St. Clair Ch. 04: The Angel

He put the Glock on the floor and slowly raised his hands.

A heartbeat later, the blast of the shotgun rang off the marble walls and floors of the bank.

###

A shot boomed from inside the bank and Swede sprinted forward, slamming through the front door. Cindy stood over the body of the tattoo-covered asshole who'd taken Jenny, a shotgun dangling from nerveless hands. She was staring at a crater in the man's chest, just above his heart.

He barely noticed TJ calmly sweeping the bank, while he ignored everything and stepped past Cindy to the limp form of Jenny leaning against the cashier cage. He frantically felt her neck for a pulse. She felt cold, almost lifeless, but he could just feel a thin, thready beat under his fingertips. A moment later, TJ's trucker friend was nudging him aside and rolling Jenny toward her a bit, checking her back.

"Open chest wound. No exit wound." She opened her pack and pulled out a bandage in a sand colored pack. She began talking to herself in an almost a machine-like manner. Swede realized she was repeating instructions she'd learned by rote, word for word. "Taking care not to touch the inside of the wrapper..."

Within a minute the bandage was applied, Marina never taking her unblinking eyes off the wound, never even looking at Swede. She shifted Jenny's body, continuing her mantra. "...Position the casualty on his side with the injured side next to the ground." She looked up at TJ who'd just come back from kicking the bald gunman's body out of the way and closing the back door. "One civilian casualty in need of MEDEVAC, Two KIA at this location. Multiple Enemy KIA along roadway." Her voice was distant and precise, her eyes focused on another time and place.

A moment of sadness was evident on TJ's face, but hearing the approaching sirens of what sounded like a hundred State Troopers she holstered her gun, keyed her radio and began reporting. As she did so, she reached over with her other hand and plucked the shotgun from Cindy's loose grip.

Swede caught a glimpse of his watch: 8:35AM.

###

Twenty Four Hours Later, Regional Medical Center

###

"Shannon's out of surgery. I talked to the doctor. He'll be all right, but he'll be out for at least six months." Ray was looking over his notebook, checking everything. "Don's too damn stubborn to die this way. He's probably going to be on a liquid diet for a long damn time though. A lot of damage. Biggest danger for him is infection."

"I was worried about Don." TJ paused, afraid to ask. "What about Jenny?" TJ was trying to catch up on the casualties; she had stayed back in town overnight to manage the fiasco. Controlling the scene, dealing with the state, and work with the civilians to clean up the mess. Counting the casualties hadn't been easy; Marina's truck had done incredible damage to the gunmen.

"We all thought Jenny was pretty far gone, but she's been surprisingly strong. Swede's in the ICU recovery room with her. They aren't happy about it, but Swede won't leave her side."

TJ smiled. "I'd imagine not. I don't think it'd go well if they tried to throw him out."

Ray shifted. "This morning, the Board voted to make you acting Sheriff. Shannon told me to call Harlan before he went in for surgery. Didn't matter though, the Board was already in an emergency meeting. The outside camera of the bank caught you dragging Shannon out of the street during the firefight and the owner of the bank showed up at the Board meeting with the video in hand. Even Charlotte voted for it."

"What about you, or, hell, damn near anybody else? Most of the guys have seniority on me."

"Shannon talked with all of us before he started sending you to the Board meetings months ago. I'm planning on retiring soon, Don's probably going to have to now. A few of the guys would consider the position, but they all recommended you for it first. Probably to avoid the politics and paperwork; the pay sure as hell isn't worth it. With your time as an MP, nobody is concerned with seniority."

###

Two Weeks Later. Saint Clair, Missouri.

###

TJ pulled the Beast up the rock drive. Mae was seated in her usual chair, crocheting a light green blanket.

"Expecting another grandbaby?"

"Third one this year. You'd think the young'uns didn't have any other hobbies. They all have televisions. Must not watch them much." Despite her comments, Mae sounded anything but put out by the new grandchild. "Luther's 'round the side."

A hammering started up as TJ headed back around the house on what appeared to be a new rock path. She stopped, staring. The path veered around the sleeping dog before going on to a new wooden structure Luther was working on, tapping nails in neatly with the hammer head of his ever-present roofing hatchet.

"Morning, Luther."

"Morning, Sheriff."

"I'm just the acting Sheriff."

"For now. Everyone knows how it works 'round here."

