Conviction: Book 3 of the Detective Ryan Series (21 page)

Chapter 37-Ali

Being on lockdown was not my idea of fun. I had hope for it only being the one night, but the lieutenant told me there would be round the clock protection for all of us until we caught the killer. Personally, I believed if he were to strike, tomorrow’s prison transfer would be the ideal time.

I stood in the living room staring out the window. Our assigned detail sat in their car. There was really no need for them. If the so called “Puppet Master” wanted me, he would find a way. It’s not like he hasn’t before, only this time he would have to get through four officers including myself. Part of me wanted him to try. I’d love nothing more than to be the one to take him out. He’s done so much to hurt the people in my life, I would be justified for wanting to inflict just as much pain on him.

“Ali, what are you doing up?” James’ gravelly voice tore me away from the window momentarily.

“I-I couldn’t sleep.”

He placed his arms around my waist and nuzzled his face against my neck. “Relax, there’s no way he’s gonna try anything.”

“If he does, I have a bullet with his name on it waiting for him.” Admitting that would be grounds to take me off the case, but I knew James wouldn’t say anything. He’s seen the pain and devastation in my eyes that this asshole caused.

“Forget him and let’s go back to bed.”

Before I could tell him no, his lips grazed the side of my neck. I melted into his arms as he scooped me up and brought me back to the bedroom. He placed me gently on the bed gently as he bent down to kiss me. My hands threaded through his golden brown hair, pulling him closer. I felt him grab my leg, placing it around his side. His eyes had a lustful look to them, telling me how bad he wanted me. As his fingers pulled at the buttons on my shirt, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

“Did you add something new to our foreplay?” James asked.

“No, it’s my phone.” I shoved his chest, pushing him back to the edge of the bed. The upturned corners of his mouth made me believe he had nothing but mischievous thoughts running through his head. I pulled the cell from my pocket and showed him the device as it continued vibrating in my hand.

“Damn, I think we need to make a trip to the store later.”

I smacked his chest playfully as I checked to see who was calling. Seeing A.D.A. Reed’s name pop up, sent a chill down my spine.

“This is Ryan,” I said into the phone.

“Ali, he’s here. Hurry!”

I jumped to my feet and grabbed my shoes. “We need to go now,” I snapped at James. “He’s at Stacy’s house. Call in for backup and call the Lieutenant too.” I pressed my ear against the receiver.

“You think that shit’s gonna stop me,” a man shouted. I heard a thud as if something fell to the floor.

“Help,” Stacy cried out. I jumped in the car, connecting the call to my Bluetooth as I slammed on the gas. I wanted to be there for her, to make it to the house before the intruder hurt her more than he already had.

“No one’s gonna save you,” he said coldly as I heard him grunt and the faint yelp of pain from a woman. “You think that call’s gonna do anything?” I heard a click which made me press the gas pedal to the floor. “Just give up, Ali. No one is safe from me, not even you or that snitch you’re hiding.”

Hearing the killer’s voice made the rage inside worse. I wanted blood, his blood. I knew there was nothing I could do for Stacy Reed, but with any luck we could find him leaving her house.

“Police are already in route and are advised to close off the area. The Lieutenant is also on his way.” I felt his eyes lock onto me as I rounded the corner. “Ali, talk to me. What happened?”

“She’s dead,” I spat. “The son of a bitch killed her while I was on the phone and then he taunted me.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he’s coming after all of us including the snitch we’re hiding.” We both knew he was referring to Claire. She was scheduled to be transferred from one prison to another the next morning, but would it still happen now that the A.D.A. was dead?

We pulled up to the house finding a squad car parked out front. There were cars parked all along the street and in driveways. With the few lights the street had, someone could easily hide between the houses.

“Lights on,” I whispered. We pulled the flashlights from our pockets and un-holstered our glocks. I signaled to James to take the passenger side of the squad car while I took the driver’s side. We reached the front doors simultaneously. With our guns drawn, we pulled the doors open. One of the officer’s fell at my feet. Inside the car was covered in blood.

James rushed to the driver’s side of the car. “Is he dead?”

I nodded. I didn’t need to check for a pulse. With the amount of blood he and the squad car were covered in, there was no doubt in my mind the officer was dead.

“Weren’t there supposed to be two men watching her?”

I moved to the front of the car and scanned the houses, searching for any sign of movement. “She was supposed to have one keeping an eye outside the house and another guarding the inside.” I looked back at the house and took a step towards it before James placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Whoa, where are you going?”

