Tunnel Vision (34 page)

Brodie stopped when she saw what was

happening and ran toward the nearest police car, keeping her eyes on the vehicle as it picked up speed. She grabbed the open door of the patrol car and swung her body behind the wheel. She turned the key dangling in the ignition as Maggie jerked open the passenger door. Flipping on the lights and siren, Brodie sped after the dark-green Toyota. She was concentrating so hard on keeping him in sight she wasn’t paying attention to whether other cars were following her.

The radio crackled and she heard Nicholls’ voice.

“We’re not far behind you, RB. Don’t lose him.”

Not a chance in hell, she thought. Chambers wove the small car through early evening traffic, turning abruptly across lanes in his attempt to escape. As she gained on him, she slid past the street he had turned onto and had to back up. If he made it to the Interstate, he would be stuck in the congestion of commuters trying to get home. She floored the patrol car and frowned. If she didn’t stop him before it got much darker, she could lose the dark car. He was driving dangerously fast now through suburban streets. She glanced in the rearview mirror, but didn’t see another police car behind her. “Report our location,” she ordered. Maggie grabbed the patrol car mic and keyed it. “We’re moving down Southerland traveling southeast. Where are you?”

“Running parallel to you. Missed a turn,” Nicholls reported.

“Garland curves back into Southerland a few blocks ahead,” Brodie said.

Chambers swung the Toyota into another turn.

“Turning on Westerfield,” Maggie broadcast.

“Where the hell you going, asshole,” Brodie muttered to herself. Westerfield was the curviest road in Cedar Springs and the scene of numerous accidents caused by drunks taking the curves too fast. She had to slow to keep from running her vehicle off the road. The smaller car had a shorter turning radius and was more maneuverable. Chambers was maintaining his speed, but was all over the road. He crossed the center line around another curve and Brodie saw headlights approaching and swerved back into her lane. Ahead of her she saw the Toyota lean and go up on two wheels for a few seconds before it dropped back onto road and began to skid as Chambers tried to bring it under control before the next curve. He didn’t make it and the little vehicle left the road and sailed over a small drainage ditch before slamming into a wrought iron fence and stopping.

The patrol car slid to a stop as Chambers ran from the compact car. Brodie jumped out of the vehicle.

“Wait for back-up!” she shouted to Maggie over her shoulder.

“He’s out of the vehicle! Brodie’s in foot pursuit near the old county cemetery!” Maggie reported, anxious to sprint after Chambers and Brodie. It was getting dark, but Brodie could still see him ahead of her. Maggie was right, she thought. I need to quit smoking. Her lungs were bursting and her legs throbbed, but she let her anger drive her on. She heard sirens behind her in a distance, but couldn’t risk stopping to wait for more officers to arrive. Long shadows from the trees in the cemetery were making it difficult to see and she slowed, looking around her. Old, ornate tombstones loomed before her and he could be hiding behind any of them. Moving forward in a low crouch, she drew her weapon, swinging it down each row of stones.

She stopped to listen and glanced behind her. The beams from several Mag-lites bounced in the closing darkness as other rushed to join her. They would be there in a few minutes. She listened for the sound of footsteps, but heard nothing. Working her way cautiously forward, she heard the sound of a cracking twig to her left and turned her weapon toward it. Light burst behind her eyes as she was struck from behind and fell to her knees. Before she could react, a blow across her ribs and abdomen forced the air from her lungs. As she gasped to breathe and call out her location, an arm wrapped around her throat and tightened. She struggled to get her feet under her and threw herself back toward her attacker, knocking him off his feet. He released her as he fell, but quickly scrambled up. Standing, she held an arm around her ribs. It was hard to breathe. She saw the flash of metal as it swung toward her.

Backing away, she tripped over a footstone and fell. Chambers stood over her, grinning. “Looks like the end of the line for you, Brodie,” he said, breathing heavily.

Raising his foot, he brought it down over her chest. Mustering the last of her strength, she rolled away and only took a glancing blow to her side. A hand rolled her onto her back and she grunted as she felt the blade of his knife blade sink into her upper chest near her right arm. Suddenly blood exploded from Chambers’ head and Stan Wheeler’s face floated briefly through her mind. She brought her hand to the handle of the knife protruding from her body as she heard the call. “Brodie’s down, get a paramedic here now!”

