The Killing Ground: A Foxx Files Thriller (22 page)

“Riley and Gray?” Rick stammered. “It’s their case too. They should be there.”

“Damn it, Jonesy! It’s our case, not the FBI’s.” Rebecca’s eyes blazed and Rick took a step back, somewhat confused at her reaction. She saw him wince and immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Rick raised a dismissive hand.  “I know the score.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rebecca was irritated enough, and she wasn’t in the mood for his shit.

“Nothing, boss. Forget I said anything.”

He started to walk out, and Rebecca grabbed his arm and spun him around. “No, tell me what you mean. Enlighten me, ‘cause right now I’m not so sure what is going on.”

Rick met her steely gaze and held it firmly. “I know you got a thing for the Agent. I’m not sure what is going on with you two, but I’ve never seen you put your feelings before our safety in any case. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty fond of living right now, and if having them glued to my hip keeps me alive, I’m all for it. For once, think about someone besides yourself.”

Rebecca’s heart dropped. “You really think that? That I put myself first. I give my life to this place. Never ask for anything in return. My life is about putting others first.”

Rick sighed. “You’re right, you live the job. Nobody can refute that. But sometimes all you think about is yourself. I know you want this bastard, maybe more than anybody else but don’t do it like this. Don’t be a hero.”

“Jonesy, I would never…” Rebecca stopped and let his words sink in. Was he right? Had it always been about her? She did have a temper, and that got the better of her sometimes. She could be rash. But she thought she put that aside when it mattered. She felt him studying her. Rick was the only person she would ever let accuse her of being selfish. Probably, because he had a point and more so because he was her partner and would do anything for her. She frowned.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. I think you get so wrapped up in the job, you forget you’re not the only one around…Jordan included.”

She could have asked him to explain what he meant, but she didn’t need him too. She knew. She didn’t think about Jordan’s feelings when she went off on her, just how she felt. How she hurt. And hadn’t every relationship ended the same way? By her choice. Because it didn’t work for her anymore. It wasn’t convenient. And now with Rick, she was ready to storm into a madman’s house by themselves. Putting both their lives at risk. “I…I didn’t realize…”

Rick squeezed her hand gently. “You’re a great cop, and you’ve always been there for me. I just want you to be there with me. We’re partners, remember?”

“I know.”

“And whether you want to accept it or not, Jordan cares about you. Maybe it’s time to stop being so goddamn self—centered. Take it from me, it gets damn lonely.”

“Oh.” Rick’s words hit her, and she felt her chest clench tightly. She knew he wasn’t married. Hell, he hadn’t dated anyone in months. The job made it hard to have a social life, much less find someone that could love you despite the crazy hours. She just figured that was his choice, and here he was pretty much admitting he hated his single life and telling her to get over herself. “I don’t know what to say.”

Rick smiled. “Hell, Boss, I didn’t mean to ream you out. It’s just that…”

“No, I know.” Rebecca shrugged her shoulders. “I’m an asshole.”

Rick’s laughter filled the bullpen. “Well, that’s one way to say it.”

Rebecca smiled despite herself, and for the first time, she looked at Rick differently. She realized she loved him like a brother and knew she would die to protect him, just as he would for her. More importantly, she realized she was capable of opening herself up, and that thought frightened her. She shook it off and punched Rick in the shoulder. “Well, what the fuck are we waiting for? Let’s get Riley and Gray and take this bastard down.”

They agreed to go in silent. No lights, no sirens. There was something in the element of surprise after all. Matt’s sedan slid to a quiet stop behind Rebecca’s unmarked car, catty corner to Dr. Stein’s house. The dim street lights afforded them more cover than they had expected and within moments, Rebecca and Rick were walking up to the door, eyes peeled, taking in everything. Neither one wanted any surprises. Jordan and Matt were already positioned around the back of the house, in case he decided to run.

Rebecca stepped up on the porch and lifted her hand to knock when a chill ran down her spine. The door was cracked slightly. She tensed and gave Rick a look. He stepped up and put himself between her and the door, neither knowing what they would find.

Rick raised his gun and put it in front of his lips, signaling for Rebecca to remain quiet. He pushed the door open with his foot and leaned his head in the crack. “Phillip Stein. Chicago PD.”

