Scent of Murder (37 page)

The sergeant had an analyst back at the D-bureau trying to find Slaton's home address. That was the next place they intended to send someone.

Hallett felt ill at the prospect of what could happen. Rocky sensed his partner's discomfort and paced in his compartment, letting out an occasional whine.

Then Darren came on the radio and said, “I might see his car. We're west on Lake Worth road by the closed Shell station.”

Hallett said, “I'll be there in less than a minute.” He punched the gas and felt the SUV tilt as he weaved between two insanely close cars. An old man in a Cadillac honked at him and shot him a bird.

Rocky let out a short howl.

“It's gonna be all right, boy. We're gonna find her.”

*   *   *

Bill Slaton tried to decide if he should strip her or not. His original plan was to just shoot her to relieve the feeling that she had conquered him. Then he considered strangulation. He had gotten such a charge out of choking the life out of Tina Tictin that it appealed to him. The only problem was that here he didn't have the luxury of water washing away any possible DNA evidence. Even though he had been careful, he knew how forensic scientists could lift samples from almost anything.

But at this moment, staring at the terrified girl who was completely disoriented by the blindfold, he considered his usual treatment before he decided how to end it for the conceited young woman. When he was finished, she wouldn't be on TV bragging about how she humiliated him.

As he weighed his options, Michelle mumbled, “Why are you doing this?”

“Why not? I can do whatever I want to you.” Then he thought about what he had just said. He really could do whatever he wanted. It didn't matter what his father thought of him. He had the power and ability to change this girl's life any way he wanted. For the first time with one of these girls, he felt as if he might actually prove he wasn't a dickless wonder. He might make use of his penis. His father had a stronger effect on him than he gave the old man credit for. Calling him a dickless wonder had awakened something inside him. Now the questions fell to a more practical point. Did he have the time? Was it safe? Slaton chuckled. Hell no, nothing was safe. No one was safe. His own mother couldn't protect him. Just like Michelle's mother could do nothing to protect her.

In a way, he liked to think this was just more justice for her father, just like the other girls. They had all scoffed at the laws society had laid down and gotten whatever minor punishment some high and mighty judge passed down. He didn't want it to be easy for those men who sold drugs or stole money.

He reached in the dim light toward Michelle and started to yank off her pants.

 

44

Hallett pulled next to Darren Mori on the edge of the parking lot. He hadn't called for help yet. They wanted to make sure before they pulled everyone off the search. He knew the sergeant had heard Darren call out and would come looking for them in a few minutes if she didn't hear anything more. They could see the Taurus but had no idea where Slaton was. The car was empty, and there were several small buildings as well as the strip mall close by. To complicate matters, there was a man-sized hole in the wooden fence at the back of the lot that Slaton could've used to cut through to a safe house.

Hallett didn't want to alert the probation officer that they were in the area. He and Darren had only whispered and turned their radios all the way down. Rocky and Brutus were both on six-foot leads, straining to get moving. They knew something big was happening.

Rocky sniffed the air. Belgian Malinois were not known for their scent discrimination or air-scent tracking skills, but Rocky seemed to be changing everyone's perception of the breed's ability. Even Brutus was testing the air. He had no business being on a lead in a situation like this.

They moved quickly to the Taurus, and Rocky immediately picked up something, turning to the right and straining at the lead. There was no wind and no wildlife to distract him. He had definitely latched on to a fresh scent.

Hallett and Darren exchanged glances as Brutus pulled Darren another direction. Brutus wasn't specifically trained as a tracking dog, but he had certain instincts innate in all canines.

Hallett whispered, “Stay in sight.”

Darren nodded as they both eased off at slight angles from the car. Hallett was careful to step lightly and listen. He could almost tune out the normal traffic sounds as he paused after each step, listening for anything unusual. It seemed odd no homeless people were in the area and there were no crack dealers to scare.

Brutus startled him when he let out a bark from Hallett's left side.

