by Rick Reed
Mattingly turned away and called dispatch. He gave them the BOLO and asked them to run Needham for license and registration. Jack and Liddell turned their car around and drove down the narrow service road.
“What are we going to do now?” Liddell asked.
“I know where he’s taking her,” Jack said and peeled out as he turned onto Kratzville Road.
Chapter 55
It was just getting dark as Jack drove past the iron gates and found a place to pull off the road. They were far enough from the house to conceal an approach on foot.
Jack checked his .45 and made sure a round was chambered. He put two extra magazines of ammo in his back pocket. Liddell went through the same routine.
“You don’t have to go in with me, Bigfoot. I’m just going to see if Needham’s car is there and come right back. Give me five minutes, then call the state police and the sheriff and all the king’s horses and men.”
“You’re so full of it, pod’na,” Liddell said and got out of the car.
Jack felt his mouth go dry. They were crossing a big, bright line here and Jack would never be able to talk his way out of. If Needham was in there, Reina Day was in there as well. Alive or dead. And that’s how he’d take Needham. He gave one last thought to Katie and the baby growing inside her. He thought about Marcie and little Janie. They were risking their families. They both knew that, but you had to protect the world your loved ones lived in.
“Did you bring your handcuffs?” Liddell asked.
“No.”
“Good,” Liddell said. “I don’t think Needham will come out without a fight.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
The two detectives slipped into the woods. Jack set a course for what he hoped was the mansion. They had to work around wild blackberry bushes and thick undergrowth, snagging pants on thorns and stepping into mole burrows. They reached the edge of the woods and saw the mansion dead ahead. A black Lexus SUV was parked on the grass near the front of the house. Needham’s. The lights inside the mansion were on. There was no movement inside or around the house.
“What’s the plan?” Liddell said in a whisper.
“Kill the bad guys, save the young maiden, have a scotch.”
“Okay.”
Jack said, “If Needham surrenders and Reina’s undamaged, we don’t shoot him. If he even points a finger at us, we blow him away.”
“Why did you think Needham came to Dick’s dad’s house?”
Jack couldn’t really say why he knew. He just did. “We go in hard and fast, get Reina out, and you take her to the car while I sort some things out.”
Floodlights on the lawn and on both sides of the house came to life.
“No way to get across the yard now without being seen,” Liddell said. “I’ll circle around and see if there’s a way in the back.”
“Wait here and cover me.” Jack stood and began walking across the lawn, gun held down by his side.
Liddell started to tell Jack to come back, but he knew it was like talking to the back end of a donkey. He caught up with Jack, keeping ten feet between them so as not to make an easy target. As they neared the veranda, they saw two more black SUVs parked beside the house. Jack recognized one as Double Dick’s tricked-out Cadillac Escalade with smoke-black windows and gold-plated wire wheels. The other was a BMW, dark color, low profile, expensive even to look at, the kind of personal vehicle that would require CPR for your wallet. That one must be Daddy’s.
“That’s far enough,” a voice called out from the left side of the mansion.
Jack turned in the direction the voice came from and was almost blinded by the bright lights. He could make out the shape of a tall man, and as the shape came forward he recognized the expensive suit and shiny take-me-to-the-White-House shoes.
“Carl,” Jack said, shielding his eyes with the hand not holding the gun. “Is Dick here with you?”
Jack heard a snicker and Carl said, “Which Dick do you want? Pun intended.”
“Considering you’re all dicks, I don’t particularly care.”
Jack heard a handgun slide ratchet on the other side, the right side of the house.
“Is that you, Deputy Chief?” Jack called out. It wasn’t.
“Carl, put the gun down. I don’t want to shoot you, son.” Retired Captain Thomas Dick walked onto the veranda.
Needham’s face froze in surprise and he turned slightly toward Thomas Dick. It was the first time Jack saw the weapon in Needham’s hand. Big. Very big. A Desert Eagle for sure. Maybe the same one that shot at him at Olson’s house. The one that shot Reina’s car to hell. The one that killed Amelia Day and maybe Harry.
