Avenged

by Janice Cantore

  Carly thanked them for the information and then went into the command post to find Captain Jacobs.

  “Is there anything you can tell me?” she asked.

  He leaned back in his chair. “Well, the ATF is handling everything. Since the substance they found in the device is not commonly available, they’re certain the plastic explosive used here is part of the loss from Arizona, but a small part.”

  “So there’s a lot still outstanding?”

  “It’s a good thing Ned Barton was the one to try to open the safe today. He saw something off and knew exactly what it was. What they have pieced together is that someone broke into the shop early this morning and set the device. Had it gone off, the whole corner would be gone.”

  “What about the alarm? The cameras?” Even as she asked, Carly knew that security systems could be circumvented.

  Jacobs pointed to a diagram on the desk in front of him. “They have a camera at the back entrance, but the lens was spray-painted by someone wearing a ski mask. As for the alarm, it was bypassed. They don’t have a state-of-the-art system; it’s just a run-of-the-mill alarm.”

  “And Ned thinks his brother did this.”

  “Yep. ATF is trying to find him now.”

  15

  BY SATURDAY MORNING Carly had talked to everyone she could to get information on the ATF investigation into the bomb. The feds had contacted Barton, but she hadn’t heard whether or not he’d been arrested. Tired of thinking about it and talking on the phone, she took Maddie for a walk and on the way home decided it was a great day for a swim.

  When she got home and changed, she turned on her handheld radio to listen to police activity in the city. She was greeted with active, nonstop radio traffic. Her pulse sped a bit. Something big was going on. Was it more gang stuff or something related to the bomb?

  The phone rang just as she figured out that there’d been a shooting in the new marina.

  Joe was on caller ID.

  “Hey, Joe, how are you doing?”

  “Good, Carly, good. Knee surgery is scheduled for next week. But that’s not why I called. Are you following the shooting?”

  “I just turned the radio on. Do you know the details?”

  “Yeah, I heard a blurb on the news radio and I called dispatch. The Oceans First people hit the new marina from the ocean side.”

  “What?”

  “They launched a couple of boats from the rec launch, motored around Sandy Park, and then jumped off the boats to swim into the construction site. A couple of them handcuffed themselves to equipment. One or two had red paint, and they were tossing it everywhere. It’s a mess. But the worst thing is that a few of them headed for the old marina to occupy Walt’s, and marina patrol tried to stop them. Jarvis shot one of them.”

  “You’re kidding. Was the protestor armed?”

  “No details yet, but from what I gather, he was in the water. I don’t know how Jarvis will justify his actions. Anyway, I know we won the lawsuit to evict those people, but the city is dragging its feet to actually kick them out. This was probably a desperation ploy.”

  “Nick’s in Arizona looking into just how crazy Oceans First is.” She told him about the investigation into the guns and about the bomb at Half Baked.

  “Wonder if his brother was the one who threw the newspaper rack through the front door last week.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  The radio traffic had calmed quite a bit.

  “So tell me about your surgery.”

  “It’s supposed to be easy. I have torn cartilage in my left knee. The doc will go in arthroscopically and cut it out. No big scars, just two small holes. It’s outpatient, so I’ll be walking the next day.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I’ll pray that everything goes well.”

  “Thanks, Carly. You take care.”

  After he hung up, she listened to the radio a bit more and understood from all the traffic that Oceans First was still creating havoc at the construction site. Joe was right—they knew they’d be kicked out soon, so why not go for broke? As she listened to the environmentalist-created mayhem, she had to give them credit for originality. Though she was surprised they hadn’t thought of it sooner. The ocean side was the only way to circumvent all the security and fencing. Since they’d completed a successful swim, Carly found herself giving them a little more respect.

  Details about the shooting wouldn’t be aired since Jarvis was a city employee. Carly hoped, for Jarvis’s sake, that the shooting was justified and the injuries were minor.

  The phone rang, and her heart sang when she saw it was Nick. After making sure he was well and happy, she told him about Oceans First’s latest gambit.

  “Well, that’s interesting because nothing’s panning out on the Oceans First front here in Arizona. I also heard about the bomb at the coffee shop. Have you talked to Ned?”

  “Briefly. He thinks Dean did it.”

  “And the ATF agents with me were glad to have a name to work with. But Dean was in prison when the original theft occurred.”

  “Doesn’t mean he’s not working with whoever stole it. I saw him with another man.”

  “That’s why we’ll be here a little longer. We’re taking part in a conference call with prison authorities in Florence, Arizona, about Barton. But I still plan on being home in time for dinner tonight, and we’ll go to church together tomorrow.”

  “Good. I miss you.”

  “Miss you, too. Love ya, babe.”

  Carly played his last words over and over in her mind while she swam. She was overjoyed to know he’d be home soon. After her swim, she got busy taking care of household duties she’d been neglecting.

  Nick, true to his word, arrived home in time for dinner, and the house was sparkling. He wrapped her in a hug she would have been happy to have lasted forever.

  “Sorry you didn’t close the case with Oceans First in the suspect column,” she said as he held her at arm’s length so he could look at her.

