Chapter 16

July was almost over, and with Ava and Linette settling into his space like they'd always been there, Wiley felt like the world was beginning to make sense again.

He was coming out of the morning briefing and waiting for his partner, who'd gone to pick up a warrant they needed to serve, when he saw Lilah Perry coming up the hall with an armful of files. Usually, she was all smiles, but this morning she appeared distracted.

Someone banged a door behind her, and when they did, she flinched, lost hold of the files, and then watched in dismay as they fell to her feet.

Wiley ran toward her, but when he knelt down to help, he saw that she was crying.

"Hey, hey, honey, no harm done here. Let me help," he said, and began gathering up files and handing them to her, then helped her to her feet. "See, all done and no harm, no foul."

"Thank you, Wiley. It's been a rough week," she muttered.

"Why? What happened?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows, and I feel like a fool."

"I don't know. I went away for a week dealing with family stuff and still playing catch-up. What's wrong?"

Lilah sighed. "Oh, I forgot. Anyway, you know about the girl who was shot up on Pope Mountain a few weeks back?"

"Yes. Carey Eggers. I was put on guard duty at the ICU when she came out of surgery."

"Long story short, they figured out who did it and arrested him, and I didn't know anything about it until weeks later, when the chief said something in passing. When I heard the name of the man they'd arrested, I fainted from the shock, and I am not a fainter. I not only knew the man from when I used to live in Bowling Green, but he called me the night the Eggers woman was shot, gave me some big story about hurting himself trying to change a flat in that rainstorm, and begged me to help him get bandaged up so he could drive home.

"I hadn't seen him in years, but relented. And when he showed up at my house about ten minutes later, I fixed him up and he went on his way. And then after hearing what the chief said, I was horrified that I had helped a murderer escape. I told the chief everything. My statement helped put Lonny Pryor at the location of the attempted murder and verified the timeline of when she'd been shot."

"But that's good, Lilah! Why would you be embarrassed?" Wiley asked.

"I'm embarrassed that I even knew someone who was capable of murder, let alone help him in any way."

"Try being related to a killer and living it down," Wiley muttered. "You just got played because you have a good heart. There's no shame in that."

Lilah didn't know what Wiley was talking about, but she guessed it was personal. "You're right. I was making a big deal out of nothing after all."

"No. It was a big deal to you, and how it made you feel matters. Now, I better hustle before Leedy drives off without me."

He took off at a lope, caught up with his partner outside, and jumped into the cruiser. "Sorry. Lilah dropped a bunch of files in the hall. I stopped to help her pick them up."

"No problem," Doug said. "We're just doing a welfare check on a man. His neighbors haven't seen him in days and he's not answering his phone."

Wiley groaned. "Please God we don't find a body in a state of putrefaction. I'll take a house full of cats and fleas before that."

Doug grimaced. "Damn, Wiley. Those are some god-awful choices."

"Yes, they are. My two worst fears for welfare checks, and so far, so good, but I don't want to encounter one today."

They left the precinct and headed east out of town toward Reagan Bullard's campground, then turned south at the first section-line road and drove into a trailer park, and noticed the rows of mailboxes.

"What's the address?" Wiley asked.

"It's trailer number eleven," Doug said, and slowed down so they could read the numbers as they passed.

"That one!" Wiley said, pointing to a rusting white and turquoise single-wide with the front half of the skirting lying on the ground.

They pulled up in the drive behind a black Dodge truck. The hood was up, and the engine block was hanging on chains from a nearby tripod.

"If he's gone, he left afoot," Wiley muttered, carefully eyeing the concrete blocks stacked up for steps as he went up onto the stoop and knocked.

No one answered.

Wiley knocked again, and then called out, "Mr. Carlisle, it's the police. Are you able to come to the door?" He knocked again, but heard nothing.

"Try the knob," Doug said, and to their surprise, the door was unlocked.

"Here goes nothing," Wiley muttered, and stepped over the threshold.

The trailer was hot. Dirty dishes were in the sink and on a table, and flies were rampant all over the kitchen. But there was no one home. And after a quick check of the bedrooms, it was evident that Mr. Carlisle was no longer in the residence.

"No clothes and nothing in the bathroom," Doug said. "Not even a toothbrush. We'll check the bus station when we get back into town to see if he took the bus, but it appears he left of his own accord. The only crime here is stinking garbage and dirty dishes, which is a reminder to me of why I do not ever want to be a landlord."

