Heads Will Roll – Chapter Twenty

NOT EDITED

In the basement of Ellepath’s little clinic, Bo had just begun photographing Jordan Sherman’s clothed body when the door opened. He glanced up before his focus returned to his camera. “Mister Pitman.”

“Bo,” Jamal greeted from the doorway. “I want to sincerely apologize for Katherine’s… presence here. That never should have happened.

“It isn’t your fault, and you shouldn’t have to apologize for her actions and choices.”

“In this specific instance, and in… many others, I do need to. I’ve known Katherine longer than anyone else has, and I should have known she’d tack you and Miss Decker down, one way or another. I should have been keeping a closer eye on her. Leaving her unattended long enough for her to show up here and stir the pot is unacceptable.”

“Well, in that case, I accept the apology, regardless of what you believe you should have done.” Bo lowered his camera, lifting his head enough to truly look at the man. “She’ll be heading back to LA then? And… staying there?”

“Guaranteed, yes. She won’t bother you or anyone else in this town again.”

“Wonderful,” Bo said, his voice soft.

“I spoke with Miss Decker,” Jamal said as Bo went back to photographing Jordan’s fingers.

“Mmhmm?”

“Found out a few very interesting things.”

“Such as?”

“She informed me that you believe this case to be related to the Decapitator case in LA. And that you’ve currently got one of my former officers on your table.”

“I do, sir. On both counts.”

Jamal nodded, even though Bo’s focus had shifted to photos of Jordan’s neck and shoulders. “She also says that this case here in Ellepath is some kind of revenge case. Say… maybe against you and Rick? That sound about right?”

Bo cleared his throat, choosing to keep his eyes trained on his camera rather than the older man’s face. “That is my belief, sir, yes.”

“And were you planning on simply sitting on that information until he after he killed you?”

“Well, arguably, I’d be sitting on it afterward as well. Given that I’d… be dead.” Bo glanced up at Jamal only long enough to determine his disapproval. “Sorry.”

“So, yes, is the answer.”

“I wanted concrete evidence before I bothered you with a theory as outlandish as some sort of revenge conspiracy that followed Rick from California to this town,” Bo said.

“You don’t need a concrete theory to ‘bother’ me, do you understand? I hired you out of college for a reason, Bo, and that reason has not changed since then. The way your mind works is a very particular brand of incredible, Bo. If you have some insane or outlandish theory, I assure you that I will always believe there is a damn good reason for you to have arrived at that theory, no matter how it looks or sounds. You don’t need concrete evidence to pitch a concern for your safety or Rick’s safety. You’re my people, Bo. I didn’t send you here to get murdered by this freak.”

Bo shifted his weight between his feet, clearing his throat as he set his camera down. As his fingers moved to the buttons of Jordan’s shirt. “Do we need to call in the FBI, now that we can confirm this crosses state lines?”

“No. He’s my former officer, and I want you working his murder.”

“Of course, sir.” He could still feel Jamal’s eyes on him as he worked to undo the buttons from the cold, stiff fabric. “Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?”

“How many more people has this guy killed before coming here for Rick?” Jamal asked.

“There are two more officers that worked the case, officers who moved on from the LAPD, a psychologist, and three reporters. They’re all missing.”

“Do you need any information on those people?”

“Before we were called out to the lake, I had given Rick a list with their names. He had wanted to contact you to see how many of those missing person’s files you could get your hands on for us.” Bo’s eyes lifted back to the chief’s face. “If you would be able to do that?”

“I sure can.” Jamal let out a breath. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“As long as the temperature dial on one of these other refrigeration units works… I don’t believe so.”

“Sounds concerning. Should we see?”

Bo offered a smile. “I have a thermometer gauging the temperature consistency in the units and feeding the data to my laptop as we speak. I just need to make sure they stay consistently at thirty-eight degrees so  we can safely defrost Mister Jordan for the autopsy without rapidly decomping his skin while his organs are still frozen and non-autopsy-able.”

Jamal lifted a hand to point at Bo. “Disgusting, but intriguing. Thank you for that imagery.”

“Ah, it’s what I’m here for, Chief.”