  He gave a tired shrug. “Environmentalists as cold-blooded killers didn’t really track for me. Those people are annoying and they do damage, but they don’t kill people execution style. Jarvis is going to be in a world of hurt for shooting the one who tried to get into Walt’s. The guy wasn’t armed with anything other than spray paint.”

  “Oh, I stopped listening to the radio and didn’t turn on the news. Have you heard more?”

  “I talked to Fernando. He said the guy was just trying to climb onto the old dock near Walt’s when Jarvis shot him. He would have drowned if the other marina patrol guy hadn’t jumped in and pulled him out while Jarvis did nothing. The guy is in critical condition.”

  “What does Jarvis have to say for himself?”

  “Not talking. He’s suspended pending a shooting board. It doesn’t look good.”

  “I didn’t care for the guy, but I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I’m sorry as well, but we have our own pressing issues. I’m really anxious to see how things pan out with Barton as our prime suspect regarding the explosives.”

  “What did you learn from the prison?”

  “He was a model prisoner. That’s why the early release. He settled down, went to school, even earned a degree in engineering. But we still have six years of visitor and phone logs to go through.”

  “I can tell you’re not sold on him as the suspect, while I think he’s pure evil and belongs back in prison. There’s too much coincidence here.”

  Nick yawned and gave her another hug. “I agree that the coincidence is compelling. I’m just beginning to think the people who stole the guns and explosives are the same people who shot the gangbangers and tried to make it look like a gang deal.”

  “Why else would they give Trey the guns?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, and while I can understand Barton having a beef with his brother, what’s his problem with Las Playas gangbangers? They were shot a week before this bomb was planted.”

  “The key has to
be who he’s working with.”

  Carly had Nick sit at the table, poured him a large glass of ice water, and told him to relax while she served dinner. As she got plates and dished out the food, she told him what Londy had said about Victor.

  “I know Victor. Caught him tagging the first time I was out with the gang unit,” Nick said, smothering a yawn.

  “He made an impression on you, too?”

  “He did. He’s a bright kid whose cleverness is all being channeled the wrong way. Wants to be a gangster more than anything.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. How sad. If what Victor said is accurate, then Dean Barton has two partners. Either of them could have a problem with Las Playas gangbangers. My gut tells me Barton needs to be taken off the streets. It’s not a stretch to think him capable of murder. Maybe even murder as a distraction.”

  “You think he shot the gangsters to distract us from him blowing up Ned?”

  “It’s possible.”

  Carly sat once everything was served. She took Nick’s hand as they bowed their heads, and he said a blessing.

  “Ned doesn’t always open the safe,” Carly continued, thinking out loud, trying to solve the puzzle. “If he hadn’t on Friday, the place would have blown with no one to point the finger at Dean.”

  Nick shrugged. “Praise God no one was hurt. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” He took a bite of dinner.

  Carly knew that while Nick was away, mealtime was whatever fast food was available. So she didn’t want to subject him to takeout or any food other than home cooking. There were only two dishes she made with absolute confidence, and she’d made one of them for dinner that night.

  “Mmm, this is great.” Nick oohed and aahed with pleasure, his mouth full of meat and cheese lasagna. He swallowed and toasted Carly with his water. “For three days I’ve choked down greasy hamburgers and stale deli sandwiches. This makes me forget all that junk.” He grabbed a piece of garlic bread and continued eating with relish.

  Carly smiled. It was so good to have him home and across the table. The gang mess seemed to have calmed down, and Carly silently thanked God for keeping him safe.

  She waited until after dinner when they were sitting together on the couch to tell him about the nasty blog posts Ginny Masters had written. The sting was gone, and Carly was glad she hadn’t been able to tell Nick right away when she’d felt outraged. Nick had his arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. The TV was on, but she really hadn’t paid any attention to what was shown.

  “She thinks picking on you is going to get her a better job?”

  “I guess. At least that’s what Alex thinks. I haven’t talked to him. Andi has. He needs prayer. It sounds like his dad is really having a hard time with the death of his wife.”

  “That’s tough. I’ll admit I miss reading his columns. Alex doesn’t beat around the bush; he always gets right to the point.”

  Carly could tell by the tone of Nick’s voice that he was sleepy, and she decided they didn’t need a deep conversation right now. “Second service or first?” she asked, closing her eyes in anticipation of a nice doze.

  “Second. I want to sleep in.”

  Carly smiled and snuggled closer. In a few minutes Nick was asleep, and Carly followed shortly thereafter.

  16

  THEY MADE IT to second service early in two cars. Nick planned to hook up with his team and prepare for the first funeral straight from church. Today was Rojo’s, and the service would be held in a small Spanish-speaking church in downtown Las Playas at 1 p.m. After church, Nick and his people would have an hour to prepare before the funeral started.

  They listened to Pastor Rawling’s message from Matthew 5: “‘But I say do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.’”

  Carly thought about Ginny Masters, glad she hadn’t come across the woman while she was angry. The blog posts still irritated her, but she had to admit that it was at least a blessing that Masters had not gone overboard in print. And Carly knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had to handle the situations with both Masters and Barton professionally, not like some wounded teenager.

