Checkmate (Caitlin Calloway Mystery Book 2)

by Applewater, Mavis

  “You stuffed her in the trash?” CC was stunned.

  “No, silly. I stuffed her in a new trash barrel I had slipped into the garage earlier. Again, I had no intention of leaving any evidence behind. I wrapped a chain through the handles, locked it up tight, and rolled her down the street to where I had hidden my car. I drove to the marina where the family boat was docked. I was very careful as to where I parked and the route I took to board the boat. I didn’t want my pretty face being caught on camera. The only hiccup in my plan was when we were out in the middle of the Potomac. I was a novice then and didn’t know that when you strangle someone they will pass out before dying. The bitch wasn’t dead. Imagine my surprise. No sense wasting the opportunity. I punctured the trash can. I wanted to make certain that it would sink. I couldn’t resist having a little fun. I tossed a few lit matches inside, wheeled her off the side, and watched her sink in the water. The best part was listening to her screams.”

  “Then back to school, and no one ever knew.” CC hoped Eunice would keep talking. Okay, she wins the crazy bat-shit contest hands down.

  “According to law enforcement, she’s a missing person.”

  “You do have a knack for this,” CC conceded.

  “Enough stalling. Time to wrap this up.”

  * * *

  Ricky was exhausted by the time they landed in Boston, but Val was pumped up with excitement. It felt good to be on a chase. The Beaumont case had left a bad taste in her mouth. This case filled her with a sense of purpose. The moment they touched down and turned on their cell phones, the information poured in. They grabbed their belongings and set off to find a rental car.

  “Idiot.” Val’s mood soured once she turned on her phone.

  “Thank you?”

  “Not you,” Val said and groaned. “I’m getting a video stream from Calloway.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Look, dark and blank. That phone is wasted on her. Let’s head over to the three-three. If she’s not there, we can start getting things together and make a game plan.”

  * * *

  Leigh was busy retyping her report on the Fitzgibbons case. Her intention had been to go home, feed her cats, and get some rest. Something nagged at her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. When her phone rang and she received a blank video from CC, she laughed.

  “My God, Fred Flintstone is more technically savvy. Someone needs to teach her how to use that thing.” She set it aside, not interested in watching a blank screen. She had been inspired to upgrade her phone after playing with Calloway’s. “Maybe I can talk her into a trade,” she said and snickered.

  “I’ve got something.” Wayne burst into the squad room. “Benjamin Augustus Dover has dual citizenship with the US and Canada.”

  “You can’t do both.”

  “Actually you can. Our government just wants us to think that you can’t. His passport is Canadian as is his driver’s license. He’s also dead.”

  “When and how?”

  “Nineteen eighty-seven, when he was all of three months old. Crib death.”

  “Great, our hit man is using a dead baby’s identity.”

  “Where the hell is Calloway?” Val asked as she and Ricky stormed into the squad room.

  “I’m not certain.” Mulligan ignored the deputy’s brisk attitude. “I think she went to visit her wife at the hospital. How was the trip? Find anything useful?”

  “Yes and no. We’ve got a person of interest.”

  “Who?” Mulligan practically jumped out of her chair.

  “Eunice Cockburn.”

  “Wait. That’s the name of the mother on Benjamin Dover’s birth certificate,” Wayne said.

  “Ben Dover?” Val choked. “Really?”

  “Cockburn. Isn’t that Fisher’s lawyer?” Mulligan tried to fit the pieces together.

  “By day.” Val said. “We think she moonlights as a hit man. Not a bad deal, since she can hide behind attorney-client privilege.”

  Rousseau joined the conversation. “The desk clerk at the motel never said it was a woman.”

  “That kid was so high he probably wouldn’t have noticed if Angelina Jolie checked in.” Mulligan reached for her cell phone. “I need to alert Cal—oh my God. Wayne, can you pull up the feed Calloway is sending me?”

  “She did that to you, too?” Val asked while Wayne busied himself with Mulligan’s laptop.

  “We need to get a tactical unit in place.” Mulligan shoved her phone at the captain.

