Cahill

I could hear the din from the bar as I exited my SUV and I was still almost a block away. What a shame! I knew from long experience that would change as soon as my foot crossed the threshold. I tend to have that effect on people. I’m six feet six inches tall and I weigh an even 250 pounds—all of it broad shouldered muscle. My Body Mass Index at my last physical was less than four percent. My light brown hair is styled exactly the way it’s been for the past fifteen years—ever since I first joined the Navy. Sure enough, no sooner had I taken my first step into the bar than the noise died. When I turned left and stepped up to the bar the people there couldn’t back away fast enough. I took a stool in the middle of the empty space and sat down, waiting for the bartender to approach. “I’m not looking for any trouble.” “Good…neither am I. Give me a ginger ale.” He reached under the bar for a glass and some ice. Twenty seconds later he slid the glass in my direction. I pulled a fiver from my pocket and dropped it on the bar. He ignored it and walked away to draw a few beers and pour some wine. It looked to me like this was a pretty cheap crowd. Checking up and down the bar all I could see were longnecks and drafts. I reached into the lower left pocket of my cargo pants. Like almost everything else I was wearing they were a true deep navy blue. My heavy shoes were black as was my wide belt. My belt said as much about me as the bold white lettering across my chest. Just below the American flag over my heart were the letters that were my life—U. S. MARSHAL. On my right hip was my nickel plated .44 Magnum Colt Python, just behind two speed loaders in addition to the twenty-four rounds on the belt. On my left hip was my ASP Talon baton—every bit as deadly a weapon in my hands as the revolver. A pouch at the back of my right hip held my stainless steel handcuffs and its partner on the opposite side held my radio—my link to my backup team. I placed the photo flat on the bar as the bartender returned to me. “I’ll have another,” I said in a loud voice, continuing so I wouldn’t be overheard. “Don’t pick it up and don’t make a production of looking at it. I’ve been told that he comes here a lot. Is he here tonight? If he is and he escapes because you’ve given me away I’ll see to it that you’re arrested for obstruction of justice.” He gulped a few times but did as he was told, nodding slightly in response. I continued almost at a whisper. “If my nose is pointing to twelve o’clock, my right ear to three, the back of my head to six, and my left ear to nine, tell me where he is. Again, don’t point or do anything obvious and we’ll be fine.” He pretended to wipe the bar as he whispered, “About 4:30 with his back to you.” I picked up the reflection in the mirror then asked, “Red shirt with black and white stripes, looking away from me?” He nodded again. Now, in my normal tone of voice I asked, “Where’s the men’s room?”

Fredrick_Udele · Kỳ huyễn

Không đủ số lượng người đọc

69 Chs

CHAPTER 37

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I loaded Daryl, Dan Powell, and Max into my SUV, dropping Dan off at headquarters with my thanks and driving Daryl to my in-laws where I knew that Jasmine was anxiously waiting for him just as I was sure Lucy

was waiting for me.

On the way out the door earlier today I had told Sgt. Ed Sulkowski, "Ed, get someone you have complete trust in and go over to the Bascombs' house. Pick up some shotguns from Mulvaney and don't let anyone get near

the house except for Jasmine Stone. Do you know her?"

"Um…the good-looking librarian?"

"That's the one. She'll be on her way to see Lucy at her parents' home in a few minutes. Stay there until Daryl or I return and don't stay in the car if someone approaches the house."

"What the hell is going on, Chief?"

"I can't tell you now, Ed. I'll explain everything either later or tomorrow morning. Now get moving."

Ed and a patrolman I later learned was his son-in-law were on the ball as we approached. Knowing that they might be nervous I flashed my light bar to identify us. I could see them breathe easier once we were there. Max had his head out the window when I stopped.

"Everything okay, Chief? You've been gone for quite a while."

