To Protect & Serve (5 page)

“All units on the scene…” The dispatcher’s voice had gone up an octave. “We just received a call from a relative of the reported victim that the male subject at this address is holding a female hostage and threatening to kill her if anyone interferes. They say he’s hooked on meth and sounded high. For information only, our original call came from the victim. She advised he has a gun.”

Sergeant Barnes arrived at the command post as Alex was reviewing a sketch of the street with the zone officer. “Lieutenant, I didn’t realize you’d be here.” His clipped tone made it clear her presence was neither necessary nor welcome.

“You didn’t realize we’d have a hostage situation, either.”

Barnes hitched up his utility belt. “I checked on the way over and the Special Response Team is out on another situation. It could take two hours to get back. We need viable intel ASAP, and Morgan’s in a perfect position to serve as forward point.”

A tinge of something unfamiliar sneaked into Alex’s usually flawless, operational mind. “Do I detect some reservation about sending her in?” She wasn’t sure if she was asking herself or Barnes.

Barnes’s lips tightened as he offered the explanation. “Morgan always volunteers for these types of assignments. She can get emotional. I don’t think she’ll act unless she has to, though.”

Alex questioned his motives. Would he make that comment about a male officer? “What kind of assignments?” Prickling hairs on the back of her neck indicated she knew the answer.

“Anything dangerous. If you ask me, she’s got something to prove.”

“It’s your call, Sergeant.” It galled Alex to give him control of the situation. “I’d suggest you make sure she understands not to engage the subject unless directed to do so. If he’s on meth he’ll be extremely volatile. Also, get some officers on the other corners of the house and a backup for her. If this guy bolts we need to be on his tail.”

Keri listened to Barnes’s instructions while she scoped out a position nearer the house. Just because she couldn’t go in didn’t mean she couldn’t get as close as possible. She needed to know what was going on inside.
She skirted across the patchy lawn, flattened herself against the concrete foundation of the building, and called in her location. The partially opened window she squatted beneath offered an excellent vantage point. She was close to danger; it permeated the air.

“Car 260, can you tell us anything?” Barnes asked Keri by radio.

“There’s a car in the driveway, older Buick with no tags. It looks like it’s been here a while and— Stand by. I hear something.”

Alex felt beads of perspiration forming under her vest in spite of the cool night air. Screams from inside the house could be heard in the background of Keri’s transmission.

“Sarge…” Keri’s voice was barely audible. “It sounds like he’s assaulting her right now. Permission to go in.”

Through the open window, Keri heard the pleading voice of a woman. “I just wanted you to get some help. These drugs are going to kill you.”

The unmistakable slap of fist against flesh brought renewed cries from the house. The sounds elevated Keri’s adrenaline levels and made her feel invincible.

“Can you see anything, Morgan?” Barnes wanted to know.

“No, sir, but it’s getting worse. I need to go in. Is my assist close? It sounds like he’s killing her.” Keri was already on her way to the door, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest.

When it came down to it, Barnes passed the responsibility and looked to Alex for confirmation. She quickly assessed the new information. The only justification for sending an officer into this type of situation unassisted was imminent danger of death or serious injury. Her tactical experience dictated the necessary course of action, but for the first time in her career she felt unaccountably reluctant. That troubled her, but she didn’t have time to consider the reason or its possible implications.

She nodded to Barnes and he relayed the command. Sirens sounded immediately down the street as the officers complied. “All other units, maintain your perimeter posts.”

As Keri approached the door of the residence, the sickly sweet smell of fresh blood assaulted her senses. One side of the entryway was covered with bloody drag marks leading back into the house. She slammed her foot against the wooden door, sending a jolt up her leg. At the same time she announced, “Police!”

The flimsy lock gave way and the door frame splintered to the floor. Everything slowed to half-time as Keri entered the residence. She cleared the living room with a quick scan and followed the moaning toward the back of the house, checking each room as she passed. She found the bloody victim in a south-facing bedroom sprawled across a queen-sized bed.

