Heart of Fire (14 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

The beeping sound of machines and whispers stirred Danni awake, she looked around unaware of her surroundings, it took several times to clear her vision and a simple thought took noticeable effort.  A brief pain in her arm caused her to look down, and she saw array of tubes that were connected.  She squeezed her eyes shut hoping when she opened them she would find this was all a bad dream but the painful memories overwhelmed her from the night before.  The sudden wave of nausea that passed over her as she caressed her ribs became a clear indication that she failed to apprehend her again. 

“Shit,” she cursed and clenched her fist, she was not a stranger to disappointment where this case was concerned but she had enough.  She was aware that while she lay in the hospital, Travis had the advantage.  “Unacceptable!” she hissed angrily as a sudden clench in her gut caused her to hunch over in pain.  She moved slowly and cursed as the cramp came again but the need to contact Frank and get an update over rode her discomfort.  She heaved herself over the edge of the bed and stumbled to the small fluorescent light that shone from the bathroom.  The pain that shot through her ribs made her want to throw up but she held her side and move forward. Her legs were numb and weak and she only managed one strep before she tumbled over.  She sat helpless, too proud to call out for help.  Her throat was arid and her breath was warm and sickly in her chest.  Her mind felt disconnected from her body and a blank void was all she could see or feel as she sat on the edge of consciousness.

She managed to scoot into the bathroom, but with each movement she cried out in pain. Eventually she pulled herself up, and stood mesmerized at the deep purple marks that had buried themselves underneath her left eye.  In a small way Danni admired the skill O’Sullivan possessed.  She had been able maintained at least two steps ahead of them at all times as if she was being warned, then the conversation between her and Frank became clear.  They were missing something, they were missing somebody? 

“You look like a train wreck Pacelli,” Frank observed, leaning against the door frame.

Startled Danni turned her head and winced at the pain as she tried to move. She had to fight the urge to slap the grin off his face, and the only thing that saved him, was the fear if she moved to suddenly she would be taken to her knees in pain.  “Shut the f…” the words caught in her throat.  “Anything?”  She retrieved her temper as she sighed. 

He only looked back at her sadly as he shook his head.  “Nothing,” he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.  This gesture, which had once charmed her, now irritated her to no end.  She resisted an urge shake him by the front of his shirt, demand answers, and more importantly, how she got away.

He stretched out his hand to help her back into the bed, and to her surprise she did not protest.  She held her ribs trying to regain her breath.  The impact of the injuries flared up forcing tears to her eyes.  She took a few steps and gasped as it forced her to her knees.  Frank quickly pulled her up and walked her backward to the bed.

“I’ll call the nurse and get you something for pain.”  He gestured for her to stay put as he turned to leave but Danni halted his exit as she grabbed his arm.

“No pain meds.  I can’t think on them and I need to stay focused on this case,” Danni protested quietly trying not to wake up Annabel who was peacefully still asleep in the bed next to hers.  “What did you find out?”

Frank put his finger to his mouth all the while shutting the door to the room assuring their privacy.  “Burns came down to headquarters last night to give a DNA sample to confirm paternity with the samples we have, and it turned out he is the proud father of a daughter and a son.”

Danni frowned taking in what he was telling her.  “What the fuck are you talking about Frank?”

“The locket he gave us.  It had a babies tooth and a lock of hair.  The DNA came back and it is not from the same person, but the tests did show that maybe the two were siblings.  So on a hunch, I got his DNA and ran it against the two samples and it came back positive.”

“Back up let me get this straight,” she sat erect piecing the information together.  “Last night Burns said that the hair and tooth was from his daughter, he never said anything about a son too,” she said in disbelief.

“The hair clipping was from a male infant and the baby tooth was from a female,” he sighed and put his finger to her mouth preventing her from saying anything else.  “I already talked to him about it.  He said he had no idea, so it got me thinking.  After an exhaustive search of birth records I went to the hospital and pulled the records from their files.  O’Sullivan had two children that day; a five pound nine ounce baby girl and a five pound three ounce baby boy.  She gave the boy up for adoption.  Apparently she had no idea she was having twins and had already signed the documents to give the baby up for adoption.”

“So, why didn’t she give her up too?” Danni tried to understand the logic.

