But Not Forsaken: A Clint Wolf Novel (Clint Wolf Mystery Series Book 3)
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I nodded my approval and continued going through the prints. Mallory finally pulled one from an envelope and announced, “This is the one Melvin recovered from outside of the door.” She placed it on the desk and we crowded around it.
As soon as I saw it my heart stopped beating for at least ten seconds.
Susan looked up at me and cocked her head to the side. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Do you recognize this print?”
I nodded slowly as the pieces started to come together inside my head. I pointed to Mallory. “How fast can you type up a search warrant?”
“As fast as you can spit the facts from your mouth.”
“Good, fire up your computer so we can get to work.” I turned to Melvin. “You’re a genius. Get your gear together. I want you coming with us.”
“Wait a minute,” Susan said, grabbing Melvin’s arm. “No one’s going anywhere until you tell us what you know.”
CHAPTER 53
3:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 4
Susan and I crept across the soft grass, careful not to make a single sound as we approached the house. Somewhere in the distance a neighborhood dog barked. I froze in place and squatted in the wet grass, gripping my pistol firmly in my fist. I could feel Susan’s hand on the small of my back, waiting for me to move again. When the dog quit barking and I was sure there had been no movement from inside the house, I continued moving forward until I reached the front door of the residence.
Cupping my hand over my mouth, I spoke quietly into my radio mic. “Melvin, are you and Mallory in place?”
Melvin’s voice was loud in my earpiece. “Ten-four. Waiting on your command.”
I turned and made eye contact with Susan, nodding my head. The nearest street light was a block away, but there was enough ambient light to make her brown eyes sparkle. She grabbed my hand and leaned close to me, pressing her lips to my ear.
“Just in case something happens to one of us,” she whispered, her warm breath tickling my ear, “I need you to know I have feelings for you.”
My heart began to race inside my chest. I turned my head and stared into her moist eyes. “What are you talking about?”
I must’ve said it too loud, because she winced and pushed her finger against my lips to silence me. Pushing her lips back to my ear, she said, “We’ll talk about it later. If something happens to me inside, I just didn’t want to die without telling you. When I was shot with that arrow, my one regret was not letting you—”
“Chief, did you copy?” Melvin called into his radio. “We’re waiting on your command.”
Susan’s words had cut to my core and I lost my focus for a second. A million thoughts began running through my mind and Susan had to give me a shove to bring me back to the present. I shook my head to clear it and looked toward the opposite corner of the house, where a sheriff’s office SWAT operator was waiting with a battering ram. I looked back at Susan and gave her a nod. She nodded back and I waved the operator forward.
The operator scurried forward and stopped directly in front of me. With my pistol pointed toward the door, I held up the five fingers of my left hand and counted down. When I dropped my last finger, the operator flung the ram violently into the door, blasting it open.
I rushed through the opening, hooking to the left and following the wall of the room toward the hallway. Susan had crisscrossed to the right and followed the opposite wall. I made it to the hallway a split second before she did and she followed me toward the second door to the left.
Just as we reached the master bedroom, I heard the back door crash open, and I knew Melvin and Mallory had made entry. Before they could start yelling out commands, I smashed my shoulder into the hollow-core door, busting through to the other side. Susan’s flashlight lit up the room and I caught movement to my right. It was a half-naked woman and she was scrambling about the bed and screaming for her life.
On the other side of her, a man was just pushing himself to a seated position, staring about in confusion. Before he could register what was happening, I leapt across the woman and smashed my pistol into the side of his head, sending him sprawling to the floor. The woman thrashed about under me and I got tangled up in her legs and arms.
The man was pushing himself to his feet when Susan came around the other end of the bed and kicked him squarely in the chest. He crashed into the wall behind him, causing a large hole to form in the sheetrock.
I rolled off the end of the bed just as Mallory and Melvin came through the door and secured the woman. I hurried around the bed to help Susan, but the man was already on his face handcuffed and she was reading him his rights. When she turned him over and the light from Melvin’s flashlight caught his face, I saw blood dripping down the side of his head.
“What’s going on?” Reginald demanded. “And why the hell are you in my house?”
“Let’s get him to the living room,” I said, helping Susan lift him and drag him away.
Reginald’s wife was already seated on the sofa and the lights were on when we pushed him onto the loveseat across from her. His eyes were slits and his face was purple. “Do y’all know who I am? I’ll have Bill Hedd indict every last one of you bastards for home invasion! All of y’all are going to prison! Your careers are over!”
“Bill actually knows we’re here,” I said, shoving a search warrant into his lap and turning it so he could read it. “He agreed that we had probable cause to search your premises and to arrest your ass for murder.”
“Murder? You can’t even get me for jaywalking. There’s not a shred of evidence…” The color slowly drained from his face as he read the allegations in the search warrant. “This is bullshit! You can’t pin this on me!”
Melvin appeared from the back of the house carrying a clear plastic bag that contained a pair of large leather ankle boots—the same boots I’d seen when Reginald threw his feet up on the desk at the sheriff’s office Saturday morning.
“They’re a match,” Melvin proclaimed.
