Excerpt of Chasing Justice
CHASING JUSTICE (Mountain Country K-9 Unit)
"And let us not be weary in well doing; for
in due season we shall reap if we faint not."
Galatians 6:9
Idaho. Home. Mountain Country K-9 task force member Selena Smith gripped the
steering wheel, took a deep breath and sighed. The blessing of coming home to
Sagebrush and seeing the snowy peaks of the ski resorts was tinged with a sense
of melancholy. It was here she had grown up, become a sheriff's deputy, learned
to partner with her Malinois K-9, Scout, and built a good life. It was also here
that she had fallen in love with the man who had broken her heart, had lost her
only sister to the aftermath of drug abuse and had buried both their parents.
And now? Now, here she was escorting that very man, Finn Donovan, as an official
van carried him from a court appearance asking for a retrial then back to prison
where he was serving a sentence for murder.
A gray sky mirrored her mood as she followed the van in her MCK9 SUV. She'd done
her best to avoid this assignment, yet unforeseen circumstances had conspired
against her. So had her former boss.
"I'm sorry," sheriff Unger had told her that morning. "I wouldn't ask if we
weren't so short handed. There were bomb threats at all three Bearton County ski
resorts and I had to split my force. I don't have anybody else to drive escort."
"I came here looking for our missing compassion K-9 and to investigate another
potential victim of RMK, the Rocky Mountain Killer," Selena reminded him. "I
don't want my old deputy sheriff's job back."
"I know, I know. This won't take more than a couple of hours of your time, if
that. I spoke with the FBI agent in charge of your team... Chase Rawlston? He
gave permission. You already interviewed the witness who spotted the missing dog
so you have nothing pressing, right?"
Selena had nodded. She'd held out a hand. "Okay, give me the details and I'll
drive cover for you, but just this once, okay. As much as I loved working for
you, my loyalty is to the task force. We've already had five murders. We'd like
to keep it from becoming six."
"Agreed." Unger handed her written orders.
Scanning the form, Selena didn't get past the name of the prisoner being
transported. She paled. Her hand trembled slightly in spite of her training and
expertise. She thrust the paper back at the sheriff. "No. Get somebody else."
His brow furrowed. "What?"
"I said, get somebody else. I can't take this assignment."
Unger had looked baffled so she'd explained. "The prisoner. I was...I mean I
used to..." She threw up her hands. "We were a couple, okay?"
"So, you dated the guy. That was over a long time ago, right?"
"Yes, but..."
Unger had flat-handed the orders at her again. "I don't have anybody else and
the transport can't move without you. It's settled."
And that's how she'd ended up where she was now, driving along a winding
mountain road behind a white prison transport van containing the former love of
her life, Finn Donovan.
Icy rain began to fall. Perfect, Selena thought. The weather was matching her
mood swing, from sunny spring to dark and cold and miserable in a matter of a
few hours.
It had been tempting to approach the van and get a peek at Finn, to see if time
and prison had changed him. Instead, she'd held herself in check. It didn't
matter what he looked like or how he acted, he was a convicted killer and
totally out of her life.
Except he wasn't, was he? Something inside her kept insisting that the Finn
she'd known and loved could not possibly be that kind of evil person. He'd had a
difficult past, yes, and had surprised everyone by claiming that a wealthy local
rancher, Zeb Yablonski, was his father, but why would he kill the man? Granted,
there had been witnesses to an argument he'd had with Zeb but a lot of people
argued without poisoning or shooting each other. A man like Finn - a
tenderhearted, gentle giant like Finn - wouldn't have done that.
And yet, a jury had convicted him. Was it because those twelve men and women
remembered the kind of wild youth he'd been before his Christian conversion?
Selena knew that many residents had doubted Finn's newfound faith but she'd
believed it because she'd seen such a positive change in him. What she never had
understood was why he'd broken up with her after she'd entered police training.