She looked back at the path. "You made the path go around the dog?"

"Easier'n makin' him move. Had to move the outhouse, the old one was all full."

TJ knocked on the new building. "Seems sturdy."

"It's a lot deeper too, borrowed Colby's big tractor to dig it out with. Got a good bucket on it." He paused. "An' it's got a good breaker bar on it for the limestone."

"Which Colby?"

"Sam. He bought the new tractor after that lightning thing last summer."

"Lightning?"

"Yep. He was baling hay, trying to beat the rain, tractor got struck, threw him 'bout 20 feet."

"He alright?"

"If he'd a been right in the head before it happened, I'd of worried about him. He seems about like he was before. Maybe a touch twitchy 'bout loud noises."

"Mess up the tractor?"

"Nope, but he says it was bad luck. Traded it in." Luther walked over to his old pick up, shoved the hatchet in his belt and hoisted himself up onto the tailgate. "Got a new run, Sarn't."

TJ took her usual seat and accepted her mug. "Any good?"

"Fixin' to find out now." Luther held up a mason jar with a beautiful gold-amber liquid.

"Looks pretty good."

"This one's special." Luther poured each mug half full.

"Fallen Comrades."

TJ sipped her mug then looked down at it in surprise. "This is damn good, Luther."

Luther nodded and took another sip. "That it is. I'll be making more of this. Lotta hard work, but it was worth it."

TJ raised her eyebrow. "What'd you age it with?"

"Sugar maple char."

TJ very deliberately did not turn to look at Luther, though she knew he'd have a completely innocent expression on his face. "Huh. Well, it's damn fine."

"Mae says they're getting downtown all cleaned up."

"Yeah, the ice factory wall is getting whitewashed next week. Damn building's a fortress, barely any damage to speak of."

"Sounds like it was a helluva mess."

"Yeah, it was." TJ shook her head. "Still not sure what all they were trying to do. The cashiers at the bank said it looked like they didn't actually intend to kill Andrew."

"City folk don' make no sense no how. That's why I live out here. Quieter. Not as much trouble and you can just take care of it yourself."

"Take peace where you can find it."

Luther nodded contemplatively. "How's your trucker friend doing?"

"Better than I expected. Just sat and watched AJ and his boys working on her truck until it was done. I think it kind of creeped them out, and made them work faster. The Board paid for everything that her insurance didn't cover."

"Sounds like we all owed her. Heard her truck had a new paintjob when it left."

"We do owe her. I had two rounds left and Swede had four. The new paintjob was Tammi's idea. The bank, diner, and grocery store all kicked in for it. It's still red, but it has a huge sunrise over a beach on each side. Tammi had them put the name 'The Miami Sound Machine' on it. Gloria Estefan should be proud."

"What'd your trucker friend think of that?"

"Hard to tell, but I think Marina likes it. As much as she likes anything anymore. She'll be back this way in a week or so."

Luther sipped a little more. "Bring her 'round sometime. We gotta stick together."

TJ nodded thoughtfully. Maybe it'd help. Probably not, but there was nothing to lose by it. "I'll do that."

Luther raised his mug a bit. "Got a full case of this needs a home, Sarn't. You can even share it with Swede, damn near losing his girl like that. Not too much, mind you. Don't need to spoil him. Maybe you can drop a jar off with Shannon, probably help him get better. Maybe a jar for Ellie n' Harlan." He reached back and pulled a tattered cardboard box full of mason jars out, then slid it over to her.

"I'll do that." TJ paused. "All of it."

"How's Ellie doing?"

"She's not having any trouble sleeping. We got a look at the guy she took down. Serious meth head, probably would have head straight for the school. No way that would have gone well. She did right and she knows it."

Luther chuckled. "Mae said the way Harlan is looking at her, she's probably having lots of sleepless nights. Figures they'll end up with baby number six soon enough. The man was already crazy about her. There's nothin' better than a woman who'll fight for the kids."

TJ took a long sip of the doubly-illicit moonshine as they sat quietly for just a bit. "You know I gotta ask."

"Gotta do what they're payin' ya to do Sheriff. It's my tax money after all. Can't have ya' slackin' on me."

"Acting Sheriff."

"For now."

"Do you have any information on the whereabouts of one Kevin Cooper, from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms?"

Luther studied the ground thoughtfully for several seconds. "No, Sheriff, can't rightly say where he might be."