She smiled weakly as she saw Maggie’s worried face leaning over her. Placing her hand over Brodie’s, Maggie said quietly, “Leave it there, Royce. Let the doctors remove it.”

“I’m tired, Maggie,” Brodie said flatly.

“I know,” Maggie said softly as she stroked a hand through Brodie’s hair. “Don’t you think about leaving me now.”

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER paramedics carried

Brodie on a litter away from the cemetery. Maggie held her hand as the paramedics lifted the gurney quickly into the waiting ambulance.

She could barely keep her eyes open as the paramedic started an IV line in her left arm. She pulled Maggie down to her. “I was terrified that I’d lost you again, baby,” she whispered.

“Never again, my love,” Maggie smiled.

Brodie suddenly couldn’t keep her eyes open. As her eyelids fluttered, she heard Maggie’s voice calling her from somewhere in the distance. “Royce! Stay with me, baby.”

Suddenly, the paramedic slapped the wall of the ambulance behind the driver. “Blood pressure’s dropping fast. Let’s go!”

“What’s wrong?” Maggie demanded, feeling

Brodie’s hand go limp in her hand.

“Not sure,” the paramedic said quickly as he grabbed the radio connecting him to Cedar Springs Memorial.

“Hang on, baby,” Maggie pleaded as she spoke softly into Brodie’s ear and squeezed her hand. “I love you.”

Chapter Fourteen

MAGGIE JERKED HER head up quickly when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Go home, Detective,” a deep male voice said calmly.

Bringing her eyes into focus, Maggie saw Captain Donaldson standing over her, his face serious. Realizing she was still holding Royce’s hand, she released her grip and stood, her body stiff from lack of movement.

“I’m okay, sir,” she said, clearing her voice. “I’d like to stay.”

“There’s nothing you can do right now, Weston. Go home, get some rest.”

“Please, Captain, I can’t go until I know she’ll be all right.”

“That’s not a request, Detective,” Donaldson said firmly. “Someone will be with her until you return.”

“Then I’d like to request a few days off,” Maggie said.“Request denied. Regardless of Detective Brodie’s current situation, I need your report to wrap this case up. Nicholls told me you were invaluable in nailing Chambers. You can have a couple of days after your paperwork is completed.”

It crossed Maggie’s mind to resign on the spot as she looked down at Royce. As if reading her mind, Donaldson placed his big hand on her shoulder once again and looked at her closely. “She’s going to be fine, Maggie,” he said softly. “As your training officer, what would she tell you to do? She’ll be expecting to see you here when the drugs wear off and she wakes up. So I’d move my ass if I were you.”

“Thank you, Captain Donaldson,” Maggie half smiled.

Briefly touching Royce’s hand, Maggie turned to leave. “And bring me another cup of coffee when you come back,” Donaldson ordered as he sat down heavily in a chair near Brodie’s bed.

As the elevator descended to the main lobby of the hospital, Maggie finally realized how tired she was. Hailing a taxi, she closed her eyes during the short trip to her duplex and was startled when the driver tapped her on the leg. “We’re here, lady.”

Paying the driver, she struggled out of the back seat and trudged into her home. She didn’t remember the last time she had eaten, but decided that a shower was more important. Stripping out of her clothes, she noticed for the first time that there was blood on her shirt and slacks, Brodie’s blood. Shivering slightly, she threw them in the trash before stepping under the spray of water to wash away the fear that had gripped her heart for the last two days. Chambers’ knife had done more damage to Brodie’s body than the doctors originally believed, glancing off a bone and nicking the aortic arch.
Brodie nearly bled to death internally before she was rushed into surgery. It was the middle of the night before she was finally taken to intensive care. Nicholls arrived at the hospital nearly an hour after she had been brought in and tried to convince Maggie to go home. She suspected he had been responsible for Donaldson’s unexpected appearance that morning.

Drying her hair and quickly pulling on tan khakis and a polo shirt, Maggie grabbed her car keys and headed for the police department. The paperwork wouldn’t take her more than an hour, she mentally estimated as she swung into a parking space. Nicholls looked up, surprised, when he saw her pull the chair away from her desk.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. “Is she…”

“She’s not awake yet. Donaldson ordered me to leave and finish my paperwork for the case. Do I have you to thank for that?” she asked coldly.

