Protector. Part 45

"Yeah, Kathy. She walked up there and, I don't know, I guess asked her if she wanted to watch the parade or something-"

"Oh, s.h.i.+t," Jane muttered under her breath. "Did you notice where they went?"

"They walked under the barricade and across the street, headin' down Main." Jane scanned the growing crowd on the other side of the street. She ran to the Subaru and started to get in when the city worker called out to her. "Hey, you can't drive anywhere until the parade is over! City regulations! The street's blocked!"

"It's an emergency!" Jane shouted back to him.

"Lady, you can't drive anywhere! They can't have gone far. You're better off catching up with them on foot!"

Jane slammed the car door and brusquely fought her way through the throngs of revelers. She slunk underneath the orange wooden barricade and raced across the street, repeating the same maneuver on the other side until she reached the empty sidewalk. Jane ran down the sidewalk, scanning the crowd for any sign of Kathy, Heather or Emily. A block and a half up Main Street she spotted Heather leaning against a metal stair rail. As usual, the child had a petulant look on her face as she stood with her arms tightly folded across her chest. Jane made a mad dash for her.

"Heather!" Jane said, out of breath, "Where's Emily?"

"I don't know any Emily!" Heather said with a nasty tone. "I know a Patty-"

"Where is she, Heather?" Jane yelled, tiring of the kid's att.i.tude.

"You better stay away from me! If you hurt me, I'm telling the sheriff!"

Jane suddenly looked up at the building behind Heather. "For G.o.d's sake!" Jane yelled as she tore up the front stairs of the sheriff's office and ran into the building. She stopped momentarily when she stepped inside the antiquated office. A heavy wooden counter stood ten feet in front of her. There wasn't a soul in sight. She heard two voices speaking in quiet, subdued tones in an adjacent room. Jane lunged toward the counter's latched door and tried to open it, but it was locked. She jumped onto the counter and spun over to the other side. Once her feet hit the marble green flooring, she could see Sheriff George having a serious conversation with Kathy. "Hey!" Jane called out in a clipped shout as she moved toward them. They turned in unison with looks of apprehension on their faces. Jane walked toward Kathy. "You stupid b.i.t.c.h!"

"There! You see, Sheriff?" Kathy said, standing closer to Sheriff George's side. "That's the kind of hairpin anger I'm talking about!"

"Now, look," the sheriff warned Jane, "you better just calm yourself down."

"You have no idea what's going on here!"

"I have a very good idea!"

"Where's Emily?" Jane demanded.

"Emily? Right, Emily. She's just fine and dandy," the sheriff replied.

"Where is she?" Jane shouted.

"She's safe. She's in the back room with our deputy," Sheriff George said sternly.

Jane started for the back room. "I have to talk to her!"

The sheriff moved his large physique in front of Jane, halting her progress. "You don't need to be talking to her right now-"

Jane stared down the sheriff. "You don't understand-"

"Oh, yes I do. I know you're not who you say you are. I know you are not that child's mother!"

Jane took a step back. "Oh, Christ," Jane mumbled as she ran her fingers through her tangled brown hair. She didn't want to deliver the bombsh.e.l.l in front of Kathy but she realized she was backed into a corner. "Okay, look, before I go into this, I want it known that I have done everything above board and according to procedure."

"Is that right?" Sheriff George retorted, a smug look on his face.

"Yes!" Jane said, taking offense at his tone.

"Is slapping that child across the face part of your 'procedure? '"

Jane was rattled by the sheriff's question. She searched for the right response as Kathy stared at her. "I . . . ah-" Jane stumbled on her words.

"Do you deny a.s.saulting that child?" the sheriff intoned.

"She was hysterical. She was hurting herself. She'd just heard devastating news-"

"So you decided to a.s.sault her to make the news more pleasant?"

"Stop saying 'a.s.sault'! I did what I had to do!"

"Ah! You do admit striking the child?"

"Yes, I hit her! Look, what happened back at the house is between the kid and me! No one else needs to get involved!"