“I asked the same question, so I hunted down the midwife and she explained that the late Ms. O’Sullivan changed her mind when she went into labor and when the second one was born she knew it would be too much for her.  She told the midwife to give him to the couple but before she could she took a cutting of his hair.”

“So, where’s the boy?”

“There’s no record of the adoption,” Frank finally said scratching his head.  “The adoptive parents paid for the hospital bill in cash so there is no record and the certificate of birth was not registered at the hospital.”

“Sounds like she sold the baby,” Danni bit her bottom lip repulsed by the idea.  “Do you think the boy is involved in this?”

“Who knows at this point, but, someone is going to slip up and we will get them.”  He tried to sound convincing but knew Danni saw through it.  “We are going to set a trap using the Mayor.”

“Time, and place and I am there.”  The thought of revenge brought a smile to her face.

“Take the night off Pacelli, you earned it.”

“No, I earned the right to take that bitch down,” her voice echoed of disapproval.

“He’s right Danni, you need to recover,” Annabel spoke up.

Danni shot Annabel a disapproving glance.  “No, I need to be there.”

Frank knew there was no use arguing with her, she was as strong willed as he.  “If the doctor releases you Danni, you can be on my detail.”

Annabel sighed her disappointment but nodded at Frank her approval.  He winked and smiled slightly as he was leaving the room.

“Thank you,” Danni broke the tension with a loving glare.  “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

“No but you can tell me again.  I never get tired of hearing it.”  She soothed a hand over Danni’s shoulder and kissed her lightly on the head.  “I love you too Pacelli,” she purred in her ear.  “And I don’t want to lose you.”

Danni reached out to pull Annabel into her embrace but stopped when she lifted her arm and the pain shot into her ribs again.  “Darling, I’m not going anywhere,” she said through clenched teeth.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Frank visited Danni daily and went over different scenarios to finally catch the killer. He had no new information but Danni felt no news was better than bad news. When they both agreed that it had to be the Mayor that was the target, the formulated a plan and agreed they would not share the information with anyone else until the time came and would only tell the other agents on a need to know basic. On the eighth day as Danni healed and was able to walk without too much pain, the doctor agreed to release her. It was perfect timing since the Mayor was giving a speech at one of the downtown locations that the City of Amarillo had purchased to renovate. It had already been released to the papers, and agents were already assigned to guard the Mayor, but no one knew that Danni, Frank would be there to surveillance the area.

An hour before Frank had to meet with Danni, he called a few agents in his office and gave no details other than they were going with him.

Danni made her way into the city center, she was on high alert, but before she could tackled anything else in the city she needed to put the plan into action.  The streets were practically empty and the last few stragglers were making their way to different transport points to go home.  She envied them sometimes, how simplistic their lives, they are able to get up and go about their day and not worry about the man down the street who just robbed a liquor store, or the kid across town who just took an overdose because she was not able to get the drug dealers off the street.  They were oblivious to the realities of what was really going on around them, and the ones who seemed to be aware had been desensitized by the media.  She eyed the last straggler getting in his car and she wished she worked a nine to five job and could leave work with no worries as she went home.  All in good time she thought, and with one flick of the wrist she gripped her gun in her hand ready to pull the trigger as she rounded the corner.  She knew her time was limited before all the agents showed.  They had agreed that she would arrive an hour earlier than any of the other agents, Frank said he would text her when he was on his way. This gave her ample time to set up the perimeter and once the stage was set, Danni radioed to Frank. 

“I’m a block away.  If she or the mole is here, I don't want to spook them.”  He nodded as he passed her location and parallel parked the car.  Before going into radio silence Frank responded with a ten four.  Hours passed as they waited for the conference to come to an end, there was no movement.  He started to think she would not show, and he did not do the unknown.  He was getting impatient as he stood in the doorway of an old brick building with the door handle jabbing him in his back.  His heart would pound as shadows from the passing cars on the street gave him hope, but they were a constant reminder to stay alert.  Binoculars in hand he watched the door leading from the loading dock as Danni watched the front entrance.  He looked scornfully at it and he wondered for a moment if she was already positioned and was not moving until the Mayor exited the building, then he panicked when it occurred to him that she could already be inside the building.  He stood in silence for a moment longer.  He whispered in the radio for Danni to stay in position, he needed to go in there for a few minutes to ensure it was secure. 