At that moment Keri heard footsteps pounding through the house. The victim pointed and Keri gave chase. Her legs seemed to move effortlessly as she approached the back door.

“Car 260, send the paramedics in, now. The victim’s been cut. The suspect’s running out the back on the east side toward the tree line. He’s armed with a gun and possibly a knife. I’m in pursuit. Have the other units move in.”

Alex visualized the scene as Keri described it. Her heart pounded as the situation escalated. She struggled with an urge to race to the residence but protocol demanded that she remain at the command center until the scene was stabilized. Sirens wailed as the seconds dragged by.

Keri crouched at the back door to get a feel for the area before continuing pursuit. She heard the unmistakable crack of weapon fire against concrete blocks as she dove for cover.

A round whizzed past her head. She belly-crawled behind a stack of firewood. Peering through the logs, she keyed in on the suspect and pointed her weapon at him. Her voice choked in her throat when he stood his ground and took aim.

“Freeze!” she challenged him. “Don’t make me have to shoot you.”

At that moment two other officers flanked the suspect from behind the trees, yelling, “Drop the weapon! Do it now! Drop it!”

The suspect seemed to notice the odds were against him. He dropped the gun at his feet and raised his hands. “Okay, don’t shoot. The bitch ain’t worth all this.”

As the officers handcuffed him, Keri rose shakily to her feet, holstered her weapon, and sent up a silent prayer. The adrenaline oozed from her. She trembled and began to feel weak as she recalled what could’ve happened. It was the same reaction every time she faced a potentially deadly situation. She stood by the woodpile, surveying the scene and giving her pulse and breathing a chance to return to normal. When her hands finally stopped shaking, she walked slowly toward the front of the house.

Red lights from the ambulance flashed eerie shadows across the lawn and Alex seemed to move toward her in a rapid series of still photos. Even in freeze-frame, Alex was the epitome of military bearing and personal grace.
Keri thought for a second Alex was going to touch her as she stopped inches away, well within Keri’s personal body space, a violation no cop ever committed on duty. Instead, Alex gazed at her with a look that caused more apprehension than being shot at. Her eyes momentarily burned with something stronger than fear, then softened.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, ma’am, I think so. At least I’m not hit.”

“Do you always get into this much trouble?” Alex’s lips curved slightly at the corners.

“I don’t go after trouble. It just seems to find me. But I really had no choice. Did I do something wrong, Lieutenant?”

“You saved the victim from further injury, got the bad guy, and no cops got hurt. I’d say that’s a pretty good day. We can talk about the rest another time.”

Keri’s confidence rose at Alex’s compliment, then immediately vanished as she thought about the accusatory interview years before. “What do you mean the rest? What else is there?”

Alex hesitated. Keri’s complexion had paled and Alex longed to see its characteristic color return and hear a snappy comeback from the young officer. She didn’t want to hurt Keri’s feelings again, but she did want to understand. Her interest was mission specific, Alex assured herself. It had been an extremely tense situation. Motioning Keri to the side, she asked, “Why do you always volunteer for positions like forward point on these dangerous calls?”

“Who told you that? Barnes, right?”

“That’s not really the issue, Morgan. It’s an officer safety thing.”

“I think this officer is pretty safe, ma’am.” Keri knew she’d been right not to trust Alex, and she hoped her attempt at levity would mask her growing irritation. The last thing she wanted was Alex Troy poking around in her inadequacies and insecurities.

“You can’t always hide behind humor. What are you trying to prove?” Alex’s internal edit alarm sounded. But the words were out. She knew they were beyond the true scope of operational evaluation and into the personal arena. Why she’d asked she wasn’t exactly sure.

“I’m a police officer. It’s my job to keep other people from getting hurt. The guys on my squad have families, and that woman needed help fast. I couldn’t wait. If you’re going to write me up for something, go ahead. I won’t fight it.”

