Vengeance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 1) (14 page)

“Do you think I could examine the body? I know the report says blunt force trauma, but they could have missed a bullet with all this damage and rust debris. If we could find a bullet hole, then we’d know it was him. Maybe not one-hundred percent, but we’d have something more to go on.”

I look at her a little shocked. “You’d want to do that? I mean she’s so similar to you.”

She looks at me mournfully. “Baby, she’s not me. Yes, it’s disturbing that she looks similar to me, but I want to find this guy and put this girl’s family at ease, if only a little bit.”

“You’re amazing.” I kiss her.

She chuckles, pushing me away. “Okay, stud. Let’s get going before things go too far.”

It takes us less than ten minutes to get downtown to the city morgue. We have no problems getting back to see the girl. Shayla expertly dons the blue latex gloves. She steps up to the body, reverently pulling back the sheet that covers her. Gone is the silly fun loving girl I love so much, in her place is Dr. Thorn. She’s in her element, talking to the pathologist about the body and the damage sustained. She’s not at all queasy. I wish I could say the same. I still hold on to the fact that this death is harder for me because she looks so much like Shayla. She examines the face and head. I shudder as I watch. The damage to this girl is sickening. There’s not one area that isn’t destroyed.

“Ryan,” Shayla says as she feels around behind the girl’s neck. I look up and she continues. “There’s a small hole here at the base of the skull. It feels circular. Would you like to feel it?” she asks.

Not really, I think to myself, but I grab the proffered gloves and slip them on my hand. It’s not that I haven’t done something like this before, but well … I’ve said it before, this girl looks too much like Shay.  I put my hand where directed and she’s right, it’s circular and my first thought is that it feels like a bullet hole.

“What did the toxicology reports find?” Shayla asks the pathologist, Dr. Mackey. He flips through the file, then looks up to her.

“There was nothing odd about her blood workup. She wasn’t drugged. She was a healthy thirty-year-old woman. The weapon was assumed to be a pipe. The wounds are concave with rust residue. But there was no ballistics run for possible gunshot residue. With all the damage, I didn’t notice the possibility, but she was in the woods approximately 8-10 hours before she was found. It rained during that time, it’s possible a lot of the evidence we could have was washed away,” Mackey states.

“True,” Shayla agrees. “From what I can tell from this wound at the base of her skull, it could be a bullet wound, but without the proper testing there’s no way to confirm that. It’s been so long that any residue is likely to be gone, especially with the rain.” She turns to me. “We can’t prove it’s him, but there’s a definite possibility.”

“Thanks for letting us take up your time, Dr. Mackey.” We shake hands and head out to the car.

“I’m not saying anything bad about the team of people who covered this, but there are some holes in their process. When I did my rotation in pathology, we were taught to leave no stone unturned. In cases where there is an unknown weapon or a lot of damage sustained, you check for everything. Sometimes, I think smaller communities like this one forget that because there’s not a lot of serious crime. It’s sad for the victim and her family.”

“It is. I’ll have to make sure my team is caught up on procedures. Thanks for helping, Shay. It really was eye opening.” I open the car door for her and hurry over to my side. “It’s interesting seeing you like that. I mean, last time we were together we were kids, now we’re adults with serious careers. Seeing you talk shop with him, kind of blew me away. You’re good at what you do.” 

“I understand completely. Seeing you at work and talking about this case … we’re not those naïve kids anymore.” She gives my hand a squeeze. “How about we grab Dylan and have a family dinner? I’m starving.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

When we arrive at the school, Dylan is just heading to the squad car for his ride home. I pull up beside the car and jump out. “Hey, Pete. We can take him. Thanks for keeping an eye out for him,” I tell my deputy.

“Sure thing, boss. See you back at the station.” He waves as he gets back in his squad car and takes off.

Dylan is already in the backseat when I get back into my car. “Where to?” I ask.

Dylan lifts his head from where he’s lain it on the back of the seat and says, “Burgers.” He flops his head back again with a groan.

Chuckling, I ask, “Rough practice?”

“Coach Hamby is brutal. We thought you were bad. You’ve got nothing on him. He made us play against varsity. They kicked our butts, but he said if I keep it up, I’ll be starting varsity next year.”

“That’s awesome, buddy,” I tell him. The pride I have in this kid is unreal.

He leans up and rests his chin on Shayla’s seat. “You okay, Mom?”

