Girl Undone (TJ Peacock & Lisa Rayburn Mysteries Book 3)

by Marla Madison

  TJ and Bart ran back to the Corvette and took off after them, followed by Richard and

  Justin. The speeding procession got only as far as the park exit before reaching a blockade of Beloit black-and-whites. The kidnappers were surrounded by local police.

  TJ didn’t trust the Beloit cops to keep her son safe. She crept out of the Vette and crouched down, still in her red gown and practically crawling to the car that held her son. She felt someone behind her and knew it was Bart, but didn’t dare warn him to go back. Caruthers and Jackson were shooting at the police from the front seat and wouldn’t be able to see them approaching from their position at ground level. She prayed the cops wouldn’t fire back at the kidnappers and risk hitting JR. She had to get him out of danger before that happened.

  A Beloit cop had a megaphone out, ordering the suspects to disarm and get out of the car. The showdown with the firefighters was turning into a giant cluster-fuck that was putting

  her son in more danger every second. TJ and Bart were on their stomachs now, inching toward the back door of the car. One of them would have to pull JR out of the firefighters’ car, but she didn’t trust Bart to act quickly enough to get him out without being noticed. She had to do it herself, but she also didn’t think Bart knew how to shoot a gun. She had to take a chance, though, and handed him her gun, pointing at the front seat, motioning she was going in. Then she held up a hand and raised one finger, then two, then three. On three, she yanked the back door open and pulled JR out of the car just as Bart raised the gun and put a bullet through Caruthers’ head. TJ clutched the boy against her body while she and Bart crawled back to the cover of the Vette and squeezed beneath its chassis. She made a fast call to Richard and told him she had JR.

  The night lit up with the ear-splitting sounds of rapid gunfire that seemed to go on

  forever. When it finally stopped, the smell of gunpowder in the air was overwhelming. Only then did she hear JR whimpering and the sound of feet rushing toward them. She slid out from under the car and handed JR to an EMT. Bart hadn’t come out with her.

  Turning back to the car, she saw Bart’s legs sticking out from underneath it and pulled

  him toward her, shocked to discover his upper body covered with blood. She yelled for a paramedic, pulled off her jacket, and staunched the blood flow from his upper chest, fearing her effort was too late to save him. Seconds later, Bart moaned.

  More EMT’s had arrived on the scene. They took over and loaded Bart into their van. She looked around for Richard, surprised he hadn’t come to see JR. When she asked for him she was told he went to the hospital with Justin after finding out his son was safe. Justin had taken a bullet, the injury possibly fatal. She and JR left for the hospital in another van, where JR would be checked out for possible injuries or shock. She would catch up with Richard there.

  Carrying JR in her arms, TJ stepped out of a Waukesha police car in front of Eric’s home.

  RayAnn met her at the door, disengaging the alarm system so they could enter.

  Lisa hurried toward her and took JR. “I have a fresh pot of coffee ready for

  you. I’ll take him to bed.”

  “You the only one here?” TJ asked.

  “Donna’s here but she was pretty shaken up. I gave her some of my night tea and sent her

  to bed once we knew JR was safe. Eric is still at the dealership with the caterers, cleaning up. Shannon is at the hospital with Bart. Get yourself some coffee. I’ll put him down.” JR hadn’t so much as fluttered his eyelids.

  When Lisa came back, she asked, “They didn’t hurt him, did they?”

  TJ was sitting at the island. “No, he’s good. Just complained about his ears hurting. Mine

  aren’t too great either, that was a lotta shootin’. But Richard’s pissed off and he ain’t listenin’

  to reason. I don’t give a damn about police procedure anymore; the frickin’ ‘rules’ were one reason I left the force. I mighta saved our son’s life tonight. How can Richard be mad about that?”

  “You forget that Richard still has to live by those rules, TJ. And he still believes in them.”

  “He’s wrong. Nothin’s ever black and white.”

  “You can’t blame Richard for being upset, TJ. After all, his partner was

  killed by a stray bullet. I heard maybe he was even hit by ‘friendly fire.’ And then there’s Bart, stuck in a Beloit hospital. His wound wasn’t life threatening but the bullet grazed a lung. He’ll be there for at least a week. Shannon’s staying there tonight, she wants to be sure he sees a friendly face when he wakes up. A lot of sacrifices were made to save JR.”

  TJ said nothing.

  Lisa said, “Honey, Richard and Justin were close. You have to give Richard time to

  grieve. And don’t forget Bart—he’s a hero in all of this—he risked his life for JR just like you did.”

  “Yeah, I know. Richard and Justin paid a high price to get my baby back. I’m grateful, I

  am, but Richard has to understand how it is. A mother will do anything to save her kid. I’m sorry to say this, but nothin’ else matters when your kid is in danger.”

  “I hope you aren’t thinking that Richard’s love for the boy is less than yours because he’s

  not JR’s biological father. He’s been JR’s father in every sense of the word since the day he was born. TJ, that showdown with the kidnappers may have gotten even worse if you hadn’t been there, but there is also a possibility that if you’d left the chase to the police, no one would have been hurt. You have to look at it from Richard’s point of view.”

