Taggart shook his head. “Nothing. Really.”
“Good. You tell them you have an officer down and need assistance. That’s it. Any more and you’re history.”
Delta held both the mike and the gun up to Taggart’s face, and he did as she ordered. When the radio jumped to life with response, she simply hung up the mike. Moving Taggart away from the unit, Delta picked up the mike, waited for clearance, and said in a low, gruff voice, “Checkmate.” It was her signal to Connie that she was alright and they would proceed according to plan.
The radio dispatcher and several sergeants demanded to know who had said that, and the radio waves filled with excited chatter.
“What are you going to do with me?”
Checking his bugging device, Delta pressed a handcuff key into his palm. “That depends.”
“I’ll do whatever you want man, just stop waving that gun in my face.”
Delta lowered her magnum and looked down at him.
“Who’s in this with you?”
Taggart looked away. As he did, Delta grabbed him by the collar and shoved him up against the wall.
“Don’t waste my time, Taggart.”
“Alright, alright. Patterson and McKlinton.”
“That’s all?”
Taggart looked away
“Who else?”
Trembling, Taggart said in a low, near-whisper.
“Owens, Larson, Chambliss. Come on, Stevens, you can’t fight everyone.”
“Don’t make me have to shoot you to shut you up. Now, unlock your cuffs. All I want you to do is stand underneath that streetlight. When your backup buddies get here, you tell them that I’m dead. If you so much as let on otherwise, I’ll fill you so full of lead, they’ll use you as a ship’s anchor. Understand?”
Taggart nodded.
Delta set the ear plug in her ear. She could hear his rapid breathing against the mike on his chest. “You go along just as you would have if I had been killed. Remember—one wrong move and your wife becomes a widow. And that would be a shame. She’s such a pretty woman.” Watching an uncuffed Taggart stand under the streetlight, Delta moved behind the patrol car and reloaded the shotgun. As she slammed the last round in, Patterson and McKlinton rolled up and jumped out of their car.
“Did he get her?”
Taggart nodded. “Yeah.”
“She dead?”
“Yes.”
Patterson sighed. “Too bad. She was a good cop.”
“Yeah, a good cop on a suicide mission to find Brookman’s killer,” McKlinton offered. “She got in the way when she should’ve minded her own business.”
Delta could still hear Taggart’s chest heave up and down.
Suddenly, “Hey, Taggart, where’s your gun?”
Before Taggart could respond, Delta jumped out from behind the car. “Move, and I’ll drop you where you stand!”
All three men raised their hands in the air. Patterson and McKlinton turned and stared in amazement.
“What in the hell—” Patterson glared over at Taggart.
“I had to man, she was gonna kill me.”
“Taggart, cuff them both,” Delta ordered, keeping the shotgun aimed at the three men.
“Stevens, you’ve got this all wrong!”
“Save your breath guys,” Taggart offered. “She got it all on tape.”
Delta raised the shotgun to eye level and approached the circle of light cast by the streetlight. “I’ve killed one man tonight, and I won’t hesitate to do it again.”
Patterson and McKlinton stared at Taggart in disbelief.
Taggart simply nodded.
“Taggart, take their guns out with your left hand and toss them in the bushes.”
Taggart did so and stood awaiting her next order.
“You two, lay on the ground while he cuffs you.”
“Stevens—”
“Shut up, Patterson. This whole damned thing is being recorded!”
“I don’t give a fuck. She’s crazy. She’ll kill us all.”
Delta chuckled. “That’s quite possible, Mac. You’ve murdered my partner and beaten up my lover. Killing any of you would be a small price to pay, don’t you think?” Delta watched carefully as Taggart recuffed himself. A small part of her wanted to shoot them all where they lay, but that would only lower her to their level.
“Stevens, listen to reason—”
“Reason? From you bastards? No, Mac, you listen. You may not have pulled the trigger when Miles was killed, but you were part of the bullet. For that, you’ll pay for the rest of your lives.”
“You know that tape don’t mean a thing. It won’t hold up in court.”
Delta sighed. “You’re right. Not by itself, it wouldn’t. But I’ve got enough on you for a pretty airtight case.”
“You think so? You don’t even know who you’re fucking with. You think we’re the only ones?”
Delta grinned. They were so stupid. “You think I’m after just the little fish? Let me tell you something about reality, Patterson. Captain Williams, like all petty criminals, will leave you out to dry. You’ll hang by your balls before he lets himself be busted for this.” Delta sensed their desperation, their realization that the game, for them, was over. “So, if you think he’ll bust one fingernail trying to help you assholes, guess again.”
The three men said nothing.
“Now get in the back of my unit.” Watching them struggle to their feet and move toward her car, Delta felt a twinge of sadness.
Once in the back of the car, Delta heard the sound of ambulance sirens on the way. They would find a body, of course, but thank God, it wouldn’t be hers.
“While you three are back there, you might want to discuss how you can put an end to this thing. The District Attorney will look more favorably upon you if you cooperate.”
“What are you going to do with us?”
Delta started the car and drove down the back streets to avoid the ambulance and other backup units. “I have a lot of work to do yet tonight, and I don’t need you getting in my way.”
“You’re not going to kill us are you? We’ve cooperated so far.”
Delta stopped the car and turned to glare at them through the mesh screen. “Cooperated? By the time I’m through with you, you’ll be confessing to crimes you did when you were a child.”
Wheeling back around, Delta parked in the court across from Connie’s house, as planned. “You boys be good. I’ll be back in a flash.” Turning to the radio, Delta ripped the mike out. “And don’t think there’s a way out, because there isn’t.”