She cares more than she wants to admit and is willing to risk her life to prove it.
An unfamiliar feeling crept into Alex’s chest. “This isn’t about writing you up. I’m just trying to…”
Understand you
. The thought was sobering and Alex shook her head to dismiss it.

“Trying to what?”

“Never mind. It’s not important.” Alex added as Sergeant Barnes approached them, “Just make sure your relief asks this guy about his connection. We need to know where he gets his drugs.”

Barnes avoided Alex’s stare, directing his comments to Keri. “Morgan, it’s time for you to go off shift. Debrief with Ventura, hand the investigation over, and head in.”

After Barnes finished, Keri turned to complete her conversation with Alex, but she was gone. Driving toward the station, Keri felt proud of her performance on the call, but dismayed that Alex Troy had suddenly started haunting her again.

*

“Hey, Morgan, over here.” Patricia Walters, Keri’s best friend, waved from the parking lot across from the police station as Keri crossed the street toward her Jeep. Flashing lights from patrol cars sprayed a jittery luminescence through the night as officers checked their equipment.

Keri smiled as Pat covered her ears against the short yelps of siren tests and motioned her over. “My God, you cops sure are a flashy, noisy bunch,” Pat said, giving her a quick hug. “I thought I’d drop by on my way to the hospital and see how it’s going. Haven’t heard from you since our near all-nighter. I hope you didn’t get into trouble for showing up to work in your trolling attire.” She studied Keri closely. “So, what’s up?”

Keri thought about her exchange with Alex Troy not an hour before and felt her spirits sag once again.

“So what’s going on?” Pat settled her five-foot-five frame against the side of Keri’s vehicle and raked pudgy fingers through her jet-black spiked hair.

“Just the usual police department administrative bullshit.”

Pat gave her a concerned look. “Wanna go to the bar and check out the scenery? I’m sure I can find somebody to cover for me tonight. We’ve both been on the high-and-dry list for a while.”

“Don’t you ever think about anything but sex?” Having known the feisty ER nurse for five years, Keri already knew the answer was a resounding no.

“Why would I? Our jobs are all about life and death. Why waste time waiting for one when you can be enjoying the other?” Pat eyed Keri mischievously and smiled.

They’d met in the ER after a vehicle chase ended in an accident. Pat was the trauma nurse who’d flashed a tiny penlight in Keri’s eyes, asking, “Can you see me now?” They’d based their subsequent friendship on laughter and complete honesty. Keri knew Pat would understand her feelings about Alex and give her the second opinion she needed. Maybe she was just paranoid where Lieutenant Troy was concerned.

“Mind if we skip the bar tonight? I’d like to run something by you.” Keri unlocked the Jeep and motioned for Pat to get in.

“This must be good if you’re passing up liquor, laughter,
and
lesbians. Unless of course this involves another lesbian.” Pat directed a sharp stare at her. “Oh, my God, tell me already. The suspense is killing me.”

“Can you get your mind out of your pants for a second? It’s not about a
woman
, it’s about a frigging lieutenant who’s trying to make my life total and complete hell.”

“Just tell me who the bastard is. I’ll have my cousin Frankie and his buddies stump-break his ass.”

“It’s not a guy.”

“Aha, so this
is
about a woman.”

Keri groaned. “Pat, remember Lieutenant Troy, the one who conducted the use-of-force investigation I was involved in a few years back?”

The laugh lines around Pat’s eyes vanished. “Tough on you—and unfair?”

“You could say that.” Keri swallowed a knot of anger that threatened to choke her. “She just came on one of my calls tonight and lit into me again. This time it was about officer safety.”

“I thought you told me she was assigned to Vice/Narcotics now. What’s she doing answering calls in the field?”

“Recruiting for a Narcotics task force,” Keri answered offhandedly. “It was a hostage call. I thought I did pretty damn good, securing the victim and catching the suspect. She seemed okay with me, then the criticism started.” Keri paused, reevaluating something in her mind. She could have sworn she saw genuine concern in Alex’s eyes for a few seconds, but no way was she giving her the benefit of the doubt.