Chapter Two

We hadn't been on the road for more than a minute before Benjamin whined, "I've got the munchies."

"Not my problem," I replied.

"You're supposed to protect and serve."

I shot back, "And you're not supposed to drive while intoxicated."

"But I'm hungry."

"We don't care," Frank snapped.

Benjamin exclaimed eagerly, "Take me back to my van! I have two sandwiches in my cooler."

"Your van was destroyed in the fire," I replied.

"You sure?"

You can't cure stupid, but there should at least be a mute button. "Very."

"Bummer." A second later Benjamin hollered, "How could you let my car burn?"

I rolled my eyes. "I had nothing to do with it. You're the one who crashed into a tractor-trailer full of fireworks."

"It just appeared out of nowhere. I hope you're gonna write him a ticket."

"The accident was your fault."

"Mine? You can't prove that."

"Yes, I can." People always surprise me and not in a good way. Turning the CAD computer around, I typed Benjamin's name and date of birth into the criminal history database. I let out a whistle. "Wow, Benjamin, you have eight outstanding warrants for failure to appear."

"For what?"

I glanced over my shoulder. "What do you think?"

"Dunno."

"Driving without a valid license."

"So? It's my constitutional right to drive."

Frank snorted. "Nothing in the constitution gives you the right to drive."

"You're sure?"

"We're positive." I quickly typed up a request for a blood draw warrant and emailed it to the Peoria Justice Court. The warrant should be waiting for us when we arrived at the hospital.

Benjamin bounced up and down on his seat. "Hey! Lookie! Lookie! That's a Taco Joint. We can hit the drive thru."

"No, we can't," Frank growled.

"I need to eat. I've got low blood pressure."

I rubbed my aching forehead. "If you shut up, I'll buy you a candy bar at the hospital."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

Benjamin demanded. "What kind of candy?"

"I don't know. Whatever is left in the machine."

"My cuffs are too tight," Benjamin protested a second later.

A hint of laughter in his voice, Frank said, "Relax, the handcuffs are new. They'll stretch out after you wear them for a while."

"Oh, okay."

Ten minutes later, Benjamin started in again. "I'm so hungry."

In my best mean-mother voice, I commanded, "Benjamin. Shut it. Now!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Frank shot me a grin. "Works every time."

"I'm so glad Mom taught me all her tricks." I frowned. The emergency room parking lot was full. Thankfully, the hospital had allotted several spaces for police cars, or we'd be parking in the overflow lot. Getting Benjamin's blood drawn was going to take a while.

The minute Frank turned the engine off, Benjamin started in again. "You gonna get me my candy bar now?"

I took a deep breath and opened the car door. The oven-like heat hit me. Ugh! Instant sweat.

"C'mon lady, I'm starving here."

Frank yanked him out of the back seat. "Not another word, or I'm eating your candy bar."

"What? You can't do that."

"Watch me." Frank dragged him over to the sliding glass doors.

I smothered a grin. As a redhead, Frank had good control of his temper, but he had reached his breaking point.

The hospital doors slid open, and chaos reigned.

Eight shrieking children ran in every direction, knocking over potted plants and climbing on the furniture. A skinny white male wearing a feathered headdress and loincloth did some kind of weird war dance at the nurse's station.

I gaped at him. "Is he singing ‘ I Have a Dream ?'"

"Kinda sounds like it," Frank chortled.

Benjamin groused, "He's high. Why aren't you arresting him?"

"He didn't cause a trailer full of fireworks to go boom," Frank replied.

Hank, the security guard, hurried over to us. "Things have gotten a bit out of hand. I'll take your prisoner to the holding cell if you can help Doctor Halliday. His patient's husband is being combative." He pointed at an examining room where a bald male with a big beer belly threw punches at Doc Halliday, who ably ducked them. On a gurney behind them, an extremely pregnant woman cried hysterically.

"Hey, I wanna watch," Benjamin protested.

"If you want to eat today, you'll go with Hank," I snapped.

"Okay. Okay. You're such a hard ass."

Hank led him off.

"This is going to be one of those Mondays." I fingered the butt of my stun gun. "If he takes a swing at me, I'm putting him down."

Frank nodded. "Looks like he could use an attitude adjustment."

"Yep." I hurried into the examining room. "What's going on Doctor Halliday?"

His relief evident, Doctor Halliday turned to me and got sucker punched by the husband. Doc hit the floor hard.

I pulled my taser and shot the husband; smiling as he landed next to the doctor. His hate-filled eyes fixed on me.

Frank helped Halliday to his feet. "You, okay, Doc?"

"I'll live. Be careful. Mr. Wetmore is high on something." Doctor Halliday grabbed a towel and held it to his bleeding nose.

The pregnant woman shrieked, "Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him."

I eyed her bruised face. "He doesn't seem to have a problem hurting you."

"It's my fault. I always do something stupid, and Brent must correct me," the woman cried.

"What set him off?" I rolled Mr. Wetmore over and cuffed him.