“To check out the house. We need to check on Stacy.”

“You think she’s still alive?”

“I don’t know, but if she is, she won’t have much time.”

James agreed as we charged the front door. We tried the handle, finding it unlocked with no sign of forced entry. We stepped inside and searched the first floor. Splitting up wasn’t a good idea, but knew it was the quickest way to cover the most ground.

I rounded the corner into the living room. The beam of light swept from side to side, not picking up anything suspicious. I entered the room until I found the couch. Another pool of blood circled the floor. I hurried over to the cushions, finding Officer Davis’s lifeless body.

I held back the shriek of horror. He wasn’t a friend, but he was a colleague that I’ve known for years. I knew he had a wife and three kids. Two of them were teenagers in high school. The third was about to start the seventh grade.

“Ali, backup’s here,” James shouted.

I jogged back to the front of the house seeing several officers exiting their cars. “We started securing the first floor. I need half of you to stay down here. The other half, come with us upstairs.”

We slowly crept up the steps until we made it to the landing. I signaled for pairs of two to take a different set of doors as we marched down the hall, taking the final room on the right. I held up my fingers counting down from three. By the time I hit one, we barged through the door with guns drawn.

“Shit, I found her,” James shouted as he ran over to a body on the floor. His muscular frame kept me from seeing any wounds, but could see the blood seeping into the carpet.

I moved closer as I heard the other officers yell “clear,” from down the hall. I hovered over James and saw the blood covering the back of Stacy’s short, blond hair.

“Looks like our killer decided to change up the way he murders his victims.”

“Yeah, but she didn’t go down without a fight.” James pointed to the bottle of pepper-spray that sat a few feet from Stacy’s hand. “We need to get the C.S.U. team up here immediately. I want this whole room processed.

I rushed out of the room, trying my best to shield myself from everyone. It wasn’t the anger welling up inside at the sight of another victim that tore me up inside. It was the fear of knowing this man would not stop until he has crossed off every name on his hit list. There was no rhyme or reason to his actions. There was no motive we could find. The worst part of it was that he was willing to kill anyone who got in his way, including police and the A.D.A. The only thing we knew for sure was that he had two targets, Dr. Claire Cain and me.

I ran from the house, pushing away a pair of officers as I tried to get back to my car. Instead, I ran into what felt like a brick wall. I looked up and found Rodney standing at the edge of the property.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he asked.

“I-I just gotta get away from this.” I looked up at him with a puzzled look on my face. “Wait, why are you here?”

“The Lieutenant called me and ordered me to get my ass down here fast.” He looked around and saw the number of police cars surrounding the house. “You mind telling me what happened here?”

“He was here. He killed the Assistant D.A.”

“Where’s James?”

“He’s inside. The house is clear. I just couldn’t stand being in there anymore.”

Rodney put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me in close. “It’ll be okay, Ali.”

“Rodney, he killed two cops just to murder the A.D.A. This guy is a psycho. There’s nothing he won’t do. Hell, he threw me off a bridge, kidnapped my sister and probably killed Matthew while framing you for the murder.”

“It doesn’t matter, we’ll get him and he’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars.”

I know as a cop we’re expected to keep a cool head and not resort to physical violence unless provoked. We’re supposed to arrest the suspect and let the system carry out justice. But that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to kill the bastard that was behind it all and make the world a better place. If given the chance, I’d gladly pull the trigger.

A few minutes later, another car pulled up. I recognized it as “the car I am never to touch again.” That was the Lieutenant’s cardinal rule. I’ve been threatened to be demoted down to school crossing guard or transferred to the prison to handle cavity searches if I ever attempt to drive his baby again.

Esposito approached and tipped his hat at us. “Detectives, do we have a handle on the situation inside?”

“Yeah, James is inside,” I mumbled. “He’s waiting for the C.S.U. team to get here.”

“They should be here in a few minutes. Any sign of the suspect or any evidence pointing to which direction he ran off in?”

“No, sir.”

“Very well. Johnson, take Ryan home and wait with her at the house. She is not to leave until I call you.”

“What about my statement?” I asked.

“It can wait until the morning. Right now, you’re still a target, and I want to make sure you stay safe.”

“And James?”

“I will be with him and take him back to the station to give his statement. I’ll have a pair of officers escort him back home when he’s done.”

“Look what happened to the last pair of officers that got in the killer’s way. We just lost a rookie and Davis.”

