It was taking all I had to keep myself from simply sprinting straight for the door of room number seven. Ever since arriving on the scene, my gut kept telling me to do it, and my head staunchly objected. Something was telling me that I was going to end up in the back of a squad car before this was all over; but, if that was the way it was going to be, I wanted to at least be sure Felicity was safe first. Getting myself locked down before she was ever out of the room wasn’t going to help me do that. Even so, all the logic in the world didn’t keep the itch from spreading.
Ben knew me well enough that he made it a point to position himself between the motel and me. He had seen me make a mad dash before, and it was obvious from the furtive glances he kept throwing my direction that he was fully expecting me to do so this time.
“Gimme a break, McCann,” my friend said to the sheriff as he divided his attention between the two of us.
Ben was no stranger to this man’s exploits either. In fact, he had even been front and center when McCann had vociferously recused himself from working with the MCS simply because of my involvement with a case.
“I am,” McCann returned. “I’m giving you a chance to get him out of here before I arrest him for interfering with an ongoing investigation.”
“Jeezus,” Ben spat. “You know that’s a load of bullshit.”
“Not in my county it isn’t.”
“You’re a freakin’ cartoon, you know that?”
“I can have you removed as well, Detective.”
“Goddammit, Arthur, why didn’t you just fuckin’ stay retired?”
“There’s no call for that sort of language, Detective Storm,” he replied. “Now, you’ve got two minutes to get Mister Gant out of here or I have him arrested.”
I instantly spoke up. “That’s my wife in there!”
“Shut up, Rowan,” Ben ordered as he gave me a sharp look then leveled his gaze back on McCann. “And, you, get off your high horse. You ain’t arrestin’ anybody, and you sure’s hell ain’t havin’ me removed. This is a Major Case investigation, and as of now I’m taking over the scene.”
“No sir, you are not,” McCann replied.
“Yes sir, I am,” my friend returned.
“I am the ranking officer on the scene, Detective Storm, and I will have you know that you are currently standing in the middle of my jurisdiction.”
“Whupty-fuckin’-doo,” my friend huffed. “Your county a participatin’ agency with the MCS?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact it is.”
“Good. Are you assigned ta’ this case?”
“No, but…”
“Ain’t no buts to it,” Ben snapped. “You’re not assigned to the case, so back off and let me handle it.”
“I’m still the ranking officer on the scene,” McCann objected.
“Maybe so, but I’m the ranking detective assigned to Major Case that’s here now. So, like I said, this investigation belongs to us, and so does this scene…”
“Like hell it does,” a fresh, but very familiar voice came from behind us.
I turned to see Agent Drew standing only a few paces away, and a wave of nausea swept over me. It seemed as though the situation simply wasn’t finished with its downhill slide. I had thought that when we arrived here things would start to look up, but that belief had been dashed against the rocks as soon as I saw McCann. Now, with the arrival of the cocky FBI agent, I felt as though the current was pulling me under and holding me there.
“And just who are you?” McCann snarled at him.
The young man opened his ID with a practiced flip and thrust it out as he stepped forward. “Agent Drew, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and you are?”
“Arthur McCann. I’m the county sheriff.”
“Well, Sheriff, I’m afraid you are both wrong. This is a federal investigation now and I am taking over the scene.”
“Jeezus, Drew…” Ben started.
“Shut up, Storm,” he interrupted. “You know I’m right. Federal law grants investigative jurisdiction to the FBI in cases of assault on a federal officer. I won’t even go into interstate flight to avoid apprehension.”
“That’s not why…” I started.
“Can it, Gant,” he snipped.
“Look, Agent Drew,” McCann began to object. “I’ve already been in touch with Captain Albright, and…”
“So have we,” Drew interrupted him again. “And she had little choice but to agree with us this time. Now, like I said, the Bureau is running this scene, whether you like it or not.”
“I don’t,” McCann spat.
“I’m afraid you’ll just have to get over it,” Drew replied. “Now, the first thing I want you to do is have your men stand down and back off.”
“But…”
“But nothing,” he snapped. “Tell them it’s time to quit playing army, and put the guns away before someone gets hurt. We’ll handle this.”
“Who is your superior?” McCann demanded with a sudden rush of anger. “I don’t much care for your attitude, and I’m not moving anyone until I know for sure what is going on here.”
“Sheriff McCann, I don’t mind telling you that I’m not overly impressed with your attitude either,” Drew chided. “However, if it will hasten your cooperation and make you dispense with the bullshit, my SAC’s name is Simpson. And, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he is expecting your call.”