“I haven’t seen Donaldson, Maggie. I swear.”

“As soon as I finish this, I’ll be taking a few days off,” she said matter-of-factly.

Reaching across her desk, Nicholls took her hand.

“Is there anything I can do?”

Finally smiling, Maggie took a deep breath. “I’ll let you know when you can visit. I know she’ll want to see you, Nicholls.”

His face darkened as he said, “I don’t know what happened, Maggie. I….”

“It wasn’t your fault. Royce and I both know that. Don’t second guess yourself.”

By noon Maggie was back in the hospital elevator carrying the promised cup of coffee for Donaldson. As she approached the ICU, she saw a flurry of activity around Brodie’s area and her heart stopped. Rushing toward the room, she grabbed a male nurse. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Seeing the panic in Maggie’s eyes, he patted her hand lightly. “Nothing. We’re just getting everything ready to move her to a regular room.”

Maggie felt as if her legs might collapse under her from the sudden relief. “Is she awake?”

“Still a little groggy from painkillers,” he grinned.

“You must be Maggie.”

When Maggie nodded, he added, “Then you better get in there. She’s been asking for you.”

Maggie pushed her way into the room and her eyes found Royce’s. Her mouth formed a half smile as Maggie made her way to the side of the hospital bed, taking the hand Royce held up for her. Setting the Styrofoam cup on a rolling table near the bed, Maggie leaned down. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”“Donaldson told me he ordered you out. You look great,” Brodie said hoarsely.

“Where is he anyway? He promised to stay with you until I got back,” Maggie said with a frown.

“He got a call on his cell and had to leave.”

“I took the next couple of days off, so you’re stuck with me now,” Maggie smiled.

“I think I can endure it,” Brodie said as she coughed. “Ouch! Remind me not to do that for a while.”

“Excuse me, ma’am,” the male nurse said. “We’re ready to move her now. You can follow us.”

“How about if I walk beside the bed while you move it?”

Seeing Maggie’s grip on his patient’s hand, he smiled. “I guess that would work, too.” Looking at the orderly who would be helping with the transfer, he said, “Let’s rock and roll, Leon.”

By the time she received her hospital dinner tray Brodie and Maggie had talked and napped through the afternoon. After she ate the skimpy meal the hospital nutritionist provided for her, Brodie couldn’t stop herself from going to sleep again. Maggie used the opportunity to leave for an hour to grab some dinner. She was hungrier than she thought and even the hospital cafeteria food tasted good. She finally pushed her tray away and leaned back to finish drinking a glass of tea.

Maggie stepped off the elevator on the fifth floor and nodded and smiled at hospital workers she passed in the hall as she walked back to Brodie’s room. Pushing open the door to the room, Maggie stopped immediately. She would have recognized the back of the person standing next to the bed anywhere. Tim Weston turned his head toward her when he heard the door open. She glanced at Brodie, who was still sleeping peacefully.

“What are you doing here?” Maggie hissed.

“Just came to pay my respects to an injured officer,” Weston said as he joined her at the door.

“I’ll tell her you were here,” she said, holding the door open for him.

“Can we talk?”

“Not here. There’s a waiting room down the hall. I’ll meet you there.”

Tim left the room quietly while Maggie went to Brodie’s side. Gently brushing dark hair away from her forehead, she leaned down and kissed her. She was almost to the door when she heard her voice.

“Don’t be too hard on him, Maggie.”

Returning to the bed, she took Brodie’s hand and smiled. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s all right. Go talk to him, Mag.”

“What’s the point, Royce? I already know what he’s going to say. I’ve heard it all before. He’s not going to convince me to leave this time.”

“Is that what happened eight years ago?” Brodie frowned.

“He threatened to ruin your career and could have gotten you killed. I…I couldn’t let that happen to you.”

“There’s nothing he can do to me now. He’s your father. I can’t blame him for wanting to protect you from getting hurt.”

“He hurt us both.”

MAGGIE SHOVED HER hands into her jeans

pockets as she walked into the waiting room. Tim Weston stood up when he saw her. He still carried himself ramrod straight, a habit he hadn’t managed to break even in retirement.

“What do you want, Dad?”