“I know, but right now we have no choice. You need to trust me. I promise; he’ll be okay.”

“And I’m supposed to sit back and pretend like everything’s okay when in reality I’m a sitting duck?”

“No, you need to rest. Tomorrow we have a meeting with the D.A. to discuss what happened tonight and how we’re gonna nail the murderous son of a bitch.”

I let out a half smile. It was nice to see the Lieutenant fired up at someone other than me. “You better hold up your promise. Don’t let anything happen to him.”

“Ali, you have my word.”

Chapter 38-Ali

I sat in the bedroom for hours waiting for James to come home. Rodney told me it was best for me to get some sleep, but that was impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of Stacy and Matthew’s dead bodies. I had flashbacks from when I was attacked on the bridge and left for dead in the icy cold Hudson River. But most of all, I remembered hearing the voice taunting me, telling me no one was safe.

I stumbled out of the bedroom around three and found Rodney passed out on the couch. “Some security you are.” I grabbed a pillow to hit him in the face with, but found a pair of lights hitting the house. Heading back to the kitchen, I ripped my spare gun from under the counter and ran back to the couch. “Rodney, get up.”

He pushed himself up and un-holstered his glock. “What’s wrong?” he asked while frantically searching the darkened living room.

“Someone’s here.” I crouched down and hurried to the large bay window. Peering out the curtains, I could see someone staggering towards the front door. The outside light hit the man’s face and could see the exhaustion on James’ face.

I stood up and shoved my gun in the back of my jeans. Rodney must have picked up on the hint as he holstered his gun and sat back down on the couch. Clicking on the lights in the living room, I opened the door as James fumbled with his keys.

He looked up and smiled at me. His right arm snaked around my waist and pulled me to him. Our lips collided and could feel the intensity burning inside.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, just tired.” He entered the house and closed the door behind him. He turned his head to see Rodney sitting on the couch with his hands folded behind his head. “You can head out if you want.”

“Yeah, I probably should. Mia’s probably worried sick about me.” He stood up and grabbed his jacket from the arm of the couch. “I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

After Rodney left, James locked the door and walked towards our bedroom. “What was that about?” I asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Why did you just kick Rodney out?”

“It’s late, and he was here to make sure nothing happened to you while I was gone. I’m home now, and he needed to get back to his wife.”

“You just seemed rude about it.”

“Sorry, Ali. I’m exhausted and ready to pass out. Esposito and the D.A. are calling a meeting at nine to discuss how to proceed with the investigation as well as the Claire situation.”

“Were you or the techs able to uncover any evidence at the house?” I was hopeful the killer might have slipped up and left a thumb print, the murder weapon, or something we could use to pinpoint a suspect.

“I stayed there for a bit, but I didn’t see anything other than blood on her cell phone. The C.S.U. team bagged it and took it in for testing.”

I watched as he stripped out of his shirt and pants. I followed him into the bedroom, and watched as he collapsed on the bed. I climbed in after him and began rubbing his lower back. There was no response. James simply pulled the pillows closer and fell asleep.

I woke the next morning feeling completely drained. James was still passed out next to me, while I only slept for an hour and a half. The clock showed it was already seven, which meant going back to sleep was completely out of the question.

I spent the next hour getting ready before James decided to drag himself from the bed. He barely said two words to me as he stumbled around the house. He slipped on a pair of khaki pants, and a polo shirt before sitting on the bed.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” he mumbled.

Something was wrong. James had never acted that cold to me before. His hair was a mess and he left the stubble on his cheeks. One thing I knew about James was he always made sure he looked his best.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked at me with heavy bags under his eyes. “Nothing,” he lied. “Just want to get this meeting done and over with.”

“Did something happen last night?” He refused to say another word. He continued putting on his shoes as if I never said anything to him. “Did Esposito say something to you?”

“Ali, I’m beyond exhausted right now. I can’t deal with any paranoid, conspiracy crap right now.”

His words stunned me. I didn’t know what to say or why he was being so mean. He threw Rodney out the house, and decided to verbally attack me for wanting to know the truth.

“Fine, I won’t say anything then.” I grabbed my keys off the dresser and walked towards the front of the house.

“Ali, that’s not what I meant.” I heard him shouting down the hall as he chased after me. His hands grabbed my shoulders, but I pushed them away.

“I’ll see you at the station.”

