The Straight Crimes (33 page)

“Yes I am,” he argued.

“You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Besides the fact that it’s against protocol, these people are incredibly dangerous.”

“I don’t care. Don’t you understand that Harper needs me?”

“Look, it ain’t happening kid,” Leland interjected.

“Please, I can’t just sit here waiting,” he begged.

“This is
a matter of life and death. I need you to truly understand that. If you’re right about Traci, every second that we stand here debating this could mean we’re putting Harper in more danger. Now get in the car and stay put, or I’ll cuff you.”

Nik reluctantly assumed his position in the front seat, feeling inexplicably helpless and defeated. However, he followed her orders.

Through the blinding snowfall, he anxiously watched Tonya and Leland draw their guns and cautiously disappear around the corner.

Then he turned his head towards the lake and saw two shadowy figures, carrying a lantern as they approached the lighthouse.

“You ready, Harris?” Leland asked.

She put her finger to her nose.

Leland agreed and withdrew the pistol from his holster.

Tonya steadied her gun in front of her face, motioning forward as they cautiously crept through the unlocked door.

Adrenaline soared. Her heartbeat strummed a low, nervous song that rang mercilessly in her ears. Between short, quiet breaths, Tonya moved with her back to the wall, followed closely by Leland. Her brown eyes desperately scanned the darkness, listening for the slightest sound to signify uncertain danger.

Tonya’s face was stone cold and her senses were heightened. Over the years, she'd learned how to control her reactions and shut off her emotions. Although she'd never admit it to anyone, no matter how much training she'd been through and the number of times she'd been put in similar situations, she always doubted her ability to face the threat head on.

Slinking through the obscurity, she knew this mission was one of the most dangerous she'd ever faced. Her mind raced in circles, imagining that at any second she could reach out and be mere inches from a serial killer. It sent chills down her spine.

Overhead, Tonya heard a creaking floorboard and a man’s cough. She put her hand on Leland’s arm and stopped him.

At the same moment, a violent wind gust blew through the broken window in the dining room and knocked over a glass vase.

Suddenly the sound of a gunshot blasted from the balcony.

“Down,” she ordered.

The deafening blast was followed by several more. The clicking of rounds echoed across the drafty house.

Tonya pulled Leland to the ground and began shooting back.

The blackness illuminated with gunfire, recklessly soaring through the room like a senseless massacre.

Those brief seconds seemed like a dreadful eternity. Everything moved in slow motion, yet faster than her mind could comprehend.

Then she heard a loud thud.

"Damn!” Leland howled.

Tonya quickly rushed to his side and put her hand on his shoulder.

Leland was shot.

Harris began to panic. She reached along the wall and found the door knob for a coat closet, quickly pulling Leland inside in a desperate attempt to shield him.

“Brown, are you okay?” she asked in a hushed voice.

“I think so.”

“I’m gonna get you some help.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Leland whispered. “Just go blast his ass.”

“But—”

“Stop him!” he growled.

Tonya patted him on the arm. Then she bravely closed the door and faced the danger— alone.

The detective fired one warning shot in Gage’s direction before boldly sprinting across the grand entry way.

As she ran, the rounds blasted one after the other. There was no such thing as accuracy at that point. Both Tonya and Gage were hasty in their dangerous pursuits.

Before she was in the clear, one of the bullets grazed Tonya’s calf.

She fought with every ounce of her strength not to scream, but the sharp, burning pain was unimaginable. Although the blood ran down the inside of her pant leg, she couldn’t pay it any attention. Instead, she focused on her breathing and her target.

Tonya hobbled the rest of the way across the open space, leaning backwards and taking brief solace in the fact that Gage couldn’t reach her on the adjoining wall.

By that time, her eyes began adjusting to the dar
kness. The pale moonlight shone through the front windows, which helped make out the staircase to the magnificent loft where the psychopath lingered.

She cautiously leaned forward, hoping to make out a silhouette in the reflection. However, she couldn’t see as much as a shadow. Even in her presence, he was elusive.

Knowing that Gage was relishing in her misery pissed her off almost as much as all the devastation he’d caused. She wanted to take the handle of her pistol and bust his smug, little mouth.

While she began inching towards his direction, Tonya wondered if he was alone, or if Traci was beside him.

Then she began to panic, worried that Harper may be somewhere trapped in the house or worse…already harmed. Several horrific scenarios flashed through her mind, each one more gruesome than the last. It pushed her to persevere. She would protect Harper’s life if it was the last thing she ever did.

All of a sudden, Gage stopped firing his gun.

It caught her off guard. She waited breathlessly for the slightest indication of movement. However, he was hauntingly silent.

Thick tension mounted in the blackness, making her feel uneasy. The silence was unnerving, more daunting than the gunshots. It was as if he’d vanished.

Tonya considered her options. The detective’s thoughts needed to be quicker than any bullet, which was nearly impossible. She needed to be a step ahead of him, especially since he had an advantageous position over her.

She reached into her holster, pulled out her baton, and tossed it across the vacant foyer.

It was enough to provoke Gage’s gunshots, firing in the wrong direction.

With no time to think, Tonya made a mad dash to the staircase, quickly scaling as fast as she possibly could with her injury.

With each step, her heart sank. Never in her life had she known such unthinkable terror.

Over the sound of gun shots, Gage couldn’t hear the detective make her way to the top of the landing.

Tonya waited in the stillness for several seconds, astounded by his obliviousness.