*   *   *

Bill Slaton had Michelle's pants off when he sensed something outside. Still in a daze, Michelle let out a quiet moan of fear, prompting Slaton to pounce on her and clamp his hand across her face. He savored the panicked sound of her trying to suck air through her nose, but he realized this was not the moment to sit back and enjoy things. He listened.

A dog barked somewhere close by. He had to wonder if it was a police service dog. Probably just a neighborhood mutt. Either way he couldn't ignore it. He couldn't sit here and enjoy the few quiet moments with this girl who had plagued him. He was annoyed when he struggled to his feet and pulled the Beretta from his pants.

He had to snatch a peek into the parking lot.

*   *   *

Rocky tugged Hallett toward the small abandoned building. Hallett struggled not to have tunnel vision and focus only on the run-down cement structure. He scanned the parking lot in front of him and swiveled behind him before looking over to catch Darren's attention and silently guide him toward an outparcel as well.

Hallett's palms were sweaty as he rested his right hand on his Glock. He rotated the holster safety forward for instant access to the pistol.

A noise to the left attracted the attention of both deputies. Hallett drew his pistol as a thin black man stumbled through the hole in the fence. As soon as the man looked up, he froze, staring at the dogs, then disappeared back through the fence.

Hallett now concentrated on the one building. He considered how they should approach it tactically. There were no doors on the side facing him, and if he went around one end and Darren the other, they could be in the crossfire. He wanted to let Rocky get closer. He also didn't want to risk Michelle getting hurt.

Then, out of the corner of his left eye, he saw Darren react and reach for his pistol as he released Brutus's lead and the dog charged forward.

*   *   *

Rocky looked around this place with hard, unnatural ground that was rough on his paws and the buildings that popped up out of the ground. There was almost no grass and only a few trees that looked like they were dying. But Rocky had a scent. A scent just like the day in the tall grass. It was two people, a predator and someone who was scared. Really scared. Rocky knew the predator was the bad man from the building.
The
bad man. Rocky knew what to do. He tried to communicate it to Tim, pulling him toward a small building to the side.

Not only did he have a scent, Rocky could hear quiet human sounds that meant fear and sadness. They were coming from inside the building, and he was cocking his head to hear the sound as best he could. That's when the loud noise startled him. It only took him a moment to realize it was one of the loud things that Tim carried on his belt and made a noise like thunder.

Rocky turned and saw Brutus charging.

This didn't look like a game to him.

*   *   *

For a moment, Bill Slaton thought he might have startled a homeless guy, but as soon as he stepped through the small opening, he saw the deputy with the dog on a leash. Fleetingly, he recognized the deputy from the search at the Ludner house.

The deputy reached for his pistol, but Slaton already had the Beretta in his hand. He swung it toward the surprised deputy, ignoring the Golden Retriever, even as it approached.

At the same time, Michelle let out a scream. Everything weighed down on him at once when all he wanted to do was aim the pistol and fire.

*   *   *

Darren instinctively released the lead as he reached for his Glock and Brutus tugged hard. Slaton already had a pistol in his hand, but he was in an awkward position coming through the boards.

Darren stepped to one side as Slaton's pistol came on target. Then he saw Brutus, who had never shown any aggressive tendencies and had not been trained, charge Slaton, even distracting him with a snarl as he sprang into the air. He hit the fat man just as the pistol fired, and the muzzle flash filled Darren's vision. He heard a second shot.

The first bullet struck him in the upper chest and immediately knocked the wind out of him, as well as sending what felt like a strong electrical charge through every nerve ending in his upper body. The force of the bullet was unlike anything he'd ever experienced, and he dropped backward with the pistol still in his hand. Then he felt a jolting pain in his neck and didn't know if it was a side effect of the first round or if the second round struck him.

The last thing he noted before his vision faltered was Brutus latched on to Slaton's left arm.

