. I've been wanting to gut punch him for a long time."
Ian chuckled and turned on the engine and exited the sally port.
"Nice touch on the timing of the prisoner transport."
"I had nothing to do with that."
Gwen wondered if maybe God had.
"You don't want to question him when they bring him up?"
"You can. I wanna go back and help in the search."
"All right." He drove around the station and entered the parking garage. After stopping next to her SUV, he leaned over and kissed her. "I'll see you later. Good luck."
"You too."
*****
Gwen grabbed her evidence kit from the back of her SUV and went inside the Bartlett house. Officer Burks stood just inside the door.
"Congratulations, Detective. Nice collar."
"Thanks. Your ATM video was a big help."
He smiled at the recognition.
She spotted Kris going through a bookshelf wall unit in the living room. "Catch you later, Burks." Gwen moved in behind her. "What've you found so far?"
"Nick found the black bandana and hat in the laundry room, and over a pound of marijuana and $10,000 in cash from the study. No gun yet."
"Have you tried his bedroom?"
"We're still working on the downstairs."
Gwen started toward the stairs and Kris snagged her arms. "Ron has been looking over his bank statements. After a $50,000 withdraw three weeks ago, he still had over $175,000 in the account."
"So the robberies he did just for kicks."
"Look
s that way. As soon as the bank is open, Ron's gonna serve the subpoena to see if there's been any recent activity on the account or if he has any others."
"Since there are drugs involved, we should be able to seize his accounts."
"True, but how is that going to help us?"
"The lawyer he has now isn't likely to stick with him if he doesn't think Bartlett can pay him and he'll have to attain a court appointed attorney."
Kris smiled. "And that usually doesn't turn out well."
"Have Ron check with the lieutenant. I'll be upstairs."
"As soon as I'm finished in this room, I'm going to drive out to the businesses around the old warehouse district and see if we can come up with video of Bartlett fleeing the scene Friday."
"All right."
Gwen topped the stairs and glanced down the hallway toward the master bedroom where Terrell and Nina Bartlett were murdered. The sights, smells, and emotions of the crime scene came rushing back to her. The rush of adrenaline was quickly followed by the urge to vomit. That day had been the worst she'd had while on the job. Forcing the memories to the back of her mind, she rounded the corner. Dawson's door was ajar. She set down her kit, removed a pair of latex gloves, and slipped them on. One glance inside the room, she knew it hadn't been used in a long time. Boxes were everywhere, even on the bed. Some were sealed, others open. Gwen picked up her kit and moved across the hall to Leigh's bedroom. It looked the same as it had three years ago. An empty bedframe, ripped up carpet, and discarded clothing on the floor.
He surely wasn't using his parent's bedroom. Only a heartless human being would sleep in the same room where he murdered his parents. It was the only bedroom left, though. Gwen walked slowly down the hall to the open doorway. She swallowed hard, and concentrated on her breathing.
Of the three bedrooms, it was the only room that looked different from what she remembered. New carpet and a king size bed, a large flat-screen television mounted to the wall opposite from the bed, dresser and bedside table, and a portable home gym.
Gwen began with the dresser, which consisted of clothes and two adult magazines. The closet didn't yield anything either. Moving on to the bedside table, she opened the drawer. There lay a black Glock .45 and a box of ammo. Yes!
She removed the camera from her kit, documented the find, and then bagged them.
"You're done, Bartlett!"
*****
It was after seven that evening when Gwen signed out. She had dropped off the .45 and ammo with CSU earlier in the day before heading back to help wrap up the search. Gwen had gone over every inch of the house and property, looking for something that would link Bartlett to the murder of his family but, as was the case three years ago, she came up empty handed. The storage units in Winslow didn't yield anything, other than the car.
Nick came into the squad room. "Has Coop called you yet?"
"I talked to him this morning."
"He's looking for you. So is the lieutenant."
She started out the door.
"Hey. Great job today."
Gwen spun around. "You too, Nick." She fist bumped him. "Booyah!"
On her way to CSU, Gwen called Ian. "Where are you?"
"Grabbing something to eat in the cafeteria. You still at Bartlett's house?"
"No, I'm in the building. I'm headed to CSU. Afterwards, I think I'll run home and shower and then go to the hospital."
"Come by my office before you leave."
"Will do." Gwen pushed through the double glass doors.
"There's the star of the day," Brent Siequest hollered from his station.
She smiled. "I heard I owe you all some brownies."
"Do you ever." He and Coop joined her at the counter.
Coop handed her a ballistic report. "The .45 is a match, and the ammo is the same as the casings found at Friday's crime scene and at Gyman's Liquor."
"Thanks, guys. Awesome work."
"We're not done yet," Brent said. "Carpenter viewed the tapes Detective Todd dropped off earlier and we have three frames of Bartlett leaving the scene in the Lexus."
"You guys rock! A dozen brownies each, does that sound okay?" They deserved a lot more. She had never received results this fast and knew they must have set everything else aside to deliver them.
"Two dozen would be better, but we'll settle for one."