She turns to him with a smile. “Of course, sweetie. It’s just been a long day. I’m okay though.”

He nods. “So, that guy … he’s really after you?”

She pats his cheek. “Let’s not worry about that right now. I’d like to have a nice family dinner. No talk of murders or foxes. I just want to enjoy my two favorite men.”

“Sure, but I’m still your favorite, right?” Dylan asks her, looking more like a five year old, than fifteen.

She turns further in her seat to see him better. She kisses his forehead. “Of course. You’ll always be my number one boy.”   

Dylan smirks at me. I chuckle. “You’re her number one boy, but I’m her number one man,” I tease. We pull into the parking space and I grab her and kiss her quickly.

My son growls. “It’s not a contest! Get off my mom.” He shoves me. Shayla is laughing hysterically as the two of us get into a shoving match. It’s not like we can do much in the car.

“Oh, knock it off. I swear I feel like I have two children!”

Shay opens her door and gets out. She’s about halfway to the restaurant before Dylan and I reach her, as we’ve continued to shove and taunt each other.  What can I say, I love having a son to goof off with.  Having these two in my life is the best thing to have happened to me in a long time.

I’ll take family man over single FBI agent any day. I’ll never regret coming back home.

Ryan

Several things seem to happen at once; Shayla gasps, a grey cargo van skids, and before it stops, two huge men jump out and grab Dylan. During our roughhousing, Dylan ended up too far away for me to grab him and protect Shayla. By the time I’m moving into action, Dylan is already in the van. I try to fight off one of the men, but he hits me on the head with the butt of his gun and I go down. I’m not out, but I am disorientated enough that the van is already heading down the street when I begin my pursuit. I don’t know who these guys are, but they will not take my son. It’s pretty evident that I’m not going to catch them; I’m not fast enough. They’re getting away, but I can’t let that happen.

“Call for backup! Use my radio,” I yell back to Shayla.

I pull my gun out and shoot one of the back tires. The van swerves and skids off the road, hitting a tree head-on. They weren't going fast enough to cause real damage, so the driver jumps out and takes off for the woods. The passenger door flies open and two men jump out and take off running. One heads towards the woods with the driver, but the other guy tries to make a break for it in the opposite direction. I’m able to tackle him to the ground, but he fights back hitting me twice in the ribs and once in the face. I get the upper hand though when I punch him in the face several times in a row, before slamming his skull into the pavement. He’s out. I flip him to his stomach and cuff his hands to his feet. Shayla is running to the van during all this. I want to yell at her, but I can’t. I jump off the cuffed guy and take off to the van. Dylan is lying there lifeless. I can barely find my voice.

“Is he okay?”

Shayla turns on me, punching me in the chest. I’m not going to lie, it hurt, but I take it, more out of shock than anything else. Is my boy dead? Did I kill him? Finally, I snap out of my stupor and grab her upper arms, squeezing them just enough to stop her.

“Is he okay?” I ask again.

“You could have killed him!” she yells, punching me again.

I give her a shake. “Shayla, is he going to be okay?” She nods, collapsing against my chest. Relief surges through me. “Why isn't he awake?”

“The crash must have made him lose consciousness or the guys did. I looked, but I didn’t see any type of drugs. They could have knocked him out though. He has a bump on his head that’s bleeding, but it looks like he hit it over there.” She points to a bloody spot on the exposed metal side of the van. “I can’t really examine him well like this. He needs to go to the hospital. He most likely has a concussion.”

I squeeze her tightly. “They’ll be here soon.” No sooner than the words leave my mouth, does the sound of sirens meet our ears.

Dylan groans, “Mom?”

Shayla is on him in a second, pulling out a pen light and checking him over. “Shh, baby. Just lie still. You probably have a concussion. Did they hit you or do anything to you?” she asks him.

“No, but I kicked the guy in the face,” Dylan says proudly, holding out his fist.

I smile and give him a soft fist bump. “I’m proud of you, Son.”

He tries to sit up, but Shayla gently pushes him back down. “Mom, I need to sit up.”

“Sweetie, the ambulance is almost here. Let them get you to the hospital first, please.”

He shakes his head. “I’m fine.” He sits up anyway and swings his legs out of the van door. He cradles his head.

“Do you feel nauseated?” Shay asks.

He shakes his head. “No, but my head hurts.” She sits beside him and wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him to lie against her.