“Oh, I know.” Jamal nodded toward the hall. “I’m leaving Franklin here with you until we figure out what to do about the rest of our situation here. He’ll bring you back to the police station when you’re ready. In the meantime, I’ll head there myself, speak with Rick, and see what we can do about getting those missing person’s files for you. All right?”

“All right, sir. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, kiddo. Call if you need me. Or holler for Franklin.”

“I will.”

Jamal walked out of the morgue, pulling the door shut behind him. Franklin, a white man about a decade Jamal’s junior, stood in the hall, leaned back against the wall. “Watch him like a hawk or he’ll squeeze past you to avoid being an inconvenience.”

One corner of Frank’s mouth lifted. “I’m familiar with the boy’s antics, Jamal.”

“I know, but I need you to be at the very top of your game for him.”

“I’ve got your back, Jamal. That includes his, end of story.”

Jamal gave Frank’s shoulder a tight squeeze and made his way to the stairs. He’d head to the station, get the names from Rick for the missing person’s files, and then get Katherine’s ass the hell out of Ellepath.

***

At the station, Jamal lowered himself into one of the chairs in front of Rick’s desk. “So, I’ve just come from the hospital’s morgue, had a little chat with Bo. I know these two men have some kind of vendetta against you.”

Rick sighed. “Oh.”

Jamal couldn’t help but chuckle as he shook his head. “God, you and Bo are one in the same sometimes. Which is why I know what you’re going to say next, but I’m going to say my piece anyway. I’d like to put a bodyguard on you until these men have both been arrested.”

“I want my family to be safe.”

“I’m capable of doing both, Rick.”

“I have a gun. They don’t.”

“If a gun guaranteed your safety, we wouldn’t have one dead cop and two others still ‘missing’. Right?” Jamal asked.

“Yeah. That’s… that’s probably fair.” Rick let out a breath as he lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. “I don’t know, Jamal. It sounds so damn stupid, but I just… I don’t know. I’m fine with someone watching the house, making sure no one who doesn’t belong shows up there. But I don’t think I feel comfortable being followed around all day long. I think having to have someone on my ass like that would just dial the paranoia and the concern up to a hundred.”

“It certainly takes some getting used to,” Jamal agreed. “Though I would much prefer to the safety of a guard following you, it’s not something I’ll force upon you. If you just want one at, say… the house and the school instead, I can make that happen, gladly.”

“And to follow Holly to work.”

Jamal nodded. “Deal.”

“Thank you, Jamal.” Rick shook his head. “God, I feel so damn guilty for thinking calling you in the first place would be like making a deal with the Devil.”

Jamal chuckled. “Well, with the things they say about me in their little opinion pieces, it’s a little hard not to feel that way. But I assure you, Rick, the only thing I require in exchange is knowing that you’re still alive when this is all over. And Bo told you that if you, Holly, or the kids need a therapist after this is open, you just have to let me know, yes?”

“Yeah, he told me. Thank you.”

“Of course. In or out of Los Angeles, I still consider you to be a part of my family, Rick. That’ll always be the case.”

“That the case for Kathy too?” Rick asked after a moment.

“Yes, for better or for worse.”

“It seems like it’s mostly the ‘for worse’ part these days, doesn’t it?”

“A lot of times. But I made a promise, and I have every intention of keeping it for the rest of my life.”

“She doesn’t deserve that, you know. Not from anybody, but certainly not from you.”

“It isn’t my job to determine if she deserves what the promise entails. My job is simply to keep it, and I will. Just as I’ll keep my promise that your family will be safe for the duration of this case. If a man’s word no longer means anything to one person, there’s nothing stopping the man from his word meaning nothing to everyone. I don’t intend to allow that to happen.”

“Well… if it keeps you happy, I guess.”

Jamal chuckled. “Now, ‘happy’ feels like a stretch.” Rick couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that one. Jamal cleared his throat. “Bo says you have the names of the other missing people. Do you still want me to see what kind of information I can get for you on them?”

“God, that’d be great.” Rick grabbed the sticky note from inside the case file but stopped short of handing it over. “That’s not gonna be a problem for you, right?”

One corner of Jamal’s mouth lifted. “I do little more than push papers these days, Rick. You’re just giving an old man the opportunity to feel like a detective again.”