  “Can’t do it. Not yet.”

  71

  Bart woke up and looked around the room, totally disoriented, although he realized was in a hospital bed. He moved his legs and his arms, then reached up and touched his head and his face with both hands. When he lowered his arm, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Then he saw Shannon in the chair next to his bed and wondered if she’d been there all night. He edged to the side of the bed and touched her shoulder. “Hey, wake up.”

  She put her hands to her face and rubbed the sleep from her eyes like a child. “You’re awake. How do you feel?”

  “I’m not sure yet. What happened to me?”

  “You don’t remember? You’re a hero. You saved JR.”

  He turned back to his pillow and closed his eyes. “It’s coming back to me. How is

  everyone else? There was so much shooting, just like a movie.”

  “I can only imagine; I wasn’t there. I got to the party late last night, just after you and TJ

  left to go after the kidnappers. I was going to surprise you.”

  She wasn’t telling him something. “You didn’t tell me—how is everyone else?”

  He could see her dark eyes were pained. “JR is fine. He doesn’t even remember much

  about it all, which is a good thing.”

  “Tell me the rest.”

  “Well, they got the two guys who took JR. And they think there is another one who wasn’t

  with them last night. The one who started it all—they think he’s the one you knew as Headliner—is dead. His friend, another firefighter from Cedar Rapids, is here in the ICU. The doctors aren’t sure he’ll make it. The third one is in custody in Iowa and they’re hoping he’ll tell them everything. That’s really all I know.”

  “No one else was hurt?”

  She looked out the window, then said, “A policeman was killed.”

  “Not Conlin?” Jeez, he thought, TJ would come here and finish him off.

  “No. His partner, Justin.”

  That was almost as bad. “I’m a dead man.”

  “No, the nurses say you’re going to be fine. The bullet hit you high enough to miss your

  heart and your lungs were only grazed.”

  “Ha ha. You know what I meant.”

  “Not everything is about you, Bart. There are three bad men who will no longer hurt

  anyone, but the fallout
isn’t pretty.” She stood and faced him. “That’s all I’m going to say about it. You’ll have to find out the rest for yourself. I’m going down for coffee and I’ll let the nurses know that you’re awake.”

  “Wait,” he called. “About Jen. Do you know if she’s here?”

  She shrugged, and he realized his question hurt her. He felt like a total idiot; Jen wasn’t

  the one who had spent an uncomfortable night at his bedside.

  “No idea,” she said and walked away.

  72

  The next morning TJ announced that she and JR were going back home. Lisa knew she wanted to be alone with Richard to try to sort things out. TJ’s job had been the one difficult spot in the couple’s relationship from the beginning. But TJ was a cop at heart and even if she wasn’t on the force any longer, keeping people safe was still her purpose in life.

  “He’s a detective,” TJ insisted. “He’s gotta understand.”

  Lisa said, “I hope you two work it out. I’m here if you need me. You’re welcome to stay

  here whenever you like.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “What about Jamie? Aren’t you going to see her?”

  “Thought you called her parents.”

  “I did. But you should at least tell her you’re grateful that she took a bullet in the gut

  trying to protect JR.”

  “Yeah, right. An’ this whole fiasco was all her fault. She brought the guy in, didn’t

  she?”

  “If you’re going to throw blame around, then I suppose you should blame me. I left the

  extra invitation in the waiting area for Shannon because she lost hers. Jamie apparently grabbed it when she had the opportunity.

  “And don’t forget, the man she walked in with was Headliner in disguise. If we had

  considered he might do that, this might not have happened. You could have thought of that yourself, so that makes you a candidate for blame too. We also didn’t check off the guests against a list when they showed their IDs. That’s two oversights you can’t put off on Jamie.”

  TJ frowned. “When you say all that shit, you’re right. Plenty of blame to go around.”

  “Jamie’s heart was in the right place, TJ. She just wanted to see Jeff’s son.”

  “Okay. I’ll go see her now. I’ll come back for Donna and JR.” TJ hadn’t left her son out of

  her sight since the kidnapping the night before and planned on spending rest of the week at home to spend time with him.

  “He’s a special boy,” Lisa said. “Just look at him.”

  JR had taken his favorite spot next to the Christmas tree and was busy arranging

  everyone’s presents. He enjoyed the task so much that they had all left them under the tree.

  “He is,” said TJ. “Don’t know how I’m gonna get our tree put away.”

  “Distraction might work. Have Donna put it away when you’re in Disney World.”

  “Good idea.”

  “Tell him about it before you leave, though, when he’s too excited about the trip to object. I’m happy that you’re all going. The three of you need time to mend.”

  When TJ arrived at Jamie’s hospital room, her parents were at her bedside and left after Jamie introduced them to her. A small cosmetic bag sat unopened on the bed. Pale and free of makeup, Jamie looked younger than her twenty-something years.

  “I’m glad to finally meet you, TJ. That’s why I crashed the party. Not to see your son, because I had no idea he’d be there. I wanted to talk to you, try to make you understand. I’m so sorry about what happened. Is the boy all right?”

