“Charlotte Reed.”
“Yes sir, she is in Triage Five. Turn right at the corner then left up the hall and on the left.”
“Thanks.”
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Capt. Davis and Chad Caddis standing outside her door.
“Jared, she is inside waiting for you.”
I looked at them both. “Thank you both.”
“You can thank me by marrying that woman in there. You are all she been asking for since she got here.” He smiled and opened the door for me.
She looked up from the nurse that was talking to her and smiled as I walked in.
“Jared, baby.” She was still crying when I put my arms around her.
We kissed.
“I thank God you are all right. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“You mean without…us?” she said. She had an odd smile on her face. I looked at the nurse. She had the same look.
She grabbed my hand and placed it on her belly. “I’m pregnant.”
* * *
Burncutt interviewed Tabitha at the Texaco she worked at by the lake.
“So what do you remember about him that day?” He pointed to the picture of Carl Minton.
“Well he came in wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. He carried a fishing pole. He made a phone call at that payphone and then a cab picked him up.”
“Anything else?”
“No-- else unusual. He paid for his food and two packs of Marlboro cigarettes and told me to keep the change.”
Burncutt thought for a minute. “Damn! The lake.”
“Come on, we have to go check out something.” Burncutt took his assistant Glass with him to their unmarked Crown Vic and raced out of the parking lot.
The lake was just a ¼ mile ahead. Burncutt turned left on the dirt road leading to the lake. He stopped the car and put it in park.
“Glass, be careful not to disturb these tire tracks. It looks like a truck has been through here but never came out.”
They both pulled their weapons and walked alongside the dirt road until they got to the embankment. The high noon sun was glaring down upon them and also it reflected off something in the lake.
A small area of a truck bumper was barely below the water level.
Burncutt called it in. Within minutes, police, media, and onlookers were all over that place. A heavy wrecker pulled the truck from the lake. CSU guys took photos as the truck was pulled ashore. Inside the truck, they found a switchblade and a pair of uniforms, one with blood on it. They also found a wet pack of Marlboros with maybe a couple of cigarettes left. Capt. Davis walked over to Burncutt.
“This is the truck,” said Burncutt, pointing to the Billy’s Pest Control sign on the driver door.
“We found a knife and some other stuff. CSU is tagging and bagging everything now.”
“Good work Detective, anything else?”
“Yes sir,” we talked with the clerk and she gave us the info that led me here, plus she stated that she saw him get in a cab.”
“Ok Burncutt, follow up on it and I’ll let Detective Jackson know what’s going on. And, oh yeah--the next time you decide to go to the chief without going through your chain of command, I will have your badge. Do you understand?”
Burncutt looked crushed. The high horse he was on reared up and dumped him off. “Yes sir.”
“Come on Glass; let’s go follow up on this lead.”
Chapter Nine
I had never been so happy in my whole life. We had a nice drive from the hospital to her parents’ house. Her mom came to the door teary eyed. Her dad walked slowly behind her still carrying his shotgun. Chad pulled his patrol car behind mine. I was glad he was here. I needed to go back to my place for a shower and a change of clothes.
I had never seen so much hugging and kissing. I walked her inside and made her comfortable. It didn’t last long because once she told her mom that she was pregnant, her mom started praising Jesus again. She reached out to Charlotte and hugged her and for a moment it seemed like they were communicating telepathically. They both smiled.
“Ahem.” I cleared my throat for attention. “And I would like to say something please.”
All eyes were on me.
“Charlotte, have a seat, Baby.” I reached in my pocket for the One Carat Marquis shaped diamond ring I had been keeping in the console for about a month. I knelt down and held her left hand. I looked at her parents. Her dad was sitting in his favorite chair with her mom standing next to him and holding hands.
“Mr. and Mrs. Reed, I love your daughter and I want you to know that I plan to love her forever and a day. I looked at Charlotte who was now breathing fast.
“Charlotte? Will you marry me?”
“YES! YES! YES!”
I slipped the ring on her finger. We kissed as if nobody was in the room but us.
“Ahem.” Her dad cleared his throat. He mother snapped at him.
“Oh Jimmy Earl, leave them kids alone. They are grown and they are getting married and they are having us a grandbaby.”
Jimmy Earl smiled and got up and hugged his wife of 40 years and kissed her like nobody else was in the room. Ruthie had a puzzled look on her face.
“What?” asked Jimmy Earl “I still got it.”
“Yes you do baby,” said a smiling Ruthie.
Charlotte rubbed her right index finger on the back of her left index finger. “Shame.”
Her mother snapped. “What, that’s how you got here.”
Everybody in the house was laughing including Chad.
“Congratulations Detective.”
“Thanks Chad.” We shook hands.
“Chad, I need you to stay here until I get back. I have to run to my place in town and take care of some things and I will be back within an hour.”
“No problem, take your time. Oh and hey, on your way back, get me a taco or something. I haven’t eaten all day.”
I looked at Ruthie. She loved hearing words like that.
“Well Chad, you are in for a treat. How about some Salisbury steak, sweet peas, mash potatoes with cut up bacon in it and some of my homemade biscuits.”
