Stalking The Phoenix Part 30

"Sure."

"You and Hernandez were in this together?"

"Sure."

"And you killed him?"

"Then planted the body in your car with enough circ.u.mstantial evidence to lead to your arrest. But, then your tame cop decided that he had to speak up for you. I could kill him for that."

"No. I'm the one whom you want. Your quarrel is with me. No one else is involved."

"So touching: the hen protecting her brood."

"Did you kill the deputy sheriff?" I demanded.

The she smiled at me. It was an expression that made my blood run cold. She waved the gun around. "h.e.l.l, yes. And moved the body away from the place that it had been. He was getting too close."

"And you were behind the rattlesnake, and the poison in my tea?"

"The tea was sheer brilliance. Your fiancee owns a vacuum sealer. It was just a matter of cutting off the seal, adding the oil, then resealing it. Simple. You never even suspected. Too bad that it didn't kill you. Then I could have gotten away clear."

"You still could have gotten away, Sarah. If you hadn't come after me, you could have gotten away."

"No. I tipped my hand. That photograph. It tied me to the area. Sooner or later, someone would have found the brat. When I wasn't there, someone would have decided that I must have killed Raoul. It's that simple. When the police wouldn't do the work for me, I had to finish the job myself. Prepare to die, Sister."

"Sarah, please."

"Go ahead, beg for your life," Sarah said with relish in her voice. "I'd like to hear you beg."

"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction," I told her.

"Then sit down and write, Sister. The better you make it, the longer you will live."

"What am I supposed to write?" I demanded.

"A full confession couched as a suicide note," Sarah told me with an unG.o.dly amount of glee in her voice. "Now, sit down. I would rather play this out as a suicide, than to put a bullet in your brain. But, I will shoot you, if you don't cooperate."

*Chapter 44*

'Phil'

I had seen Alicia drive past in the company of that elderly woman. As soon as they pa.s.sed, the radio crackled with the report that Alicia had been kidnapped at gun-point and had driven off in a car matching that description.

It was all I could do not to jump on my motorcycle and follow them. I called in the report of sighting and flagged down an off-duty deputy, sending him to follow the car. When it became apparent that the car was going some distance into the country, I telephoned Sam Ulrich, who lives at that edge of town and flies an ultralight plane. It was his day off, so I figured he'd be up in the plane. And I knew that he would have his cell phone with him.

I was right on both counts. And he wasn't far from the road that the car was heading down. So, he was able to locate her quickly. He put the ultralight down on a gra.s.s waterway in the middle of a cornfield about a quarter mile down the road from the house where Alicia was being held.

Doug Webb, three deputies, and I met Sam and another deputy on patrol at the waterway. We then drove down near the house and made our way to the house using the cover of the trees and outbuilding. An ambulance accompanied us quietly.

Peering through the windows, we determined that the Houston girl was in the back bedroom unconscious. The child had an IV drip of some sort attached. She appeared to be naked under the sheet. The raised voice of a female told us that someone was in the adjacent room.

"Write, d.a.m.n you!" the voice said. "I swear, Sister, that if you don't write exactly what I tell you I will shoot you, then I will shoot the brat. Do what I say, and I will let her live!"

A quick peep through the kitchen window told me all I needed to know. A woman had a Colt Government .45 caliber pistol trained on Al. Al was seated at the table writing from the armed woman's dictation. The woman's gray wig had come off and lay upon the counter. It was clear that the woman was Sarah Quinn.

Al briefly looked up and met my eyes at the window, and then she returned her attention to the paper before her. She put down the pen and rubbed her hand.

"Hand hurting?" Sarah demanded, at a level audible outside.

I couldn't hear her answer.

"Keep writing!" Sarah demanded. "Write, or I kill the brat!"

Al picked up the pen and resumed writing from dictation.

Figuring that we had a little time, we withdrew behind the garage in order to form the attack plan. Two minutes later, everyone knowing where he was to position for action, we took our places at the house.

Sarah had placed a large bottle of pills on the table before Al with a 2-liter bottle of spring water. "Take them, one at a time with a big swig of water after each," she commanded.

I looked at my watch. One minute till we were to crash in on her. I popped my head up at the window. I motioned to Al to hit the floor. She took a swig on the bottle of water. I only hoped that the drug wasn't a lethal dose in one pill.

"No one will believe this," Al said.

Sarah laughed. "It will be just enough doubt to tar your memory. I'll be happy with that."

We crashed into the house from different directions just as Al hurled the water bottle at Sarah, hitting her on the bridge of the nose with the almost full 2-liter bottle, knocking her gla.s.ses off her face, and sending her reeling backwards. Blood spurted from Sarah's nose. Al hit the floor and took cover.

"Drop the weapon!" all of the police officers demanded in virtual chorus.

It was obvious that Sarah couldn't see any distance at all without her gla.s.ses. Sam Ulrich walked up behind Sarah. He reached around and removed the pistol from her hand.

Sarah Quinn began to cry and collapsed into a heap on the floor. "It isn't fair. It isn't fair. It just isn't fair..." she babbled as she searched for her now broken eyegla.s.ses.

"Al?" I asked as I went to her. "Are you injured?"

Al rose from the floor and brushed herself off. "I'm fine."

"We'll get you into the hospital and have your stomach pumped," I told her.

"Unnecessary," Al said. "I palmed the pill instead of swallowing it."

