In a Split Second

by Timothy Glass

  Connor grabbed the file and dug through it until he found the paperwork. He handed it over to Agent Young, who took it and calmly headed for the elevator.

  “Do their mommies always dress them the same?” Harris joked.

  The joke went right over Connor’s head.

  “Well, gentlemen, let’s go downstairs and see if they’re able to find the Gilberts,” Connor said as the three detectives and Sundae headed for the elevator.

  Connor looked at his watch. The time was 7:55 p.m. He sat in the backseat of the taxi with Sundae. The cab driver had been replaced with an FBI agent dressed in a plaid shirt and worn jeans. Connor had practiced unsuccessfully with Sundae, having her drag weights – sixty-six pounds – inside a bag. Sundae weighed only twenty pounds, and that was with her collar and badge. Then they moved the weights over to a rolling duffle bag. Sundae still struggled to drag the duffle because it had only wheels on the back and was lying flat.

  One of the IT people watched the poor little beagle struggling and suddenly got an idea. He grabbed an electronic equipment dolly, quickly removed its two wheels and axle, and placed them on the front of the bag. The bag could lay flat and hopefully Sundae would be able to drag it to the jet.

  They stood back as Connor gave the command to drag. This time, Sundae was able to pull the blue duffle bag with the sixty-six pounds of weight inside it.

  Jeff had said that once he had the money and the pilot, he would release Kate. Then, off he and Ellie would go to an undisclosed destination. After that, the pilot would fly back home. However, the FBI had its own plan.

  As soon as the call from Jeff ended, the FBI deployed a team of marksmen with night sights to the rooftops on and around the Gilberts’ hangar. Each marksman had a lookout man with binoculars equipped to see at night. Additional men and women were placed around the Gilberts’ hangar. The idea was that this would allow the team to take the very best positions long before Jeff got there. Their hope was that Jeff himself would step out to get the money long enough to give the team a good shot. The pilot knew the risks but as an ex-military man, he felt he could handle whatever came his way. He was also to give a note to Jeff, written by Mrs. Gilbert, begging her son to give up his plan.

  The tarmac was dark except for several security lights around the hangar and the blinking lights of the runways in the distance. The Feds had closed the runways down until the issue was resolved.

  Once the pilot pushed the jet out of the hangar with the aid of an aircraft tug, he gave a code signaling that Jeff was on board. No one, including the FBI, knew when or how he had gotten there, or if the two women were with him on the jet.

  “You ready for this? I just got word that he’s already on board,” said the FBI agent driving the taxi.

  “How did he get into the jet…unless he was holed up inside the hangar all this time?” Connor said.

  The FBI agent stopped the taxi about a hundred and fifty yards from the jet. Connor felt beads of sweat rolling down his chest as he got out of the taxi on the opposite side of the car. His cellphone rang. The FBI knew Jeff might try to make contact with Connor and could hear both sides of the conversation.

  “I told you, just the mutt. I’ll kill her and the mutt,” Jeff screamed into the phone, his hands were shaking.

  “Jeff, I had to put the money in a duffle bag. The dog can’t open the trunk of a car,” Connor said as he pulled the blue bag out of the trunk and sat it on the runway. Pulling Sundae close to him, he hugged her. He whispered, “I love you, Sundae, be safe.”

  He handed the leather leash to Sundae and pointed toward the jet. Sundae began dragging the bag slowly toward the jet as practiced.

  “Jeff, the dog can’t drag the bag up the stairs. You’ll have to come get it,” Connor said.

  “I’m sure you and your friends would love that, wouldn’t you?” Jeff laughed manically. “No way in hell will I allow that.”

  Connor commanded Sundae to stop. She quickly stopped and sat next to the bag. “So, how is the dog supposed to get the money to you?” Connor asked.

  “You’ll see soon enough.”

  Connor gave the command to start dragging the money. Slowly, the little beagle pulled the duffle bag across the tarmac. Once she had reached the foot of the stairway to the jet, Jeff called Connor.

  “Command her to unzip the bag,” Jeff demanded.

  This wasn’t something Connor had planned on, or something for which he had trained Sundae. He thought for a second. Sundae knew how to search for drugs, but would she do the open technique without the scent of drugs in the bag – with only his command?

  “Jeff, I’m really not sure if she knows how to do this,” Connor said.

  “The mutt does it or I have a bead on her right now.”

  “Jeff, I told you, if anyone – including my dog – gets hurt, that jet will never take flight. Do you understand me?” Connor angrily said.

  “I don’t think you understand, Detective. I hold all the cards in this game.”

  “I need to get closer to Sundae to give the command.” Connor knew he was adding another playing card to Jeff’s hand, adding his own life into the equation. Connor didn’t wait for a reply; he started walking with his hands up. Agent Young, in a command center van, shook his head no.

  “No, Connor!” Agent Young said, which echoed in Connor’s earpiece.

  “Sundae, drop the leash,” Connor commanded. Sundae dropped the leather leash from her mouth and looked at Connor.