"Then we're done here, and I need some air," Wiley said.

After a quick trip by the bus station to check the records, they learned Sam Carlisle left Jubilee two weeks ago on a bus bound for Denver.

"Welfare check completed," Doug said as he got back into the car. You call and notify the chief ASAP so the family will at least know that much. I'll write up the report later."

"Will do," Wiley said, and made a quick call off radio to give Chief Warren the details.

***

Linette was on duty in a patient's room, administering a pain med via the shunt in the patient's IV.

The patient, a twelve-year-old boy who was two days out of surgery for the repair of a compound fracture to his leg from a rollover on his ATV, was miserable. His leg was in a cast from the ankle to just above his knee. He couldn't get comfortable, and when she'd entered the room with his meds, he was alone and in tears.

"I'm sorry you're having such a rough time, Davey, but these pain meds will kick in very soon."

He swiped at the tears on his face, embarrassed to be caught crying. "I know. Thank you, Miss Linnie."

"You're welcome, honey. Looks like someone moved your table too far away to reach the water. Are you thirsty?"

He nodded.

"We can fix that," she said, and poured some cold water into his cup, held the straw up to his lips, and watched as he drank.

As soon as he'd had his fill, he sank back into the pillow and glanced at the clock.

She saw the frown on his face. "Where is your mother this morning?"

"She got a phone call from Dad. Said she had to run home for a bit, but she'd be right back. That was three hours ago."

"Hmm, there are a dozen reasons why she might be delayed. I'll bet she shows up soon. In the meantime, why don't you just close your eyes and let those pain meds do their job?"

Davey was already getting sleepy and closed his eyes.

Linette straightened his covers, gently brushed her hand across his forehead, and then waited until she knew he was out. But as soon as she left the room, she went straight to the nurses' desk.

"Anyone here know why Davey Andrews's mother suddenly left this morning? He said she got a phone call. Said she'd be right back, but that was three hours ago. He's worried. I administered his pain meds, so he's asleep now, but this is unlike her. She has hardly left his side since they brought him in."

Then a nurse behind the desk looked up and pointed. "There she comes now, Linnie, but I think something's wrong."

Linette turned around, saw the panicked look on Shelly Andrews's face as she reached the station.

"I saw a man in the parking lot getting out of his truck with a gun in his hand. I don't know who he is, but I saw him entering the lobby just as the elevator doors closed on me."

Before any of the nurses could react, they began to hear gunshots, and then a lockdown alarm. Linette's first thought was Wiley, and then she thought of their patients. Who the hell was this man and who'd he come after?"

"I'm shoving the recliner against the door to my son's room," Shelly said, and ran.

The RN jumped into action. "We have twelve patients on this floor and six nurses. Get anyone who's mobile into a bathroom. Tell them to lock the door and stay in there. The rest of you, get in a room with a patient, bar the door as best you can, and wait for an all clear on the intercom."

The nurses turned and ran.

***

The dispatch went out to every police car and to every handheld radio.

"Active shooter inside Jubilee Hospital. Proceed with caution. Hospital is on lockdown."

Wiley was in the passenger seat of the patrol car, and Doug Leedy was driving when they received the dispatch. Doug hit the lights and sirens and made a U-turn in the street before speeding off toward the hospital with more than a dozen other police cars doing the same thing, coming from all over town.

Wiley tried to call Linette, but when the call went to voicemail, his heart sank. He told himself it was because she was likely involved in securing her area and patients, but that didn't alleviate his fears.

They reached the hospital in less than two minutes and saw people pouring out of the front entrance on foot, trying to get to their vehicles. Wiley and Doug got out of the patrol car on the run.

A man came running toward Doug and Wiley, carrying a small child.

"How many shooters?" Wiley shouted.

"One man. Big, heavyset. Long gray hair in a ponytail. Black T-shirt and jeans. Black and white baseball cap," the man said, then kept going.

Wiley gave the description over a handheld radio. "People running out of the hospital. None appear to have been wounded. We're entering the front lobby now."

Aaron and Bob Yancy came in right behind them, as did a half-dozen other officers, while more were still en route, including Chief Warren and his driver.

