Mosquito Chase (21 page)

“That should take them about thirty minutes.” I glanced down at my watch and then at the three officers that had gathered in the hall. “Split up and question the remaining nurses. Once you get their full statements and confirm their information, they can go.”

“Caleb.”

I turned toward Angie’s room. Dr. Cooper stood in her doorway. As I approached, he looked around him assuring no one could overhear him. “She’s beginning to stir. The pill form isn’t as potent. She’s registering pain. I know this is against hospital policy, but due to the circumstance, I think we should administer intravenously.”

I pressed my fingers to my forehead. “Is that really necessary?”

“She won’t lie still, and you know it.”

I exhaled, pulling my hand from my face.

“No, Angela, you have to stay in bed,” Mrs. Butler’s voice carried into the hallway, interrupting our conversation.

“Do it,” I ordered Dr. Cooper.

He nodded and hurried down the hall. I went into the room to find Angie sitting up, legs swung over the side of the bed. Not strong enough to get out of bed too quickly, she gripped the railing. I ran over to her before she attempted pushing herself up.

“Baby, you have to stay in bed.” I took her wrists, trying to ease her back down.

“Caleb, they have my son! Let me go.” She tried pulling her wrist from my grip.

“Please stop fighting, baby,” I begged. “Let me do my job. We’re getting closer already.”

Dr. Cooper came back in, filling a syringe.

“No!” She struggled. “Caleb, don’t do this to me.”

“Hold her still,” Dr. Cooper barked.

Angie struggled, but I managed to hold her in place as Dr. Cooper pushed the drug into her arm. Angie immediately weighed down in my hands. Tears flooded my eyes as the potent drug caused hers to grow glassy and vacant. I released my grip on her wrists and held her face in my hands. I kissed her lips gently.

“I love you, Angie. I’m so sorry.”

Her eyes met mine, a final act of defiance before she closed them from the world.

The longest second passed before my eyes. I’d wronged the woman I loved. I’d done something unbearable. I couldn’t lose her too. I did what I had to do, no matter how unthinkable it may have been.

“We can release her tomorrow. She’ll have to stay in bed another day, but at least she’ll be more calm with her family and friends around her.” Dr. Cooper squeezed my shoulder and left me standing there, staring at Angie.

“You really love her.”

I looked across the bed at Mrs. Butler, sitting on the edge of her seat.

“I do, ma’am.”

A nod was her only response. I took one last look at Angie and left the room. Parker was already in motion, heading toward me with his laptop under his arm. “Keith Mackey was just brought in. The unit is with your brother and nephew now. They’ll probably get to the station soon after we do.”

I nodded and ran back into Angie’s room for my jacket. I gazed over her beauty, determined to fix things. I left the room.

“Just ride with me,” Parker said as I followed him down the hall. “We’ll send someone to get your cruiser.” I nodded again. He grabbed my arm to stop me. “You have to focus. You’re next in line.”

“I’m too close to the case, Parker. You have to lead.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You’re the starting QB. You call the plays. We’ll follow.”

I breathed out, my body shaking. We kept walking.

We stepped outside of the sliding glass doors and into a flurry of snow drifting around us. I zipped up my jacket and stuck my hands into my pockets. My skin started to chill, but my heart had already iced over. This was the hardest thing I would ever have to face. I had just professed my love to her. Now she would blame me for this and hate me for what I had done to her. I needed to find him. I hated to leave her, but I needed to be out here looking for Simon. Ensuring her safety was just as important, but there was nothing I could do for her at the hospital. The doctors and nurses would take good care of her, I told myself. I had to find Simon before she recovered. That woman would sacrifice herself if it meant getting her son back. I wouldn’t let it get to that point. I would find him first.

As soon as I slammed the car door, Parker peeled out of the parking lot, sirens blaring. I stared out at the highway; the dusting of snow dulled the greenery of the trees lining the highway until they matched the grey of the sky. I pressed my palms against my eyes. We did
not
need this today.

“It’s just a flurry. They’re not even salting the roads.” Parker attempted to calm me, but I was anything but calm. I pulled my hands away from my face and looked over at him.

“Don’t you think they should?” I yelled.

“I think the weather people have this under control. You need to pull yourself together.”

“I’m trying!” My eyes welled up with tears. I gripped the top of my knees tight to keep them from shaking. My chest clenched tight. I tried to suck in air, but I wasn’t getting enough.

“Have your girl fit and get back in the game, Harris!”

My head shot up and I glared at the road. If I ever got pissed off during a game, those words were exactly what the coach would yell at me. It used to piss me off. Still did. My hands rolled into fists. Breakdown averted.

“Go faster,” I barked.

The car roared beneath the blaring sirens. The speedometer read seventy while the speed limit sign zooming past read fifty. Just like game day, if we were down, I’d get pissed off and pull some trick out my ass to win the game. It wasn’t bragging if it could be done. That little shit on the run was going to wish he’d left that little bitch alone by the time I was done with him. Fuck protocol. There wasn’t anyone around to fire me anyway.

“You good now?” Parker asked as we pulled off the highway onto Main Street.

I didn’t have to answer. He knew I was good. Before the car came to a complete stop, I pushed open the door and hopped out. My eyes narrowed on the front door of the station.