“There’re a million boots like that,” Reginald said. “That’s not evidence of anything!”
“If they were new, you might have a valid point.” Melvin turned the sole of the boots around so Reginald could see them. “Do you see how the sole is worn on the outside of the right heel? And you see this missing chunk from the center of the heel? Those are like fingerprints—unique to this pair.”
“I was not in that bridge cabin. I didn’t touch Chloe—I loved her!”
“Like you loved Jolene?” I strode across the room and looked down at him. “You used Chloe, is what you did, so you could keep tabs on her investigation. And when she started getting too close to the truth, you killed her and Megyn to shut them up.”
“You can’t prove any of that.”
“It’ll be hard for you to explain away the fact that Chloe’s earring was found in the back of your truck.”
Reginald’s mouth dropped open. “You know how that got there! We were having sex on our lunch break—long before she was killed.”
“That’s not the way the jury will see it. When we present the facts to the jury, they’ll believe the earring came off when you were moving her body around.”
“You’re just pissed off because you came in second to me! That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”
Reginald’s wife was bawling on the sofa, her hair a tangled mess and her nightgown hanging off of her. “Who’s this Chloe person? And why were you having sex with her? Oh, my God, you’re such an—”
“I’ve got it!” screamed Doug, as he burst through the back door holding a brown paper bag in his gloved hands. “I found this in an old rusty tool box under a bunch of shit in the garage.” He shot a finger at Reginald. “It’s that bastard’s favorite hiding spot! I bet it’s where he hid his porn as a kid.”
“Men are definitely creatures of habit,” Mallory said, laughing at Doug.
I laughed, too, pleased with myself for calling in a favor to Sheriff Turner, who agreed to reinstate Doug’s detective stat
us at my request.
I walked over to where Doug stood holding the bag under the living room light and glanced inside. There was a handgun and several spent shell casings at the bottom of the bag.
Reginald hung his head and began to cry when Doug pulled the firearm out of the bag and held it so we all could see. It was a cheap, silver nine millimeter pistol with obliterated serial numbers.
“Based on the way he’s carrying on,” I said, shooting my thumb toward Reginald, “I’m guessing you found the murder weapon.”
“Yep, and I acted on the tip he called in twenty years ago…trying to make himself sound like a woman.” Shaking his head, he returned the pistol to the bag and walked outside.
I followed Doug into the darkness and looked around for Susan. She wasn’t in the back yard or in the garage, so I walked around to the front of the house. A white Escalade was parked in the driveway and a large man was talking to someone I couldn’t see because of the shadows. I approached the vehicle and heard a booming voice that I recognized to be Bill Hedd.
As I rounded the corner and came up behind him on the driver’s side, I heard him say, “I acted like an ignorant ass and I’m really sorry for all the pain and trouble I’ve caused you. Your dad was a good man, Sergeant, and I’m sorry for trying to say otherwise.”
“I really appreciate that, sir,” Susan said, her voice soft and sincere. “I harbor no ill feelings. As far as I’m concerned, it never happened.”
Susan looked up when I approached and Bill turned around. He stuck out his hand and pumped my arm vigorously. “I can’t thank you enough, young man. To think this evil bastard has been working for me all these years and I never had a clue he did all those horrible things and…” His voice cracked and he just shook his head, trying to hold himself together.
CHAPTER 54
Three hours later…
“How’d you figure it out?” Susan asked as we got in my Tahoe to drive back to her house.
“When I talked to Duggart I got the feeling he was telling the truth, but I wanted to give Reginald the benefit of the doubt.” I turned the wipers on to wash away the dew that had formed on the windshield. “It was when I talked to Bill that I started doubting Reginald. I could tell Bill had no clue that his wife was sleeping with Duggart.”
Susan nodded her head knowingly. “If Bill didn’t know about Duggart, then the only way Reginald could know was if he was the one who followed Jolene and caught them together.”
“Which meant he was the number two Duggart was talking about.”
“And since he worked for Bill, he knew Bill was away at a conference and he’d have the opportunity to murder Jolene.” Susan nodded. “Motive and opportunity. If you think about it, he was brilliant to kill Jolene right after she’d slept with Duggart and then stage the scene to look like a rape.”
I rubbed my tired face and nodded in agreement. “He’s a great manipulator, that one. I should’ve seen it from the beginning. He was the one person connected to everything—to Duggart, to Megyn, to Chloe—and he controlled the investigation into Jolene’s murder. There were some holes in the reports, but he filled them with believable information that he figured I wouldn’t second-guess, and I didn’t at first. I think I wanted it to be Bill. I wanted him to pay dearly for what he did to you, and that clouded my judgment.”
“You’re not the only one who fantasized about Bill Hedd being locked away forever, but it turns out he’s not a bad man.” Susan was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice was soft. “You know, had it not been for Chloe’s investigative work, Duggart would have to spend the rest of his life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Basically—but not knowing it—she traded her life for his.”
I only nodded as we continued traveling south. The sun was rising to the east and it was shaping up to be another beautiful day in swamp country. Now that the case was closed, my mind was free to wander. I had lots to think about, but I had to do one thing before making any decisions.
