C17 Chapter 17

Zane and his men were in place well before three pm. They had arrived separately and crept into hiding in the bushes and long grass that surrounded the Old Mill.

The Old Mill had ceased operations years before and was in a state of disrepair. Nevertheless, the owner kept the caretaker employed. Everyone expected it was out of the goodness of his heart that the owner employed the caretaker.

The caretaker, Kevin, was in his seventies and lived alone at the Old Mill. He had been loyal to the employer for many years and everyone believed that keeping the caretaker on even though he was unable of fulfilling the duty of taking care of the Old Mill was the owner’s way of repaying Kevin’s loyalty.

Why Kevin would be involved in being a contact for a drug cartel was beyond Zane. There was no confirmation that it was him though. Just the fact that he was the caretaker and therefore living onsite didn’t make him the contact. Nevertheless, they stayed well clear of Kevin and made sure they weren’t seen.

James arrived at three pm as arranged with Zane. He knocked on the door of the Old Mill and Kevin answered it.

“Good afternoon sir,” James said politely.

“Good afternoon,” Kevin croaked. “Can I help you?”

“I arranged to meet a friend here. I just wanted to ask if there is perhaps a lady inside waiting for me?”

“There’s no-one here,” Kevin said looking at James suspiciously. “Why would you meet here?”

“It was her idea,” James said. “Never mind. I’ll just wait outside. Maybe she’s late.”

Kevin eyed James for a few moments longer and then nodded.

“Okay, you wait outside. If she arrives maybe you can go somewhere else. This is not a place for people to hang around okay?”

James nodded. “Okay, sir. I’ll tell her.”

Kevin closed the door and James was left standing outside. He moved away from the door and around to the front of the building. There weren’t many windows and James tried to stay away from the few that were there. He did not feel comfortable with Kevin watching him from inside. He moved back to the side of the building and sat down against the wall to wait.

Zane, Brian, and Terry watched from where they were concealed. Brian could see James clearly while he was out of sight from Zane and Terry.

Zane was tempted to move to get a better view but he was afraid that any movement might give him away to anyone else who might be watching.

After about thirty minutes Zane heard a vehicle approaching. From the sound of its engine, it slowed as it approached the Old Mill. He heard tires crunch on the gravel as it slowed to a halt. The driver didn’t turn the engine off but let the vehicle idle beside the road.

The driver hooted and James stood. He rounded the building and looked at the car that idled in the road some fifty meters away.

“She’s not getting out,” whispered Brian on their walkie talkies.

“Terry, do you have her in sight?”

“Negative,” Terry replied.

Zane swore. They were going to lose her. They did not have a car close by and if James got in the car he would not know what to tell Hope. They had not prepared him for this. Why the hell had he not foreseen this?

James hesitated and Zane heard a faint cry as Hope called to James from the car. He hesitated briefly and then began towards the car.

He had barely taken ten steps before a shot rang out. James took an exaggerated step forward and then crumpled to the ground even as Zane, Brian, and Terry ducked lower in their hiding places.

They heard the noise of the vehicle’s engine increase. Tires spun on gravel and the car accelerated away.

Zane was up and moving from his place of concealment when another shot rang out. The bullet hit the ground close to him and sent dirt into the air. Zane ducked behind the nearest rock.

He pulled out his gun and looked around. The shots were not coming from somewhere close by. They were coming from further away. He guessed there was a sniper across the lake in front of the Old Mill.

He wondered why the sniper had missed him but had taken down James. He did not think that the sniper would miss. That was amateur or deliberate.

Another shot rang out and Zane thought he heard a muffled groan from somewhere.

“Kevin is down,” Terry reported over their walkie talkies.

Zane swore. This was a mess.

“Can you see the sniper? I’m guessing he is across the lake.”

“Negative,” both Terry and Brian responded.

Zane waited a moment longer and then, staying as low as he could, he made his way to James. James lay still on the drive of the Old Mill. Zane felt for a pulse. There was none. He didn’t expect any. The boy had been shot in the head. He must have died instantly.

Anger rose in him as he looked down at the dead boy.

He wondered if Hope had known about the sniper. Had she come just to draw him out and give the sniper a clean kill he wondered?

Brian and Terry arrived behind him and looked down at James.

“Is he…?” Brian asked.

“Of course he is!” Zane exclaimed. “Do you think I’d be standing here doing nothing if he wasn’t?”

Zane left them and made his way to the Old Mill. He opened the door and entered the mill. He saw Kevin on the floor. He had also been shot in the head.

Zane swore and pulled his phone from his pocket. Damn the consequences he thought as he dialed.

The phone rang and rang and finally went to voicemail.

“It’s me. You were at the Old Mill. I just want to know if you arranged the sniper that killed the kid and Kevin. Don’t fuck with me because I swear to God I’ll kill you.”

Zane ended the call and headed outside.

