by J. C. Fields
Knoll nodded.
***
Kruger parked across the street from the duplex, left the emergency lights on his car flashing, and stepped out into the chaotic scene. Columbia police, Highway Patrol, Boone County Sheriff’s cars, and a Boone County Hospital ambulance were parked in and around the older model Mustang sitting in a driveway, their emergency lights reflecting off the houses in the neighborhood. He saw a female officer talking to a young woman on the porch of the house. The woman was crying. Clipping his badge on his belt, Kruger walked toward a Highway Patrol officer who was standing next to the older Mustang.
The officer noticed Kruger and started walking toward him. The two shook hands and Kruger introduced himself. The Highway Patrol nodded. “Corporal Matt Hughes. Major Boone speaks highly of you.” Hughes was taller than Kruger by several inches and broad in the shoulders. His size made him slightly intimidating, but Kruger was used to large law enforcement officers.
“Boone’s a good man; I’ve worked with him several times. What’ve you got here, Corporal?”
“Contact gunshot to the right side of the head. She never knew what happened. We’re guessing, but it looks like someone was hiding in the back of her car when she left work. The back seat and floor board are cluttered, but you can see where the clutter has been pushed aside. Roommate heard a loud noise, looked out the window, and saw a man emerge from the passenger side of the car and run north.” Hughes pointed in the direction of more duplexes down the street. “Lots of students live around here.”
Kruger nodded and took a deep breath. “If it’s the man I suspect, you need to tell your fellow officers to shoot first and ask questions later. He’s desperate and will not hesitate to kill a police officer.”
Hughes sighed. “Major Boone already issued a shoot-on-sight order.”
Nodding again, Kruger looked in the direction Hughes pointed. “What exactly is in that direction?”
“Lots of older homes, apartments, and wooded areas.”
Kruger frowned as he understood the implications of Hughes’ statement.
***
Bishop breathed hard as he slowed from his dash down the street. Having never been in Columbia, he had no idea where he was. He could tell it was an older part of the city. Mature trees, older two- and three-story homes, a few nice ones, but most were rundown. New and old cars lined the street with many parked in yards. The area appeared to be close to the campus of the large university and he assumed the majority were student housing.
Off in the distance he heard multiple sirens and felt a moment of disappointment. He did not expected the girl to be found so quickly. Not wanting to be seen, he left the street and made his way behind one of the larger two-story homes. A quick glance at the only remaining cell phone he possessed showed the time was half past 1 in the morning. He turned the phone off and disappeared into the darkness of the back yards.
Keeping to the shadows behind the houses, he moved slowly into the wooded area behind them. Standing still he observed several of the older homes, keeping an eye on the ones with lights on. Ten minutes later, his vigilance was rewarded with the sight of a young woman in the second-floor window of a three-story house. Her hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, and she wore a man’s shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Her back was to the window, and she appeared to be sitting on the ledge of the window. Her left hand was pressed to her head, and her right hand was animated. She was talking to someone on a cell phone.
Bishop moved through the darkness until he was directly behind the house and watched. Several minutes later, the woman stood and turned toward the window. Her shirt was open, and she wore nothing underneath. The sight of her bare breasts and slender body caused Bishop to take a sudden deep breath. His lips grew dry, his heart rate quickened, and he felt a tightness in his groin. His attention turned to the building. It was an older home, at one time a grand structure, but now subdivided into multiple apartments. Bishop noted an outside fire escape attached to the outside leading to the second and third floors of the house.
Retreating further back into the wooded area behind the home, he continued to watch her as she talked on the phone. After several moments, he approached the house, avoiding the light cast by the window. Making his way to the fire escape, he started to climb.
Once in the hallway of the building, Bishop stood quietly outside the woman’s apartment, his ear to the door listening to the one-sided conversation.
“I can’t believe he just left without waking me. I’m so embarrassed, Sara.”
There was silence as the woman listened to her friend.
“I know, but he was so nice and we’ve had several dates. Uhh… I can’t believe it. I feel so used.”
More silence.
“No, he’s not coming back. I’m done with him.”
An idea came to Bishop, he gently tapped on the door.
“Hold on, Sara, I just heard something at the door. I’ll call you back, maybe it’s him.”
He tapped the door again.
From inside he heard in a soft voice. “Is that you, Tommy?”
“Yeah, sorry I left.” Bishop heard a deadbolt retracted and a chain being slid out of its receptacle. When the door started to open, Bishop slammed his shoulder into it and heard it make contact with the person behind. He heard a gasp of surprise as he rushed into the room, shutting the door immediately behind him.
The woman was now sprawled on the floor, the shirt open, exposing her nudity. Bishop knelt, clamped his hand over her mouth and growled, “Don’t.”
Withdrawing the CZ secured by his belt with his other hand, Bishop pointed it at the woman. When she saw the gun her eyes grew wide and he felt her body start to tremble.
Chapter 36
Columbia, MO
The early glimpses of dawn were evident as Kruger and Knoll returned to Rosie Singleton’s house. JR had remained behind to learn what he could from Bishop’s possessions.
