Heart of Fire (24 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

“We're a block away.  If she's there, I don't want to spook her.”  Stevens nodded and parallel parked the car. 

Danni stood in silence for a moment.  “Back up is on the way and the PD will have a car or three here in a few minutes to back us up.  In the meantime, we can secure the building.”

The building was old, brick, and had several windows that faced the street.  Danni crept quietly up the stairs, and peered in the front windows but could see nothing.  The light of the new day threatened to bring them out from the shadows and there was no time to wait.

Just then, backup arrived.  Agent Kent and two other team members crept towards the house from the rear.  Agent Lopez approached the front.  The screen door was shut.  The front door was open.  The smell of spoiled food wafted onto the porch.

“FBI!” Lopez yelled into the house while banging on the screen door, “We have a warrant to search the premises.”  No reply came.  He repeated his announcement with the same result.  “Your call Pacelli,” Frank stood on the sidelines and watched as his trained agents worked circled the perimeter. He then limped back knowing it would be the end of his career if he entered the building. He had to pull all his resources just to be there when the collar was made, but was ordered to only command the operation from a distance. 

Lopez flung the screen door open and the team rushed in and spread out with weapons raised.  Danni rushed in quickly to the right, Stevens to the left.  The interior of the building wasn't completely dark.  Lights from nearby light posts in the street streamed in through the curtains.  The walls were spotted with oil and streaked by water stains.  A rank, musty odor filled the space. 

Danni’s fingers found the dark metal against the colorless concrete floor.  It was long, curved, and undoubtedly the crowbar that had been used to enter the house.  A second later she was blinded by a muzzle flash.  Her ears rang from the impossibly loud sound of a pistol fired indoors at close proximity.  Danni immediately dove behind the love seat. 

“So you found me,” an unfamiliar voice called through the dark.  Two more gunshots followed.  Agent Stevens voice was gone.  Danni prayed for a brief moment she was still alive.  Perhaps her ears were ringing and she could not hear her.  No matter, she had to draw her away from her wounded partner.

“Come get me.  I’m waiting!” the suspect taunted and crept in the dark towards Danni.  “I’m itching to stretch my cramping limbs and show you that I’m stronger than you think.”

The agents moved around in the dark and strained to identify the origin of the first muzzle flash.  Lopez lined his sights near the edge of the room and pulled the trigger twice, and dove forward, rolled, and emerged behind the safety of a solid oak grandfather clock.

Danni peered around the corner and pushed her gun in front of her.  The weapon spat another two slugs before she saw the form on the floor.  She swallowed hard and crept to the opposite side of the short row of furniture that concealed her.  An open doorway stood a few paces to her left.  Through it she could see movement.  She fired two more rounds in the general direction of her attacker and sprinted through the opening. 

The Suspect sprang through the dark and kicked Danni sending a searing pain through her body.  She landed on the floor and the assailant turned the gun, directing it to her head, then a loud blast of muzzle flashes seared through the air.  One, two, three, four, and five, then nothing as the woman’s body slammed to the floor. 

It was over and Danni knew the bureau and local police would have their best psychologists putting a profile together on the perpetrator.  They would be analyzing the crime scenes as well as any number of intricate details to learn as much as they could.

Agent’s rushed through the house, and secured the suspect.  “She’s still alive,” Lopez hollered.

“Call for an ambulance,” Frank ordered as he entered the house.

With the situation neutralized, Danni scanned the room with her flashlight.  “Stevens?” she called out and to her left she heard her name called.  She rushed to her, heart pounding in her ears as she neared.  She was sure she was dead, but she stood smiling, the odd colored eyes peered up. 

Stevens holstered her gun then laughed.  “Did I get her?” she asked but already knew the second she heard the thump to the floor.

“It’s over, time to wrap this up.”  Danni turned and maintained a forward focus and tuned the radio reports out of her thoughts and nodded her head for Stevens to follow. 

The mail on the coffee table already gave an indication of the owner of the homes name.  Danni searched from room to room, but there was no sign of her. 

“Over here Pacelli,” Stevens called out.  The wood frame near the knob was in splinters.  Danni reached for it before Stevens could stop her.

The stairs were wooden and led into an open dusty basement.  Danni hurried down the squeaky stairs to a point she could see into the basement.  She looked to the left and right, followed with the barrel of her pistol.  Finding nothing that represented a threat, she descended the rest of the stairs.  Stevens followed close behind, gun tightly gripped in the front of her.