Windshield wipers of Selena's SUV were catching and spreading the rain in a
slightly opaque layer, hampering her vision. Thankfully, the prison van ahead
was slowing so she could, too. A horn sounded. Headlights of a delivery truck
flashed behind her. Most of the time, civilians gave police vehicles a wide
berth so there was a good chance that the driver honking at them didn't notice
the K-9 unit lettering on the back of her SUV and wasn't aware who he was
challenging.
Selena considered giving the truck a signal with her colored lights or bumping
the siren, then changed her mind. This road was dangerous enough without scaring
some foolishly impatient driver into making an error. He'd just have to wait
until they got to a safe place to pass because she and the prison transport were
not going to speed up.
Reaching for her radio, Selena prepared to report the potentially unsafe
situation. As she leaned forward she saw a bright flash in her side mirror. The
box truck was passing!
With no discernible shoulder beside the narrow road on her right and nothing but
a cliff side rising to her left, Selena had no escape. She tapped her brakes
cautiously and trusted the four-wheel-drive to keep her vehicle stable.
In a heartbeat the truck was past her and closing on the van. It was impossible
to see far enough ahead on the winding road to tell if there was oncoming
traffic. If there was, there was going to be a terrible pileup - with them at
the core.
Stoplights on the prison van pulsed. The driver had obviously seen the threat
and was preparing to give ground. Trapped by the narrow road, that was all
either of them could do.
The box truck suddenly braked, swerving into the side of the van, and for the
first time Selena perceived a deliberate threat.
She keyed the mic. "Mountain Country K-9 Unit. Under possible attack. Reckless
driver has just hit the van I'm escorting." Pausing, she took a breath. "We're
heading west toward Sagebrush, Bearton County road seventeen. Exact location
unknown."
"Copy," the dispatcher said. "License number?"
"I can't make it out through the rain," Selena replied. "It's a white box truck,
two axel, duals in the rear, no discernible logo."
"Copy that. We'll start a unit ASAP."
"You have someone available?" She could only hope and pray.
"Negative. I'll do what I can to shake somebody free. Are you positive it's an
attack?"
"No, I'm..." Her eyes widened. The truck had slowed to match their speed and
swung left as far as possible before whipping across the lane and smashing into
the van's left rear corner with its heavy, black, bumper guard. Taillights
splintered. Metal bent and squealed. The chrome bumper of the van bent in and
hit the tire, causing it to come off the rim and start to shred.
The van slued sideways, fishtailed for about three seconds, then headed for the
berm. It bounced once, twice, and almost righted before leaving the roadway.
"The van! It's off the highway, rolling down the side of the canyon," Selena
shouted. "I'm pulling over. My unit is blocking traffic but I have no choice.
I'll leave all my lights on and hope for the best."
Grabbing a handheld radio she peered into the canyon and felt sick. The white
van had come to rest several hundred feet down. Parts of it reminded her of a
crumpled ball of aluminum foil. "This looks bad. Really bad," she broadcast.
"Can you see signs of life?"
"Not from here. I'll have to climb down."
"We can get you a state chopper. Is the canyon wide enough where you are for a
rescue drop?"
"Not sure." Selena let her Malinois K-9, Scout, out of his kennel and donned a
waterproof jacket and hat before assembling more gear. Rain was stopping though
drops still splattered her gray uniform pants as she left her car and headed for
the wreck.
Boots kept her feet dry and allowed her to move through the brush and around
boulders fairly easily, considering the weather conditions and steep canyon
walls. Pockets of mud caused her to slip repeatedly while rough rock
outcroppings caught and kept her upright.
The prison van lay at the bottom of the ravine. Tumbling end-over-end had broken
every window and beaten it up as if a thousand vandals had attacked with
baseball bats. Dirt and vegetation clung to torn metal. A lump of emotion
blocked her throat. How could anybody have survived a plunge like that? How
could Finn?
Losing him to the justice system had hurt but nothing like this. This was
permanent. Like her parents, like her sister, Angela. If she found the greatest
love of her life dead or dying when she reached the wreck she wasn't sure she'd
be able to function; now or ever again.
There was no time for fancy prayer or even something simple. All Selena could do
was cry out to God in her heart and hope that was enough.