  “What the hell did you do?” Val gasped when she checked her phone.

  CC’s voice could be heard loud and clear. “Keep stalling,” Leigh muttered while her partner began to explain how she figured out everything. “Wayne, I need a GPS on her phone. Now!” she added when he failed to move.

  “We don’t have a warrant.” Wayne said.

  “We don’t need one,” Val bluntly informed them.

  * * *

  Val and Ricky were already calling in every favor they could muster. “Mills, I don’t care that your team is in trouble for not waiting for a warrant. Calloway gave my department permission to access her phone records after Beaumont died. Just tell your idiot boss that at this very moment a cop is being held at gunpoint. I don’t know about you, but I’m not in the mood to wait for some jackwagon to fill out the necessary forms.”

  “I want a Medivac chopper,” Ricky said into his phone. “No, I’m not certain we’ll need it. Do you want to wait?”

  “Location?” Leigh asked while the captain tried to organize the squad room.

  “Pine Banks Park,” Wayne finally told the frazzled group.

  “Where is that?” Val was pleased when Wayne explained by turning the laptop around. “Captain, we’ll take Leigh once she’s ready. The rest of your people need to stand down.”

  “No fucking way.”

  “We have the Fugitive Task Force, the FBI, and the Marshal Service gearing up. Quite frankly, your people will be in the way.”

  Ricky quickly stepped in. “You can’t leave your precinct empty. A little diplomacy, Brownie,” he added grabbing her by the arm.

  “Not my strong point.”

  “Screw the diplomacy.” Leigh shrugged into a Kevlar vest. “My partner is in trouble. Mills’ team is already heading towards Malden. Agent Brown, do we have a team and helicopter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Wayne, feed everything to tactical. I’m climbing on the bus now. If you’re planning on joining me, get moving.”

  * * *

  Mulligan watched as CC tried to stall. She wished there was a way to let her partner know they were coming.

  “The problem with Fisher is,” Cockburn said, “not only do I have to do what I do best, make their deaths look like an unfortunate event, I have to add the element of shame.”

  “The drugs you planted on Max. The DVD of kiddy porn you placed in Brooks’ bedroom and leaving Bitsy Marsden out in the open, half naked. And I’ll disappear under a cloud of suspicion.”

  “I put a great deal of thought into my artistry. How did you figure out I offed Simon’s daddy?”

  “That took time for me. I knew Bert was a distraction. I just couldn’t resist falling for it. Good job with that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “When we caught up with Bert and saw the text messages, I knew Brooks had been right. If that was true, then it all started with Malcolm Fisher. One quick phone call to San Diego and a short chat with a very confused medical examiner confirmed my theory. I should have suspected that you were the one, simply because you were the only one smart enough to pull this off. I have to admire the logic. Anything you say or do is covered by attorney-client privilege.”

  * * *

  CC tensed when her captor stood. She tried to calculate how hard she would have to throw the shovel in order for it to be effective. The lanky blonde carefully approached just as the rain started. The wild look in her eyes made CC’s knees tremble.

  “I’m gla
d you appreciate my efforts.” Eunice aimed her gun directly at CC. “The weather has started to turn. Time to get this show on the road.”

  CC hurled the small shovel, aiming directly for the gun. It whizzed through the air. Eunice cackled and shifted slightly. The shovel missed her by mere inches.

  “I’m going to need that shovel.” Eunice wagged her finger at her. “Nice try, though. Pity that it has to end this way. I’ve enjoyed the game. But now’s the time for my last move. Checkmate, Detective.”

  Chapter 43

  The tactical vehicles plowed through the streets. Leigh continued to watch in horror as her partner tried to keep a crazy woman distracted. Ricky was busy working on the computer, barking orders into his headset.

  “For the love of God, keep her talking,” Leigh shouted as the van that sheltered Val’s team raced towards Malden.

  “How is she keeping her going?” Ricky seemed stunned that Calloway was still alive.

  “The real question is can she keep her talking long enough for us to get there,” Val said nervously.

  Ricky looked up. “The chopper should be circling right about now. We have teams covering all four exits. Can you drive all the way into the park?”