*   *   *

Slaton fired twice at the deputy as the goddamn dog knocked him backward. Then he felt the searing pain as the yellow dog dug his teeth into his left forearm. He had held up the arm to fend off the dog, but had no idea how much it would hurt.

He panicked and squeezed the trigger of the Beretta. The first shot had no effect on the snarling hound. The second time the dog yelped and released its grip, but Slaton still felt a pain in his hand, and blood was pouring from his arm. It only took him a second to realize that not only had the dog ripped up his arm, but the bullet had passed right through the dog and struck Slaton's hand.

The dog was now on the ground whimpering, and the deputy was flat on his back. This was not the time for Slaton to feel sorry for himself. He had to get the hell out of Dodge. Now.

 

45

A
shooting happens completely out of context to most people's lives, even cops. It is a rare and devastating occurrence.
Those were the words from training that popped into Tim Hallett's head when he heard the shots and saw Darren go down.

Instantly he aimed his Glock and started to scoot in a sideways crab walk toward Darren, keeping his pistol up and pointed at the building where the shots had come from. He didn't dare release Rocky for fear he would charge the shooter. This could be considered contrary to his training, which taught that dogs are tools to protect people. But Hallett wasn't about to let his partner go.

As he cleared the side of the small boarded-up building, he caught a glimpse of Bill Slaton squeezing through another hole in the fence. He could also see Brutus was on the ground, whimpering. With every fiber in his body, he wanted to stop Slaton, but his duty and his loyalty were clear.

Rocky barked, then wailed at the sight of Brutus.

Hallett kneeled down to check his friend's pulse and see if he was breathing. Darren wasn't quite conscious, and his eyes couldn't focus. Hallett had seen these signs of shock in accident and shooting victims over the years. Before he started to unclip Darren's vest and search for the wound, he grabbed Darren's radio mic and made the call no cop wants to.

Hallett recognized how close to panic he was. He had to get it together to broadcast a call for help that was clear and concise. He depressed the microphone button and spoke in a voice louder than he intended. “10-24, shots fired.” He gave their exact location. “We need immediate EMS.” The numbers alone—10-24, officer down—would keep unnecessary traffic off the radio and attract cops from every district. He dropped the radio mic and yanked on Darren's vest before giving a suspect description. It would be a few minutes before anyone needed it anyway, and he had plenty to keep him busy at the moment.

Darren didn't make a sound.

*   *   *

Bill Slaton stumbled through the fence into a backyard covered with rotting, cracked plastic kids' toys. He still had his Beretta, and he was trying to stay calm. He surveyed the area but didn't see anyone and started to run, going through several backyards before turning toward the street in the quiet neighborhood. There he slowed down and started to walk along the cracked and uneven sidewalk. He knew a running fat man in this neighborhood would only draw attention.

He sucked in a couple of big breaths and wiped the sweat from his eyes with his bare hand. He couldn't believe what he had just done to get away from the scene. This was going to come back to bite him in the ass. The only question was what he would accomplish before some cop put a bullet in him.

His left arm was covered with blood, and the bullet hole in his hand trailed blood along the sidewalk. Then he got hold of himself and realized there were plenty of cars along the street and he had a skill most people did not. He saw a Honda in front of the next house and stepped out onto the street to get to the driver's side. He felt for his Buck knife inside his left pocket, wincing in pain as he jostled his injured hand.

Slaton had to stick the gun back in his belt to use his right hand to hold the knife and use it to crack the window. The first strike had almost no effect. As he brought his hand back for the next one he heard someone call out, “What the hell are you doing?”

Slaton's head snapped up to see a tall, muscular Latin man with no shirt and a gun in his hand rushing out of the house.

 

46

Hallett could feel the pulse stabilize in Darren's carotid artery. Now that he had the ballistic vest off and saw little blood, he realized the one bullet had struck the upper part of the vest. The second had splintered into his unprotected shoulder and neck. Claire had arrived and knew exactly what to do. She cut away the T-shirt, and they saw the discoloration of Darren's upper chest where the bullet struck.