Haunted (Michael Bennett 10)

Chapter 88

As the house became crowded with paramedics and cops, Sadie and I moved out to the front porch to wait for Sandy Coles to arrive. I’d already made Sadie run through her story a couple of times and was starting to feel confident that we would at least be able to walk away from the scene.

That still left the problem of finding a way to use the information Streeter provided while under duress. Legal procedure dictates that cops shy away from torture when questioning suspects. We needed another source of the information.

Sadie and I both suppressed smiles as they brought Streeter out of the house on a stretcher. He was already yapping like a little dog. His twang made his tirade even more comical.

When the wheels of the stretcher scuffed the hard wood, he barked, “Easy on the floor, asshole. I paid a lot of money to have that floor laid down just right. You ruin it with this stretcher, and the county will be hearing from my attorney.”

As they brought him down the stairs on the porch he was jostled pretty hard, and one of the wheels of the stretcher bounced off the second step. I knew it was probably done on purpose.

Streeter yelled, “Great! Now I’ll have spinal issues along with everything else. Have you guys ever been able to rescue someone alive?”

Then, when they turned him around to load him into the ambulance, he saw the two of us sitting outside on the porch swing. That really agitated him.

He pointed with his left hand—the only one that still had fingers available to point—and said, “She did this to me. Someone needs to arrest that girl. I mean right damn now.”

As they closed the ambulance door, we could still hear him shouting for someone to do something about Sadie.

I looked at her and said, “See? He was threatening you again. Anything you did was in self-defense.”

Sandy pulled up and parked outside the fence of the compound. The property was already filled with rescue vehicles and police cars. She made her way around them and headed for the porch.

As soon as she saw Sadie sitting safely next to me, she started to cry. I had never seen Sandy Coles cry in my entire life. She bounded up the steps and embraced the girl. When she squeezed her tight, Sadie started to cry as well.

I was about to explain to Sandy exactly what had happened and what I’d told Sadie to say. I was also going to tell her about the drugs in the closet. Then fate stepped in. That’s the only way I can describe it. I suddenly saw a chance to fix the biggest problem with our case.

A Dodge Charger drove past the compound slowly. I stared through the open window at the passenger and driver.

Next to me, Sadie said, “That’s D.T. and Billy Ray.”

“Those are Streeter’s bodyguards, right?”

Sadie said, “They’re the other two who live here full-time. I don’t know what their exact job is. They came from Texas with him.”

I said to Sandy, “Let me borrow your keys.”

She said, “What are you going to do, Bennett?”

“Fix this case’s biggest problem. But I’ve got to do it right now, and I’ve got to do it alone.”

Chapter 89

I knew the road went on for more than a mile before it petered out into an unpaved trail. Eventually it just stopped in the woods. Either I would catch up to the bodyguards or they would have to come back the same way. There were no other options.

I can honestly say that while working for the NYPD, I had never chased anyone named Billy Ray before. Still, this wasn’t actually a chase. They weren’t running from me. I wasn’t even sure what was going to happen if I caught them.

I passed a few houses similar to Dell Streeter’s on the way up the winding road. One house looked out of place because it was spectacularly well maintained and had a stable behind it with two horses loitering in front of the building.

But I still didn’t see the Dodge.

Finally, just as the paved road turned into the trail, I saw the car turning around and preparing to head back down the road. This was the moment of truth. How much force could I use to stop them? How could I explain the force I used? Were they suspects? Were they witnesses? I had to play this smart.

I pulled Sandy’s car at an angle across the road. There was no mistaking it was a police car, and I didn’t want them to drive past me. I stepped out of the driver’s-side door and kept the car between me and the two associates of Dell Streeter.

The driver—I didn’t know if it was Billy Ray or D.T.—revved the engine. The powerful Hemi motor sounded like a jet preparing for takeoff.

I pulled my pistol from its holster but kept it out of sight. I was starting to question my judgment in chasing down these two by myself. But I had a plan and intended to stick to it.