Etched in the shadows, Tonya made out his figure. His long legs were bent and his entire body hunched to the ground.

Gage was 
almost 
impossible to see—almost. And he appeared to be alone.

He slowly stood to his feet and leaned over the banister, searching for Tonya. He lined up his shot, moving his arms back and forth.

In those brief seconds, where time was of the essence, Tonya swallowed hard and quietly lifted her hands. Every passing second matched her nervous heartbeat, thudding against her chest. With absolute precision, she pointed her gun, took a deep breath, and fired.

The steel bullet soared through the drafty loft and landed into Gage’s side.

He growled as his muscular body slammed to the ground, followed by the sound of his pistol dropping.

Tonya froze in utter disbelief.

The murderer lay on the ground, quietly moaning beneath his short breaths.

Tonya yelled into her radio for backup while keeping her eyes locked on Gage.

As she approached his body, she shouted, “Turn over and put your hands behind your back!”

Gage ignored her command, convulsing in pain.

Tonya looked down and noticed his gun lying mere inches from his hand. She quickly kicked it away and repeated herself. “You heard me. It’s over. Put your hands behind your back.”

“I can’t. You frickin’ shot me,” he yelled.

“Yeah well you shot me too, asshole! Now roll over!”

Gage and Tonya exchanged glares of contempt. Several seconds passed and neither of them budged an inch. Instead, they stared each other down in the dark silence, contemplating their next moves.

“I’m not playing with you. On your stomach, now!” she ordered.

Gage cautiously moved his left hand down to where the bullet had entered his hip. He howled in pain, applying pressure to the wound.

“Move!” she barked.

Gage rocked back and forth helplessly.

Tonya watched in pleasure as the wounded maniac struggled for his own strength. She could feel the beads of perspiration swell at her temples and run down her dark skin. The fear mounted inside her, but she stood strong.

Gage turned to his right side and shrieked, hunching over as he tried to hold himself up.

Within a matter of seconds, he leapt to his feet and knocked Tonya’s hand down, forcing her to drop her weapon. Then he lunged at her with carnal veracity, pushing her backwards.

Tonya pulled herself free and tackled him to the ground.

Gage flailed his arms like a cyclone and struck her several times in the head, making it impossible for her to grab a hold of his hands.

To stop him, she slammed her kneecap into Gage’s groin.

“You bitch!” Gage shouted.

Tonya looked down and saw her pistol. She scrambled to gain leverage, desperately reaching as far as she could.

Just as her fingertips grazed the firearm, Gage tugged her backwards by the feet and stood her up. Then he shoved her into the wall.

Gage hurled his heavy fist into her jaw and pulled her head up by her black ponytail. Then he pressed his large forearm against her throat with all his strength, viciously choking her.

Tonya gasped for air, anxiously contorting her body and fighting to no avail.

“Thought you could actually stop me?” he taunted.

Frantic that those were her final seconds of life, Tonya mustered enough strength to form a fist. Then she violently dug her knuckles into the open wound on the left side of Gage’s torso where her bullet had torn open his flesh.

“Shit!” Gage released his grip and fell over in pain.

After breaking free, Tonya coughed and struggled for air, feeling lightheaded. However, knowing that she didn’t have much time, she quickly picked up her gun.

“No!” He yelled. Gage attacked her, fumbling for the pistol.

She gripped the handle with all her might. Her fingers rested on the trigger as she pointed the gun towards him.

With all his strength, Gage forced her arms away, causing Tonya to fire a shot into the empty foyer.

Then Gage used his free hand to smack Tonya upside the head.

However, the detective stood unscathed. She stomped her boot against his shoe and flexed her biceps to maintain control.

“Give up!” he barked, underestimating her tenacity.

Tonya flashed a scowl and grumbled, “I’d never give you the frickin’ satisfaction.” Then she smashed her elbow into Gage’s jaw.

He knelt down and wiped the blood from his mouth.

Realizing how close they were to the banister, Tonya knew she only had a moment, a split second of opportunity. There was no way she could let it pass by. Her life depended on that brief instance.

She threw all of her weight against Gage and knocked him backwards. As his balance wavered over the handrail, Tonya finished lifting him over the ledge and pushed him off the balcony.

During his frightening thirty foot fall, Gage roared all the way down. His arms and legs helplessly swung in the air until his rock hard body smacked against the unforgiving marble floor. The impact sounded like a building collapsing, echoing through the vacantness.

Tonya trembled from the thunderous sound. She waited in the haunting silence for his revival, a final moment of terror. However, she leaned over the railing and nothing happened.

Through all of her exhaustion and injuries, Tonya mustered the strength to traipse down the grand staircase. She nervously approached with her gun draw, uncertain of his fate.

Gage was motionless. He landed on his back and his head lay in a large pool of blood.

Staring at his body felt like a hollow victory, but Tonya was relieved, knowing with absolute certainty that he was dead…

She turned her attention from Gage and checked on Leland. “Brown, are you all right?”

Leland mumbled a few inaudible words between helpless groans.

“C’mon Brown, stay with me. I’ve dispatched backup and an ambulance. We’ll get you some help soon, just hang on, partner. I’m staying with you until they get here.”

He muttered another phrase she didn’t understand.

“What’d you say?”

It took a few moments, but Leland whispered, “Did you…get…him?”

“Look for yourself.” Tonya pulled the flashlight out of his holster and pointed it at Gage’s lifeless body. “I wouldn’t let you down.”