"You'll have um by the end of the week," she promised.
Coop came around the counter. "Can we talk a minute?"
"Sure."
He motioned for her to follow and got the door. Stopping midway down the hall, he turned to her. "I've been hearing this rumor going around about you dating Lieutenant McKean. Is it true?"
"Yes."
"Is it serious?"
She nodded.
"As in marriage serious?"
"Eventually."
He pressed his back against the wall. "Why him and not me, Gwen?" The pain etched in his face surprised her. She thought he had moved on. By all indications he had.
"I can't answer that, Coop. All I know is I've never felt this way before." She placed her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm happy for you, Gwen. Really I am." He hugged her.
*****
Ian got off the elevator and glanced down the hall toward CSU. The sight of Gwen and CSI Cooper hugging stopped him in his tracks.
Gwen laughed, then turned and walked toward Ian.
"What was that about? Should I be worried?"
"Not at all. Just closing a chapter in my life." She smiled at him. "How'd it go with Bartlett?"
Any jealousy he may have had fell by the wayside. Ian knew how badly Gwen wanted Bartlett to pay for the murders of his family. "Not so well I'm afraid."
"He didn't confess?" Gwen pushed through the doors of CID ahead of him.
"No. I did my best, Gwen. I'm sorry. I did talk to the captain about seizing his bank accounts, though, and he's putting the paperwork through. So there is still some hope."
She went to her desk and sat down. Within seconds, she was bent over with her face pressed into her palms sobbing.
"Hey, come here." Ian pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. He knew it wasn't just the lack of a confession that was eating away at her but a combination of everything that had transpired in the last week. Plus, being at Bartlett's today had to have brought back memories of the aftermath of his massacre, and all the frustration of the last three years. She had no doubt been on an emotional roller-coaster ride all day.
It had been an emotional day for him as well. After his exhausting interrogation of Bartlett, Isaac had called and asked if it was okay if he came to visit next weekend. JoAnn had called Isaac earlier in the week and broke the news to him that Ian was dating Gwen. Now Isaac wanted to meet her and Ian wasn't too sure how Gwen would react to the news.
After several minutes, Gwen stepped from his arms and grabbed some tissues from her desk. "So much for keeping our personal and work relationships separate."
"I do have some good news for you. Tony called. Amanda is awake and is asking for you. And she's been moved from ICU."
Gwen started sobbing again. This round only lasted briefly. Grabbing more tissues, she looked at him. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
*****
Ian smiled as Gwen gently hugged the teenager. Both had tears streaming down their cheeks.
"It is so good to see you sitting up in bed." Gwen held Mandy's hand. "You had us all pretty worried."
"I saw him, Gwen," Mandy said in a raspy voice. "The night I tried to steal that woman's purse…the man that was there…he's the one who shot Mrs. Gyman."
"I know, sweetie. We have him in custody."
Tony offered Mandy some water and she took a couple of long sips.
"Mandy." Ian placed his hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Is he the same man who shot you?"
"Yes. I didn't realize it was the same guy until I saw him…" With her other hand she rubbed her throat. "I'm sorry. It hurts when I talk
."
"You don't need to tell us anymore. He's in jail now and he's never going to hurt you again. I promise."
Mandy narrowed her eyes on Ian. "You were at the library."
Ian felt like someone had sucker punched him. "I'm sorry about that, Mandy. Truly I am."
"That's okay." She shifted her gaze back to Gwen. "I messed up…didn't I?"
"No, Mandy. We know why you took off. Nothing's changed." Gwen smiled. "Tony said the doctor will be releasing you next week and you'll get to go home with him and Kara as planned."
"So I'm not in trouble?"
Gwen shook her head. "Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?"
She looked at Tony. "Can I have some more Jell-O?"
"You bet. Orange or Strawberry?"
"Strawberry, please."
"I'll be right back."
Mandy looked at Ian again, then Gwen. "So who is he?"
Gwen chuckled. "This is my lieutenant. He's also my boyfriend. His name's Ian."
"I'm not really such a bad guy."
"He isn't," Gwen reached up with her other hand and placed it over his. "Especially once you get to know him."
"You do have honest eyes." Mandy smiled. "Levi taught me…how to judge people…by their eyes."
"You'll have to teach me that trick sometime." Ian moved around to the other side of the bed and held the mug of water while she took a drink.
Tony came back into the room and Kara was with him. "Well look at you." Kara smiled as she placed a two foot white teddy bear beside Mandy. "We found this rascal roaming the halls. Thought you might like him."
Mandy beamed. "Thank you, Kara."
"You're welcome. How're you feeling?"
"Kinda tired." She looked at Tony and held out her hand. "But not too tired for Jell-O."
They all laughed.
Gwen leaned over and kissed Mandy's forehead. "We're gonna leave and let you get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow."
Ian winked at her. "Enjoy your Jell-O."
*****
Gwen took Ian's hand as they exited the hospital. "You were real good with her."
"I've had a little practice with kids." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Which reminds me, both of mine are coming this weekend. I'd like for you to meet Issac."