*
Besides wearing a normal seatbelt, Finn Donovan was handcuffed to a chain that
was fastened to the van. When he'd felt the first hit he'd grabbed the chain
with both hands and held on as tightly as he could. His arms ached, his fingers
were bruised and in spite of the seat restraint his head had collided with the
bars on the windows at least once. Still he was in pretty good shape considering
how injured and groggy the ride-along guard seemed to be.
It took tremendous effort to reach and unfasten his safety belt. Shaking himself
loose, Finn managed to find footing and stand inside the inverted van as he
called out to the driver. Not getting an answer was a bad sign. The man in the
rear with him, however, moaned.
Although Finn couldn't touch him because the chains hindered his reach he did
manage to nudge him with the toe of his boot. "Hey, buddy. You okay?"
The guard partially righted himself then grabbed his own arm. "Nope."
"Should have been wearing your seat belt. Uncuff me and I'll help you."
The guard moaned again. "Nice try. I'm not turnin' you loose."
"Somebody needs to check on the driver and you're in no shape to crawl around
and do it."
"Shut up and let me think." Another positional shift brought more groans. "We
had an escort. She'll report this and get us some help."
"She? Terrific. What we need is a half dozen big guys with pry bars to get us
out of this tin can."
"Yeah, well, I'll settle for a smart officer with a radio."
"Guess I will, too."
Finn hadn't seen who their official escort was but as long as she got them help
in a timely manner he wasn't going to gripe. Much. In view of the strong
possibility of a new trial, he was willing to put up with just about anything,
including a ride down a mountain side that had felt like being trapped inside a
cement mixer.
The van's engine had quit by the second flip, meaning they were probably not
going to spark a fire, although the odor of spilled gasoline was strong. One of
the rear doors had sprung partway open during the crash so the guard could
escape if necessary. Finn, however, was chained in place. He decided to at least
mention his concerns.
"Look, buddy, I understand you're just doing your job but if we catch fire I'll
be burned alive. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"I wouldn't want you to escape, that's what I wouldn't want." The guard clenched
his teeth, clearly in pain. "If I smell smoke I'll unlock the cuffs. Not
before."
"Suppose you pass out? Or worse? There's no word from our driver and we don't
know how long it will be before backup gets here."
"Will you shut up and let me think?"
Finn was chagrinned. "Sorry." He watched the injured man pale and begin to
perspire as he tried to immobilize his broken arm by sticking his hand in the
front of his uniform shirt and making a sling with his necktie.
By the time he was done his sleeve was soaked with blood and he looked close to
passing out. Before Finn had a chance to plead his case again there was a hard
thump against the side of the van. A dog barked. A woman's voice called, "We
lost the driver. How about you in the back?"
If Finn hadn't been suspended on a chain like a junkyard dog he might have
fallen over from shock. Selena? Could it be? The last news he'd heard about her
was that she'd left Idaho to work with a murder task force in Wyoming. How could
she be here?
Footsteps outside circled in a hail of loose rock that clinked against the bent
metal. A face peeked in through the sagging rear doors. It was her. Selena, of
all people. "What in the world are you doing here?" Finn asked without censoring
his words or his tone. He'd had enough criticism and unearned blame to last him
his whole life. He didn't need more from Selena Smith.
Tendrils of her auburn hair looked almost black in the rain. Water dripped from
her hat brim. Her hands were muddy and her hazel eyes squinting to see better.
She looked worn and weary and... more beautiful than he remembered.
Her first priority was the injured guard, which Finn understood. At least she
did take the time to look him up and down and ask, "You all right?"
"I'll live, as long as this tin can doesn't catch fire and roast me." Pausing,
he waited for her to react. She helped the guard sit up, then fished in his
shirt pocket and held up a key. "This one?"
"Yeah," he was nodding, "but you shouldn't let a prisoner loose. 'Specially not
a convicted murderer."
She straightened. Lifted her chin. Stared at Finn. "Promise me you won't try to
escape?"
"Promise."