TJ nodded. "I'll put that in my report."

"You do that, Sheriff."

TJ slid off the tailgate, official duty done. "You keep yourself outta trouble, Airborne."

"Yes, Sarn't."

###

Jefferson City, Missouri

###

TJ shook hands with the federal agent just outside the records room of the Victim Protection Office. "So, Agent, what can I do for you?"

Karen shifted her stance. "Just call me Karen. Sheriff..."

"Acting Sheriff, but TJ will do fine."

"Okay, TJ. I gather you've had some questions you want answers to."

"Like how did they find Cindy?" TJ raised her eyebrow sardonically.

Karen grimaced. "We're not sure. But nobody should be looking for her now. Her ex is dead, that creepy freak show, Levi, is dead. Most important, Francisco Gutierrez died in an 'attempted robbery' a couple days after that fiasco you dealt with."

"The cartel deal with him?"

"Or maybe the Venezuelan government, he was embarrassing both of them pretty badly. Once it became evident that his people had screwed it up again, somebody decided to get rid of him."

"So why did you want to meet me here?"

Karen waited a moment. "Not sure what it means, but there's something here." She flipped over the paper log at the entrance and pointed. "This place isn't exactly at WITSEC standards for security, but they do make people sign in."

TJ stared grimly at the entry. "So what are you going to do?"

"Us? Nothing. This isn't an official visit. I'm on leave. We lost interest with Gutierrez's death." She glanced over at the clerk near the door, absorbed in a game of what appeared to be "Minesweeper' on her computer. "Not that they need to know that. I just figured my credentials would get you into the office and give you a chance to look around."

TJ shrugged, a bit woodenly. "If you say it's over, then it's over, right?"

"Sure. If your investigation turns anything up, I assume you'll contact... whoever the hell in this state is supposed to investigate it."

TJ gave a non-committal shrug. "I'm sure the right people will be on it, sooner or later."

###

Capital Region Medical, Jefferson City, Missouri

###

Senator Cooper leaned over for a closer look.

Pale and still, the thin woman lay on the hospital bed. The shaved head was partially bandaged and covered with a sock-like surgical dressing, making her look like a confusing combination of old woman and child.

"No matter how often I come over here, I still can't believe this is the scary serial killer we all heard so much about. Hardly the stuff of nightmares."

TJ looked over at the tall man. "I heard you'd been coming in to see her. I'd be careful, we're pretty sure she killed 53 people. Maybe more."

He shook his head. "Probably just bullshit. Just another nut-job wanting attention."

TJ stared down at Angie's drawn face. "Everybody is underestimating her. I saw her, what she's really like."

"There's nothing to her, I could break her in half like a pencil."

"You'd think so. Of course she's had brain surgery and been in a coma for a month."

"That long, and she's still not coming out of it. I keep expecting them to tell me she's dead."

TJ shrugged. "Not yet. So what exactly is it you wanted to talk about, anyway?"

"I wanted to see what the status on your investigation into that bank robbery and witness protection fiasco is."

TJ kept her face straight. This was it, this was why he'd wanted to meet away from the office. A place where the hallway cameras were out of order due to construction. A place he'd apparently bullied the staff into giving him the punch code to a dangerous patient's room. "There were some discrepancies in the file on Cindy. According to the records, the files were accessed three times, but the Victim Protection Office can only account for two. The regular audits."

"Probably a paperwork error."

"I thought so too, so I checked the sign in log at the State repository. It's unreadable, but there's a sign in on the log made in that cerulean ink of yours. That was a little sloppy."

"That doesn't prove anything."

"I just want to know this is over, that Cindy will be left alone."

"You need to just mind your own business. You have plenty of other problems."

TJ stood silently for a second, studying Angie's face. "Like what?"

"Like your little psycho-bitch friend here. If she's as crazy as they say, then all her legal decisions and statements are suspect. Maybe her claim as to who is the father should be questioned, maybe Child Protective Services should take that little girl from you and your 'special friend.' And while you're fighting your way through all the layers of bureaucracy in the State, that little girl can bounce from foster home to foster home until she ends up in a really nasty one. And I'm sure your department's funding will be held up until they realize you need to leave."

"You would really do that?" TJ's voice was softer, and she never looked up from Angie's face, watching her eyes twitch under closed lids.

