Girl Jacked (23 page)

The following day, Jack walked through the doors of the police station early in the morning with a large folder in his hands. Even though his first shift back wasn’t until later that afternoon, he had Replacement drop him off this morning. He stayed up half the night getting everything prepared to give to Collins. As he marched down the corridor, other police officers came over and patted him on the back or shook his hand. He hated the attention.

“Jack?”

He turned around just as Kendra crashed into him to give him a big hug. Kendra wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his. Jack stood there with his hands at his sides.

“This is getting awkward.” He joked after a couple more seconds.

She stood back and tried to appear more stoic, but she was still beaming.

“When did you get back on?”

“Tonight… I have to see Collins first.”

“He’s out.”

“How long is he out?” Jack groaned.

She shrugged. “Are you cleared to come back?”

“Healthy as a horse. I got a hard head.”

“Everyone was worried about you. Did you get my flowers?”

Jack chuckled. “I did. Thanks. I have to go check in.” He nodded down the hallway.

“Welcome back!” Kendra started to open her arms as she moved in but caught herself. She gave him a quick shot in the arm and turned around.

“Not here? I didn’t know he would be gone,” Jack complained.

The police secretary looked up at him and smiled. “I was not aware that you were on the list of people to be informed of scheduling.”

Jack exhaled and his lips pressed together.

“He is at the National Sheriff’s Association Conference in Charlotte,” she added and then swiveled around to her keyboard.

“When is he coming back?”

“He left Wednesday. I think it is a five-day conference. So, he should be back on Monday. He can be reached if it is an emergency.” She didn’t look up and instead continued to type.

“Not exactly an emergency. Um, do you know when Joe Davenport is in?”

“9:00 am.” She went back to typing. “When he gets back.”

“What?” Jack snapped.

“Detective Davenport is on vacation, a fishing trip to Canada.” She continued to type but she was striking the keys with more force now. “If you want a copy of the schedule it is posted near the water cooler.”

“Do you know when he’ll be back?”

She stopped typing and swiveled back to glare at him. “It is posted on the schedule.” She leaned forward and read his badge. “Officer Stratton. Detective Davenport will return on Saturday. If you–” She stopped and her eyes went wide. “Jack Stratton?”

Jack nodded.

“I’m so sorry. You should have said something. How are you?”

Said something? Yeah I’m the guy that got hit by the car. Can you be nice and answer a simple question?

“Much better, thank you. I just need to speak to Collins or Joe.”

The woman’s hands went up and out. “Sheriff Collins checks his messages in between meetings or you can text 911 if it is an emergency. Undersheriff Morrison is available and Detective Flynn is covering for Detective Davenport. Can they help?”

Jack tapped the folder against the edge of the desk.

I’m screwed. I don’t think Collins likes Morrison so much. I can’t give it to Flynn after what happened. Joe’s not back for two days.

“Thanks.”

Jack shook his head and walked away.

Jack held the phone up to his ear and he didn’t have to wait. Davenport’s voice mail picked up.

“Detective Joe Davenport. I am currently unavailable. Detective Flynn can be reached by contacting…”

Jack hung up and tried Sheriff Collins. His message clicked on right away too.

“Sheriff Ethan Collins. I will be in and out of conferences all day. If this is an emergency text me and I will call you back immediately. If not then Undersheriff Morrison is covering and can be reached by contacting…”

He debated for a second, and then hung up.

He called Detective Davenport again. “This is Officer Stratton. Can you give me a call when you get a chance? It is in regards to my sister’s case. My number is…”

Jack had to force himself to put the phone down on the counter and not out the window.

Later that afternoon Jack stood in the police parking lot again. He was still on the nightshift, 4 to Midnight. He shrugged.

At least getting hit by the car got me off traffic duty.

Jack’s anger and frustration vanished for a moment when he saw that the Charger was all his. He slid behind the wheel. When he turned it over, the engine purred like it was glad to see him again.

He had the freedom to patrol where he wanted, within boundaries, and he let those boundaries bring him out of town and close to the college. He needed to clear his head. He needed speed.

He drummed the steering wheel as he waited to reach the back roads and open the charger up.

“10-10 in progress at WRE.” The dispatcher’s voice came over the radio.

Jack heard the location and jumped for the radio.

“This is Car 68. I’m North on Piedmont crossing Bridge street.”

“10-4 Car 68. The location is two Jefferson Avenue.”

Jack hit the lights and sirens and punched it.

Two Jefferson Ave. was the address for The Pit, the campus bar at White Rocks. He settled back in the seat as adrenaline flowed along with the gas. He kept his foot down and the Charger roared its approval.

Two campus police cars were parked outside the Pit, and a large crowd was already forming. 

The Pit was in the basement of an old administration building that the college had converted into a bar. As he walked up it looked like they had set up some type of temporary triage at the picnic table outside. A couple of guys held bloody towels to their heads, and people were chattering to them as Jack passed.

Chad Tucker, one of the campus cops was standing in the doorway shaking his head. He was busy trying to hold back Milton Anderson, another campus cop. Milton’s nose was bloody and he held a towel to his face.

“Chad, Milton, what’s going on?” Jack inquired.

“Inside!” Chad motioned with his head. “We got two guys with cuts and another kid who may never have kids if you know what I mean.” He adjusted himself.

“What happened to you, Milton?” Jack looked at the tall, thin man who was trying to hold his head back to stop his bleeding nose.