Though Rick still seemed a little hesitant, he handed over the sticky note. “Thank you, Jamal. For sending Bo and Bridget, for coming to get Kathy, for this. Thank you.”

“Ah, my pleasure, kiddo.” Jamal pushed himself to his feet. “Katherine and I have a flight to catch, but I will have these files waiting for Bo in his email in the morning.”

“Thank you. Some of us really do appreciate the hell out of what you do for us. You know?”

A soft smile tugged at one corner of the old man’s mouth. “I know, Rick. And for that? I appreciate the hell out of you too.”

***

When Rick still hadn’t heard anything from Bo by nine o’clock that night, he finally made his way to Ellepath’s clinic. After checking the morgue and finding no sign of the man, he made his way back upstairs and to the break room. He didn’t find Bo, but he did find Heidi. “Hey.”

Heidi, seated on the couch with a book open in one hand, lifted her head. She smiled. “Hey, baby.”

Rick leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, hands shoved into the pockets of his coat. “You seen Bo?”

“I let him sleep in the on-call room. He looked like he could use it.”

“Yeah, he definitely could.” Rick cocked his head to the side. “Why’re you still here? Nothing…? No one came in severely injured or something, right?”

“Nothing like that. It just didn’t feel right to leave Bo here alone once everybody closed up shop for the day.”

“I appreciate that.”

Heidi slid her bookmark into place before leaning forward to set her book on the small coffee table in front of the couch. “Hey, stranger? Why don’t you come on over here and sit with me for a few?”

Rick blew out a breath. “I hope it doesn’t feel that way. Strangers.”

Heidi lifted a shoulder. “Not yet, but you’re certainly drifting away.”

Rick pushed himself away from the door and crossed the room to sit beside his wife. “I kind of feel like a stranger to myself right now, honestly. I don’t know that I can do this damn case again.”

“You mean something similar to California?”

Rick clasped his hands between his knees. “I mean… that this is the case in California. The guy who kidnapped Bonnie? He’s the father of… of the kid I shot in LA.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yeah,” Rick whispered. His little laugh was far from joyous. “I’m the reason he took Bonnie. He took her because my son is dating her, and that association with me made her a target. I did this to her. I did this to Carol. I did this to Sherman. I did to this to Ellepath.”

“That’s… that’s so unfair to yourself, Rick. In no world could you have predicted what the father of a dead murderer would do. And even if, by some miracle, you had entirely accurate psychic visions about what this guy would do, it still wouldn’t be you who did this. You aren’t responsible for what a monster does. You aren’t responsible for what a crazy man does because his son was a killer.”

“He’s doing it because I murdered his son, not because his son killed others.”

Heidi laid a hand on his thigh. “You ‘murdered’ his son because his son damn near amputated your arm, murdered two little girls in front of you, and then came back to you to finish the job. You shot a murderer in self-defense. You aren’t the cold-hearted killer that man was.”

“Boy,” Rick said after a moment. “He was a boy. A kid.”

“A kid who was kidnapping and murdering children half his age. I don’t exactly feel any sympathy for him.” She squeezed his thigh. “I know it’s not that easy for you. I know you didn’t become a cop hoping to shoot anyone, let alone a kid. But you did what you had to that day. Your only other choice was to let him kill you too. The world would not be better off if he were still alive and you were dead, Rick.”

“I know. I mean… deep down, I know that. It’s just, I don’t know. Backup was on the way, only another minute or two out. If I hadn’t shot him, he’d be in prison instead of six-foot under, and if he were in prison, this guy… maybe he wouldn’t be carrying out some revenge plot he’s been cooking up for years. And Bonnie would be home with her mom, and Carol wouldn’t have been savegely murdered, and he wouldn’t have a line-up of dead cops and reporters and psychologists to display for us.”

Heidi laid her hands on his cheeks and lifted his head, forcing him to look at her. “You are not responsible for what a psychotic monster does. You aren’t responsible for the plans he makes or the acts he carries out. No matter his ‘reasons’, you aren’t responsible for them. You’re responsible for what you do, and you know what you are gonna do, Rick Downs?”

Rick swallowed, eyes searching his wife’s face. “I’m… I’m gonna catch him.”

“You’re gonna catch him,” Heidi echoed.

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