Chad looked at me. “Take your time, I ain’t going anywhere.
Charlotte walked me out to the porch. I really didn’t want to leave but I couldn’t hide the fact that I needed a shower much longer.
“Hurry back ok?”
“With lights flashing and sirens blasting.”
She laughed. We kissed and slowly let go of each other’s hand.
I got in my car and backed out the driveway. I was in high spirits. All in the world felt right and I looked forward to being a dad. I couldn’t help but look back in the rear view mirror as Charlotte stood on the porch waving bye. It was a beautiful sight to see.
Dark was setting in as I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex. I got out of the car. The air was cool and moist so I grabbed my faithful leather jacket and walked up the stairs to my apartment and turned the key.
“Ah! Home sweet home.” I had just closed the door when I caught a glimpse Carl Minton sitting in my kitchen with a gun pointed at me. It was my spare gun, the one I kept under the mattress.
“Well, Detective it’s good to finally see you again. I didn’t know where you were but I was sure you would come back here.”
He saw me look toward the sink.
“Oh, I do apologize for leaving the place dirty, but I thought a maid would come in to clean.”
“What do you want?”
“Haven’t you figured that out by now?”
“No. Enlighten me.”
“Well for starters, I had everything planned out as soon as Judge Middlebrooks brought me into this. After killing his wife, I knew I could do it. I knew it was going to be good. I could do what I’d always dreamed of doing. I would kill Nancy Durham, Assistant DA Dave Robinson—and all the others who sat on the jury and sentenced my daddy to the needle.”
“I’ve sat o
n a few juries but I can’t seem to remember anyone with the last name of Minton.”
“No--you wouldn’t remember that name, but you should remember Dr. William Dancy.”
The name shot through me like a rocket.
“Yeah, I remember him. He molested and killed some underage girls including his own daughter.” I tried to put two and two together here. “Which I take it to be your sister?”
Keeping the gun on me, he got up from the table.
“I was in love with my father and you helped take him away.”
I stayed silent and let him talk. This was getting weird.
“Yes, he killed those girls,” Minton said. “But his daughter is still alive.”
He moved closer to me with the gun still pointed at me.
“Well if she is alive, where is she?”
“Right here holding the gun in your face.”
The shock hit me like a ton of bricks. “You are Melanie Dancy?”
“In the flesh, so to speak.”
I had to keep her/him talking. If he/she moved a little more closer, I could try and take him.
“So where were you all these years?”
He looked at me. “My mother took me away when I was 12 and filled my head with how evil my dad was. But she was just jealous that he didn’t want her anymore.”
“One more step,” I thought, as he moved closer to me.
“So why now after all this time? That was when I first came onto the force--at least 8 years ago?”
“Come on, Detective, you know I couldn’t get around until I was of legal age.” He began to move toward me.
This time he had stepped right where I wanted him. I flung the leather jacket in his face and rushed him. I grabbed the gun and wrestled it out of his hand and punched him in the face. Being a former woman, he wasn’t very big, but it surprised me how strong he was He didn’t go down right away. He was a man now; I was gonna have to fight him like a man. I kicked him in his abdomen and punched him again. He lay sprawled on the floor. I straddled him and put my handcuffs on him. I got up, keeping the gun pointed at him.
I picked up my phone and dialed 911, without even once taking my eyes off him.
Patrol cars were there in minutes. Two officers came in and I said to the female, “She’s a woman.” They looked at each other, but proceeded to action.
The female officer did the search. She was thorough. She had found a handcuff key under Minton’s tongue. She called in another female officer and they took Melanie/Minton into the bedroom and closed the door. When they came back out, they had a six-inch switchblade and another handcuff key in their possession.
The finally took Minton downstairs and put him in a patrol car. Officers were standing on each side with M4 Assault rifles. I walked over to the car and opened the rear door.
“You answered everything else, but I want to know--why did you kidnap Charlotte Reed?”
He looked at me, puzzled. “Who is Charlotte Reed?”
“You mean you didn’t kidnap her?” I asked.
“Why? Is she your girlfriend? Perhaps I should have studied you more, Detective.”
Chapter Ten
Another patrol car pulled up behind Chad’s and squeaked to a stop outside of the Reed’s house. Ruthie peeked through the curtains and saw two people getting out.
“Looks like you got some company, Chad.”
Chad looked surprised. “Hold on a minute. Don’t answer that door. Let me make a call.”
He dialed Capt. Davis and put him on speaker.
“Yeah, what is it?” The captain asked.
“Captain this is an emergency, I need to know if you sent anybody out here to the Reed’s home to relieve me.”
“No. WHY?”
“What about the Chief?”
“Hell, nobody knows where he is!”
“Ok, Capt., get some units here fast.”
Davis was silent for a second. “All right. Will do. Be safe”
Chad signaled for everybody to be quiet.
“What’s going on, Chad? asked Charlotte.
“I don’t know yet, but I do know that nobody is supposed to be out here but me.”
“I need all of you to be quiet and get back toward the bedroom. Dammit, I don’t have my shotgun.”
Jimmy Earl pointed over to his gun cabinet. “All of ‘em are loaded.”