They were satisfied the basement was safe when Travis stepped in something.  She looked down to see a pool of thick dark liquid.  She gasped and followed the pool under the stairs.  The woman, who owned the house, lay there in a pile.  Blood seeped from wounds in her back.  Her neck showed signs of strangulation.  Danni reported it via radio, and then declared the basement threat free.  The house was clear; crime scene investigators arrived and ordered them to return to the main floor. 

Danni scanned the lit room for the assailant.  “Is she still here?”

“Yes Ma'am,” said Agent Lopez as he walked past her towards the basement.

Sizing up the opposition and formulating a plan Danni felt impatient knowing the slow hands of justice would linger in formulating a conviction. 

Stevens knew what Danni was ready to do.  She began to count down on her fingers before reacting.  Within the count to five Danni would throw away her career and her freedom to see justice prevailed.  She had to act quickly as Danni stalked closer with her hand gripped tightly around her gun ready to pull the trigger. 

Danni could not see anything happening around her, fixated on the light of the eyes from the suspect that taunted her as she laughed.  It was time to end this.  Fire of fury burned in her heart, and the hatred smoldered as she weighed the pros and cons of the various and creative means available to act out her revenge.  She began to line up her gun but before she could get off a shot Stevens placed her hand over the barrel with her hand.

“It’s not worth it Pacelli,” Stevens placed her hand on her arm and lowered it.  With her free hand she retrieved the loaded gun.  “Revenge may feel good at this moment, but it will eat away at your soul in the end.”

Frank watched from the distance, he knew she was not alone in her convictions.  He had the same temptation, but rationalized before he acted.  “Bring her over here,” Frank motioned his hand to Stevens.

He walked her slowly out the door and past the gurney that carried her tormentor.  She fought to turn and drain the life from those eyes as she did so many others.  But Frank held a tight grip on her arm. 

“Let me go Frank,” she shouted venomously.  He did not flinch; he continued his journey with her down the walkway to her car.

“Go home Pacelli,” he whispered softly in her ear.  “You got her, now pull it together.”

She did not say anything as she sat in the car and watched them tape off the perimeter.  “I don’t have anything to go home to anymore Frank,” she cried but they were not tears of sorrow.  His words echoed in her head.  You got her, but the words were empty and meaningless, Annabel was gone, and she might never be able to find her way back from the darkness of her own mind.

“Go to her then, find peace in this Danni,” he heard himself say the words but knew if he was in the same situation and it was Tiffany, who lay in an unresponsive state, he would have killed the woman with his bare hands.  He did not know how to console, and he knew anything he said, would fall on deaf ears.

He looked over to see Stevens who barked orders as she worked the crime scene.  He witnessed how well the two worked together and the way Danni responded when she talked her down.  It was time to retire, and he needed to turn the reins of his responsibilities over, and he knew who he wanted for his replacement.  ‘Now, would she accept it?’ he thought hoping for Danni’s sake.

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

Days turned to night and back to day as Danni sat by Annabel’s bedside and just talked, hoping she would hear her, but as the days flew by, so did the hope.

She looked so peaceful in her sleep, but Danni had to keep reminding herself she was not asleep.  So in the time she spent with her, she would talk about the case and her feelings for her all the while combing her hair.  She learned from the nurses how to bathe her in the bed and change her clothes, she insisted that she was the only one who could do it, and the nurses obliged.  One went as far to say it was one last thing she would have to do.  The statement annoyed Danni, but she was so glad they agreed she did not care.

“Agent Pacelli,” Dr. Norris the floor neurologist stepped in the room and eyed her with sympathy. 

Danni looked up, her heart hurt when he shook his head after reading the results of her last brain scan.  She looked at him scornfully not wanting to hear the bad news.  “She's in there!” she finally whispered.

“It’s been almost two months and there has been no change.”  He looked down knowing the news he was about to deliver would be devastating.  “We’re going to have to move her to a ward where she can get long term care.”

Danni knew he was right.  Annabel needed more care than she was getting in the hospital, but the knowledge would make her training in the FBI academy hard with all of the travel to Lubbock where the coma patients were cared for.  She would not be able to go each night after training and her love would be alone without the care she could only give until the week was over.