"You mean, like, Social Services?"

Jane regarded the sheriff with a confused stance. "Social Services? This is bulls.h.i.+t! Time is ticking away! I've got to talk to her!"

Jane started for the back room when the sheriff once again stood in front of her. "She is perfectly alright back there!"

Jane knew she had to spill the whole story. The familiar, off-key clamor of the Peachville High School marching band could be heard moving down Main Street. Jane turned to Kathy, "The parade's starting. Go outside and watch it with Heather."

"I'm staying right here," Kathy defiantly replied.

Jane let out an exhausted sigh and faced Sheriff George. "Fine. You know I'm not her mother-"

"And I know your name is not Anne Calver. Your real name is Mich.e.l.le Mason."

"Mich.e.l.le Mason? What?"

"You were arrested earlier this year for methamphetamine production. Your vehicle was impounded by the Denver Police Department but somehow you managed to get it back-"

Jane realized the sheriff did a license plate check on her Subaru and the data still showed the previous felon who owned the car. "s.h.i.+t! PD didn't change the plates!"

"How's that?"

"The plates! They didn't change the plates before they gave me the car!"

"Is that right?" Sheriff George rolled his eyes in contempt.

"My name is Jane Perry. Detective Jane Perry. I work homicide at the Denver Police Department."

"Sure you do," the sheriff replied in a dubious tone.

Jane was outraged. "That kid in there is Emily Lawrence. In case you were paying attention to Denver news, six weeks ago her mother and father were murdered in their Was.h.i.+ngton Park house. Certainly you heard about it! It was the top story for weeks! If you don't believe me, get on the G.o.dd.a.m.n phone, call DH and ask for Sergeant Weyler!"

"Sure. I imagine he'll be in his office on a Sunday, not to mention July fourth!"

"For G.o.d's sake! I'm telling you the truth! I was hired to protect her!"

"Is a.s.saulting her part of that protection?"

"Jesus!" Jane reached into her back pocket to pull out her badge but before she could touch it, the sheriff grabbed her arm and swung her over a nearby desk.

"That'll do, Ms. Mason!" Sheriff George said as he forcefully held Jane's left arm across her back and used his other hand to keep her chest flat against the desk. "You're giving me no choice! You're looking at kidnapping, false imprisonment, impersonation, a.s.sault-"

"I was reaching for my badge! It's in my back pocket!"

The deputy exited the back room, closing the door behind him. "Hand me my cuffs, Travis!" Sheriff George yelled to the deputy.

The deputy walked over to the sheriff, cuffs in hand, and muttered loud enough so Jane could hear what he was saying. "Man, the guy from Social Services was dead on about how she was gonna react."

"What guy from Social Services?" Jane demanded.

Sheriff George flipped open the cuffs. "The fellow who got here in the nick of time and alerted us about you! He's in the back talking with the child."

Jane's heart began to race. "Oh my G.o.d! Chris! No!" The sheriff was just about to slam the cuff across Jane's wrist when she quickly slipped her freed right hand into her jacket and pulled out her Glock. In a high-voltage adrenaline rush, she kicked the sheriff's leg, throwing him off balance. He let go of her left wrist just long enough for Jane to peel herself off the desk, spin around, grab him around the neck in a chokehold and shove her pistol against his temple. Kathy shrieked, backing up against the wall. "Shut up!" Jane yelled at Kathy. "I am not f.u.c.king around!" Jane turned to the deputy. "You! Slide your gun across the floor!" The deputy complied. Jane turned to Kathy. "Don't you try anything stupid or I'll f.u.c.king shoot you!" Turning back to the deputy, Jane yelled, "Get over here! Reach into my right back pocket and pull out my badge."

The deputy hesitated.

"Do what she says!" Sheriff George bellowed.

The deputy carefully approached Jane and pulled out her badge. He took a look at it and held it up to the sheriff. "It looks real, Sheriff."