“Get this cleaned up,” he said to Terry and Brian and walked away down the road. He headed to the place where they had parked their vehicles off the road so they wouldn’t be seen. He climbed into his vehicle and drove around the lake to the place from where he thought the sniper might have fired his shots.

He had scarcely arrived when things took another turn for the worse. He received a call from dispatch about shots fired in the poor neighborhood and casualties having been incurred. He knew the address. He had been there just the day before. James.

He returned to the Old Mill, picked up Brian and they headed to the location of the shooting as fast as possible. When they arrived, there was already an ambulance on the scene. Zane counted one body. One of his officers, Henderson, approached him.

“Chief, I got here as fast as I could. It was a drive-by.”

Zane was about to ask him how he knew when Henderson added, “Looks that way anyway.”

Zane passed Terry and approached the body. It was covered under a sheet. Zane lifted it. It was James’ mother. Sadness washed over him as he remembered how kind she had been and the tea she had made for him. He felt anger rise in him.

When he had spoken to his men this morning he had ordered them to question the kids. But now James and his mother were dead. Was it a coincidence that the shooting had occurred at James' house or was someone sending a message?

He didn’t expect these kids to be casualties but it seemed that someone was worried that they would spill the beans if they even had any beans to spill. It was ridiculous.

He called Brian. “Round up the kids. The kids that were arrested. We need to get them safe. Now!”

“Gotcha Chief,” Brian said and headed back to the cruiser to dispatch police to pick up the other boys. He took a while to return and when he did he did so at a trot, his face looking grim.

“What is it? Zane asked. Brian stepped closer and whispered in Zane’s ear. Zane felt the blood drain from his face. There were too many people around them for him to say anything for fear of being heard. He felt sick, faint. How could this be happening? He asked the people who had arrived on the scene first if they had seen anything that might help with the investigation.

None of them had. A dead end.

Zane instructed his officers to finish up and left the scene.

Brian joined him and they rode in silence. Once they were on the road, Zane exploded.

“What the fuck! No-one, no-one comes into my town and fucks it up! I will see them all dead or behind bars!”

Brian was shocked. He had never seen Zane this angry.

“Calm down boss. You don’t want to get yourself a heart attack.”

Zane ignored his remark. “They were kids Brian. Kids! Who the hell goes around killing kids in drive-bys? What kind of sicko does that? I’ll see him in the chair if it’s the last thing I do!”

“We’ll do our best to find the one who did it. It always comes out in the end. We have to stay calm and build a strategy.”

Zane fell silent as they drove. Brian had informed him that every single child who had been arrested by them and then released on bail had been killed in a drive-by shooting. He felt an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Like a snake slowly uncoiling to strike him from within. Brian had not mentioned Andy. He wanted to ask about Andy but something told him not to. If Andy had been missed it might be best if he said nothing. It had crossed his mind that if there were corrupt police on his team, it could be anyone. It had also crossed his mind that they could be keeping tabs on him but they didn’t seem to be doing so just yet. Or not as good as he thought they might. But, if there were corrupt police on the force, he had to be realistic and include Brian as a possibility. He had a feeling that just inquiring about Andy might put his life in danger. He did not want to be the cause of Andy’s death too. They drove to the next shooting and the next. With each location and body they saw, Zane became angrier and angrier and quieter and quieter. Finally, they returned to the station and he dropped Brian off.

There was a message from the Commissioner and he returned the call.

“Zane, what the heck is happening down there? I have the governor asking me, the press, and anyone who thinks they need to know in case they need to cover their ass.”

Zane filled the commissioner in briefly on what had happened and then gave him the back story on how the situation had arisen. He added that they had arrested the woman but that

she had escaped. The commissioner sounded disappointed but calmed down as Zane assured him they were doing all they could. He also explained that he believed they were part of a network that was running drugs since Hope had been linked to the other cities.

The commissioner asked to be kept informed and Zane assured him that he would do so.

Zane was an hour later than he originally planned to meet Amanda but he messaged her and told her he would be tied up with paperwork. When he left the station, Jeff had arrived and

was settled in for the night shift. Zane drove the short distance to the Woodchipper and walked in. He should have been glad that the day was over but he had far too much on his mind.

He told himself that he should have taken a rain check on meeting Amanda tonight. On the other hand, he had been so happy to see her again after all these years. He didn’t want to send the wrong message. Not after their first meeting.

Amanda was waiting in a booth in the back of the restaurant where they could talk privately.

Zane made his way to the booth where she sat.

“I’m sorry to have kept you, Amanda,” he said as he slid into the booth.

“Oh, it’s no problem. I would have understood if you had taken a rain check. I heard the city got pretty busy this afternoon after we met.”

“You’re right about that,” Zane said.

“Wanna talk about it?” Amanda asked.