  She squeezed Nick’s hand, feeling centered and at peace for the first time in a while. His warm, solid presence next to her was a large part of the reason why. When the service ended, they walked hand in hand toward his car so she could say good-bye. They were halfway there when Pastor Rawlings stopped them.

  “If you have a minute, Carly, I’d like to speak with you.”

  “Sure, I’ll be right there.” She turned to Nick. “You be careful.”

  He smiled. “Always.” They shared a kiss and he was gone.

  “What can I do for you, Jonah?” Carly loved her pastor. He’d been her mother’s pastor and mentor for years and then Nick’s when she and Nick were divorced. At first Carly had hated him. But when her heart changed and she and Nick reconciled, coming to church and learning from big, gentle Jonah had changed her life. Now she admired and respected him and cherished the memory of Jonah performing the ceremony that retied her marriage knot with Nick.

  Jonah held his hand out, the grip engulfing Carly’s hand. “How about we go to my office?” His expression was unreadable. Carly hoped this wasn’t about Mary Ellen. But then if it was, all she had were positive reports. The girl was bright and helpful, and her progress since she’d been on probation was nothing short of miraculous.

  Maybe Jonah doesn’t like the idea of Mary Ellen and Londy dating, if that’s what they are doing. Carly’s mind whirled with possibilities. They reached his office, and Jonah took a seat behind his desk. Carly sat across from him.

  “Do you know Pam Sailor?” Jonah asked.

  Since she was expecting a Mary Ellen question, this one knocked Carly for a loop. She thought for a moment and then remembered the name from the suicide she’d handled. “I know the name but I don’t know her.”

  “She attends sporadically because her business is—uh, was catering and she often works Sundays.”

  “She was related to the guy who committed suicide?”

  Jonah nodded. “He was her husband. That’s what I wanted to speak to you about.”

  Intrigued because Jonah couldn’t know she’d handled the call, Carly asked, “Does she think it wasn’t suicide?” Pam Sailor would have been notified about the death by the coroner’s office. It wasn’t likely Carly’s name would have come up at all.

  “No, she’s certain he killed himself. He left her a note and unfortunately a lot of problems. I don’t want to go into everything Pam told me, but she has questions I think a law enforcement officer would be better equipped to handle. I also thought that speaking to another woman would make it easier for Pam. So I decided to ask you to speak with her, casually, maybe?” He held his hands out, palms up. “Maybe you can help by just listening to what she has to say.”

  Carly thought for a minute. She could refer the woman to homicide. Though the death wasn’t a homicide, it’d still been handled by that detail. They received all the autopsy information from the coroner and were the ones who officially closed the case. Or maybe the woman needed a good lawyer. Then again, she might just need to vent. Carly could listen as well as anyone else.

  “Sure, Jonah, I’ll talk to her.”

  “Great, thanks. She’s tied up for the next couple of days with family. As soon as I can arrange something, I’ll let you know.”

  •••

  Later that afternoon, Carly tried to take a nap but was only successful in dozing off and on. The first night back to graveyard patrol was always the hardest. A lot of guys didn’t try to sleep before their Monday shift. They figured they’d be tired enough to sleep well the next day. Carly liked to at least have a nap, but today there was just too much on her mind. She ended up taking Maddie for a long walk and then settling down to listen to the police radio while she got ready for work. She wanted to know what was happening in the city.

  Things
in the new marina had calmed down with the construction company hiring extra private security to ease up on the demand for cops. Nick had called earlier and told her that Rojo’s funeral had gone off without a hitch. People were sad but peaceful, he said. The gang guys were hanging out in Ninja territory. His tone was guarded, and she knew he was afraid peace would evaporate as the day wore on and alcohol took effect.

  By 9 p.m. the radio traffic she listened to was routine. She hoped that when she got to work, Nick would let her know he was calling it a night and coming home to go to bed.

  Carly studied the contents of the fridge, trying to decide what she felt like eating. She almost reheated some lasagna for dinner but decided it would be too heavy. Instead, she settled on a sandwich. Humming softly, she began taking things out of the fridge.

  Suddenly the radio screeched with emergency traffic. She nearly dropped the mayonnaise jar when she heard Nick’s voice tight with stress. His words were indistinguishable.

  Pulse accelerating, she rushed to the radio to turn up the volume.

  “Gang 1, 10-9 your last.”

  Gang 1 was Nick and Mickey. Carly felt ice form in her veins, and she held her breath.

  The dispatcher had not heard the transmission any better than she had and was asking Gang 1 to repeat. Dispatch started the steady code-red beep, a sound meant to keep the radio clear during emergencies so the unit in need could get through.

  Beep . . . beep . . . beep . . .

  Carly jumped when Nick’s voice sliced through the code red.

  “Gang 1, 998, shots fired! Shots fired!”

  Carly gripped the radio, knuckles white, waiting as dispatch asked for a location.

  “Gang 1, what is your 20?”

  After what seemed an eternity, a radio was keyed, and Nick’s voice came across breathless but clear and steady. “Southwest corner of Seventh and LPS. Officer down, officer down. An officer has been shot.”