Leads Part 5

If you are tuning in on part 5, please go back and read 1-4 first. This is the last post in this series and will make no sense without the others.

Tamela watched as Angie wired Megan’s phone to connect through a tracking device. Angie then connected it to the GPS service and the computer and sat down across from Megan. It was time to find David Leonard Martin.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Tamela and her sister had been avoiding eye contact the whole time Megan had been in for questioning and at this moment their gazes finally met. Megan’s eyes filled with tears.

“I’m so sorry I got involved with this guy. I’m so fucking stupid.”

Tamela sighed, visibly softening “No you’re not. How could you know it was this bad from a one night stand? I won’t let him near you Meg. You just need to send a text and see if he’s still got the phone.”

The Chief approached flanked by Officer Yamada and Constable Nault. The three men and Tamela were ready to pursue any signal the trace revealed.

Megan nodded, sniffing a bit and then tapped away at her phone.

The words came across Angie’s screen as she typed them.

Hey Stranger. Wanna hook up again?

Megan shrugged and smiled a bit “I figure that might get his attention more than a hello.”

His reply buzzed on the phone and side scrolled across the screen.

Back for more already? Tell your friends about me?

Megan pursed her lips and then started typing again. A blinking red dot began triangulating on the GPS. Angie, Tamela and the Chief leaned in and stared at it intensely.

Oh yeah baby. They said it sounded hot. Can I see you again tonight?

Megan stared at the screen as her words finished scrolling by “Ugh. I don’t even feel an ounce of attraction to him right now.”

The trace beeped and the dot came completely into focus. The mobile device was showing clearly to be at the end of Beacon Hill Road.

“The lighthouse! Go! No sirens. If he hears us he’ll bolt.” Callahan barked “Nault with me. Yamada, Douglas, follow us.”

The commanded officers rapidly dispersed. Tamela hung back for a second and unexpectedly hugged Megan “You did good kid.” Megan started to tear up again and Angie patted her hand as Tamela raced out the door after Ryan.

Ryan was already in the driver’s seat raring to go so Tamela lept into the passenger seat and slid her seatbelt on as he backed up. Her phone dinged at her and since they were the second cruiser she dared a look at it, intending to answer whomever it was later. Her eyes went wide as she saw Anna’s text and she called out “No!” in a voice of total distress.

Ryan glanced at her sideways for a second “What?”

Tamela looked stricken and texted back quickly but in her haste didn’t realize she hadn’t hit send “Anna’s in the lighthouse….”

“Dammit!” Ryan muttered and then picked up the radio “Yamada to Callahan…we have a civilian in range of the assailant.”

“Acknowledged.” was the reply. They sped on through the town, flashing the lights silently through the intersection of Main and Galley.

The first cruiser stopped on an angle with a small screech with the second sliding up behind more carefully. Callahan was glaring at Nault for his noisy stop. Tamela looked down at her phone for anything else from Anna and then silently cursed and finally hit send.

The officers surrounded the door, two on each side and then quietly opened it. Nault entered first and tripped over a female figure sprawled on the floor. He landed with a thud and then looked at the fallen woman “Oh god…”

Tamela stepped over Anna and pushed past Nault, her breath catching in her throat. She kneeled down to check for a pulse. Callahan looked at Anna and Tamela painfully and then snapped back into command. He smacked Nault in the side of the head and then gestured at him and Ryan and whispered “Fan out.” before taking off into the museum gallery. Ryan shuddered as he looked at Anna but then nodded and slipped back out the door to check the perimeter of the building.

Nault went behind the counter and into the residence. A moment later he yelled “Chief!” at the top of his lungs.

Callahan dashed back in from the gallery and muttered “Fucking nimrod.” Before going to see what had been discovered.

Tamela found a pulse and exhaled smoothing her friend’s hair. Anna’s head was laying a small pool of blood that streamed from her nose. She looked around for anything to slow the bleeding. The gift shop had those tiny little packets of tissue and Tamela grabbed 6 of them. The paddle was right beside her so it was easy to deduce what he had hit her with. Tamela carefully put Anna in the recovery position to reduce the risk of airway obstruction.

Tamela heard a clatter of footsteps down a long flight of stairs and frowned in momentary confusion. Callahan ran back out “There’s a tunnel under this place. I radioed Yamada to get in here and follow us. Stay with her. Call for paramedics.”

Tamela nodded and pulled out her phone. Anna was stirring slightly after being moved. Her moans and movements were weak but fitful. Callahan’s boots thudded down a long flight of stairs and faded away.

Ryan stepped in from outside “Where’s the tunnel?”

Tamela pointed with one hand while holding her phone with the other “Though that door somewhere.”

A 911 operator chimed in on Tamela’s phone “911. How can I help you?”

Ryan started for the door and then hesitated and spun back to face Tamela “I know where it comes out….by the school….my Grandpa…long story….” He tore back through the front door and jumped into the cruiser.

Tamela listened to Ryan, momentarily distracted by him. The operator spoke again.

“Hello, are you still there?”

“Yes, sorry. This is Officer Tamela Douglas of the Cedar Point Police. I have an assault victim who’s had trauma to the face with a blunt object and is bleeding heavily.”

Tamela heard the engine start and then the decent of the vehicle away and down the hill.

“Is the victim breathing?”

“Yes, she’s breathing and has a strong pulse. She’s semi conscious but not in a good way. We’re at the end of Beacon Hill road. It’s a lighthouse. This is in Cedar Point in Kingfisher Bay.”

“We have your location Officer. An ambulance has been dispatched. Please stay with the victim until it arrives.”

Tamela stifled a small sob “Don’t worry. I will.”

A few minutes passed as Tamela spoke soothingly to Anna. She was waking more and more but as she did, her awareness of pain also increased. Tamela lay down beside her friend and held her hand. Her radio crackled at her shoulder and then came the words that gave both Tamela and Anna a moment of comfort. It was a brief transmission from the chief.

“We got him.”