"No. I really am going to do that. It's a good lesson for you and your 'special friend' to be more accommodating to people who deserve respect."

"That's not respect, that's coercion."

"Fear, respect, as long as it gets results."

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Her voice was barely audible. She watched a tiny rhythmic twitch at the corner of Angie's mouth.

Cooper chuckled. "You really need to learn when you're out of your league."

"I tried." TJ straightened up and walked stiffly toward the door. "You dropped your pen, Senator."

Cooper felt his pocket and found his pen missing. "Where..."

TJ gave a sad smile over her shoulder. "She's right, you know. In some ways, I'm no better than her. Just another monster."

He jerked his head up to look up at the metallic click that sounded as the door latched.

State Senator Robert Cooper was still testing the locked door when the four-thousand-dollar broad tip fountain pen speared into the hollow of his throat.

He clutched at it, but an iron hand held it in, held him silent. Another unspeakably strong hand gripped the hair on the back of his head.

A smooth cheek rubbed along his caressingly while a terrifyingly gentle voice whispered in his ear. "You really shouldn't have threatened my baby."

TJ watched for a second as the Senator was dragged inexorably back toward the hospital bed.

Angie's hollow-dark eyes caught on TJ's for a second through the window in the door; she paused as she dragged him up onto the bed, just long enough to send TJ a wink.

###

TJ walked out past the empty guard chair and slipped into the women's restroom, waiting until she heard the chair scrape to walk out.

She walked up to the guard, "Keith" by his name plate. "Have you seen a guy claiming to be a Senator around here?"

"Nope. Been looking for one myself. Got called down to the front desk to escort Senator Cooper up here again. He never showed up."

"That'd be him. He said he had some questions about a case I was working in Saint Clair, but I really think he wanted talk about Angie. He's always asking about her. It's a little creepy if you ask me."

"Well he can have her, she scares the living hell out of me. The guy's been up here a half dozen times to look at her, like she's some kind of zoo animal."

TJ waited twenty minutes with obvious impatience. "I don't think he managed to get away. If he shows up looking for me, give me a call." She handed her business card to the guard and walked away.

###

Saint Clair, Missouri

###

Cindy held up a tub of coconut oil with a raised eyebrow. "You two seem to go through a lot of this. Is it any good for cooking?"

Tammi smiled luridly. "You could say that."

TJ laughed and Cindy puzzled for second, then caught on and grinned. "Oh. Got it."

"Thank you for the song recommendation. Swede had Courtney for the weekend so he could take her to see Jenny, so we had some alone time."

"'Pour Some Sugar On Me.' Best stripper song ever written. So you used it?"

Tammi grinned outright. "I wasn't the one dancing. Somebody lost a bet."

TJ rolled her eye, but smiled. "I think you're sharing a little too much."

"Don't stop on my account. This is just getting interesting." Cindy winked at Tammi. "How was she?"

"Awesome. The coconut oil made it hard to get a grip on her though."

TJ tried to suppress her smile, but mostly failed. "She seriously broke the no-hands rule."

"And the easy chair." Tammi beamed proudly.

"How is Jenny? I haven't been able to get up there."

"Happy. Nervous. She can't seem to stop staring at the ring Swede put on her. I think it'd be worth someone's life if they tried to take it off her."

TJ finished putting stuff up on the counter.

"More carrots?"

"And diaper wipes." TJ shook her head. "We started Courtney on meat. It got ugly quick."

Tammi shifted a sleeping Courtney to her other shoulder. "We didn't mean to, but we were eating and she kept reaching for TJ's plate and managed to grab a piece of steak."

Cindy stared softly at Courtney. "Did she like it?"

"She shoved her plate of veggies and fruit onto the floor and started grabbing my steak as fast as she could."

"That does sound ugly." Cindy bagged the carrots.

Tammi giggled. "That wasn't the ugly part. This morning's diaper blow-out was..." she grinned evilly over at TJ. "Epic."

TJ snorted. "Our little girl's a biological weapon now."

Cindy glanced around and looked over at TJ. "Speaking of ugly. Have they caught Angie?"

"Still looking. She could be anywhere by now. Maybe Mexico, if she's still alive. She just had brain surgery. But a veterinary clinic was broken into a few blocks away from the hospital, and whoever it was took antibiotics, painkillers, and Ketamine, so I'm thinking she's alive."