Kruger and Knoll listened as JR summarized his findings.
“First, there’s over fifty thousand dollars in the duffel bag. Two cell phones and no computer. Did you find one in the woman’s car?”
Shaking his head, Kruger spoke first. “No. The witness who saw the fleeing man thought she saw a backpack on the guy.”
JR frowned. “Without his computer, it will be difficult to determine how much money he has left.”
Knoll stood next to Kruger, his arms folded across his massive chest. “It’s been five hours since the last sighting. He could be gone by now.”
“I agree.” Kruger walked toward the window and watched the sky grow lighter. “I hope we don’t have another casualty, but I expect we will.”
“How fast did the checkpoints out of town go up?” JR asked, returning his attention to his laptop.
“Right after Rosie’s car was found.”
JR nodded. “Now what?”
“I don’t know.” Kruger concentrated on the sunrise. “He’s been unpredictable from the start. If he’s found somewhere to hide, it might be several days before he feels comfortable enough to move again.”
“I think he’ll try to find a way out,” Knoll leaned against the door jam. “We’ve been right behind him since he got to Columbia.”
Kruger turned to look at the big man. “You may be right.” He resumed studying the brightening sky. After several minutes of silence, he walked to the bedroom door, and looked at JR. “Pack your computer, we’re getting out of here.”
***
Sara Ferguson gently tapped on the door of her best friend’s apartment.
“Mandy, are you okay?”
Silence. She tapped again.
“You didn’t call back, I got worried.”
Still no response. She tried the door and found it unlocked. Taking a deep breath, she gently opened the door and peeked in. The front room was dark and she didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. “Mandy, are you here?” She stepped further into the quiet room.
A strong hand
grabbed her right arm and yanked her into the room. The door shut behind her. Before she could make a sound, a hand clamped over her mouth, her right arm was wrenched behind her back, and she felt the presence of a larger body that smelled of sweat.
“Mandy can’t come to the door right now. Don’t make a sound, and I won’t hurt you. Do you understand?”
Sara nodded slightly.
“I’m going to take my hand away from your mouth. If you make a sound, I’ll break your arm. Do you understand?”
Sara nodded again.
Bishop removed his hand from her mouth and at the same time put more pressure on Sara’s right arm.
“Where’s Mandy? Is she okay?”
“Don’t worry about Mandy. You need to worry about yourself at the moment. Do you have a car?”
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
“On the street. Why?”
“You’re going to take me for a ride, Sara.”
“Who are you? How do you know my name?”
“Who I am and how I know your name is not important. Now, let’s go to your car.”
***
JR was on the verge of shutting his laptop down, when he received a message from one of his servers in Springfield. “Hang on, Sean. A phone just called the number in Thailand.”
Kruger stopped and walked back to JR, but remained quiet.
Typing rapidly on the keyboard, he stopped, read something on the screen, and started typing again. He repeated this process several times before looking up from the screen. “The phone number calling the contact in Thailand is owned by Mandy Bryant, who lives a half mile from the woman shot in the Mustang.”
“Shit.” Kruger was out the door and heading toward his car followed closely by JR, who was stuffing his laptop in a backpack. Sandy Knoll ran to his GMC Denali and prepared to follow. As Kruger accelerated toward the neighborhood exit, he called Allen Boone.
The call was answered on the second ring. “Major Boone.”
“Allen, we have a lead on Bishop’s location.” Kruger gave him the address. “We’re on our way, but won’t be there for at least fifteen minutes.”
“On it, I’ll get the Columbia PD and Boone County Sheriff’s department headed that way. I’ll let them know you’re coming in hot.”
“Thanks, Allen.”
As soon as the call was over, Kruger flipped the switch, and the Mustang’s lights and siren lit up.
The neighborhood was east of the campus. The streets were narrow, the homes older, and cars were parked on the street and in yards. Kruger killed the siren, but kept the lights going as JR guided him to the address using Google Maps. As they approached, they noted several police cars with their light bars flashing. JR pointed. “The house is on a corner lot, looks to be a three-story colonial.”
Kruger nodded as he parked behind a Highway Patrol car. Knoll parked behind the Mustang and left his emergency flashers on.
Turning to JR, Kruger’s expression was grim. “I need to know what was said in the conversation with Thailand.” His voice contained a sharpness JR had never heard before. Staring at the house, Kruger opened the Mustang’s door. “Find it.”
JR nodded, but remained quiet as Kruger walked toward the group of officers standing behind a SWAT van. Knoll followed.
Watching as both men shook hands with one of the officers, JR could not hear the conversation, but noticed Kruger stand a little straighter and put his hand to his eyes. Knoll stood behind him, stoic and unmoving.
***
“We’ve evacuated the house.” Captain Matt Hughes stared up at the house. “The Bryant woman lives in a second-floor apartment. She doesn’t have a land line, so we’re using optics to look under the door. So far, we haven’t seen any movement in the apartment. Door’s locked, no response to our attempts at contact. We’re now using optics to look through windows.”