"You're G.o.dd.a.m.n right it's real!" Jane said. Keeping a tight chokehold on the sheriff, Jane spoke in a quieter, yet forceful manner. "That guy in the back room is not from Social Services. His name is Chris Crawley and he's responsible for murdering six people. Emily is next on his list. Now, are you gonna help me or not? Because either way, I'm busting through that door!"

"Alright!" Sheriff George quickly agreed. "Let's do it!" Jane let go of the sheriff and raced toward the back room and the closed door. Kathy ran outside, calling hysterically for Heather. The deputy retrieved his gun and followed behind the sheriff as they set up point with Jane. The sheriff signaled to Jane that he would go first and then she should follow. Jane nodded. Sheriff George backed up two steps and slammed his foot into the door, sending it open in a chaotic flurry.

The sheriff, gun pointed forward, moved quickly into the room. "Get down!"

Jane entered the room, gun drawn. The deputy followed.

There was no one in the room.

"s.h.i.+t!" Jane yelled.

"He was only talking to her for a little bit. She seemed in shock, but I chalked it up to your-"

"Where the f.u.c.k did they go?"

"Out the back door!" Sheriff George said nervously.

Jane bolted toward the door and flung it open. She walked outside, gun held out in a defensive stance, scanning the immediate area. Nothing. Jane noted two depressions of footprints in the wet gra.s.s that lead to the left and around the building. She followed the quickly disappearing wet footprints toward the front of the building. When she reached the sidewalk, Jane had to make a decision. Did Chris turn right or left? It was an accepted fact that when a perp is fleeing a crime scene, most of them turn right. It made even more sense for Chris to go right since all the major parade action was heading to the left down Main Street. If he was trying to take Emily somewhere discreet, chances are he would turn right and head for the park or the highway.

Jane holstered her Glock and took off up the street. But it was nearly impossible to make headway with the packed crowds of people standing on the sidewalk. The discordant sound of trumpets blended with tubas. Each time the drum majorette threw her baton into the air and caught it, the crowd applauded and let out whistles of appreciation. Chris had found the ideal diversion in this Independence Day celebration. Jane tried valiantly to push through the throngs of bodies, but she was losing ground fast. She spotted a graduated brick wall that surrounded one of the houses. At its highest point, Jane figured it stood about ten feet high. If she could crawl on top of the brick wall, she knew she would be able to see far more than from ground level. Taking quick steps up the narrow blocks, Jane reached the top of the narrow wall. She got her balance and canva.s.sed the scene with her eyes. "Emily," Jane whispered, terror gripping at her heart, "where are you?"

Just then, Jane looked about a half block up Main Street toward the park. A girl's head turned around in Jane's direction as if in response to Jane's query. It was Emily. Chris was walking closely alongside her, his right arm tightly gripping her right shoulder. Directly under Chris' jacket, Jane could faintly make out the barrel of a gun wedged into Emily's side. As soon as Emily turned her head, Chris' right hand immediately came up and slapped her face forward. "You son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h!" Jane shouted above the roaring parade noise. Jane scrambled down the side of the brick wall and jumped the rest of the way to the sidewalk. Her adrenaline kicked into high gear as she frantically pushed her way through the crowd. She factored that Chris was about seventy-five feet in front of her. "Emily!" Jane yelled in a futile attempt to get her attention. "Emily! I'm right here!!" Jane continued shoving people aside and plowing through the spectators. The band became louder and the crowd grew more exuberant, creating a tense background of chaos against the chase. "Emily!" Jane sprinted within fifty feet of Chris and the kid.

Jane's frantic voice alerted Dan, who was standing on the hood of his parked Ford truck, watching the parade, directly in line with Emily. Dan spotted Jane in the crowd and knew something was very wrong. Noting Emily and Chris, he put two and two together, figuring Chris was Jane's ex-husband. He jumped off the hood of his truck and made a beeline toward Emily.

As Jane closed in on the scene, she saw Dan moving toward Emily and Chris. "No! Dan! Get away from him! Get away!"