Inside the lobby, a security guard was sitting against a wall, bleeding from a bullet wound in his arm. Aaron stopped to apply a tourniquet. Calling for help was futile. Everyone on-site had taken cover.

"I'm going to move you behind the front desk," Aaron said, and helped the guard into a hiding spot. "Stay down. I'll radio your location to the EMTs."

"No! Don't!" the guard said. "He has a two-way. He can hear all of your traffic."

"Shit," Aaron muttered. "Do you know him?"

"Gene Terry, ex-EMT. Got fired and went to prison for stealing and selling drugs. I didn't know he was out," the guard said.

"Do you see where he went?" Yancy asked.

"Into the stairwell."

"How many security guards on duty?" Aaron asked.

"Three, so there's two more besides me. One might be in the ambulance area and one patrols the perimeter."

Wiley overheard the conversation and took off running while Aaron sent a cryptic message over their handhelds.

Go to emergency channel.

Then he issued a second warning there.

Shooter has ears. Took the stairwell. Maintain radio silence or use emergency channel.

Wiley paused in the stairwell to listen, trying to see if he could hear footsteps, and heard nothing. He sent Linette a brief text, knowing she'd pass the info along to the nurses.

One shooter in the building. Took the stairwell. We're searching floors. He has a two-way. We're maintaining radio silence to keep him from knowing what we're doing. We'll find him. Stay safe.

***

Linette read the text, then forwarded it to the hospital link that would automatically send an alert to every employee's phone. It put all of them on the same page with what was happening. But it didn't make her job easier.

She was holed up in a room with a ten-year-old patient named Crystal, who was recovering from a car wreck. She and her family had come to Jubilee on vacation, then had a wreck outside of town before they arrived. Her mother was in a room on a different floor, recovering from hip surgery. Her dad had been flown to Bowling Green for burn treatments.

Linette had been particularly empathetic toward the little girl for having to be alone throughout her ordeal and had headed straight for Crystal's room for lockdown.

Crystal had heard the alarms, and people running and shouting, and was already terrified and sobbing when Linette came running into her room.

"What's happening?" she cried.

"We're going to hide from a bad man," Linette said. "But don't worry. I'm going to be right here with you the whole time. Okay?"

Crystal froze. "Is this like school lockdown? Does the man have a gun?"

Linette nodded. "Exactly like that. So, we know what to do, right?"

"I want Mama," Crystal sobbed.

"I know, but your mama is on a different floor, and she's in bed, too. Someone is taking care of her, just like I'm taking care of you, okay? Now you can watch me while I push this empty bed across our door."

Once she had blocked the door, Linette moved back to stand beside Crystal. She'd already come to terms again with the possibility of dying, and it made her sad. But she knew her role in this chaos, and if the shooter came into this room, he would have to go through her to get to the child.

She glanced down at the little girl again and could tell her pain meds were still making her sleepy. "Just relax, sweetheart. Close your eyes and rest. I'm here with you."

***

Wiley knew Linette worked on the third floor, but he had no idea which room she'd taken shelter in. It took everything in him not to storm up the stairs and go find her, but he couldn't. They had to clear floors in order, going one hospital room at a time before moving up to the next level.

They had officers on guard at every stairwell and at every elevator, on the off chance that the shooter slipped past the searchers and tried to escape the building. It was a tedious and tension-filled search. They'd heard no more gunshots. And there was no one talking anywhere. The officers were communicating with hand signs as they cleared the first floor, and then the second.

They were back in the stairwell on their way to the third floor when Doug Leedy caught a glimpse of movement above him and saw the backside of a man in a black T-shirt and cap dart into an exit door onto the third floor. But it was the long gray ponytail that solidified the ID.

"He's on the third floor!" Doug shouted, and immediately radioed the message on the emergency channel so the other searchers in the building could converge.

Wiley leaped past two other cops on the stairwell, hit the latch on the exit door, and flew into the hall. He caught a glimpse of the man running down the hall on the left, and took the right junction instead and started running parallel, while following the sound of the man's footsteps.

***

Gene Terry knew the cops were coming. He'd heard them in the stairwell. He'd already knew he would be going back to prison if they caught him, but he'd made his peace with dying. He just had payback on his mind. He'd already taken out the security guard and ambulance driver who'd ratted him out to the cops, and the only one left standing was an RN on the third floor. He'd put a bullet in her head, then one in his own, and be done with it.