  “Good girl!” Connor praised Sundae as she sat next to the bag.

  “Sundae, inside,” Connor commanded. He was five feet away from Sundae. From this vantage point, he could see that Jeff had the gun pointed at him. However, there was no sign of the two women. Connor wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  “Don’t come any closer!” Jeff demanded.

  Sundae tilted her head back and forth, which was her signal to Connor that she didn’t understand his command. She didn’t sense any drugs inside the bag she had just dragged more than one hundred yards.

  “Sundae, inside!” Connor commanded again, this time motioning toward the bag.

  Sundae moved toward the zipper and put her two front paws on the bag. She leaned down and pulled the zipper about three inches. Then she looked at Connor.

  “That’s enough,” Jeff said. He moved a few steps away to the opposite side of the jet so that he could get a better look at the bag’s contents.

  “Agent Young, I have a bead on the suspect,” said one of the marksmen. This meant he felt certain he could take the shot.

  “Don’t take it. He’ll kill the detective and probably the dog.”

  “Jeff, send Kate out now. The money is all here,” Connor demanded.

  While Jeff was fixated on watching Connor and Sundae, Kate silently wiggled her hands free, and then undid her feet. Ellie watched in horror, as Kate got up free; she feared what Jeff would do to Kate or her. He was crazy and out of touch with reality; God knows what he would do.

  Jeff pointed the Glock and leveled it at Connor. As he was about to take a shot, Kate rushed forward. Startled, Jeff turned as his gun discharged a bullet, hitting Kate in the chest. The marksman tried to stay on his mark just as Sundae bolted at lightning speed up the jet’s steps. She lunged at Jeff and her teeth ripped into his gun hand.

  Connor ran up the steps two at a time, his gun drawn and his heart pounding. Stopping, he squeezed the trigger just as the FBI marksman was finally able to take his shot. A crack echoed through the darkness as three shots were fired, followed by deafening silence.

  Chapter 30

  Connor sat, silently watching the rain run down the large windowpane in long streaks. In the darkened room, the windows reflected the medical monitors and equipment attached to Kate. It was almost like Connor was simply watching a TV show. Nonetheless, the pumping sound of the respirator and the beeping of the monitors in the room always brought him back to the reality that Kate’s life was hanging by a thread.

  Was
it one, maybe two…no, three days he had sat by her hospital bed? He had lost track of time. He ate only when someone brought him something. He wanted to be there when she woke up. IF she woke up. The doctors hadn’t given him much hope after the surgery to remove the bullet that had lodged itself dangerously close to her spine after passing through her chest. They told him she had lost a lot of blood.

  He recalled running up the steps after the FBI sniper had killed Jeff. Connor had sat on the floor, holding Kate, trying to stop the bleeding until the EMT took over. Then he felt frozen in time as he watched the blinking lights of the ambulance that took her away. He remembered trying to reach for a pair of latex gloves in his pocket so that he could pick up the gun Jeff had used. This was a crime scene after all; it was second nature to him.

  It was then that Agent Young put his arm on Connor’s shoulder and told him they would take care of the scene. He remembered that at some point, someone had escorted Ellie from the back of the plane. She was crying when she put her arms around Connor.

  As the parade of doctors, nurses, technicians, and respiratory specialists came in, the memories faded for a short time. After they left, Connor was left with the gruesome details of what had happened, what he had seen, heard, and felt. The worst part was that he was left with Kate in a coma.

  What the hell was a coma, anyway? Connor wondered, was it somewhere between heaven and earth? Was Kate caught between layers, waiting for God or her to decide if she lived or died? Only when his mind became thoroughly exhausted did he drift off to sleep.

  While sleeping in the chair next to Kate’s bed, he heard a soft knock at the door. In the hallway, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert stood at the door to Kate’s room. Connor shook the stiffness out of his legs and walked to the door.

  “Detective Maxwell, we are truly sorry. We wanted to come by the day after, but…the guilt of what our son did has kept us away,” Mrs. Gilbert said with tears in her eyes. She looked into Connor’s eyes with compassion. “We wanted so much for our son. I should’ve noticed how his personality had changed over the last few years. I was busy and so was my husband.”

  “Detective, I think what my wife is trying to say is that we’re very sorry and have made arrangements with the hospital to pay for all Detective Stroup’s expenses here in the hospital and once she is released… ”

  Connor interrupted Mr. Gilbert. “You mean if she’s released, don’t you?”

  Mr. Gilbert bowed his head. “I understand your anger, Detective, really I do.”

  “We were told Kate has been your partner for several years,” Mrs. Gilbert said. “Please allow us to help in the only way we can. Our son is gone; there is nothing we can do for him. Kate may be out of work for weeks or months, or possibly never be able to work again. We will take care of all her bills.”

  Connor raised his hand to stop her. Mrs. Gilbert refused to stop talking.