Thomas’s voice commanded, “The gun, Carl. Put it down. Now.”
Carl’s gun didn’t move. The Desert Eagle was pointed roughly in the direction of Jack’s chest, but was inching toward Captain Dick’s position. Needham’s eyes moved to the left and back to Jack. To the left and back to Jack, as if he was watching a tennis match.
“I don’t mean to get in the middle of this hormonal exchange,” Jack said. “But where is Richard? Thomas, where’s your son? Is he hiding in the dark with a gun like the coward he is?”
Liddell said, “I think we interrupted a party, pod’na. We weren’t invited, so let’s go.”
“Stay where you are,” Needham said. The Desert Eagle shifted positions, pointing now at Liddell.
“I won’t ask again, Carl,” the older Dick said. “There’s been enough killing, son. You’re finished. I’m turning you in.”
Needham’s uncertainty was replaced by fear.
Jack said, “This is the part of the movie where someone confesses to being the third gunman on the grassy knoll. You can all put your guns down and I’ll accept your surrender.”
“Shut up, Jack!” Double Dick said, coming into the light from behind his father. He too was holding a Desert Eagle.
“Did they have a special at Guns R Us?” Liddell asked.
Needham said, “Lay your weapons on the ground.”
“I’m confused, Carl. There are so many guns here,” Jack said. “You three lay your weapons down and kick them away. And then things will be hunky-dory.”
Thomas again: “That’s not going to happen, Murphy.” There was a tremendous blast. The muzzle flash was blinding and Needham folded inward at the waist. His body drew up into a fetal position on the veranda and he was still.
“I told him not to move,” Thomas Dick said.
Jack said, “You two, Dick and Dick, put the guns down. Do it now.” Jack had drawn his Glock. Liddell moved up beside Jack, gun in hand.
Double Dick immediately dropped his gun and put his hands on the back of his head. Thomas wasn’t quite as fast to obey and Jack began putting pressure on the Glock’s trigger.
Thomas lowered his weapon, until the business end pointed at the ground. He said, “He’s the one who killed Max. He’s the murderer. He killed Harry Day and Amelia Day. He admitted it when he brought that woman here. He’s a murderer and a kidnapper. I couldn’t let him kill you. It’s over.”
Jack kept his gun trained on Thomas. “It’s over when you give me that gun, Mr. Dick. You’ve saved lives tonight. Don’t make things worse.”
Thomas backed up a step, but held onto the gun. He said, “Richard, call the authorities.”
To Jack, he said, “You have no jurisdiction here. You’re witnesses that Needham was an immediate threat to our lives and yours. It was a justifiable shooting. Stand down, detectives, and wait for the troops.”
Double Dick looked from Jack to his father and back to Jack, trying to decide what to do.
Jack said, “Go on. Call an ambulance and the cops. Let them sort this out, so no one else gets shot.”
That seemed to break Double Dick’s spell and he started to pick up his gun, but Jack stopped him. “Leave t
he gun, Chief.”
Double Dick did as told and disappeared down the side of the house into the dark. Jack didn’t think Richard Dick was responsible for any of the killings. He didn’t have the guts for it. He didn’t think Richard Dick had been in a fight since Max Day whipped his ass thirty-seven years ago. He wasn’t so sure about Thomas, though. Not that Jack wasn’t grateful that Needham was dead, but Needham seemed to think Dick wouldn’t do it. In fact, it seemed like Needham was totally surprised. Why would Needham bring Reina here? And how had Double Dick gotten here ahead of them? He must have just arrived. He must have known about Reina.
Jack thought he could easily overpower the older Dick, but the Desert Eagle made him think twice about trying it. “Mr. Dick. You can put the weapon down now. The danger is over. Needham’s dead.”
“You first,” Thomas said.
Jack nodded to Liddell and they holstered their weapons. “Now put the gun down and tell us where Reina Day is. Is she safe?”
At the mention of Reina Day, the older man’s demeanor changed and the Desert Eagle pointed in Jack’s direction. “You know, don’t you?”