Doc Halliday grabbed another towel. "I was giving Peggy Sue information on birth control."

"It's a woman's duty to procreate," Peggy Sue said, a blank look in her eyes.

Frank exclaimed, "All those children in the waiting room are yours, aren't they?"

"Yes. It's a woman's duty to…"

I cut her off, "Procreate. Who is taking care of them now?"

"Me."

Color me horrified. "Your husband expects you to care for eight kids while you're in labor?"

"Yes, it's my duty."

Can we say brainwashed? Keeping a wary eye on my prisoner, I stood up.

Frank snarled, "A real man helps his wife, and he certainly doesn't smack her around."

"I love him." Tears rolled down Peggy Sue's face. "I love him so much."

Doc Halliday interjected, "I've called Child Protective Services, and I've asked our domestic violence counselor to talk with Peggy Sue."

"No! They ain't taking my kids away again!" Mr. Wetmore swung his legs, knocking Frank off his feet.

Frank hit a tray of medical equipment on his way down. Crash!

Growling like a rabid pit bull, Mr. Wetmore jumped up and tried to kick Frank.

"Not a smart move, Mr. Wetmore." I lashed out with a solid sidekick to his groin.

The color drained from Wetmore's face, and with a moan, he dropped to his knees. "Bitch."

"Wife beater." With a hard shove, I assisted him to the floor. "Keep this up, and you'll be a guest of the state for the next twenty years."

"A woman doing a man's job is an obscenity," Wetmore wheezed.

I gave him my Debbie Sunshine smile. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"You don't have the authority to arrest me."

"Oh, but I do. You have the right to an attorney if you can't afford one…"

Mr. Wetmore tried to get up.

I planted my right knee in his back and held him down. "…a lawyer will be assigned to you before any questioning. Do you understand your rights?"

"Go to hell," Wetmore yelled.

Peggy Sue shrieked, "It's coming. It's coming."

"She's not kidding," I cried. From my position on the floor, I could see the baby's head crowning.

Cursing loudly, Doctor Halliday did a quick exam and shouted, "I need a nurse in here."

A harried nurse pushed a rolling table filled with birthing tools over to the gurney.

"You aren't touching my wife," Mr. Wetmore snarled, struggling wildly.

A horde of children suddenly swarmed me, kicking, punching, and pulling my hair.

"Leave my daddy alone."

"Don't hurt my daddy."

"Get off my daddy."

Peggy Sue's screams got louder and louder.

I struggled to fend off the kids and to keep their father pinned to the floor.

Frank pulled three of the little monsters off me. "Ouch! Stop kicking me, you little brat. Do not bite me! Dammit! No biting!"

"Kill them. Kill them," Wetmore hollered.

Hank, two Peoria police officers, my brother Devon, and a custodian rushed in to help, and within a minute, the children had been contained.

Devon quipped, "What did you do to those darling children to get them so worked up? Steal their candy?"

"Darling?" I bared my teeth in a snarl. "More like demon spawn. What are you doing here?"

"The dispatcher put out a 999."

I closed my eyes in dismay. 999 meant an officer was involved in a life-or-death situation and needed immediate help. "Why did she do that? I never hit the alert button on my radio."

"Dispatch received over a dozen calls about two officers being badly beaten. When I found out you were involved, I had to come," Devon replied.

By the amused glint in his eye, I knew my entire family and Sergeant Bergman would soon learn the graphic details of our assault . How was I going to explain getting beaten up by a bunch of kids?

Devon helped me haul Mr. Wetmore to his feet.

"You can't arrest me! Who will take care of my family?"

I glared at him. "You should have thought about that before you assaulted Doctor Halliday."

"He was giving that worthless bitch information about birth control. I'm suing every one of you," he shrieked.

Frank groaned, "Oh, hell."

"What?"

"Sheriff Maxwell is here."

I glanced over my shoulder and cursed under my breath. This day was going from bad to worse. Sheriff Maxwell was a no-nonsense kinda guy who reminded me of Marshal Dillon in that old tv show.

"Leave my daddy alone," one of the demon spawns cried and threw a metal bedpan at me.

I ducked.

Sheriff Maxwell didn't, and it smacked him in the face. Blood gushed from his nose.

I stared at him in horror.

"Unbelievable," Devon muttered as he grabbed the kid. "Knock it off. Now!"

The kid gave him a one-finger salute and kicked him in the shin. "Go to hell!"

"Kick me again and I'll put you over my knee," Devon warned.

The kid shrieked, "I want my momma. I want my momma."

All the demon spawns started sobbing loudly.

I was never, ever having children.

Frank handed the Sheriff a towel.

Peggy Sue screeched blue bloody murder as she pushed out another Wetmore.

"That better not be another worthless girl," Mr. Wetmore sneered.

"Quiet!" Sheriff Maxwell roared.

To my utter surprise everyone, including the children, obeyed him.

Sheriff Maxwell surveyed the carnage, and his gaze fixed on Doctor Halliday. "What started this?"