The moment he exited onto the floor and heard nothing and saw no one, he headed for the nurses' station. He saw the corner of the desk from twenty yards away and increased his speed, but as he took the turn, he realized the desk was empty.

"Connie Parsons! Where the hell are you? Come out now or I'm gonna start shooting at everyone!" he roared, then aimed his gun at the first door in front of him and fired, and then kept firing at every door as he ran.

He turned the corner at the nurses' station on the run, still shooting at doors, and didn't know there was a cop coming down the hall behind him until he was tackled from behind. He went down hard, hitting his chin on the floor and biting his tongue in the process. His gun went flying, and he was struggling to breathe when someone grabbed his wrist, yanked his arm behind his back, and pushed it so far up he could feel his own hair.

The cold snap of steel around his wrists was shocking, and he began trying to resist with his free arm until the yank on his cuffed wrist was so sudden and hard it made him scream.

Then there was a voice in his ear, speaking with a calm that made him shudder.

"You move like that again, and I'll yank that arm off your shoulder."

The pain was still rolling up Gene's back and neck when the man twisted his other arm behind his back and cuffed it, too.

At that point, Gene began banging his head against the floor, screaming in frustration, and then began seeing the boots and legs of a dozen uniformed officers and realized he was surrounded. And again, he heard that voice, deep and sarcastic this time.

"Normally, boys, you'd pay money for the sideshow freak, but this one is giving you a performance for free. It's called, ‘How long will it take for the asshole to knock himself out?'"

Three officers yanked Terry up from the floor. Blood was pouring from his forehead, his nose, and his chin. He spit blood on the floor and then looked up into the face of the cop who'd run him down, and thought, No wonder I couldn't breathe. He's a fucking giant. And then he blinked and saw another cop approaching and thought he was seeing double, until he realized there were two of them.

Unaware Aaron was coming up behind him, Wiley stared until Terry was the first to look away.

Aaron radioed an all clear, and moments later, the hospital relayed the all clear through their intercom.

But all clear meant nothing to Wiley until he heard Linette's voice. He was on the phone, listening to it ring, but it wasn't until he heard Linette's voice that he breathed easy again.

"Wiley?"

"It's over, honey. Shooter's down. What room are you in?"

"Three thirty-four."

He looked around and then shuddered. One door away from where he stopped the shooter. That door would have been next.

"I'm coming in," he said, and pushed past the crowd to get to her.

Linette was already dragging the bed away from the doorway when he came inside. He took one look at her face and wrapped his arms around her.

She was trembling but silent, and she was afraid to turn him loose for fear her legs would go out from under her.

And then Wiley saw the little girl asleep in the bed behind them and immediately thought of Ava.

"Who's your little friend?" he asked.

"Her name is Crystal. Oh my God, Wiley. Oh my God," she whispered, and hugged him again.

"I know. I've never been so scared," Wiley said. "Losing you wasn't an option. I'm sorry, baby, but I've got to go. We're still in cleanup mode."

Linette nodded. "Understood, and thank you for that text. It was a lifesaver for all of us. See you at home later."

"Absolutely," he said, and went to tend to business.

The relief of confirming that no one had been injured on the third floor from Terry's random shots was huge. The wounded security officer was in the operating room getting a bullet dug out of his arm. They found one deceased ambulance driver in the ambulance bay and two wounded visitors hiding in an elevator.

It was late in the day by the time everyone was accounted for and then, for the cops, the paperwork began.

Linette got off work before Wiley and went by to pick Ava up. Seeing that sweet little face as she picked her up was all the medicine Linette needed. She and Wiley had lived to fight another day, and then had the gift of coming home to her.

"Did you have the best day ever with Dani?" Linette asked.

"Oh, yes! We made cookies to take home and I read a new book. We played outside and we watered the flowers. I played in the sprinkler and my swimming pool."

Linette glanced at Dani and saw the level of fear she'd hidden from Ava while worrying about her own husband and family, in the midst of today's chaos.

"Go get your backpack and we'll head home," Linette said and put Ava down.

She took off running, and as she did, Dani reached for Linette and held her close.

"I was so scared for all of you," she whispered. "Was it bad?"

Linette nodded. "They caught him on our floor. He was shooting into the doors of patients' rooms as he ran down the hall."