“I actually would love to but I can’t. It’s police business. Besides, I think I need a break from work and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to hear about it.”

The waitress came to the table and greeted Zane. She left menus and left them to decide on their order. She returned a short while later and took their orders.

“So tell me, what’s life like in the bright lights of the big city?” Zane asked.

“It’s busy. Hectic. Stressful. You can’t compare it to here.”

“What do you do?”

“I model now Zane,” Amanda said. “I travel a lot or otherwise I’m just at home. Go to the gym, meet friends, blog, that kind of stuff. Coming back here is a nice break for a change. Believe it or not, as easy as my life might sound.”

“Sounds very interesting. Any lucky men?” Zane asked.

Amanda blushed. “Do you hope your flattery is going to get you somewhere?” she smiled.

“I wasn’t intentionally flattering you. Just trying to compliment you. And get information. Must be the cop in me.”

“Well maybe you should take me downtown officer,” Amanda smiled.

“If you insist,” Zane replied smiling and putting his cuffs on the table.

“Zane!” Amanda whispered, “You know what? That’s so kinky but please put them away. Can you imagine what will happen if you take me out here in cuffs? OMG. My career will probably be over when it hits the tabloids.”

“Yeah, I guess mine would be too, for playing games when there are much bigger fish to fry right now.”

“Speaking of fish,” Amanda said as the waitress arrived with their food.

The food smelled delicious and they both tucked in immediately considering how hungry they were. Their conversation slowed as they ate. When their meals were finished they ordered dessert and continued their conversation. Amanda circled back to Zane’s earlier question.

“So to answer you, no, there is no Mr. Right or any Mr. Anything right now. I’m too busy and I just don’t have time for the dating scene in the big city. People can be very superficial and so many people change partners like their underwear. I see it again and again. It’s like eternal unhappiness with everything.”

“Wow,” Zane said. “What about us. Did what happened with us having anything to do with it?”

Amanda was silent and smiled as she blinked. “I never really thought about it. After us, there was never really anyone. Maybe what we had was too special and maybe I was too hurt.”

“I never hurt you, Mandy,” Zane replied.

She hesitated, realizing he had used the shorter version of her name. Something he had done when they had dated.

“I know. Even when we argued in the end about my dad and all his demands and rules, I knew you never meant to hurt me through everything that happened. I often thought about you after I left. I wondered what happened to you if you moved on or not. I often thought of contacting you after dad passed on, but I couldn’t do it. I believed you were hurt just as much as I was and I didn’t want to go opening up old wounds.”

Amanda finished and silence sat heavily between them for a moment and then she asked, “What about you?”

“Well, I stuck around as you can see and I got promoted until I became the police chief. I’m up for re-election this year, meaning that the commissioner will decide if he wants me to stay

in the role or not. I’m hoping that he won’t have a problem with me and that I’ll be re-elected. Things are changing though. Quickly and I don’t know if I’m going to be his choice. If I don’t get re-elected then I guess I might be transferred or have to consider something else. There’s still time so I’m hoping for the best.”

Amanda smiled. “Well, I wish you luck.”

“Thanks. You don’t think of moving back here? I mean you could do what you do from anywhere right?”

Amanda hesitated. “I’ve thought of it before. But I’m not a supermodel. And if you’re not a supermodel and you’re not in town, you often get skipped over. I know I don’t have to work

but I enjoy it.” Amanda paused then continued, “But that’s not what I meant when I asked about you. I meant have there been any interested women in your life?”

Zane laughed. “Where would women find me in this place at the end of the world? There are not many here who might be interested in me or who I might be interested in. I just try to keep busy doing what I do. If something or someone happens then I’ll take it from there. Life gets lonely at times but you get through it. Most of the nice girls move away as you did.”

“Now, now Zane, there must be plenty of ladies around still. You just haven’t been looking,” Amanda teased.

“Maybe I haven’t. I guess after us I just sort of ....”

“Sort of what?” Amanda prompted when he trailed off.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just seem to have stopped caring about dating. Funny thing is, there was never really anyone after you.”

“Wow,” Amanda said quietly taken aback by what his comment meant to her.

They continued to speak more about the past and their lives now. It was as if they were trying to catch up ten years in a few hours.

They drank a few drinks but not too many. Finally, they decided it was time to leave. Zane paid the bill and offered Amanda a ride home.

“I was going to call the farmhand,” she said.

“No need, I’ll take you,” Zane said. “Besides, I live out past your place so it’s not out of my way.”

“Thanks, Zane. I appreciate it.”

Zane led her out to his car and opened the passenger door for her. He climbed in and started the car. The night was cool. Winter was on its way. He turned on the heater and they headed out of town. They continued to make small talk and as they neared the turn off to her place, Zane asked Amanda if she wanted to join him at his house for a drink.

“I thought you’d never ask,” she replied smiling. She reached out and placed her hand on his thigh.