Sarah raised her head and looked in Al's direction. Sarah's expression was one of such utter hatred that the woman's face was truly a mask of evil. Almost before any of us could register that she had risen, Sarah was across the room and was going after Al.

Two of the deputies moved to control her. Al sidestepped left, kicked Sarah's legs out from under her, as she grabbed hold of the shoulder of Sarah's dress, and flung her into the kitchen wall just behind them. The ancient plaster crumbled with the impact and stirred up a cloud of dust. With a bloodcurdling scream, Sarah turned and lunged once more at Al, hands raised as if to go for Al's throat. Al performed a double inside block, knocking Sarah's hands apart. Then Al applied a double knife hand blow, the edge of one hand coming down smartly upon each of Sarah's shoulders at the clavicle. I heard the distinctive snap of broken bones, just before Sarah screamed out in pain. Sarah crumpled into a heap on the floor.

"You'll live, Sarah," Al stated as she backed away from her tormentor.

Sarah cursed vehemently. One of the deputies got out his cuffs and cuffed her hands in front, afraid of further aggravating the obviously broken collarbones.

I watched as Al walked into the bedroom. I followed her. She stood there beside the bed looking at the child. Tears fell from Al's eyes as she sank down to her knees and began to pray.

*Chapter 45*

'Geoff'

I looked at Phil for the longest moment without saying anything. I had arrived at the station to serve as Al's counsel during the process of giving her statement.

"Are you in love with 'Licia?"

"What?" Phil demanded.

"You and she appear to be getting along much better than you used to."

"We had some time to talk. Really talk. She was scared that night that you were hurt. She didn't want to be confined to a small bedroom. So we sat up and talked for hours. That's some lady you have, Geoff. I would suggest that you hang onto her."

I shook my head negatively. "She broke the engagement. She doesn't want me. But, she might want you. If she does, I want her to be happy, Phil. Are you in love with her?"

"Chief?" Sam said as he stuck his head in the door. "We've gotten word on the Houston girl."

"What kind of shape is she in?" I asked, breaking into the conversation.

"Heavily sedated, still. But, it doesn't look like she's been beaten or abused," Sam replied.

"Thank G.o.d," Phil said.

I could echo those sentiments.

"Thanks, Sam. How's the process going?" I asked.

"Ms. Quinn is under guard at the hospital being treated for her injuries. When she is done there, she'll be brought back to one of the women's cells at the county lock-up," Sam told me.

"Too bad they can't just throw away the d.a.m.ned key," I said.

"Now, Counselor, that's fine talk for an officer of the Court," Phil said. "What happened to innocent until proven guilty?"

I told him in no uncertain terms what he could do with that comment. It was physiologically impossible. Then I continued, "You and I both know that this woman will never have a judgment of guilty leveled against her. The psychologists will never declare her competent to stand trial. She'll be locked away in some mental inst.i.tution until the doctors there think that she's better. That woman is never going to do any jail time over this. And she's never going to see death row. Let's be realistic."

"For once," the voice of the county's State's Attorney, Charlotte Ross, said from the door. "You may be right, Counselor. But, I'm going to do my d.a.m.nedest to make sure that doesn't happen. This looks like murder one, in the Hernandez matter, to me, clearly premeditated as evidenced by her diary that was in her handbag. With kidnapping, arson, and conspiracy all thrown in for good measure, it should be very interesting to try. There's even a confession about having killed the deputy, then having moved his body, that's another count of murder, albeit second degree. I'm going to sink my teeth into this one. Defense counsel is not going to have an easy time of this. I promise you that, Counselor."

"Just don't try to build your reputation on this case, Charlie," I warned tightly. "This will be your first big case since you stepped up from being the a.s.sistant States' Attorney."

"Just relax. For a change, I'm on your side. Try to remember that, can you?" Charlotte Ross said.

"And you are just hovering around trying to build your case?" I asked.

Charlotte shrugged. "I don't have to build a case, Counselor. It's pretty well cut and dried. We are talking capital murder here. I intend to go for the maximum penalty."

"Do you have any idea of who will be defending her?" I asked lowly.

"McCauley," Charlotte replied with a small smile. "His Honor appointed him after Sarah Quinn demanded an attorney. Let's just say that he isn't especially thrilled."

I had seen that smile before, usually before our esteemed States' Attorney went in for the kill. With the rumors flying around about Charlie Ross and Rafe McCauley, I knew that this trial was going to generate heat.

"Don't you dare politicize these proceedings. I'll have you before the Disciplinary Commission before you can blink an eye, Counselor, if I see you abusing the process for your own political gain," I said.

"You don't have to lecture me on ethics," Charlie Ross stated. "I'm well aware of exactly where the lines are drawn."

'Licia stood at the doorway. She looked tired and drawn.

"'Licia," I greeted her.

"Geoff," she said in a tone devoid of emotion.

I wondered if she had just shut down her emotions so she could get through this. "We can get your statement out of the way in a few minutes," I advised her. "Then you can rest."

"Can I?" she asked. "Perhaps."

*Chapter 46*

'Alicia'

I stood just outside the room where I had just given my statement. I closed my eyes

and leaned my head against the wall. It seemed like forever, instead of just seven weeks, since I had walked into the police department seeking aid. I had been trembling that noon. The cause of my current trembling wasn't fear. Well, not the same kind of fear, at least.

When I opened my eyes, Phil stood there. He smiled at me.

"Philip," I greeted him.