  “He’s good. They didn’t hurt him and he slept through most of it. Says his ears are still

  buzzing, though. Doesn’t really understand what happened.”

  “He’s tough, like his mother.”

  TJ was at a loss for what to say to the woman. She had hated her for so long and for so

  many reasons: leaving Jeff, not letting them know she was alive, wanting to see JR.

  Jamie asked, “Did the police get all of the men responsible?”

  “Yeah. The one that shot you is dead. The other one’s in a hospital in Beloit and probably

  won’t make it.”

  “Good. That’s good.”

  “What are you gonna do now? Stayin’ in town?”

  “I’m not sure yet. Maybe.”

  “Well, if you do and you want to see JR sometimes, call me.” TJ gave her one of her

  cards. Hanging onto her hatred was hard after Jamie tried to save JR.

  Jamie’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I want you to know that I really did love Jeff.

  It’s hard to explain why I left. I just wasn’t happy being married, I suppose. He was a wonderful man and didn’t deserve what I did to him. I’m happy that he found some happiness with you.”

  TJ stepped toward the door. “Yeah . . . wish things had been different, but we can’t change

  the past.”

  She walked to her car, satisfied that she’d made her peace with Jeff’s wife. TJ thought about what Jamie had said. Loving each other wasn’t always enough. She wondered if she and Richard’s love could withstand this latest test.

  Richard was waiting for TJ when she and JR met him at their house. Donna had gone back to West Bend for a few days and they were alone. JR ran to the living room to make sure the Christmas tree was still there.

  “I missed you last night,” TJ said.

  A strained moment passed before he said, “We can’t go on like this, TJ.”

  “Like what?” she asked although she knew what he was going to say.

  “We thought having Donna here was all we needed to be sure our son grew up in a safe

  and loving atmosphere. But keeping him safe requires more than that. You must realize that now.”

  TJ had resolved not to let her anger get in the way of a mature discussion but couldn’t help

  asking, “Why is this all on me? Your job puts you in the line of fire every day. Mine is usually pretty dull.”

  “That’s true, but is it fair to our son that both of us have dangerous jobs?”

  “You sayin’ one of us should quit what we do? An’ I know you’re gonna say that person

  needs to be me. Not fair the way I see it.”

  “You’re his mother. He needs you the most.”

  TJ wanted him to reach out to her, take her in his arms, and tell her they could find a way

  for both of them to keep the jobs they loved. But he was waiting for her response. “Richard, if I quit, I wouldn’t be a good mother. I’d be miserable. Kids sense stuff like that. It’s not good for them if their parents aren’t happy.”

  He waited a moment. “I did have an idea.”

  “If you got an idea that would keep us both workin’ and still together, let’s hear it.”

  “Not quite. You know, I can retire anytime now with an excellent pension. I can get good

  security work easy enough. My solution is that we don’t live together. I’ll quit the force, find a place near here and take care of JR. You can be with us weekends or whenever you have time in your schedule.”

  Her resolve to stay calm evaporated. “What kind crappy solution is that? I’m supposed to

  give up you and my son? And you quit the job you love?”

  “I know it sounds extreme, but think about it. You wouldn’t be giving us up—you’d just

  be making sure our son is safe.”

  73

  Bart, eager to get back to his writing, but still in too much pain to balance his laptop on his legs, was dictating to Shannon as she sat next to him and typed the blog. He had at least two or three more days of convalescence before they released him, and he had to get his story out in time to keep up with the competition. The story, from his perspective as a participant, was going to be awesome. He’d received offers from three newspapers and dozens of other blogs.

  He wasn’t really interested i
n the limelight, but he knew it would only be a matter of time

  before he received other offers and some would be for personal interviews. What he wanted to do was to write a book, a true-crime account of everything that had happened, and he needed to start looking for a publisher. Maintaining the blog would be easy while he did the research for the book.

  Shannon was proving to be a wonderful asset and had even offered to help with the book

  when she had free time between her law-school classes.

  They had just about finished the day’s blog entry when Jen came into the room carrying a

  large white box with holes in the sides.

  “I brought you a present,” she said.

  “A puppy?”

  She laughed and opened the top of the box. Then she drew out a flowering plant and set it

  on his tray.

  “ A Krogman! Where did you get it?”

  “I went to your house to pick up your mail for you.” She handed him a stack of mail held

  together with a green rubber band. “The phone rang when I was there, and I answered it for you, I hope you don’t mind. It was a man from Chicago, who said he’d sold you some violets. He heard what happened and wanted to send you another one. He overnighted it to me.”

  Bart hadn’t thought about the violets in days—or even about returning home. Despite

  everything that had happened, he’d enjoyed life at Eric’s estate and the people who had shared it. He’d learned something about himself—life as a loner was not how he was happiest. He planned on living differently than he had before Headliner intruded into his life. “Thanks for bringing the plant.”

  Shannon set down the laptop. “I’m going to go for a walk.”

  Bart knew she wanted to give him time alone with Jen. Unlike the forgotten violets, he

  had given a lot of thought to his crush on Jen.

  She said, “I’m so sorry about everything you went through, but I’m glad you’re going to