“You wait right here,” McCann replied, repeatedly stabbing his finger at a point on the ground. “All of you. I’ll be right back.”
“We’ll be here,” Drew said with a nod.
Sheriff McCann stalked off toward one of the unmarked cars in the distance. As he picked up his pace he shouted, “George! Get me the FBI on the phone. Right now!”
We watched him in relative silence for several paces then Ben turned his attention back toward Agent Drew. “Look, I know you got jurisdiction here, but listen to me…”
“Calm down, Storm,” Drew insisted.
“I’ll calm down when I’m damn good ‘n ready to,” my friend snapped. “But right now you need ta’ listen ta’ me.”
“Agent Drew,” I interjected in a pleading tone. “This is my wife we’re talking about here.”
“I’m well aware of that, Mister Gant.”
“Goddammit, Skippy…”
Drew held up a finger to cut Ben off and snarled, “Stop it! Stop it right now. My name is Drew, got it? Drew, not Skippy. Not Junior. It’s Drew.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Ben brushed him off.
“Dammit, Storm, can you just try cooperating with someone other than yourself for a change?”
“I try not ta’ cooperate with people I don’t trust.”
“Well, you’re just going to have to trust me.”
“That’s gonna be kinda hard.”
“Yeah, well I’ve got faith in you. Now before you get your shorts any more in a bunch, you need to shut up and listen to me for a minute. I’m the best friend you’ve got here right now, so just calm down, back off, and let me handle this.”
Ben shook his head and gave him an incredulous stare. “Oh yeah? Well, if you’re my best friend then I’m seriously fucked.”
“You won’t get any argument from me there, Storm, but not for the reasons you’re thinking.”
“Okay, so you wanna explain it to me?”
“What, the fact that I can’t stand you?”
“Feeling’s mutual, but no, Agent Drew.” Ben stressed his name in a mocking fashion. “I wanna know just how the hell you figure you’re my best friend?”
“Because I’m getting this wound-up local off your back, for one.”
“Yeah, well thanks for that,” Ben gave a shallow nod as he replied, a note of chagrin in his voice. “But, you still need to let me handle the rest of this.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, and you know it.”
“This isn’t what you think it is,” I blurted, unable to contain myself.
Drew turned his attention toward me. “Look, Mister Gant, I understand your frustration here, but the fact remains that your wife assaulted a federal officer and fled with her sidearm.”
“It’s not what you think,” I appealed.
“Mister Gant, listen to me,” he said with a sigh. “Believe it or not, I’m on your side here. I’m trying to help.”
“Coulda fooled me,” Ben interjected.
“That doesn’t sound like it’s all that tough,” Drew chided.
“Uh-huh,” my friend grunted. “So, how is it you’re bein’ so helpful then?”
“By defusing the situation, hopefully.”
“Okay, so why?” Ben pressed.
“Mandalay called Simpson, and then me personally,” he replied. “She wants Miz O’Brien out of this situation safely, just as much as either of you. And, don’t ask me why, but she wants to see if this can be made to go away.”
“You mean…”
Drew nodded. “Yeah, she’s got a little pull, so if no one gets hurt then maybe there can be a deal.”
Any elation I might have felt because of the news was immediately doused by the memory of my wife’s pained voice saying, “I think I killed him.”
I tried my best to force the thought from my head and moved forward with a question. “Did she tell you about her…”
“Being possessed?” he finished for me, raising his eyebrows questioningly. “Yeah, she did, and honestly, I think that it’s a crock of shit.”
“But…”
He held up a hand to stop me. “Hold on. I said I think it’s a crock, but that isn’t going to affect the situation. Not only does Agent Mandalay want to see this resolved peacefully, so does the Bureau.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I know I haven’t made a friend of you, Mister Gant, and honestly, I don’t really care if I ever do,” he said with a shrug. “But, yes, I would rather not see your wife get hurt, or anyone else for that matter.”
Ackman had remained quiet for the duration but now broke his self-imposed silence. “Okay, so, what is your plan?”
Drew shot him a glance. “Once I get this local asshole to back off, the three of us are going to see if we can get Miz O’Brien to come out and surrender.”
“Four,” I insisted.
“No sir,” Drew replied. “Three. You’re staying out here behind the line.”
“He’s right, Row,” Ben agreed.
“Felicity is…”
“Felicity is gonna be fine,” he snapped. “And, you’re gonna do what you’re told for a change.”