But the parade mayhem prevented Dan from hearing her warning. Dan shoved his way through the crowd and grabbed Emily by her left arm. She jumped, startled by Dan's sudden appearance.

"Dan!" Emily shouted in mortal fear. "Help me!"

"You f.u.c.kin' get away from her!" Chris ordered Dan.

"You ain't hurtin' her no more!" Dan yelled back, trying to grab Emily.

"I said get away!" Chris shouted. With that, Chris pulled his pistol away from Emily's side and slammed it hard against Dan's forehead.

Dan fell to the ground, sending several parade watchers scattering. Blood poured from a deep gash on Dan's forehead as he fought to stay conscious. "Run, Emily!" Dan yelled, almost incoherently. "Run!"

Emily bit down on Chris' arm, causing him to release his grip. She slipped into the crowd and charged across Main Street, nearly knocking down several marchers.

Chris turned, realizing that Emily was gone. He stared at Dan, still struggling on the sidewalk and lowered his pistol, aiming at Dan's head. "You f.u.c.king a.s.shole!"

Jane moved within twenty feet of the scene. "Gun! He's got a gun!" Jane screamed.

The crowd scattered. Chris holstered his pistol and followed Emily's trail across Main Street, around the parade floats.

Jane reached Dan just as Chris bolted across the street. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Get help for her!"

"I am the help!" Jane yelled as she tore across Main Street.

Emily breathlessly darted over backyard fences until she reached the open meadowland that framed their Peachville house. Her youthful, agile build allowed her to stay far ahead of Chris as she tore through the tall gra.s.s and slopped through muddy inlets where the nearby lake overflowed. She was making excellent progress when she suddenly plunged waist high into a hidden pool of muck and algae. She struggled to break free, attempting to pull herself onto the slimy embankment. But each time she grabbed for a branch, it splintered and she felt backward. Emily could hear Chris fast approaching. Fighting through the deep sludge, she struggled ten feet to the left where the tall gra.s.s grew in dense cl.u.s.ters. She sunk into the muddy water, leaving only her face above water, camouflaged against the thick gra.s.s.

Chris rounded the corner, slos.h.i.+ng through the same muck that trapped Emily. He stopped dead in his tracks. His breathing was labored as sweat poured from his brow. Emily held her breath, taking care not to make a move that would send a ripple of water toward Chris. Chris started to move forward when his right foot plunged into the dark recess of the muddy inlet.

"s.h.i.+t!" he yelled. Dislodging his foot, he grabbed on to a strong branch and pulled himself onto the bank. Looking around the gra.s.sy area, he decided to take off to the right, away from the mud pool.

Once he was out of sight, Emily pulled herself out of the muck and took off running in the opposite direction, toward the water tower.

Chris turned, hearing the slipslop of racing feet in the distance. He saw Emily making tracks across the meadow. "G.o.dd.a.m.n you!" he yelled as he took off after her.

Jane came to the waterway just in time to see Chris heading toward Emily. To stay hidden from him, she opted to take a dense path that curved around the lake and then sneak around the back of the water tower.

Emily burned tracks into the soggy gra.s.s, cheating several glances back at Chris. When she reached the water tower, she stood for a second staring up at the foreboding, olive green metal ladder that led four stories up to the top of the tower. This was it, she thought to herself. This is where it all became real.

Breathlessly, she started up, becoming more terrified with each step. Turning, she saw that Chris was closing in on the tower. Panic propelled Emily up the ladder. Once she reached the top of the tower, she stole a look down. Chris was several steps up on the ladder. The hot sun beat against the metal tower, causing a profound glare. Emily pulled away from the edge and, s.h.i.+elding her eyes from the s.h.i.+mmering metal, frantically looked for anything she could throw at Chris. Spotting a small heap of gravel, Emily quickly gathered the pebbles and returned to the ladder.

Chris was halfway up the ladder. "Get away from me!" Emily shrieked, angrily pelting him with the rocks.