“Are you okay?” Susan asked when we pulled into her driveway. “You haven’t said much on the drive home.”
“I’m just tired, I guess.”
“Well, why don’t you grab a shower and I’ll scramble up some eggs.” She stretched and I couldn’t help but notice how the polyester uniform shirt pulled against her ample breasts. “After we eat, I plan on calling in sick, taking a long hot bath, and then dying in bed for a while.”
I smiled and nodded. “If you plan on calling your chief, he won’t be in today.”
She winked at me and stepped out of the Tahoe. I followed her inside and hurried through a shower, my mind preoccupied on my tragic past, confusing present and uncertain future.
When I was dressed, I met Susan in the kitchen and we ate in silence. I wondered if she regretted telling me she had feelings for me earlier. She hadn’t said another word about it, and I began to think it was just a spur of the moment comment uttered in a high-stress situation—one to be forgotten later.
I cleaned up the dishes while Susan went in to take a bath. When I was done, I gathered up all of my belongings and loaded them into my Tahoe. I took one last look around the living room that had been my home for the last few days and hesitated, listening by the bathroom door. I could hear the ripple of water and an occasional squeaking sound as her bare body slid against the porcelain tub. Should I knock on the door to tell her goodbye? What if she asked me to stay? What if she invited me in?
My heart began racing again and my hand trembled. I turned and walked away. “Come on, Achilles, let’s go.”
I drove to the town hall and walked inside. Several town employees did double-takes when they saw me wearing jeans and a button-down shirt. I just nodded and walked to Pauline’s office. She looked up from her desk when I entered and then quickly stood to her feet.
“Clint, thank God you’re okay. It’s been one hell of a rollercoaster ride the last few days. I…I didn’t know what was going on and who the murderer was and what to tell the townspeople or what to do with—”
“It’s okay now,” I said. “Everything will get back to normal soon.”
She stood there wringing her hands, nodding. “Okay, so does this mean that being a mayor will get easier from here?”
I laughed and nodded.
She stopped fidgeting and pointed toward my hands. “What’re those?”
I looked down at my badge and commission, contemplating my next move. Earlier, I was certain what I would do, but now I was as confused as ever. When I felt like I was taking too much time, I sighed and stepped forward.
“To hell with it,” I said out loud and placed the badge and commission on Pauline’s desk. “Ma’am, I’m turning in my badge. I’m resigning as chief of police.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
“I can’t be chief of police anymore.”
“But…what am I supposed to do with the police department? I don’t know how to run a law enforcement agency. What am I to do?”
“Susan Wilson will make an excellent chief—I can promise you that.” I turned to walk away, calling over my shoulder, “I’ll get the Tahoe back to you, but there’s something I have to take care of first.”
Pauline was calling after me as the door slammed, begging me to reconsider, but I hurried off before I changed my mind.
I drove out of town heading north and then east, making my way toward the city. A little over an hour later I reached my destination and brought the Tahoe to a stop in a small shell parking lot. I turned to Achilles, who had sat beside me on the drive, his head hanging out of the window and his long tongue flapping in the wind. “Come on, boy, there are some people I want you to meet.”
Achilles jumped to his feet when I slipped out of my seat and he bounded after me, landing lightly on the ground. We walked through the rusted metal gate and strode down the long row of tombstones, enjoying the smell of fresh-cropped grass. I slowed my stride when we reached the large o
ak tree with the heart-shaped scar. The leaves were still green, but starting to turn brown on the edges. I hesitated for a moment and then turned right. The last hundred yards was a blur and it felt like I was walking in slow motion. If I thought I was scared earlier, I was terrified now.
After what seemed like forever, I finally reached the end of the grassy lane and stopped in front of the only two headstones there. One displayed Michele’s name and the other displayed Abigail’s, and the date of their death was inscribed beneath their names.
“It’s time for you to meet the rest of your family,” I said softly to Achilles. I turned to the tombstones and knelt in front of them. “Hey, y’all, I know it’s been a while, and we have a lot of catching up to do...”
I hesitated, a million thoughts swirling through my mind. There was so much to say and I had so many questions, but I didn’t know where to start. I was lonely and tired. As I knelt there staring at their tombs, my heart utterly destroyed from the pain of missing them so much, I broke down crying, unable to utter another word.
CHAPTER 55
“God, that felt amazing,” Susan said as she walked out of the bathroom drying her hair with a long towel. “I almost fell asleep in there…” She stopped drying her hair and glanced around the living room. The place seemed unusually quiet and empty. “Clint? Where are you? Where’s all your stuff?”
Her feet padded softly against the floor as she hurried through each room and then out onto the front porch. Panic gripped at her chest when she noticed his Tahoe was gone. Dropping the towel, she raced inside and grabbed her phone, fumbling with the screen. She called Clint first, but his phone went straight to voicemail. She called Melvin next.
“Susan, what the hell is going on?” Melvin was screaming into the phone. “The mayor just said Clint resigned! She said he told her to make you the next chief and he walked away. He left his badge and commission on her desk.”