  “Detective Maxwell, we are well aware she may not make it. You don’t have to remind us of the damage our son did. We care and wish there was some way we could’ve stopped him.”

  The Gilberts turned and left Connor standing in the hallway.

  Bob and Grant came to visit Kate, bringing Sundae with them into her room. Sundae stood up with her front paws on the bed, looking at Kate. Then she turned and looked at Connor. He lifted her up and Sundae lay down carefully beside Kate. Connor picked up Kate’s hand and put it on Sundae’s back. He watched as canine and human somehow made a connection in the odd place called a coma. Kate looked as if she was smiling in her sleep.

  “Connor, you need to get out of here and come back to work. Kate has all the help she needs,” Grant said. Bob nodded in agreement.

  Connor knew they were right. The sergeant had told him to take all the time he needed, but he was a lead detective for the Lakewood Police Department and had to get back to work.

  “Maybe tomorrow,” Connor said. He woke Sundae up and lifted her off the bed. Then he walked Bob and Grant out into the hallway.

  “Connor, those two women were living in deplorable conditions. He had two large dog runs inside the hangar. That’s how he contained them. Ellie told us he abducted her first and took her out to Highway 10. When Kate pulled her unit off the highway, Gilbert forced Ellie to scream for help. Kate ran into an ambush. She never stood a chance,” Bob explained.

  Connor shook his head, not saying a word.

  “We better be going,” Grant said.

  Sundae turned and looked over her shoulder to see if Connor would follow. When he didn’t, her tail dropped and she slowly walked away with Barton and Harris.

  The following day, Connor left the hospital and picked up Sundae. Each day after work, they went to the hospital to visit Kate. Connor would pick Sundae up and gently place her next to Kate. He then carefully put Kate’s arm on Sundae’s back. Sundae would drift off to sleep. Connor would tell Kate all about his day, even though she lie lifelessly in the hospital bed.

  A nurse came in quietly. “You know, they say they can hear you when they’re in a coma.” She checked Kate’s vitals, charted them, and gave Connor a hug on her way out of the room.

  Connor thought about what the nurse had said. He wondered if Kate could really hear him, or if she knew that he was there with her and that Bob, Grant, and other members of the department had been there. Even some of the sheriff’s deputies had come in.

  He took her hand in his, looking at her. “Kate, please…Sundae and I need you,” Connor said and kissed her on the cheek.

  Carefully, he woke Sundae and lifted her off the bed. He stood there looking at Kate and ran his hand through her hair. Connor turned to leave, then quickly turned back. Did he just see what he thought he saw?

  Watching Kate’s face, he saw it again. Her eyelids fluttered. He quickly pushed the call button and a nurse came in.

  “Watch her eyes,” Connor said to the nurse.

  The nurse reached over and held Kate’s hand. “Her hand has movement as well.”

  Connor felt his eyes tearing up. He reached down and picked up Sundae. Could this nightmare finally be over? Kate tried again and this time opened her eyes.

  “Hi there, sweetie,” the nurse said as Kate looked from Connor to the nurse. “Do you know where you are?”

  Kate looked at the nurse, confused.

  “You’re at the Lakewood General Hospital,” the nurse explained. “Do you know this man?” The nurse pointed at Connor. “And this dog?” The nurse waited.

  As Kate looked at Connor and Sundae, a big smile crossed her face.

  A Message from Tim

  I hope you enjoyed this book; there are more to come. Book reviews are crucial, both for me as the author and for your fellow readers. Please take the time to leave a review at your favorite bookseller. I would greatly appreciate it.

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  Thank you,

  Timothy Glass

  Other Books by Timothy

  Nonfiction

  Just This Side of Heaven

  Fiction

  Dog Knows Best

  Postcards

  Sleepytown Beagles, Doggone It

  Sleepytown Beagles, In The Doghouse

  Children’s Fiction

  Sleepytown Beagles, Panda Meets Ms. Daisy Bloom

  Sleepytown Beagles, Penny’s 4th of July

  Sleepytown Beagles, Oh Brother

  Sleepytown Beagles, Differences

  Sleepytown Beagles, The Lemonade Stand

  Sleepytown Beagles, Jingle Beagles

  Sleepytown Beagles, Up, Up and Away

  About the Author

  Timothy Glass was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in Central New Mexico. Tim graduated from the University of New Mexico. He later spent some time in New England and central Florida.

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  Glass is an award-winning author, illustrator, cartoonist, and writing instructor. Tim has worked as a ghostwriter and a story consultant. Glass started his writing career as a journalist under the pen name of C. Stewart. He has written and
published more than 300 nonfiction articles nationally and internationally for the health and fitness industry. Glass worked as a regular contributing writer for several New York-based magazines.

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  Until the magazine's retirement in the late 1990's, Tim was a freelance journalist for It's a Wrap magazine, a New Mexico entertainment quarterly.

  Visit us on the Web

  Visit Tim’s website at www.timglass.com. Also, don’t forget to check out his beagle cartoons at http://www.timglass.com/ Cartoons/

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