“Know what?” Jack asked, but he did know—now. He’d suspected Dick Sr. played a part in Max’s murder, but until now he thought the man was merely covering up for his son.
“Don’t play games with me,” Thomas said and yelled for his son. “Richard. Get back out here, son.” No response.
“Richard! I said get out here.”
Double Dick hadn’t gone in the house. He was standing just out of sight. He stepped up onto the veranda.
“Pick up your gun,” Thomas said. Richard hesitated. “Damn it, boy, pick it up. This mess is partly your fault. If you had just kept your mouth shut and stayed away from that family, none of this would have happened. You made this mess, now you’ll help clean it up.”
Dick leaned down stiffly and picked the Desert Eagle off the ground, holding it with thumb and forefinger.
Thomas said, “Richard. Listen to me. This is what really happened: Needham is a killer. He kidnapped that woman. He was going to kill her here in our house and frame us for all of the murders. He attempted to murder Murphy once at Olson’s. We can fix this. All the evidence will point to him. Needham is the killer.”
“That’s not what happened, Dad,” Dick said. “When I got here, you were with Carl. Carl wasn’t threatening—”
“Shut up, boy!”
“But Murphy and Blanchard know none of that’s true,” Dick said. “Reina’s tied up inside, but she was conscious the entire time. She heard everything. She’ll tell a different story. It’s too late.”
“Stop your damn whining. I can’t believe I raised such a pussy,” Thomas said. “You got your stupid from your mom. I thought when she was gone you’d grow up, but I guess I was wrong.”
“I’m not stupid. I just—”
“Shut up and listen for once in your life. Just listen. That woman won’t be telling anyone anything. Carl killed her. I’ll fix this like I’ve fixed everything in your life that you screwed up.”
“What are you going to do with Reina?” Double Dick asked.
Thomas Dick answered, “I’m not going to do anything. You are.” Thomas nodded toward Needham’s body and said, “Now go get his gun. He killed that girl. We tried to stop him.”
“Kill her,” Richard Dick said quietly.
“Yes. Kill her. And then bring the gun back out here. After he killed her, these two showed up and Needham killed them. I was able to get to my gun and shot him.”
Dick was motionless and expressionless.
“Listen to me, Richard. These men hate your guts. They detest you. You said so yourself. And now that you’re the Chief, they came after you to stop you from running that police department the way it should have been run for the last thirty years. With my help, you’ll put it in shape in no time. You would have had to get rid of these two anyway and they aren’t the type to go quietly. Can’t you see that?”
“Can’t we just let them all go? Carl was the killer, like you said. He killed Max. Everyone will believe us.”
Thomas barked at his son, “What did you think, boy? That they would just go along with us? Hell, if you let them go now, they’ll destroy you. Destroy us. Destroy everything I’ve built for you.”
“But kill them?” Richard Dick asked incredulously and stood, mouth hanging open.
“Oh, for God’s sake! If we don’t kill that bitch she’ll back up anything they say. She wants revenge. She blackmailed you into meeting with her. You heard what Needham said. She was waiting for you with a gun. She was going to kill you.”
Jack said, “So your son didn’t kill Max Day. If he didn’t, who did? You? Needham? James?”
Thomas sneered at Jack. “Dennis James? An idiot. A junkie. Not worth wiping my ass on, but he won’t be talking to anyone again. Carl killed him too.”
He addressed his son. “You’re pathetic. Do you realize what I’ve done for you? I risked everything. All of this. I did things you could never do. I’ve kept you clean all these years for one reason: For you to rise to the top. Something I never could do because of the politics. But now you’re where I always dreamed I’d be. You’re the Chief of Police. You can write your own ticket in a few years. Get any job you want. Be important for once in your life, Richard.”
Richard Dick’s grip tightened on his gun. He stared at his father as if seeing him for the first time. The barrel of his gun rose. Thomas saw the move. His face turned red in a mask of rage. Thomas’s gun was still trained on Jack and Liddell, but his eyes were on his son.