“The psycho hit me in the face when I went to break up the fight!” The towel muffled his voice.

“Show me who.” Jack motioned to Chad.

Chad led the way but stopped at the door. Jack pushed by him as he descended the stairs and opened the front door. The Pit was never much on looks, but you could tell a good fight had taken place. Tables were over turned and in one corner, glass littered the floor.

Chad followed him in. “Careful, Jack. She doesn’t look tough, but she’s dangerous!” he whispered.

“She?” Jack turned to look at him. “A girl did this?”

“Shh!” Chad’s eyes went wide, and he pointed as he moved behind Jack.

I’m so glad they don’t give them guns.

Jack turned, and observed the girl who sat at the end of the bar facing away from them.

She’s like 5’ tall and 100 pounds!

Jack shook his head as he walked closer. Chad followed just behind him.

“Excuse me, miss?” Jack held his hands out with the palms up.

The girl swung around on the stool. Jack gasped and stepped back on Chad’s foot.

“Yes, sir?” Replacement said as her face contorted.

Jack just stood there with his mouth open.

Replacement was trying to convey something, but the sight of her had thrown him so that he struggled to respond.

“Chad… I got this. Go check on Milton.” Jack ordered without turning around.

“You sure?”

Jack turned to glare at Chad who quickly headed toward the door.

Replacement watched the campus cop walk away. “Don’t say anything,” she whispered.

“Don’t say anything! What the hell are you doing? Did you kick the crap out of–”

“Shh! I’m undercover!”

“You’re…. Undercover? What the…” Jack stammered.

Milton and Chad walked in.

“How come she’s not in cuffs?” Milton demanded as he glared at Replacement.

Damn.

“Once I ascertain… what happened to this poor girl–”

“Poor girl?” Milton said. “I think she broke my nose!”

Replacement let out an enormous wail and covered her face sobbing. “I’m sorry! I thought you were one of them… One of the men who attacked me!” she bawled.

“Attacked you?” Jack moved forward, anger now on his face. Replacement was hamming it up, but something had happened to her.

“Ken put something in my drink. Him and his friends.” Jack noted that there was real anger and disgust on her face.

She’d never make that up about someone to get out of a bad situation.

“Bring them in but keep them separate.” Jack demanded to Milton and Chad. “I’m speaking with the girl first.” He took Replacement by the arm and led her across the large dance floor into a backroom.

“What the hell are you doing?” he whispered.

“I told you, I’m undercover.” She glared back.

“Well your cover is blown! What happened?”

“It’s not blown. They don’t know who I am.” She crossed her arms and huffed. “I went to go talk to this guy, and Ken put something in my drink. It freaked me out.”

“How do you know? Did you drink it?”

“I saw him do it, and he told me!” She stamped her foot.

“What do you mean he told you?”

“We were over in that corner. I came back from the bathroom and I saw Ken put something in my drink, and when I confronted him, he had the nerve to say ‘I
just
put in a little something to help you relax.’” Her hands turned into fists. “So I punched him in the face. Then his friends came up and tried to grab me, and I had the glass in my hand, so I whacked one with it.”

Replacement was now acting it out. “The guy behind me had both my arms, but I pulled one free and he pushed me into the table. There was a beer bottle on it, so I grabbed it and hit him like this!” She was relishing the moment as she mimed smashing a guy in the head with the bottle. “It didn’t break but he sure did scream.”

Jack cringed. “What happened to Milton?”

“Who?”

“The campus police officer whose nose you broke.”

“It’s his fault. He snuck up behind me, grabbed me, and said ‘settle down girlie!’ He didn’t say he was a cop and I didn’t know until after I elbowed him in the face.” She shrugged.

“Replacement ...”

“Alexis.” She said the name like she was correcting him.

“Who?”

“That’s me!” She smiled and pointed at herself. “My undercover name, Alexis Holmes!”

“Will you forget about that for now? You’re not undercover.”

Jack walked her back into the bar and sat her at a table. Then he motioned for one of the guys. A tall man, around twenty with a bloody towel pressed to his head walked forward.

He led the man into the backroom. Jack’s face was hard as he shoved him into a chair.

“ID?” Jack waited for him to hand it to him.

Dillon Cole, twenty-one.

“Were you the guy that grabbed her from behind or came at her from the front?” Jack took out his notepad.

“What?” Dillon leaned forward. “No, you don’t understand. I saw Ken get punched in the face, and I came over, and she hit me in the head with a drink.”

“Listen, Dillon.” Jack leaned in too. “What we have here is an underage girl who says you were part of a group of guys that tried to drug her.”

His eyes went wide and his mouth flopped open. “I didn’t know she was underage and I had no idea Ken was going to do something like that. Honest. I wasn’t even near him.”

“Did you have any drugs?”

“No, nothing.” He stood up and began turning out his pockets.

“Did you see any of the other guys with drugs?”

Dillon nodded. “Ken said he got some Ecstasy or something to impress Alexis. She asked me if I had some drugs but I don’t do drugs. I don’t even know where to get any. Honest.”

Jack turned and called, “Chad?”

The young officer’s head appeared.

“Stick this guy in the corner and send the next one in.”

Another student walked in and slumped forward in the chair. Paul Denning, age twenty-two. Jack could see the bump on his head through the towel. The cut was small but the bump was a whopping goose egg.

It might have been better for him if the bottle broke and he didn’t get clubbed.