  “In theory, no,” Mulligan said as she checked her gun. “Teenagers seem to manage it after dark without any trouble.”

  The black, government-issue SUVs plowed into the park and the teams quickly unloaded. Mills didn’t hesitate; she ordered her team of snipers to follow them.

  “Flank out,” she said. “Remember, we want this bitch alive.”

  Why hasn’t she seen the camera? Val trudged closer to the spot where she hoped they would find the detective. The last thing she wanted to do was to face Stevie if things went wrong. Her breath caught as she saw the hurled shovel miss its target. “Let’s move, people. We just ran out of time.”

  “Checkmate, Detective,” echoed from her phone.

  The lawyer’s cold words were quickly followed by a loud pop. Val held her breath as she watched the video image spin out of control until it was showing nothing but the night sky. In the distance, Val could see the lights of the helicopter looming above.

  * * *

  “Hurts, doesn’t it?” Eunice loomed over CC’s prone body.

  CC tried to fight against the pain as she lay in the makeshift grave. She had assumed she would never forget how painful taking a bullet was, yet this time seemed far worse. Somehow she managed to steady her breathing, an action that seemed to upset her captor. CC cried out when Eunice decided to poke her wound with a stick.

  “Bet you’re wondering why it hurts so much and why I haven’t just killed you yet.”

  “Kind of,” CC choked out wondering why she hadn’t passed out like she had the first time she had been shot.

  “I dipped the bullets in lemon juice then in a mixture of cayenne pepper and garlic salt.”

  “Because?” CC barely got the question out.

  “I get a bonus if I make you suffer. Just like Elizabeth. Fisher doesn’t really care if I embarrass you, he just wants you to suffer. For Ms. Pryce the hemlock and white oleander certainly did the trick. From what I understand, the pain is excruciating. Some say it feels as if your intestines are being twisted in a knot. Do you think that in the end she prayed for death? Do you think you will? Simon was certainly pleased when I explained in great detail the method I used. He viewed Elizabeth as the catalyst for all of his troubles.”

  “I doubt that she was the catalyst. I think Fisher would have gone around the bend without his girlfriend dumping his sorry ass.” Each word was a struggle she forced herself to keep talking. She hoped if Eunice was busy gloating she just might not shoot her again.

  “I’m inclined to agree with you. We really need to wrap things up. Since you’ve been videotaping our evening together, I’ll have the proof I need. I should thank you for that. Also, for not being smart enough to be able to broadcast. Seriously, didn’t you think I’d notice that brightly lit camera on your belt? I’ll be taking that with me. Of course I’ll edit out the parts where I refer to my client as an idiot. Or maybe you do know how to work that impressive gadget,” Eunice explained with a snarl.

  * * *

  Thirteen of them, all dressed in black, made their way through the woods. Val allowed Ricky to take the lead. Silently the team surrounded the opening. Val saw the wiry blonde standing by a mound of dirt with her gun carefully aimed.

  “Eunice Cockburn, Federal agents! Lower your weapon!” Ricky’s harsh tone left no room for debate.

  Val aimed her Glock, the light rain, and darkness failed to hinder her view. Eunice turned slightly, the feral look in her eyes spoke volumes. Val clenched her jaw. She already knew how this was going to end. Eunice turned and aimed her gun down at the hole in the ground.

  Val leveled her gun and chose a spot just behind Eunice’s ear. She felt calm, silently reasoning that if Eunice didn’t want to be taken alive, then so be it. Simultaneous shots rang out. Eunice managed to get off one shot that nicked CC’s ear while Val delivered a perfect kill shot.

  “I said alive,” Mills snarled.

  “She wasn’t going to be taken alive.”

  “Now you’re psychic?”

  “Not my first rodeo. Ricky, bring the chopper down.”

  * * *

  “Jamie.” Stella beckoned her over to the nurses’ station. “Melrose Wakefield is diverting calls. There’s a pileup on Route 60. Triage is already prepared.”

  “Thank you.” Jamie rolled her shoulders and wondered if she’d ever see her home again.