“Hey, I need to go check in with my men. You two okay?” I ask.

Shayla looks up. “Yeah, we’ll be fine. The EMT is on his way over here.” She points behind me. I nod, kissing both of their heads and then run off to my men, who have the assailant up and heading toward a squad car.

“You okay, boss?” Jessica, my only female officer asks.

“I’m fine. You read him his rights?” I motion my head towards the perp  in the back of the squad car.

She hands me his wallet. “We did. His name is Lester Harvey, thirty, of Brantsville.”

I nod as I read the same info on his license. I hand it back to her. “Run this. Be sure it’s correct. I need to know as much about this guy as you can possibly find.”

“Yes, sir!”

I turn to my other deputies and send them to search the woods for clues on where the other assailants could have gone. Then, I head over to Shayla. Dylan is already on the stretcher when I walk back over there.

“Dad, tell them I’m fine and don’t need to ride on this thing.”

I chuckle at my disgruntled son. “Sorry, bud. You need to be checked out.”

He mumbles under his breath. “Fat lot of good having a dad does me.” I can’t help but guffaw. I know he’ll be fine now. He glares at me.

“I’m riding with him,” Shayla says, moving to the ambulance.

I give her a quick kiss before muttering, “I’ll meet you guys there.”

I watch the ambulance pull off and then turn to my deputy. “Take him to the station and put him in interrogation room two. I’ll be there after I make sure my son is fine.”

“Will do, boss.”

Jessica and her partner, Matthew, head off to the station. I give a few instructions to the remaining officers and then head to my car. I walk into the hospital ER twenty minutes later and go straight to the sign-in desk, flashing my badge.

“I need to see my son, Dylan Thorn.”

“Oh, you must be Detective Jacobs. Dr. Thorn told us to expect you. I'll buzz you in.”

The receptionist leans over and pushes a button on the wall, causing the glass doors to open. I don’t waste any time heading through them. The same receptionist peeks out of her little cubicle and nods her head down the hallway.

“Straight back. He’s in the last room on the left.”

Shayla is talking to Trevor Daniels, the doctor who interrupted us in her office. He is standing really close to her with his hand on her upper arm as he talks. She’s much smaller than him so she has to crane her neck up at an uncomfortable looking angle to see him. I don’t like the look on his face and I don’t like hers much either. I know it’s jealousy flaring in my chest, but I can’t seem to tamp it down. I think of Dylan, he’s the priority right now.

“Shay,” I say as I walk up to them. She sighs in relief and is in my arms in a second. The doctor glares at me as I hold her to me. I stick my hand out to him. “Detective Ryan Jacobs.”

“Yes, we’ve meet. I’m Dr. Trevor Daniels.” His voice is full of disdain.

I nod. “Right. I think I remember that. How’s Dyl?” I ask Shayla, pretty much dismissing Trevor.

She doesn’t let me go as she looks up. “He’s okay, complaining mostly. He has a slight concussion. He’s probably fine to go home, but I’ve asked for him to stay overnight. You never know what might go wrong. I just keep imagining all these horrible things in my head. Being a doctor sucks when someone you love is hurt.”

I chuckle slightly and kiss the top of her head. “Will he be in this room?”

She shakes her head. “No, they’re getting him a bed. That’s what he’s complaining about. He doesn’t want to stay. He can’t miss football, but even if he goes home, he can’t play for at least a week. Another hit to the head could cause serious damage.”

“Let me talk to him.”

“Okay, I’ll see what’s going on with the room.”

I kiss her, probably a little too long for public viewing, but today has really rattled me to my core. I’m sure she’ll be upset once I tell her what’s in store for her and Dylan, but I need to keep them safe until this is settled. I smile at her and take off, forgetting about the wrath of my girlfriend as I enter my son’s room.

“Hey, champ,” I greet him.

He rolls his eyes. “I’m fine. Please, tell Mom I can go home.”

I shake my head. “No can do, bucko. I agree with her. I’d much rather you be here, safe, if something happens. Head injuries are dangerous.” He groans and flops back onto his bed, then groans again because he’s hurt himself. “Easy, Dylan.”

“It doesn’t hurt much. It’s just like a nagging headache. I guess I should know it’s serious since Mom let me take ibuprofen.”

“No oils this time?” I ask, chuckling.