“I’ll back you up, and no argument,” she insisted, her tone warned him there was no objecting.  She slid from the dark corner of the alley and side by side, they entered the building.  Danni went quickly to the right and Frank to the left.  The interior of the building wasn't completely dark.  Light from the theater streamed under the doorway and the aroma of food from the kitchen filled the air reminding Danni she was hungry.  The sound of footsteps neared the door.  Panicked Danni flew behind a stack of boxes; and winced in pain as she crawled on her hands and knees but stopped when her hand smoothed through a thick liquid on the cold concrete floor.  She pulled her hand back, and tried to see what it was but the dark corner hid it from view.  She silently moved around the boxes and strained to identify it, but no luck.  She swallowed hard and crept slowly tying to ignore the pain that flared in her side as she crawled to the opposite side of the boxes concealing her when the light from the doorway filtered the room.  She held her breath and looked around trying to locate Frank; she assumed he was hidden as she was on the other side of the room.  The door opened more and from the distance she could hear voices.  They were muffled, but from the tone she could hear a man giving orders.  The footsteps echoed closer, she crouched down behind another a stack of boxes in front of a row of shelves. She steadied her breathing to ease the pain but it was not helping. This was a bad idea, she said over and over again to herself.

She almost screamed when a hand touched her shoulder but calmed when Frank whispered in her ear. 

Frank took her by the arm and directed her out the door as soon the intruders left the room. 

“That was close.  Could you hear what they were saying?”

“No, I was too busy trying to get this shit off my hands.”  She held up her and to get a better look at the fluid, and her eyes widened with shock.  Her right hand was stained with either red ink or blood. 

“Is that blood?” Frank raised his voice pulling her hand into the light. 

“It smells like it.  Do you want to get the team in there and look around to see what it is?” she asked ready to call over the mic strapped to her shoulder.

“Shit, shit, we will blow our cover,” he snarled and paced.  “We’ll check it out after we make our arrest.”

Danni nodded her head and they both walked quickly back to their posts. When she was repositioned in the darkness she held her ribs. The pain was a constant reminder of how bad she wanted to get this woman.

A flashing light in the distance signaled the alert.  Danni found a spot behind the protection of a dumpster in just enough time as bullets flew past and pierced the metal garbage can.  Danni ducked trying to avoid stray bullets.  Then all went silent.  She listened and heard one of the agents yell from the distance that the Mayor was shot, and ordered backup and an ambulance.  There was nothing she could do, so she hid in the background and waited as ordered.  She could hear voices and the sound of someone running in her direction, she could see from her vantage point that it was Travis, this was it. 
Stay calm you got this, she told herself as she drew her gun and emerged into the open and lunged at the assailant taking her down.  Within seconds she had her face down and handcuffed.  She tried to ignore the pain in her ribs but when the woman tried to struggle to get up, she applied more pressure which caused the pain to increase.  A second later she was blinded by a flashlight, just as she ducked a muzzle flash tore past her head, she tried to make a see who it was, but the person hid in the darkness of the alley.  On instinct she ignored the pain that held her in place and immediately grabbed Travis and dove behind the row of dumpsters for cover.

“So you found me,” the voice whispered in her ear.  Danni did not have a chance to respond when two more gunshots followed.  She lined her sights near the edge of the dumpster and pulled the trigger twice in the direction of the last blast.  The woman tried to pull away and escape but Danni pinned her down with her knee. For a brief second she thought how easy it was to hold this woman down but when  another bullet pierced the metal she ignored the thought and called for back-up. 

“Stand down! Stand down! Suspect in custody,” she yelled over the radio trying to avoid the bullets that flew past her head, then all went silent.  She could hear different voices call over the radio, then Frank ordered for her to stay put.

By the time Frank and the other agent got to her she was already reading the woman her Miranda Rights.  Frank let out a hearty laugh as she went on, “You have the right to shut the fuck up and go to hell for all those you murdered.  You have the right to lethal injection.  You have the right to not defend yourself as there is no defense for what you’ve done.”  Danni scorned and rubbed her sore ribs as she pushed more of her weight into the suspects back.  “You’re fucking lucky lady,” she snarled.  “If the feds weren’t here, I would put a bullet in your head.”