“Dammit, Ben,” I objected.
“Damn me all ya’ want,” he said with a shake of his head. “You’re stayin’ out here, Row.”
I cast a glance past him toward the motel room door. My eyes searched the expanse of parking lot as I tried to estimate the distance between us and number seven. All the while my brain was calculating exactly what it was going to take for me to get there without being stopped instantly. The one thing I forgot, however, was my poker face. Apparently, I was broadcasting my intentions like a high wattage transmitter because a large hand suddenly clamped onto my shoulder and held fast.
“Don’t even think about it, white man,” Ben told me as he leveled a deadly serious gaze on my face.
“What?” I asked, trying unsuccessfully to feign ignorance.
“Yeah, right,” he grunted but didn’t let go.
During the thread of conversations, I had dropped my hand to my side and with it the cell phone. The fact that Felicity was still holding on now skittered back through my thoughts. I lifted the cell and placed it against my ear.
“Felicity?”
“Y-y-yes?” her halting voice issued from the small speaker. “Where are you?”
Her sobbing had lessened greatly, but I could still detect her whimpering as she waited for my response. It was killing me to hear her like this. She had always been so steadfast in the face of almost anything. For her to now sound like a terrified child was just too much for me to bear.
“It’s almost over, honey,” I told her, hoping that I could mask my own lack of conviction.
“I’m scared, Caorthann…” she whined. “I don’t know what’s happening to me…”
“I know,” I soothed. “It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”
“Is that your wife?” Drew asked, pointing toward the phone in my hand.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Let me talk to her,” he replied, motioning for me to hand the device over.
“She’s in no condition to carry on a conversation with you right now, Agent Drew,” I declared, twisting the mouthpiece away.
“Just what is her situation then?” he asked.
“She’s frightened,” I replied.
“She should be,” he asserted. “What about the man she left the club with?”
“How’d you know about him?” Ben asked.
“News travels fast,” he replied.
“So, is that how you knew where this was goin’ down so quick?”
“We’ve been paying attention,” Drew replied with a nod to the affirmative. “Besides, one of our agents was assaulted, and like I said, we have jurisdiction. You didn’t really think the Bureau was going to leave this up to the locals, did you?”
“Looks like you let us do most of the legwork.”
“Of course. It was the most efficient way to handle the situation.”
“Fuckin’ Feebs,” Ben muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.
Without missing a beat, Drew replied, “Fuckin’ cops,” then turned his attention back to me. “What about Mister Lewis? It would be a really good thing if you could tell me that she is not holding him hostage.”
I didn’t reply. I wasn’t entirely sure what to say.
“Mister Gant?” Drew pressed.
Ben reached up and started working the muscles on the back of his neck as he announced, “Look, the thing is we don’t know his condition for sure.”
“Condition?”
“Dammit,” my friend muttered then looked up to the FBI agent and blurted, “Look, we haven’t told anyone this yet, so don’t go off half-cocked… Felicity told Rowan she thinks he’s dead.”
Drew looked at the ground and shook his head then cast a glance at the other officers on the scene. Looking back up at us, he gave Ben a nod. “Probably good you kept that to yourself, considering… So… Did she use Agent Mandalay’s weapon?”
“We don’t know,” Ben replied. “Truth is we don’t even know if he’s really dead. Remember, she said she thinks he’s dead.”
“But if she shot him,” Drew offered, leaving the conclusion unspoken.
“Like I said, we don’t know.”
“Then what makes her think he’s dead?”
“Don’t know.”
“Have you asked her?”
“No. She’s been a bit hysterical,” I offered before Ben could answer.
He thrust his chin toward the phone. “Then ask her.”
“I don’t think…” I started.
“Mister Gant, please ask her. Trust me. I’m just trying to help.”
I sighed heavily then twisted the phone back to my mouth. “Felicity?”
“Y-y-yes…”
“I need to ask you a question, sweetheart,” I said, continuing my prolific use of endearments as a tool to keep her connected with me.
“I-I… I thought you were here…” she murmured. “Where are you?”
“I am, honey. Now I need you to answer something for me.”
“W-w-what?”
“The man in the room…”
The moment I said the words, her whimpering increased, and I could hear her breathing become more rapid.
“Honey… Calm down…” I tried to soothe her. “I just need you to tell me something.”
“W-w-what?” she whined.