They waited, breaths held for some response. None came. Rick toed the door open all the way and stepped into the entryway. He shouted again. “Hello! Dr. Stein, are you here? Chicago PD.”

Still nothing. Rebecca stepped in behind him. Something wasn’t right. The open door wasn’t right. It felt all wrong.

Rick slid his hand across the wall and flipped a light switch illuminating the dark room. They surveyed the room. A sofa table lay upended, and an empty glass lay on the carpet with a wet stain spreading around it. He shot Rebecca another look, this time letting her know that whatever was going on wasn’t what they expected.

She could feel a chill in the room and couldn’t tell if it was the open door or the evil she knew lived here. They walked around the sofa, careful not to touch anything. “Dr. Stein. Chicago PD.” Rick’s voice was louder this time.

They heard a slight shuffle from the room next to the living room. Pulling a small flashlight out of his pocket, he led them into the kitchen. Both of their guns were ready, not sure if Phillip Stein would try to attack them. He obviously saw them pull up, and he was frantically trying to avoid being caught. He was a man with everything to lose. Rick fumbled for the light switch and flipped it on, ready to shoot if necessary.

“God damn it!” Rebecca pulled her gun back. “What are you doing in here?”

Jordan waived her gun at the door. “It was open.”

“And you couldn’t give us a head’s up?” Rebecca was glaring at her. Her heart was pounding, her nerves a frenzied mess.

“I wasn’t sure if he was waiting to ambush you, and I didn’t want to alert him if he was.”

Matt came out a door to her right. “All clear.”

“Basement?”

“Yeah.” Matt slid his gun into the holster. “I don’t think he’s here.”

“You’re probably right. Let’s check the rest of the house.” Rebecca walked in front of Rick and repeated the same slow thorough sweep of the house. Phillip Stein wasn’t home and from the looks of it, had left in a hurry.

“Fuck.” Rebecca swore softly. “Put out an APB. I don’t want him getting far. Send his plate info out to anyone in a two—hundred mile perimeter. He’s not getting away.”

Rick pulled out his cell and made a call. “It’s done.

“What now?” Jordan said with a loud sigh.

“Get CSI out here. I want every inch of the property searched. We are going to go back and figure out where he’s going. I want his phone records. Find out who he is talking to. Run his credit cards. Let’s pull his bank accounts too. If he’s running, he’s going to need cash.”

She met Jordan’s questioning look. “See if you can get a hold of Ruth Dawson. Find out if they had any friends who would help. Maybe she knows something. It’s obvious someone tipped him off, and my gut is telling me it’s her.”

Jordan nodded, thankful for the distraction. She still had a hard time looking at Rebecca without her heart clenching tightly. She sucked in a breath. “For her sake, I hope she didn’t.”

Back in the bullpen, Rick pulled up all his records. “Nothing unusual on his cards. No ATM withdrawals, at least nothing big.” He scanned the cell records. “Wait a sec.”

“What?” Rebecca nodded towards the monitor on the wall where all of Phillip Stein’s personal info was popping up.

“There’s a number on here. Called at least twenty times in the last couple of days.”

“Run it.” Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest and started chewing her bottom lip.

Rick punched the keys loudly. “Son—of—a—bitch.”

“What?”

“It’s Richard Hudson’s number.”

“What the hell?” Rebecca narrowed her eyes. “I told him to let us handle it.”

“Last call was an hour before we got there.” Rick clicked another couple of buttons. “It’s his cell.”

Rebecca spun around. “Find him. He’s just crazy enough to try something stupid.”

Rick pulled up another program and started searching for the tracking devise in Richard Hudson’s phone, triangulating it against the map. Within minutes, a small red blip showed up on the monitor. “Got it.”

“Let’s go get him.” She nodded towards the laptop.

Rick studied the laptop as they drove. The dot hadn’t moved. It was a steady flash somewhere in Navy Pier. Not so strange for the middle of the day, but for late at night, it was strange. Even stranger because it was Richard Hudson, and he had called Phillip Stein more than twenty times in the last two days. 

Rebecca had the lights and sirens on this time. Cars moved slowly out of the way as she maneuvered her way through the dense downtown Chicago traffic. She pulled into Navy Pier and crept along the road, waiting for Rick to signal they were close.