Lights surrounded them within a few seconds, Lopez and Kent made it on foot half out of breath.  Lopez pulled the woman to her feet and escorted her to the squad car.  Frank did not say anything, just patted Danni on the back in triumph.  He looked around and watched as Lopez loaded the suspect.  “Kent!” he yelled and ordered him to go with Lopez and to never leave her side.

“It’s not over yet.”  Danni winked and jabbed him in the arm knowing now he did not trust Lopez.

They both walked the distance to the car and deposited themselves, no other words spoken; it was time to draw out the mole.

When the Lopez sped off., Danni ran the five hundred yards back down the alley to the loading dock, Frank quickly on her tail as they re-entered the steel door.  Danni closed her eyes trying to remember the exact location she was at when her hand slid into the thick warm liquid.  She maintained a forward focus.  There were wooden crates piled up against the wall.  Danni tried to recall them but the room was so dark.  She moved towards the wall where she had hidden and when she looked down, there on the cold cement floor, a pool of thick red dark liquid, she gasped and followed the pool that led behind another crate. 

Agent Curtis lifeless body tucked tightly between the two as blood seeped from wounds in his back and his neck showed signs of strangulation.  Frank called over his radio for back-up.  He knelt down to assess the body, and that is when they heard it.  A strangled moan escaped from Curtis. 

“He’s alive,” Danni chimed and without hesitation called for an ambulance. 

“Curtis?” Frank called out, but nothing; he could feel a weak pulse and knew if they did not get immediate attention he would die.  He looked up at Danni and sized her frame.  “Here you get his legs.”  He pointed to Curtis’s feet as he maneuvered his way around to pull Curtis up by his shoulders.  “We need to get him to the hospital now.”

Danni nodded her head and cringed when she bend over and pulled on his calves. She was grateful that Frank had the heaver side of this tall man. It was a struggle but she took slow steps as they got him in the alley.  Frank could see the pain in her eyes, and carefully laid Curtis down on the ground.  “You stay here and I’ll get the car.”  Danni knelt down and held her side grateful that Frank knew there was no way she could carry this man any further.

The sirens blared as they drove.  “Get the fuck out of the way,” Frank snarled having to slam on his brakes.  He put on his lights and ran through every intersection almost hitting a taxi that was not paying attention. 

As they pulled up the drive to the emergency room a team of physicians and nurses ready to rush into action loaded Curtis onto a stretcher and rushed him through the double doors.

Frank heaved himself in a seat feeling uneasy about the arrest and the unknown.  He knew Curtis was in good hands and was aware, once he was awake he could find out who attacked him.  No words were exchanged as Danni sat next to him.  She understood his silence, she was just as worried, but Curtis was being taken care of, they needed to get back to headquarters to interrogate the woman.  Danni was not comfortable with leaving Curtis unprotected, so she called Haggerty to send officers to watch over him.  He understood when she said possible grunt on the team.  That was a term he used when they had a mole in the office reporting to IA. 

Frank and Danni sat feeling justified during the ride back to the office.  Frank kept a three car distance between him and surrounding autos.  “Pacelli?” Frank tapped Danni on the arm getting her attention.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Your paperwork has been pushed through, and you can start training in a few weeks.”

“I know, but this case is not over yet.”

“We got her and once we figure whose been helping her, this case is closed.”

“No, something’s not right.  This was too easy dude.”  Danni kept replaying the past confrontations with the woman, it was like fighting a man and this woman did not put up a fight.  She could not shake the feeling that they messed up. 

“Come on Pacelli, lighten up.’

“Did they find a gun?”

“No, but she could have thrown it down a storm drain.”

“I don’t think she would have gotten rid of her gun,” she explained.  “This does not feel right; it does not fit her M.O.”

“Well we’re about to find out, we’re here, let’s go interrogate her.”

Danni stood in the distance and watched the posture of the woman and sized up her frame.  Three steps the woman took as she rounded the table in the interrogation room and she was sure this was not the same woman.  Danni walked up behind her and turned her around to face her.  She gasped when the features came into full view.  “It’s just a girl!” she yelled, and waved her hands in the air, it was obvious by the girls glassed over eyes she was stoned on barbiturates.  “Shit… It’s not her,” she repeated. 

Frank ran over and peered down at the young girl.  He looked at the men then to Danni.  “Can I go home?” the girl whimpered.