  “We have a GSW being medivaced in from Malden,” Stella called out.

  “Great.” Jamie yawned. “Assemble a team and have them meet me at the service elevators. I guess my team is getting their first trip to the helipad.”

  “Already done. They’re waiting for you, and the elevators are ready to hold for transport.”

  “What would I do without you, Stella?” Jamie couldn’t help smiling.

  * * *

  “Calloway, don’t you dare die on me,” Val threatened as she unclipped the cell phone and handed it to Mills.

  “I wasn’t planning on it.” CC struggled to get the words out. “Damn, hurts a lot more this time. She said she got a bonus if she made it hurt.”

  “We caught the whole show. Good thing you finally figured out how to use your phone.”

  “Didn’t,” CC said with a gurgle. “Accident.”

  “The shooter laced the bullets with lemon juice, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper,” Val told the EMTs who had pushed her aside.

  “Why?” one of them asked.

  “She’s a bitch. Excuse me, she was a bitch.” Val couldn’t resist sneering down at Eunice’s body.

  “We’re taking her straight to BGH,” the sturdy young man told Leigh.

  “Isn’t Melrose closer?”

  “Diverting calls.”

  “Crap.” Leigh quickly dialed her cell phone. “This is Detective Mulligan. I need to speak to whoever is in charge.” To the rescue team, she said, “I’m riding with you.” Everyone stepped back to allow the team to load CC into the helicopter and safely take off. The second team, led by Ledger, finally arrived.

  “Bit late to the party,” Val said curtly, not caring that he was her superior.

  “I need your statement,” Ledger said wryly. She handed him her gun and took a moment before answering.

  “You’ll get it at the hospital. You have my weapon. I just need to make a stop.”

  “Deputy, you know this isn’t how things work.”

  “I’ll meet you at the hospital, Brownie,” Ricky said. “I just need to get Stevie.”

  “The locals will handle that, Agent,” Ledger said. “We need to document what happened here tonight. Before the press or anyone else gets wind of this fiasco.”

  “Mills, give him a copy of the video.” Val fought to remain calm. “As for my statement, based on evidence we gathered, Agent Samaria and I confirmed that
Eunice Cockburn, Esquire, was behind the recent string of killings. Two of her victims were cops. She confessed on tape while holding Detective Caitlin Calloway of the Boylston PD hostage. She shot and wounded Detective Calloway. We identified ourselves, and she chose to ignore our demands. So I shot her in order to save Detective Calloway’s life. That work for you, sir?”

  “For now, that should suffice. Go.”

  * * *

  Jamie and her team were wrapped up in tacky yellow gowns. Jamie briefly wondered why it rained or snowed every time they had a flight coming in. She reviewed the patient’s vitals that had been radioed in and conveyed them to her team. She carefully explained what she expected of them. Just as the helicopter was landing on the pad, Rudy Lorening burst through the access door.

  “Dr. Jameson, I need to take over.”

  “What? Rudy what’s going on?”

  “Please, Jamie, you need to step away.”

  “Mind telling me why?” She didn’t appreciate him doing whatever he was doing in front of her students.

  “It’s your wife.”

  “What?”

  “The patient arriving is your wife.” He shouted over the noise of the helicopter and pointed towards the person being unloaded. Jamie’s knees buckled, but she found the strength to step away.

  “I’m sorry, Jamie. We have the OR ready for her,” Rudy said as he stepped into Jamie’s spot.

  Jamie almost keeled over as CC’s unmoving body was wheeled past her. Horrified, she watched helplessly as she fought against the urge to take over.

  “Her blood type is A positive. No allergies.”

  “I’ve got it, Jamie,” Rudy said as they entered the elevator. “I promise.”

  She couldn’t focus and failed to notice that Leigh was there. In her mind, she tried to process the medical information. It was futile; the knowledge she possessed was suddenly useless gibberish. Within a few moments, she found herself sitting in the waiting area just outside the surgical unit. Rudy had requested that she not step in or watch from the observation room, more commonly known as the theatre. She finally noticed that Leigh Mulligan was beside her, holding her hand.