“Don’t do this, Stevens,” Patterson said, half begging, half threatening. “The Captain’s got a whole lot more ammunition than you do. He can take you out like that.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Taggart growled. “I told you guys, she’s got me wired. Everything you say—”
“Can and will be used against you in a court of law,” Delta finished for him. So, Captain Williams was the top dog. So far, two of the three men had uttered his name in the wire. Victory was only two moves away.
Delta ran between two houses and around the back of one before ending up on Connie’s front porch. From where she parked, the officers could not see the front door and did not know which house she went to.
The front door opened immediately, with Gina and Megan waiting.
“You’re alright,” Megan sighed, throwing her arms around Delta and hugging her tightly.
“I told you, I don’t break promises.” Kissing Megan’s lips, Delta winked at Gina, who was putting on a down jacket.
“You ready?”
Gina and Megan nodded.
“I’m going with her,” Megan said, grabbing her jacket off the peg. “You really shouldn’t. You need—”
“I’ll tell you what I held, sweetheart. I need to finish this with you.”
Delta grinned. There was no use and no time to argue.
Instead, she planted a quick kiss on Megan’s cheek.
Gina opened the back door, and suddenly, two largechested, extremely beefy Doberman pinschers bounded through the living room.
“All you have to do is make sure the guys stay in the car for a few more hours.”
“And if they try to escape?”
“Let the dogs have them. If they make contact with Williams before Connie and I finish, you might as well order our tombstones.”
Megan moved away from the two dogs heeling next to Gina.
“Don’t worry on that count. Tasha and Cagney would rip them to pieces before they got halfway out of the car.”
Delta nodded. “Good.”
Megan slowly slid her hand into Delta’s. “You are going to be alright now, aren’t you?”
Delta brought Megan’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “I wish I could say yes, but I just don’t know.” Delta looked down at her hands. She expected them to have blood dripping from them. “I had to kill the guy who was after me.”
Megan pulled Delta to her. “I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t have much choice.”
“You okay?” Gina asked.
“As good as someone can be who just shot a man.” Looking up at Megan, Delta sighed heavily. “It was him or me.”
“Then I’m glad you killed him.” Pressing Delta to her, Megan lightly stroked her hair.
Gina patted Delta’s back. “Are you off to the hotel, then?”
Delta nodded, slowly pulling away from the embrace.
“Megan, you contact Connie and tell her what’s happening. Have her call you back from a pay phone, though. I don’t know if any of the station’s phones are clean.” Then, turning to Gina, Delta kissed her on the cheek. “You sure you and those dogs can take care of yourselves?”
“Honey, I’d rather have these dogs than that Magnum, any day.”
“I figured as much. Okay, this is it.” Delta hugged Megan and kissed her tenderly before threading her arm through Gina’s and heading out the door.
“You be careful, Delta Stevens, do you hear me?”
“Loud and clear.”
As Megan handed the keys to her car to Delta, she gripped her hand firmly. “I don’t want to lose you.”
Hugging her one last time, Delta whispered, “You won’t. I’ll be back.”
Delta, Gina, and the two horse-dogs made their way through the neighboring backyard before ending up in front of the patrol car.
“Hi boys. This is Cagney, and this is Tasha. They’re here to protect you.”
“Protect us? From what?”
“From yourselves, of course. Should you decide to act foolishly, these dogs will treat themselves to dinner.”
“Stevens, you won’t get away with this. Think about it. By now, every man on the force is looking for us. You can’t just keep us locked up here.”
“Sure I can. Now don’t get out of line, and you’ll all have both arms and legs when I return.”
“You crazy bitch! They’ll kill you and everyone you know!”
Delta closed the door and made sure that all four doors were locked. With three large men in the back seat, there would be no room to maneuver in an effort to kick the window out.
“You’ll be alright?” Delta asked Gina as she tethered the snarling dogs. “Couldn’t be safer. Get going now. Come home to us quickly.”
Within minutes, Delta was at the hotel. By now, dispatch and everyone else in the world was wondering why there was one dead guy, one empty patrol car, and four missing cops; everyone except Captain Williams. His questions would be of a completely different nature. He would be in a major panic once he learned that his henchman was dead and three of his rotten apples gone. What he would be doing now, would be covering his tracks. Fear and panic ruled him now. The noose was tightening around his fat neck, and there was nothing he could do about it.
The thought made Delta smile.
Standing in front of room 315, Delta swallowed the lump in her throat. She could hear voices coming from inside; low, deep voices. There were at least two, maybe three, men inside. Delta smiled down at the shotgun in her hand. These men would do half the work for her.
Backing down the hall and around the corner, she steadied the shotgun on her left shoulder and waited for the door to open. They had to come toward her to either take the stairs or the elevator. Once they turned the corner, they were hers.
It was barely ten seconds before she heard them moving toward her. As three men rounded the corner carrying two large duffel bags, Delta aimed the shotgun at them.
“Move one eyelash and I’ll blow your balls off,” she growled at the three uniformed officers staring at her.
“Lower the bags to the ground, and then I want you, Larson, to take both their weapons out of their holsters with your left hand. Make an abrupt move and you’re a dead man.” Delta held the shotgun up and put slight pressure on the trigger as Larson eased one, two firearms out of their holsters and dropped them on the floor.
“Don’t be stupid, Stevens,” Larson said as he kicked both weapons across the carpet. “Join us and live. Believe me, it’s more money than you’ll ever—”
“Shut up. You’re a dick, Larson, and I’ll spit on your grave for what you did to Hammond. Now, slowly draw your weapon out with your left hand. Slowly, or I’ll blow your hand off your wrist.”
As Larson reached across his body with his left hand, Delta saw him turn his wrist around as he grabbed the gun’s handle. Before the gun was completely released from the holster, Delta lowered her sights at his shins, pressed hard on the trigger, and shot Larson’s legs out from under him.