I closed my eyes and tried to ground the sudden panic that was welling up from my stomach, but I knew that it was no use. My wife’s emotional pain was now expanding beyond the bounds of the room, and I was caught up in its wake. After a long pause, I sighed and mumbled, “Nothing. Nothing. Just stay where you are right now.”
“W-w-why? I thought you were here… Where are you?”
“I am, honey, I am… Just hold on. I’ll see you soon.”
“Mister Gant…” Drew began.
“Forget it,” I returned with a hard shake of my head. “I’m not going to ask her. She’s distraught and confused enough as it is. I know you don’t believe what’s happened, but I do, and I’m telling you she can’t answer this question right now.”
He stared back at me with a grim frown slashed across the lower half of his face. I was fully expecting him to launch into an authoritative diatribe telling me to ask her or else, but after a moment he simply nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “I understand. Let me ask you this. Do you think she will come out and surrender?”
“Probably,” I said with a nod of my head. “But I’m not going to ask her to do that with all this firepower pointed at her.”
“I’m working on that,” he replied.
“Yeah, and it looks like you won that round,” Ben announced.
“What?”
My friend nodded past him and he turned. I was already looking in that direction but only now took notice that some of the cars on the parking lot were beginning to move. As I watched, it didn’t escape my attention that while there were still flak-vested officers running about, the bulk of their activity involved stowing weaponry and backing off.
Arthur McCann was stomping toward us with an angry gait, his form silhouetted off and on by the flash of headlights and light bars as vehicles whipped around one another. We stood waiting for him until he came to a halt in front of us and planted his hands on his hips once again.
“Okay, Agent Drew, the scene is apparently yours,” McCann spat.
“Thank you, Sheriff,” Drew replied. “I appreciate your cooperation.”
“Yes, well I seriously doubt that you’re going to appreciate this,” he shot back. “Your SAC agreed with me that Mister Gant is to be removed from the scene immediately.”
“Okay,” Drew said with a nod. “That’s fine.”
McCann fell speechless for a moment as he stared at him, obviously taken aback by the young man’s unfettered agreement.
“Good,” he finally said.
“Anything else?” Drew asked.
“Not that would interest you,” the sheriff replied then turned his attention to Ben. “But, you might want to know, Detective Storm, that I’ve filed a formal complaint against you with both the Major Case Squad commander and Saint Louis City Homicide.”
Ben glared back at him and shook his head as he replied, “Join the fuckin’ club, McCann. Join the fuckin’ club.”
“Honey, I’m going to hand the phone over to Ben,” I said, speaking up to be heard over the thudding echoes of the news helicopters above. They were hovering far closer than I would have liked, but there was little I could do about it other than try to ignore them.
“Okay,” Felicity whimpered in return, her voice barely audible.
The contingent of officers had dutifully backed off as they had been ordered, but the tension among their ranks was still running at full bore. The fact that in a handful of heartbeats I was going to be sent back to mill about among them did little to allay my own anxiety.
“I love you,” I said then listened to her faint response before I pulled the cell away from my ear.
I stood there staring at the device for a long moment before hesitantly holding it out toward Ben. I couldn’t help but see what I was doing as surrendering my only physically tangible connection to my wife. In a very real sense, it made me feel as though I was abandoning her.
My friend gave me an understanding nod as he took the phone from me and placed it up to his own ear.
“Heya, Firehair,” he said in as soothing a tone as he could muster under the circumstances.
After he stood listening for a moment, he spoke again, “Yeah, I know… It’s all gonna be over soon… Well, that’s because you’ve done some things that aren’t so good… Yes… Yes, I’m afraid so… I know… That’s why I’m here… Now, listen carefully. I need ta’ tell ya’ how we’re gonna handle this…”
Detective Ackman took me by the arm and started leading me back toward the barrier of vehicles. I didn’t resist, instead I simply trudged along on autopilot as I twisted my head and continued looking back at Ben.
“Don’t worry, Mister Gant,” he said to me. “We’re going to take care of her.”
“This has gotten completely out of hand,” I managed to reply.
“Yeah, it has,” he agreed. “But we’re trying to fix that.”
“You should just let me go in there.”
“We can’t do that.”
“I know… But, you still should.”
“Listen, Mister Gant,” he began. “You need to understand that your wife is going to be arrested.”
“I know that.”
“I mean she is going to be arrested right now,” he stressed. “When she comes out, she is going to be cuffed immediately.”
“Don’t hurt her.”
“We don’t want to.”
All I could do was repeat my three-word appeal.