“Don’t lose your job over this,” Parker hollered. I raised my hand to shut him up and yanked open the glass door. The lobby was bustling with every officer available. Devon walked over to me, a file in his hand.

“He’s in the interrogation room.” He handed me the file. I walked to the back of the station with him close behind me.

“Attorney?” I asked him, mid-stride.

“Court appointed. He hasn’t been in yet.”

I stopped as soon as I saw the man sitting in the chair outside the interrogation room. A smug smile lifted up my face.

“Thanks, Devon.” I gave him his cue to leave.

The man in the chair looked up and gave me a head nod. There was one thing I loved about small towns. Everybody knew everybody.

“So, you’re with Angela Butler now.” He stood, reaching out his hand toward me.

I shook it. “How’s the wife and kids, Robby?”

Robby was two years older than me; he’d played Center on the football team before he graduated.

“They’re doing good. So good, in fact, I have to call and check up on them. I don’t think I can attend to…” he opened his own file “Keith Mackey for at least five to ten minutes.”

I took off my jacket and placed it on the vacant chair. “I owe you.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You gotta do whatever you can for family.”

I left him to his phone call and opened up the door.

“Caleb.” Parker called my name.  I stopped and pulled the door closed as he came over. He stood next to me and whispered, “Follow my lead here.”

I nodded as he went into the closed room on the other side of a one-way mirror. I exhaled and opened the other door. There sat the smug-faced fucking asshole, acting like he was tough shit. We’d see how tough he was.

“I ain’t saying a word until I get a lawyer.” He wouldn’t look me in the eye, keeping a stoic glare on the mirrored wall.

I slowly eased into my chair and kept my eyes low. Within a second, the door opened up behind me.

“Officer Harris, I don’t know what’s going on with the recording equipment,” Parker’s voice echoed within the cinder-block room. “I think the system rebooted. Hell, I don’t know what’s going on. I’m going to call IT. Won’t be but just a minute.”

The door closed. I slowly lifted my eyes. I stared. Sweat pebbled on his prematurely receding hairline. His long nose twitched, his eyes moved from left to right. His hands shook and he clutched them tighter.

Game on.

“Do you have any idea what you fucking did?”

“I’m not talking—”

I pushed the table, forcing the edge to ram against his chest. His chair kicked back and he spilled out of it, grunting as he landed on the floor.

“You can’t do th—”

I swung my leg forward and swift kicked him to the groin. His hands went up to guard himself as he hacked, gasping for breath.
Too bad.

“You aided.” Kick. “And abetted.” Kick. “In kidnapping.” Kick. “My son!”

      I crouched down to his face, his eyes rolling in the back of his head.

“I hope you liked the pussy you got from her. You ain’t getting any for a long,
long
time. And when you come up for parole, I’ll make sure your fucking ass gets sent back in.”

His eyes tried to focus on me, but they glassed over from pain.

“Give me fucking names.”

“I only knew her. I only knew Bridget.”

“What did she want from you?”

“I didn’t even know what she did until she was gone. I freaked out and ran.”

“Did she buy you that car?”

He nodded. I stood up. I moved the table back to its upright position. He rolled over to his knees, attempting to get off the floor. I walked around the table and drove my foot into his stomach, sending him right back down. I rounded the table again and opened the door.

I was met with Parker’s smirk. “Good news,” he said. “It just needed to be restarted. Ready when you are.”

The door closed behind me.

“What did he tell you?” he asked as he followed me back down the hall.

“He doesn’t know much. He was just in it for the girl. It’s her we need to find.”

“Well, her name isn’t Bridget Sweeny.” He handed me a file.

“Of course, it isn’t.”

I flipped it open.
Maria Santos
.

“Miguel has a sister,” Parker added.

“Of course, he does.”

As we stepped into the lobby, Devon walked over, ignoring the ringing phone.

“Your dad called in,” he said. “He’s almost here.”

“Officer Harris.”

I glanced down the side hall to see Officer Peterman step out of the conference room.

“We just got back from your brother’s.”

Parker and I entered the conference room. A detective and two other officers gathered around a note enclosed in a plastic evidence bag. They all looked up at me as soon as I entered the room, their eyes wide and their faces low. My chest hollowed. I didn’t want to read that note. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. I wanted Angie and Simon back in my arms again.

I stood across the table from them, arms hung at my sides.

“What does it say?”

The detective turned the note around.

We will exchange the baby for Angela at Conley Creek, Lake Rhodhiss at 7:00pm on New Year’s Eve. The Feds won’t help you, don’t even try.

I leaned forward and stared at the note, examining every letter.

“Any prints?” I asked without looking up.

“Just on the envelope and they were your nephew’s.”

“Caleb.”

I turned to Devon peeking through the open door.

“The security tapes are here from the hospital. I have them set up and ready to go in room three.”

“Have Mackey moved to a holding cell,” I told Devon as Parker and I moved toward the door. I turned back to the detectives. “I want that note completely analyzed. I mean thorough. I want to know where the ink came from.”

They nodded and started on their task.

Parker and I walked down the hall, dodging people as they got in our way. We found Devon standing over the computer.

“I got it to the part you need.”

“Who’s manning the phones?” Parker asked.