Chad didn’t hesitate. He grabbed a 12 gauge off the rack and pumped it. Ruthie and Charlotte grabbed the other 12 gauge and a bolt action rifle.
“We ain’t running in our own home,” said Jimmy Earl. He cocked both hammers back on his double barrel and laid out a handful of shells on the coffee table.
“Ok-- everybody get behind something and get ready.”
There was a knock at the door.
“Who’s there?” yelled Chad.
“It’s Burncutt. Glass and I were sent by Capt. Davis to relieve you and look after everybody.”
“You know Burncott, I just talked with Capt. Davis and he said he hasn’t sent anybody.”
“Open the door, Chad.”
Chad signaled Jimmy Earl to watch the window for the other person.
“No can do, buddy. You are gonna have to kick it down.”
Burncutt began beating hard on the door. Charlotte turned pale and said, “I know that voice.”
“What do you mean?” Chad asked her.
“It’s the man who kidnapped me!”
Suddenly, there was a glass break in the back bedroom. Ruthie turned and pumped two shots through the window. There was a short scream and followed by a thump that sounded like somebody falling on the floor of the porch. Ruthie had grazed Detective Glass. Burncutt heard the shots and backed away from the door. He posted himself on the other side of the patrol car and starting firing madly into the house. Chad looked up and saw that Burncutt was by the car. He looked at Jimmy Earl. “He’s out there at the car. I’m going around back and see if I can sneak up on him.” Jimmy Earl nodded and moved toward the window. He let both barrels go. The car dropped and he knew he had got the tire. He went toward the bedroom where Ruthie had shot. He went out the window. He saw Glass crouched against the house, looking frightened and hurt.
He stepped over her and cautiously crept around the corner of the house. He could see rounds hitting the car. The Reeds were hammering him. Chad sneaked quietly to where he could see the front of the house.
Chad tried to run up on Burncutt from his blind side, but Burncutt saw him.
Burncutt fired and hit Chad. Chad fell. Jimmy Earl saw what had happened and looked back at Charlotte who was holding her rifle. “Baby girl, give me that rifle.”
Jimmy Earl waited until Burncutt raised his head and then fired. The shot hit him in his right shoulder.
Burncutt screamed out in pain. By that time, lights and sirens filled the night.
Patrol cars were parked all over the place. A couple of officers handcuffed Burncutt and stripped him of his weapons and sat him in the backseat of their patrol car. Another officer went over to check on Chad, who was trying to get up on his own.
“Oomph--that hurt so bad!” said Chad.
The EMT’s rushed to Chad and took off his shirt and his bullet proof vest. He had a burn mark of where Burncutt’s .40-caliber round had made contact but the vest stopped the bullet.
The EMT’s also checked on Glass. She had a serious wound but she was all right. She had caught one slug to the shoulder, nearly at the chest .
Everybody in the Reeds’ house was ok.
* * *
I got out of my car and rushed up to the porch and opened the door.
“Is everybody ok?”
“Yes. We are fine.” Ruthie was wiping her hands on her housecoat.
Charlotte ran up to me and hugged me. I held her so tight.
“If it wasn’t for Chad, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Chad was now sitting on the porch in the swing letting the EMT’s check him out. He gave me thumbs up.
“Burncutt and Glass.” I thought I couldn’t be shocked more than I have been already tonight, but I was. “Anybody around to answer questions?”
“Yeah, Burncutt is in the patrol car. Glass is gonna be okay but she took a shot to the shoulder. She didn’t seem to know what this was all about…but she was doing what Burncutt told her to,” He was sluggish, as the morphine was kicking in.
I walked out to the patrol car. It took everything in me along with Capt. Davis and another officer, to hold me back from Burncutt. I wanted him bad, but I needed some answers too. I calmed down enough to open the door.
“Why, dammit--why did you kidnap Charlotte?”
Burncutt laughed.
The EMT’s came over to the car to bandage him. I told them to wait.
“I’m waiting.” I said, frustrated.
“You mean you haven’t figured it out yet?”
I had heard that once tonight. I answered him the same way I had answered Minton.
“Enlighten me on what I should know.”
“Eight years ago, you had busted my father for manufacturing Meth. He went up the river and my mother went down in the gutter.
I tried to hide my shock. “Go on.”
“We lost our home. We lived in shelters, scrounging for food from garbage cans.”
I looked away for a second but then focused on Burncutt.
“I spent my life making myself into the thing I hated most, a cop! I wanted to get close enough to you to make you suffer as much as I had.”
Capt. Davis looked at him. “Well, you are under arrest for murder, kidnapping, attempted…”
“Wait whoa, murder? I didn’t murder anybody. I mean—yeah, I kidnapped your girl—but I
didn’t murder anybody.”
Capt. Davis turned to look at me.
“What’s on your mind, Jared?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll call you when I got something.” I was trying to get the connection here. They
weren’t working together, but everybody in the terrible events in recent days seemed to have one
thing in common: Me.
Except for one.
I ran back up to the porch and kissed Charlotte.
“I have to go take care of something. You will be safe now. You have nothing else to worry
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