“There.” Rick stopped them at a point on the back edge of the pier, closest to the Grand Ballroom. There was a dark sedan parked haphazardly. From the looks of it, the occupant had fled the car quickly. The driver’s side door was thrown open, and the engine had been left running.

They got out and started walking towards the end of the pier. They passed the twin spires of the domed ballroom barely visible against the murky sky. Their guns were drawn, and both had flashlights trained on unseen spots in the dark.

“You son—of—a—bitch. You took everything from me.”

Rebecca felt Rick tense next to her and without a word, they began running towards the sound. Their flashlights bouncing around wildly as they ran towards the voice.

“Please, I didn’t do anything.”

The sound of desperation filled the air, and Rebecca knew what they would see before they even spotted Richard Hudson.

“Richard. Chicago PD.” Her flashlight finally found them at the edge of the pier. Richard had Phillip Stein on his knees, a gun leveled at the back of his head, ready to shoot him execution style. “Put the gun down now!”

Richard turned and the beam of her light hit his eyes. They glowed eerily, and she knew immediately that he had snapped. The look of crazy desperation penetrated the night. “Don’t come any closer, Detective. He deserves to die.”

“Put the gun down. He’s not worth it. Let the law decide his punishment. This won’t bring Lizzie back.” Rebecca’s voice carried softly across the air. She could tell that Phillip was already bleeding, and his face showed signs of bruising.

Rick saw him hesitate and used the opportunity to shut his flashlight off and back away from Rebecca. He knew immediately what he was going to try to do. If he could come around from behind Richard and surprise him, he just might be able to stop him before he hurt someone.

“He stole my life.” Richard screamed. His voice was full of raw anguish.

Phillip craned his head, and Rebecca could make out the look of sheer fear in his eyes. “Please help me.”

Richard pulled his hand back and slammed the gun into the side of Phillip’s head, eliciting a painful howl.

“Richard.” Rebecca moved closer, her gun still trained on Richard. “Think about what you’re doing. Are you willing to give up your life for revenge? Is that what Lizzie would want for you? Ask yourself what Lizzie would want.”

Richard’s arm dropped slightly. He looked as though her words might have penetrated his brain and latched onto some shred of sanity.

Phillip tried to pull away, and Richard yanked his collar angrily. “Don’t move. Tonight you will die.”

Rebecca tensed. She could see in his demeanor that he was close to shooting. She couldn’t make out Rick’s position in the dark, but hoped he had been able to circle close to Richard. She just needed to keep him occupied for a couple of seconds longer. “Richard. Please. Think about Lizzie.”

Richard heard her steps and whipped the gun around on her. “Don’t come any closer to me, Detective. Don’t make me shoot you too.”

A chill ran through Rick’s blood. Richard was completely out of control, and Rebecca was in his line of fire. He quickened his step. He had to completely back away from them and circle outside his line of vision, and having to be quiet was taking way too much time. He prayed Rebecca could keep his attention just a few seconds longer.

“I’m not your enemy, Richard. This isn’t the way to deal with this.” She was ten feet away now, close enough to see the whites in his eyes. She could shine the light directly in them, but worried that in his wild reaction. he would shoot her. “Put the gun down, Richard.”

“Stop!” His voice was menacing. She had taken his mind off of Phillip and put it on her, a dangerous move.

He saw her move towards him. He loosed his grip of Phillip’s collar and leveled the gun on her. Time suddenly stopped. Rebecca’s eyes widened. She heard the gun fire and felt the bullet hit her. As she fell, her flashlight dropped from her hands and rolled towards Richard. She didn’t see his body hit the concrete seconds behind hers, his blank eyes staring into the night sky.

Rick leveled his gun on Phillip. “Don’t move! Don’t you fucking move!” He knelt down next to Rebecca, panic racing through his veins. He shined his light on her body, searching for the wound. He saw blood on her right side, and he ripped her shirt away. “Stay with me, Rebecca.”

Her eyes met his, and he saw the fear in them. She looked like a wounded animal. He pressed his hand to the wound and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Officer down! Repeat Officer down! The southeast corner of Navy Pier.”

Rebecca’s body was starting to shake. The cold, shock and blood loss making her tremble uncontrollably. “Jones…Jonesy, I’m s…sorry. I fu…fucked up.”