Kruger stared at the house. “He’s gone.”
An officer in a SWAT uniform walked up to Hughes and spoke in a low tone, “We have a body in a bedroom.”
Kruger stood still and stared up at the house.
“Get an entry team and go in.” Hughes took a deep breath. “Be prepared. This may be the second one tonight.”
The SWAT member nodded and trotted back to his team. Hughes turned to Kruger. “Who is this guy?”
“Long story, Captain.”
“Appears we have a few moments. Enlighten me.”
***
Connecting with his servers in Springfield, JR isolated the call from the NSA computers and listened to Bishop’s conversation with the man in Thailand. After his second time listening, he noticed Kruger walking toward the car.
When he reached it, he turned his back to the Mustang and leaned against the hood. He pressed his palms to his eyes and bent over until his elbows rested on his knees. JR wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw his friend heave. Concerned, he exited the car and stood by Kruger.
“You okay?”
Kruger nodded, but then violently shook his head. “No. I’m not. This was the worst one yet. I just saw hardened, veteran law enforcement officers turn away from the scene in revulsion and puke.”
JR just stood there. It was several minutes before Kruger spoke again.
“You have any luck with the phone call?”
“Yeah. I did.”
“Let’s hear it.” Kruger’s tone was clipped and matter-of-fact.
Reaching back into the car, he lifted his laptop from the passenger seat and held it to play the recording.
“Yes.”
“I need a new ID and money.”
There was a sigh and a long pause before the conversation resumed.
“You are becoming, what you Americans call, a money pit. Where is the return on our investment?”
“You’ll get it. Until then, the new ID and cash.”
“Why should we continue to help you? I tire of your excuses and delays.”
“I can always turn myself in and start telling them about your operation here. They’d like that and all your years of work and careful planning will be wiped out.”
Another long pause.
“Call back in six hours.”
“Four. Just be aware I know more about your operation than you think I do.”
The call ended abruptly, and JR looked at Kruger. “I’ve confirmed it was Bishop’s voice.”
Kruger nodded. “He’s desperate.” He pushed off the car and stood looking at the house with his hands on his hips. Without addressing anyone in particular, he shook his head. “How did he get away?”
“I have a theory.”
Turning to look at JR, he tilted his head to the side. “What?”
“I looked at the call record on Mandy Bryant’s phone. There were a series of calls to and from one number just before the call to Thailand. The number belongs to a Sara Ferguson. A quick check on Facebook shows Bryant and Ferguson were close friends.”
“Are you suggesting she might have been here when Bishop invaded the apartment?”
“It’s a guess. I don’t have any evidence she was.”
“But what if she was? Do you have an alarm on the Ferguson phone?”
“Yeah, and I’ve pinged it a couple of times. It appears to be turned off. No response.”
Kruger was silent for a moment. “Women her age don’t turn their phones off.”
“I know.” JR took a deep breath. “Sean, what did the voice from Thailand mean?”
Staring at JR, Kruger shook his head. “Sorry, what are you talking about?”
“The end of the call, when he said, ‘all your years of work and careful planning will be wiped out.’”
“Guess I wasn’t listening. Play it again.”
JR replayed the recording and watched Kruger. His expression remained neutral as he listened. When it was finished, Kruger was silent.
It was several minutes before he spoke. “Does the Ferguson woman have a car?”
JR nodded.
“What about the Bryant woman?”
“Not that I can find.”
“We have to assume Bishop has the Ferguson woman’s car, maybe her too. Get this information to Boone.” Kruger tuned back to stare at the house.
“What about the phone call?”
Kruger shook his head. “Not sure. We need to take Bishop alive.”
“Uh… You might want to pass that on to Boone.”
Without responding to JR, Kruger pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. The call was answered on the third ring. “Allen, we need to take Bishop alive.” He paused listening to the response.
“Yes, I know, everyone has to defend themselves. But Bishop has information we need.”
More silence.
“I don’t know, but I need to question him. He needs to be taken alive if possible.”
Another pause.
“Thanks, Allen. I’m going to give my phone to JR. He has information that will help with your search.”
JR took the phone and passed on the information about Sara Ferguson along with the make and model of her car. He ended the call and handed the phone back to Kruger. “Now what?”
Taking a deep breath, Kruger closed his eyes and sighed. “Nothing we can do, but wait.”
Chapter 37
Highway 63, North of Jefferson City
Sara Ferguson was a small woman, barely five–foot-two and slender. Her red hair and blocky glasses kept aggressive males away, but allowed the ones really interested to ask her for dates. One of those interested males was now her fiancé. Currently a senior with a major in business and a minor in accounting, her plans after graduation were already set. The previous summer, she interned at a large international beverage company in St. Louis and was slated to join it after graduation.
At this moment in time, her hands gripped the steering wheel of her ten-year-old Ford Focus so hard her knuckles were white. She stared at the SUV in front of her, not looking at the man in the passenger seat. As he cursed, she wondered if she would live to get married, have a career with the beverage company, and someday start a family. She felt tears forming in her eyes, but blinked hard to make them dissipate.