"Aaron said that Wiley caught him."

Linette nodded. "In a flying tackle, stopping him one door away from me and my ten-year-old patient. I'm still having nightmares about the bank robbery."

Dani saw tears in Linette's eyes and hugged her again.

"I said prayers. We love you. You are the best thing that could have ever happened to Wiley and Ava. I hope you know that," Dani said.

Linette sighed. "They're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

And then Ava came running back. "I'm ready!"

Dani handed Linette the sack of cookies on the hall table as she walked them to the door.

"Ava helped cut out the dough and decorated every one of these herself," Dani said.

Ava beamed. "All by myself. Dani did the oven. I'm not old enough for the oven."

"Amazing," Linette said. "How did Bubba and I get so lucky?"

Ava reached for Linette's hand. "'Cause Corina's an ass," she announced, and led the way out the door.

Linette could hear Dani laughing as she shut the door, and rolled her eyes. She could almost hear those words coming out of Wiley's mouth. This tiny blond and her black-haired wild man were two peas in a pod. She couldn't wait to get home. Love and sanctuary awaited.

That night, after their supper was over, Linette was in their bed in her pajamas watching TV, with Ava tucked up beside her. Wiley came out of the bathroom, fresh from his shower, and saw them sitting side by side, their gazes glued to the screen. After the drama of the day, and the fear he'd had that something would happen to Linette before he could find her, the sight of such a simple scene was a gut punch. Then she looked up.

"We're saving you a seat," she said.

Wiley took a deep breath and crawled into bed. Now Ava was sandwiched between them. He reached over Ava's head and put his hand on Linette's shoulder. Love you, he mouthed.

Love you more, she mouthed back.

"What are we watching?" Wiley asked.

" A Bug's Life ," Ava said.

"Is it good?" Wiley asked.

"Oh yes. So good, Bubba."

"And why is this movie so good?" he asked.

"Because they know how to be little and hide, so people can't see them—like me," Ava said.

"I don't want you to hide. I want everyone to see how pretty and how special you are," Wiley said. He scooped her up in his arms and hugged her until she giggled, then dropped her back down between them. "We need popcorn. Can't watch a movie without popcorn," he said. "Be right back."

Linette watched him lope out of the room with a longing to be lying in his arms.

"We're a-havin' popcorn, Linnie!" Ava cried.

Linette laughed. "We sure are. Bubba is the best."

Ava scooted herself beneath Linette's arms. "You're my best, too," she said, and then giggled again at the scene on the screen.

Linette gently ruffled Ava's curls. "Thank you, sweetheart." The scent of popcorn wafted down the hall.

A few minutes later, Wiley was back with a big bowl of popped corn. He sat it in Ava's lap and then scooted in beside her.

Ava's eyes widened. "I get to hold the bowl?"

"Yep, and you get the first bite, and then we'll help you eat it," Wiley said. She picked up one kernel and put it in her mouth. "Yum, Bubba!"

Wiley winked. "Okay, Linnie, my love, Ava says, ‘Yum.' I guess that means it's good enough to eat."

All of a sudden, a little Pixar movie had turned into an event, and by the time the movie was running credits, Ava was asleep with her hand still in the popcorn.

"Poor baby," Linette said. "I'll get the popcorn. You carry her to bed."

Wiley scooped her up into his arms and carried her across the hall. The bed was already turned down, and Pinky was on the pillow, waiting for her sleeping buddy. He tucked the doll in her arms, watched as Ava rolled over onto her side, and then covered her up.

He stood for a few moments, making sure she had settled, then leaned over and brushed a kiss across her forehead.

"Love you, baby," he whispered, and was starting to leave the room when he heard a sleepy little voice mumbling behind him.

"Love you, Bubba."

"Love you more," he whispered, and walked across the hall.

The lights were out. The covers were turned back on their bed, and Linette was stretched out beneath them, wearing nothing but a smile.

Wiley closed and locked the door behind him and stripped out of his gym shorts as Linette turned out the lamp, leaving the room lit by the bathroom night-light and the fire between them.

He slid into bed beside her and pulled her close.

"No talking," Linette said. "We've already said it all and it's over. We don't make love like it might be our last time together. We make love because we're here."

He said nothing as he slid over her. He was already hard, and she was so hot he could feel it, even before he slid inside her.