He smiles warmly. “Of course there were oils. She put them on me too.”

“She loves you.”

“I know. I love her, she just worries too much. She used to say it was because I was all she had, but she has you now. I think she worries even more now instead of less.”

“Probably,” I say with a nod. “My job, even though it’s not as dangerous as it was, is still dangerous. Right now, more so with this threat out there. They’re obviously after me, but coming for my family was a mistake. I’m not going to let anything happen to you guys. I’ll die before it does.”

“Don’t say that. I just got a dad. I don’t want to lose you.”

I smile. “I love you, kid. That’s just how it goes. Parents will do anything for their kids, even if the kids don’t understand it.”

I’m struck with images of my father, telling a scared Shayla to stay away. Yeah, what he did was wrong, but he was protecting his son at all costs. My dad never wanted to hurt me. He wanted me safe and protected. The situation with Shayla could’ve turned out badly, I know that now, he wanted to save me from that fate even if it hurt me. No matter how wrong or misguided he was, he did it because he loved me. I have to respect him for that, because I’d do the same for my son.

“I’d do anything for you and my mom,” Dylan says with a yawn.

I smile at my boy and pat his leg. “Can you sleep?”

“Yeah, Mom said I can try.” He closes his eyes for a few seconds then pops them wide open. “Dad?”

“I’m here.”

His eyes start to close. “I don’t like that doctor.”

“What doctor?”

“Daniels,” he slurs. His eyes stay shut and his head kind of lolls over as he sleeps.

“Neither do I, bud. Neither do I.” I kiss his head, then step outside of the door. I pull my cellphone out and dial, not caring about any hospital polices.

“Jessica, get two guys to man my son’s room. I want around the clock protection on him.” She agrees. I hang up without saying goodbye as I see Shayla enter the hall followed by two nurses.

“Ryan, this is Dana and Nathan. They’re going to take Dylan to his room.”

“He just went to sleep.”

Shayla smiles. “Good. We don’t have to wake him. They’ll just transport him while he’s in the bed.”

It doesn’t take them long to get Dylan into his room and settled. After about ten minutes of silence, Shayla says, “Hey, you don’t have to stay here. You can go down to the station. I know you want to talk to that guy.”

I look up from my phone to Dylan, then to her. “I don’t want to leave him.”

She looks at me with an expression that I think is a mix between love, sadness, and hope. I’m not sure why hope. I mean, I’m all in, but I could be wrong.

“I know. I love that you want to be, but trust me, Dylan will totally understand. You need to catch this guy before he tries something like this again.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. Just be careful.”

I kiss her like it’s the last time I will see her, though I pray it’s not. When I pull away, I’m panting slightly. “I have two guys on this door at all times. Don’t leave the hospital, okay?” She nods. I kiss her again.

“Gross,” we hear a groggy Dylan mumble.

Chuckling, I stand up and walk over to his bed. I kiss his forehead. “Just remember that the next time I catch you and Faith.”

Shayla gasps. “They kissed?”

I nod, laughing. “I’m not talking about the football game peck. I caught him outside the locker room the other day. They were wrapped around each other so tightly I couldn’t have gotten a sheet of paper between them.” Dylan groans.

“Dylan!” Shayla exclaimed. “We talked about …”

He cuts her off. “It was just a kiss, Mom. I’m not having sex.”

“But …”

He sits up and cuts her off again. “Mother, I’m not going to have sex yet.”

She huffs and crosses her arms across her chest, pouting adorably. We both laugh at her. I lean down and press a kiss to her pouting mouth. “They really were just kissing. He’s a smart boy. You’ve raised him well.”

“He’s growing up too fast. He should still be in diapers.”

“Mom,” Dylan groans again.

“I wish he was too, but he’s almost sixteen. Things will change, but now I’ll be there to help. Love you.” I kiss her once more, because I can’t help myself.

“Dad, seriously! Get off my mom.”

I laugh. “You wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t so irresistible.” I wink. He gags. I love it. Being a parent is pretty awesome. At least, when they aren’t getting hurt or almost abducted. That thought sobers me up quickly. “I need to head to the station.”

“It’s fine, Dad. Catch the bad guys.” He holds out his fist for a bump and I oblige.

I quickly maneuver out of the hospital and to my vehicle. I need to talk to the perp and get confirmation of what I believe is going on. When I walk into the station, I see nothing but chaos.