She did not say anything as he discussed the details of the transfer, she only held tight onto Annabel’s hand.  She knew this day was coming, but prayed it would never have too.  From the thick darkness she finally slipped back into physical awareness.  The shock of her reality had settled enough.  This was worse than death she thought and was not quite sure what filled her more with grief.  Keeping alive the shell of a woman who once rode the streets with no fear, or the fact that death would have been more merciful.  Either scenario seemed to gnaw in the pit of her stomach. 

An unsettling calm had fallen upon her as she gazed more aware of the decaying shell of her lover.  This was death.  A shiver ran down her spine.  The room seemed to swirl beneath her feet and the tight knot that resurfaced in her stomach twisted harshly. 

She cried long after the retching had stopped.  Something was gone from her in that instant.  Danni clung to the lifeless body beside her and cradled her in arms. A part of her wished and begged her to wake.  She questioned the lines between reality and whatever nightmare she must have been thrown into.  Even in a state of utter and profound pain she had managed to still protect her.  She was at least thankful her pain was over.  Her slender fingers traced along the swell of Annabel’s cheek and allowed the grief to run free from her eyes. 

“I love you,” Danni whispered in her ear and turned to leave.  She could not look back, so she inhaled a deep breath and moved forward, never to look back.  She would be transferred in a few days, and Danni’s life and happiness would be gone.  The doctor offered no hope for a recovery and she was lost to the world around her.  Danni held in the tears as she reached the elevator, she looked at her watch and knew she only had moments to be at the courthouse, but she struggled each day to tear herself away, but she needed to see the hands of justice turn and she would take pleasure in watching the woman lay on the table as they inserted the needle into her arm.  Her anger built as she wished she was the one who would pull the levers.  The murderous woman took her happiness from her and she wanted part in making her pay.  She had to hold back each day as court went into session and when it was her time to give testimony she had to hold back the tears as she explained how Annabel lay lifeless in the hospital.

She witnessed tears escape from the eyes of the jury as they listened and it made her angry when it occurred to her they had not showed that kind of emotion when the deaths of each prostitute were displayed on the projector screen.  The only woman who she showed emotion for was when they showed the last killing of the woman in the house who was stuffed under the staircase.  She wanted to yell at them, but had to refrain from causing a scene giving more pleasure to the killer that thought it was okay to kill the women who worked the streets the same as her own mother.

When she witnessed the discomfort from the jury as the defendant spoke of her reasoning for what she did.  The defending attorney ran with it.  He asked question after question as to how she felt as a young child to have the men her mother brought home who then raped her after her mother passed out. 

The sympathy in the attorney’s voice as he handled her with care was tasteless as he insinuated the women she killed were in her mind her mother for allowing her to be raped.  Then he suggested in his closing argument that she deserved help and needed to be institutionalized.  He suggested that the State should not punish the victim who was not in her right state of mind.  Danni had to leave the courtroom at that point.  Her anger was visible to whoever was in earshot in the hall way as she screamed at the top of her lungs. 

Frank joined her on the bench and held her hand not uttering a word.  He knew how she felt because he felt the same way.  The difference was, he had attended more than a thousand trials where the defending attorney would always try to plead insanity but only a few times did the jury agree and he did not feel they would this time.  He knew they had enough evidence to put her away and end with the death penalty. 

Stevens joined the two a few moments later with news the jury had been ordered to decide on O’Sullivan’s fate.  The three sat there quiet for a few moments as the courtroom emptied.  Reporters tried unsuccessfully to get a statement from them, but neither offered any information.  Stevens glanced across the hall when she saw Patricia O’Sullivan lean against the wall.  She motioned Danni to look. 

Danni knew the trial was hard on her.  She was crucified by the prosecutor for her part in pretending to be an officer and not calling in the murder of Travis.  He made a deal with her to not give her jail time for her part if she gave detailed testimony on what she had discovered during her surveillance of her cousin.  She demanded he not call her that, and told him why, but he continued with the statement even after she protested on several occasions.

Danni listened to Patricia as she explained what she had found out and why she did not call the police when she found the dead body of the officer.  The States Prosecutor winced at her reasoning but he needed her testimony, and when she was on the stand she did the case justice.  The defending attorney tore her story to shreds.  He said that her cousin was crying out for help and if she would have notified the authorities the murders would have stopped.  But when she gave her accounts on how her cousin had no idea she was following her, his defense was dead in the water.  He huffed and turned his back to her. 