“You said Carl was the killer. But it was you all this time.” His eyes teared up and his mouth turned down at the corners. “I know he killed Max. He told me. And he told me you fixed things so we’d never have to answer questions. And then Harry. Why, Dad? Because he wanted to punish his son’s killer?”
“Yeah. That’s right. I did everything I could to shut Harry Day up. And I’ll tell you someone else that needs to be dealt with: That Mattingly fellow. He kept Harry stirred up and it was going to ruin your chances of becoming a policeman. I had to do it. He had to die. You can see that. I had to.”
Richard’s eyes welled with tears, but his expression was one of anger. “Don’t say you did it for me. You did it for you. You wanted me to be Chief. I never wanted this. I didn’t know what I wanted. I was just a kid and you kept pushing me. I wanted to be just like you, but now I can’t stand the sight of you.”
“You’re weak. If your mom could have had another kid, I would have strangled you in your crib. Get out of my sight. I’ll do this myself.”
Richard didn’t move and Thomas said, “Go on! Get out of here! Get in your damn car and leave. I’ll talk to the cops. You were never here.”
Jack’s hand was moving toward his waistband. Thomas caught the movement and lifted the Desert Eagle toward his face. It was as if time itself slowed down and Jack could see and hear everything clearly; had all the time in the world to think about what he was going to do. He could see the bore of the Desert Eagle pointing directly as his face and Thomas’s finger tighten on the trigger. Jack tugged impotently at the baby Glock in the back of his waistband. His knees tensed to propel him out of the path of the .50 caliber projectile and he dropped and rolled, tugging at the baby Glock, and dragged it from underneath him to get off one clean shot. Time caught up. The Desert Eagle screamed. He knew he was dead.
But there was nothing except the fading echo of the blast. Jack rolled onto his side, gun thrust forward, but there was no need. Thomas Dick stood with the Desert Eagle hanging from his trigger finger. His face was slack, eyes staring straight ahead. A hole had opened in one side of his throat just below his jaw; the other side ruptured open like someone had put their fist through a screen door.
Retired Police Captain Thomas Dick stood swaying, mouth gaping, gun in hand,
and then dropped like a sack of potatoes. Carl Needham had been struck by Thomas’s bullet, but he wasn’t dead. He had rolled onto his stomach, both arms stretched out in front, holding the Desert Eagle. He struggled to lift the heavy weapon again, this time targeting Richard Dick, and Jack sprinted across the end of the veranda and drove his shoulder into Dick’s chest, propelling them both out into the yard. At the same time, there were two loud reports. Definitely not from a Desert Eagle.
Richard Dick got his breath back. “Get off me, Murphy.” He shoved Jack away and got to his knees. He brushed some of the dirt away from his shirt and stood up, ignoring the dirt ground into his knees. He picked up his gun from the ground and ran to his father.
Liddell had leaned Needham against one of the pillars and was handcuffing him. Needham seemed to be having trouble getting his breath. He was lucky to be drawing a breath.
“Just in case no one heard the racket, I’ll call 9-1-1,” Jack said and made the call. Warrick County dispatch acted quickly and the sound of sirens started up in the far distance.
Liddell found a very large knife when he patted Needham down. “It’s a WASP,” Liddell said to Jack and held it up. “You’re under arrest for murder. You know your rights, so let’s pretend I read them to you.”
Liddell said, “He was wearing body armor, pod’na. I shot him twice when I saw him shooting. All of the bullets hit the vest or he’d be dead.”
Jack nodded and flexed his elbow. It hurt like hell.
Sirens were closer now. Jack thought about taking Richard’s gun, but it was on the ground and the man didn’t seem to have any fight left in him. Dick was sitting in a pool of his father’s blood, hugging the body in his lap, oblivious of the sirens, or Jack or Liddell. Jack didn’t like the man, but he was still a human being. Maybe.
“I’m not weak, Daddy. I won’t let you down,” Dick said and before Jack could make a move, Dick grabbed the Desert Eagle from the ground. The blast was deafening.