Doc Halliday explained in explicit detail what had happened.

"More brass," Frank muttered as the Peoria Chief of Police and more officers entered the emergency room.

With a frown, the Chief walked over to Sheriff Maxwell. "I'm aware of the situation on Loop 303. We've had dealings with Mr. Wetmore before and my officers will take the assaults."

"Thanks, Tim. My deputies will email their statements to you," Sheriff Maxwell said.

"Good, and Deputy Stone, you're a damn fine roper."

"Thank you, sir."

Sheriff Maxwell grinned. "She always gets her man."

"I try, sir."

The Chief handed me his business card. "If you ever decide to leave the Sheriff's Department, come and see me."

"Ah, well…"

Sheriff Maxwell snatched it out of my hand. "Not a chance."

"Book Wetmore," The Chief instructed his officers, handed me another card, and walked off.

The Peoria officers hauled Wetmore out of the emergency room and his kids followed like little ducklings.

The baby cradled against her chest, Peggy Sue jumped off her gurney and chased after them. "Don't take my kids. Don't take my kids."

I started to go after her.

Sheriff Maxwell grabbed my arm. "Let the Peoria officers handle her. Frank and you need to get your injuries looked at."

"It's nothing serious, sir."

"Human bites are nothing to mess with," Sheriff Maxwell countered.

Human bites? I looked down at my aching right arm. Dang, those brats had bitten me too.

Frank had two nasty bites on his right hand.

"Doctor Fox and Doctor Drake are on their way. Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of, but I need to clean up first," Doc Halliday said.

Frank nodded. "Not a problem, Doc."

Halliday disappeared through a door.

"A bedpan. Who would have thought?" Sheriff Maxwell touched his nose gingerly.

Shit! Benjamin. "I better go check on our prisoner."

"I'll do it." Devon said.

"But…"

Devon cut me off, "Do you want Mom to see you like that?"

"I don't look that bad, do I?"

Frank grimaced. "Yeah, you kinda do. Busted lip, black eyes, bruised chin, and you're all scraped up."

"And you've got stuff in your hair," Sheriff Maxell added.

Terrific. I just hoped it wasn't bubble gum. "Thanks, and Benjamin will want the candy bar I promised him."

"Candy bar?"

I said straight-faced, "He has low blood pressure."

"Yeah, right." Devon walked off.

A Peoria officer escorted a sobbing Peggy Sue back into the emergency room. "Where do we put her?"

We all pointed to the gurney.

To make a swell day even better the skinny male wearing the moth-eaten feathered headdress and loincloth danced over to us. The last thing I wanted to see was his junk. "Out! Now! Or I will arrest you for disturbing the peace."

He beat a hasty retreat.

"Your mean-mother voice really works," Sheriff Maxwell said. "Do you think you can teach it to our female deputies?"

Was he serious? "Dunno. I can try."

"Good. I'll set it up." The Sheriff walked off.

Frank hollered, "Gemma, the Doc is waiting for you,"

"I'm coming." God, I hoped I didn't need stitches in my lip. Dante and I had a dance competition this weekend.

My phone rang. I pulled it out of my back pocket and groaned. Crap. It was Dante and I bet he had heard about our little scuffle. "I know I should have called you sooner, but I didn't want to worry you. I mean, seriously, the dispatcher overreacted when she put out that 999. My injuries are minor and have nothing to do with the explosion on Loop 303."

"What exploded?" Dante asked tersely.

Dang! He didn't know. "There was an accident, and a semi-truck hauling ten tons of fireworks blew up. No biggie, we arrested the suspect, but the incident did make the news."

There was a long silence. "How badly are you hurt?"

"Just some bruises and most of those were from the fight at the hospital."

Dante let out a long breath. "I thought it was a scuffle?"

"A minor skirmish. No biggie." I quickly changed the subject, "How's your day going?"

"I've been assigned a new case," Dante said dryly.

"Oh, something interesting?"

"You could say that. I'm at the training center. Someone blew up a tactical van, the spare bomb truck and two patrol cars."

"Oh, my God! Nate said something about another callout, but damn, was anyone hurt?"

"No, they were out running the obstacle course. The explosion caught the buildings on fire. The classrooms and gym are a total loss," Dante replied.

"Any leads?"

"The suspect has military or police training. The bombs were well-crafted, and he left us a message."

I frowned at the sudden fury in Dante's voice. "What did it say?"

"You destroyed my life. Now I destroy yours, starting with the bitches," Dante answered.

My stomach knotted. "Has anyone talked to Sergeant Thompson? He blamed us for getting him booted from the SWAT team, and he's crazy enough to do something like this."

"We haven't been able to locate him."

"Gemma!" Frank yelled. "The doc is waiting."

"I'll be right there."

Dante ordered, "Before you get into your patrol car, check it for bombs."

"I'm riding with Frank right now. When the fireworks blew it destroyed my car, and I'll warn Julie."

"Be careful, querida ." The line went dead.

"I love you too," I murmured.