I slammed the door, silencing his pleas for me to listen. I was done listening to him and to everyone. The nightmare that started a year ago had infected every aspect of my life. I wanted it over and was willing to do anything to finish it.

I sped to the precinct and arrived before James or Rodney. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I had a few minutes of peace before walking into whatever hell the meeting had in store for us. Another car pulled up alongside mine. The man inside stepped out beaming an award winning smile at me.

“Detective Ryan, it’s so nice to see you again.”

I turned and saw the District Attorney staring at me. His smile seemed to turn my stomach as if this meeting was going to be nothing but bad news. He must have seen the look on my face as he changed the tone in his voice. “I feel horrible it has to be under these circumstances.”

“My condolences to your office and Ms. Reed’s family.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment, but right now we’re focused at bringing down this killer.”

“Do you and the Lieutenant have a plan?”

“We have an idea.” He placed his hand on the small of my back. “Let’s discuss this further inside.”

He brought me to the lieutenant’s office and closed the door. Esposito was sitting behind the desk. He looked up at us and let out a sigh.

“Where are the others?”

Mr. Garrett shrugged his shoulders while I just stared the lieutenant down. “You mind telling me what’s going on?”

“We are trying to figure out what to do with Dr. Cain since Ms. Reed’s death,” Garrett said. “She spent months preparing the case and had worked on a deal to transfer her to another prison.”

“It was supposed to happen today.” I looked between both men and saw their heads hanging low. “You’re still going to transfer her, right?”

“Ali, we think the killer has been using these deaths to further his agenda. Dr. Cain is the only one that can tie him to the murders. We believe this was all part of his plan to get her a transfer so he could find a way to execute her before she makes it to the other prison.”

“So our other option is to leave her there? He has inside help. They’ve gotten to her before, what’s to say they don’t try something while she’s asleep?”

“What do you suggest we do, Ali?” Esposito asked.

“Make the transfer happen. I’ll suit up and make sure she gets there in one piece.”

“And what makes you believe she will be safe? You said it yourself; he has inside help. What makes you think the other prison would be any different?”

“Then we put her under police protection.”

“I don’t like it,” Mr. Garrett replied. “He has connections to the officers inside the prison, being out in the open would make it easier.”

“So then we put a cop we know we can trust to watch her.”

I could see the Lieutenant shaking his head, but decided to watch the D.A. contemplate the offer. “Who do you have in mind?”

“I’ll do it. We can find a way to get her out of the prison and have her stay at my place.”

“I’m sorry, Detective, but these attacks have found its way into your home on more than one occasion. I can’t trust a prisoner in your care where the target would be even bigger.”

“And if you leave her in prison, she’s as good as dead. At least if she’s with someone we can trust, she stands a fighting chance and we could potentially catch the killer.”

Mr. Garrett nodded his head. “Okay, but we’ll set up a safe house for you and Dr. Cain. Neither of you will be permitted to leave the house under any circumstance.”

“Fine, set it up. Do whatever you need to do to make this happen.” I knew what it meant. The lieutenant refused to look at me, which meant this was their plan all along.

“Alright,” Mr. Garrett said. “I’ll get the paperwork going and arrange the transfer. I’ll call back in a bit, Lieutenant.”

After the D.A. left the office, Esposito stood up from his chair and took a seat on the edge of his desk. “Ali, you don’t have to do this. You can back out; it’s not too late.”

“You need me to do this. It’s the only way to protect Dr. Cain and draw out the killer.”

“You knew he wanted to use you as bait?”

“I had my suspicions.” I looked at the lieutenant with a tear dripping down my face. I knew there was a good chance I wouldn’t make it back alive, but it was our best chance. “I guess I should go home and pack.”

“I guess that makes two of us,” a voice said from the doorway. I turned and saw James standing there. His narrowed eyes focused on the lieutenant.

“I thought we had an agreement, Detective.”

“If you think I’m gonna let her do this alone, then you’re crazy.” James took my hand and knelt down beside me in the chair. “I should’ve told you this morning. They sprung this messed up plan on me late last night.”

“It’s okay. I got this.”

“No, we got this.”

The lieutenant shook his head as he threw his hands up in the air. “Fine, you’re both going. I’ll arrange everything with the D.A. and set up the transfer this afternoon.”

“Fine, but if we do this, we do it my way,” I replied.

The lieutenant let out a chuckle. “I thought you might say that.” He paused as he took his seat behind the desk. “Okay, let’s hear your plan.”