She was the last witness of the prosecution before the defendant was put on the stand, and Danni believed they heard all they needed but when she listened to the closing argument, she was not so sure.

Patricia looked at Danni, then down at the floor.  The Mayor stood just down the hall and listened to the reporters as they gave live footage of the hearing.  He smiled from time to time at his daughter.  He wanted to go to her and take all the pressure she felt from her testimony away, but he did not want to draw attention to himself.  The public was still not aware of his paternal ties to her and he ensured that when he talked to the States Attorney.  He had one more term and he would give up his spot as Mayor and let the voters fight over who would be capable of doing the job.

Danni witnessed the display and knew that the girl was alone at one of the worst moments of her life.  She dusted off her pants and walked over to her.  “How about you and me get some coffee,” she offered needing a break from the madness. 

“Let’s just take a walk,” she smiled and strolled beside Danni.  “I think I did a good job in there, but boy did her attorney let me have it.” 

“That’s his job, so don’t take it personal,” she smiled and rubbed Patricia’s arm.  “Are you going to hang around for the verdict?”

“I would like to, but I don’t think they will have it today.  Do you?”

“You can never tell.”  Danni hoped they wouldn’t, she needed to go see Annabel to tell her how court went.

“I guess I will text my dad and leave then.  Will you call me and tell me when the court is back in session.  I would like to be there.”

“Sure, if it’s not me, I will make sure someone does.




The drive back to the hospital was short, mid-day traffic was still light and Danni was grateful.  When she walked in the room the nurse had just finished changing her feeding tube and IV bags. 

Danni stood by her side and looked down at Annabel, then to the nurse who was finishing up.

“Any change since this morning?” she asked the same question she had asked each day.

“No, but I could swear I saw her hand move when I was talking to her.  It could have been my eyes playing tricks on me, but I swear it moved.”  She frowned.

Danni just looked and for the first time she felt there might be hope.  She was determined to bring her back.  If she was lucky the heavens above would help and Annabel would open her eyes.

“I hope you saw right,” was all Danni could say as she found her usual seat next to Annabel’s bed.

“Hey honey, court went good today.  You would have been so proud.”  Danni explained, all the while holding back the tears.

“Come back to me Annabel, I can’t do this without you,” she wiped the few tears that spilled over.  “I need you Annabel, I just found you.  I can’t live without you.  Please come back to me.”  Danni sobbed into the pillow that supported Annabel’s head.

Hours passed as she held her in her arms and watched her hands hoping to see the same thing the nurse said she thought she saw, but there was no movement.  So she just kept talking.

“Did I ever tell you about my mom?” Danni laughed.  “When I was a kid she would walk around with a wet wash cloth and wipe my hands and face while I was playing outside.  My dad used to say she was a germ-a-phobe when we talked about it when I got older.  We would laugh and my poor mother would just walk in the room when we would be talking and say dinner was ready and to wash our hands.  Me and my dad, we would burst into laughter, and my mother never figured it out.  God, I miss those talks.  I would give anything for her to walk behind me now, and I would give my right hand to talk to my dad again.  I miss them so much and when her and my dad died in that car crash a few years ago I never realized how much the little things actually meant to me.”  Danni cried, then put her head on Annabel’s chest and allowed her heart beat to offer comfort, but what she needed more was to have her arms wrapped around her.  She was pouring out her heart and she was not even sure Annabel could hear anything she said.

She was out of stories and there was still no word from Stevens or Frank.  She figured the jury had a few months of testimony to go through before they could come to a verdict.  Then a chilling thought, they could be at it for weeks.  How much easier could the actions of this woman be to get a guilty verdict?  She frowned at the thought.

The light of the new day crept across the sky and filtered through the shades.  Danni stretched her tired muscles and looked at her watch.  She flipped open her phone but there were no new messages.  She kissed Annabel on the cheek one last time.  “I love you baby, please wake up before they move you so far away from me that I can’t see you that often,” Danni begged and stroked the tender skin beside her ear.  “I’ll come back later to see you.” 

Just as Danni walked past the nurses’ station her phone vibrated.  She eagerly flipped it open and read the two words.  Verdicts back.  Her heart raced as she ran from her spot down the stairs.  She forwarded the same message to Patricia then pulled out of the parking lot.