"Yeah, everything's fine. We confiscated a couple million in illegal drugs and arrested six people—Joe Wilson, Stan Irwin, Jeremy Haynes, his father and mother, and Gil Parsons. I also killed one Mexican and the state police killed another. It's been a busy day. You guys can go home. Thanks; I appreciate your attention to duty." I reached through the window to shake Ed's hand and drove up the long driveway, exiting at the front door.

Why wasn't I surprised when Lucy and Jasmine ran out the door into our arms? "Oh, Matt—thank God you're safe." Those sentiments were echoed just a second later by Jasmine as she pulled Daryl's head down for a long kiss. I might have noticed had Lucy not done exactly the same thing with me.

I chuckled when we broke the kiss. "You two should go into choreography or maybe synchronized swimming." The women laughed and Daryl might have joined them had Jasmine not kissed him again. I put my arm around Lucy and we walked +together into the house with Daryl and Jasmine following right behind us. Max capered between Lucy and me.

As expected, Jonathan and Marylou were waiting for us just inside. We had obviously fired our weapons. My face and hands were grayish black with smoke and powder residue from the shotgun as were Daryl's. Even the smokeless powder used in most weapons these days leaves some residue. I waited until we had a chance to wash up in the kitchen before joining my wife and the others in the family room.

"Remember when we caught that bartender switching liquors? Believe it or not, that's what started a major investigation. He identified Jeremy Haynes as his boss and told us that his roommate had bought drugs from him, too. I know the chief in Memphis extremely well so once he had the info he got a warrant to search the dorm room where his men found a quantity of cocaine and other drugs. Daryl and I met with a state attorney who was able to flip the roommate. He was wearing a wire when he made a good sized drug buy from Haynes and from that the state police got a warrant to tap Haynes' phone and to bug their house.

"Confused yet? Well, from the phone tap we learned that there was a huge drug buy coming in from Mexico. I asked Lucy to go with us last Sunday to identify the voices the bugs picked up which she did. Today we arrested Stan Irwin, Gil Parsons, Carl Haynes and his wife, and Jeremy Haynes as well as your former chief of police."

"Joe Wilson? Oh no! That will kill his poor wife."

"We also arrested one of the Mexicans and I killed another. The state cops got another although it'll be hard to say exactly who because he was in a truck cab and they hit it with about a hundred rounds. I turned the drugs over to the DEA and the prisoners to the state police. We learned after the arrests that Mrs. Haynes had a small ledger listing all of their major sales over the past two years and a list of their bank accounts in the Caymans."

"Wow," Jonathan said, "You two have been busy. I think we should treat you to dinner—not Carter's, I think, but how about Maxwell's?"

"Oh, that's a great idea, Daddy. Why don't you make a reservation while I take everyone home to clean up and change clothes?" Next thing I knew we were in my SUV with Jasmine and Daryl following. Max ran into the house for water as Lucy and I headed to our bedroom for a shower. I dropped my holster belt onto the floor and stepped out of my clothes. I was about to throw them into the hamper when Lucy stopped me and led me into the shower. She moved again into my arms as the hot water sprayed over us.

"I was so worried about you," she confessed.

"I doubt that I'll be directly involved in many raids as chief, but you need to learn to have confidence in my ability. I hate to tell you how many times I've put my life on the line. The only time I was shot was in a motel in Mobile when Max woke me up in the middle of a drug war." I paused then to once again show Lucy the scar on my bicep. She leaned forward to kiss it just the way she would when one of our children had a boo-boo.

I reached for the soap, but she beat me to it and washed my body—front and back from top to bottom, but spending entirely too much time on my cock and balls. "We'll be late if you keep that up," I told her even though I hated for her to stop and the expression on my face was sure to tell her that.

"We'll have plenty of time after dinner then I hope to have other news for you, too." I pressed her, but she wouldn't budge. I'd learned early on that Lucy could be incredibly stubborn if the mood struck her so I let it drop. She promised me that she'd tell me later and I knew she would. I took the soap from her to wash her lovely body. It was funny, but the more I knew about Lucy the more beautiful she became. Best of all, she was a generous and beautiful person, a credit to her family and her city.

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