The guard made a sound of disgust. Selena smiled at him. "Mr. Donovan and I go
way back. If he says he won't try to escape, I believe him."
"You believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, too, I 'spose."
"Not anymore. Finn may have made mistakes in the past but he's right about the
possible danger. Smell the gas? I need his help to get you moved so I'm going to
release him. It's that or take the chance you'll both go up in flames." Finn saw
a familiar arch of her brow. "You don't want that, do you?"
"No."
Because the floor of the van was now the ceiling, Selena had to stand on tiptoe
to reach the handcuffs and unlock them. Finn froze. He hadn't imagined for a
second that being this close to her again was going to make his gut clench and
upset his equilibrium, but it did. Fortunately, three years in prison had
strengthened his nerves and hardened his heart so he never flinched.
Once he was free he rubbed his wrists and flexed his shoulder muscles.
"All right?" Selena asked.
"Fine. Tell me what you want me to do."
Any notion he'd had that she trusted him completely was erased when she pointed
at him and ordered her K-9, "Scout, guard." Apparently, his surprise showed
because the injured prison guard managed a wry chuckle.
"Support his shoulder as best you can to protect the break in his arm and bring
my first aid gear. It's in that pack. I'll support the other side. If he can
stand, start for the doors and be careful to not jostle him. I don't want to
make his arm bleed worse."
"Yes, ma'am." To Finn's disgust he'd sounded sarcastic and the expression on
Selena's face showed him she'd picked up the clue. Well, too bad. He'd done the
right thing in regard to her once and he wasn't about to undo all that good by
being too nice to her now. After all, she could have argued against a breakup
when he'd suggested it. As it had turned out, time had proven him right. If they
had still been a couple when he was arrested for the murder of his birth father
it could have ruined her career. Rumor ruled in a small town like Sagebrush.
People were quick to believe the worst, especially about a former bad boy, and
no amount of denial was going to prove him innocent in the eyes of most of the
citizens.
It mattered to Finn, though. A lot. He'd been the son of an unwed mother who had
eventually married a good man and had a legitimate child, his brother Sean. The
fact that James Donovan had adopted Finn and given him his last name didn't
change history. In Sagebrush he'd always be the wild son, the one least likely
to turn out well.
For a time he'd hoped Selena would stand up for him but she was away at the
police academy when the crime he was blamed for occurred and had wisely stayed
out of the case. He couldn't blame her. She had an image to preserve, a career
to pursue. She'd wanted to uphold the law for as long as he'd known her but the
death of her sister, Angela, from an overdose had apparently clinched her
decision. She'd needed to make amends in some way and being a cop was providing
that.
Finn fisted Selena's heavy go-bag, slipped his other arm around the guard's
waist and supported his torso while Selena ducked beneath the uninjured arm.
Clearly, she did trust him some because she'd left their weapons holstered where
he could have easily grabbed either of them if he'd wanted to. That was a good
sign. A very good sign.
The man struggled to walk. They managed to get him out of the van and were just
rounding the mangled rear door when Finn stepped in a depression in the ground
and nearly fell. He momentarily loosened his grip on the guard to catch himself.
A loud bang echoed in the ravine. The guard never made another sound. He simply
dropped like a rock. Finn tried to catch him and realized immediately that the
man had been shot.
Selena crouched behind the crumpled door, drew her gun and fired up the slope at
a shadowy figure on the road. Her target spun around with a sharp cry and
disappeared from view.
Checking the guard, Finn realized his wound was fatal. He shook his head in
answer to Selena's silent query. "Sorry. He's gone."
She gestured at the road above. "Who was that?"
Finn bristled. "How should I know?"
"Is somebody trying to break you out?"
"Me? You're blaming me for this mess?"
"Who else?"
Only the possibility of being shot stopped him from standing and waving his
hands overhead in protest. Reality about their situation was starting to creep
into his consciousness and he was seeing plenty of other possibilities. If he
had not tripped when he did, that bullet could easily have hit him.
"What if they were trying to kill me instead of free me? Huh? Have you thought
of that?"
"Who would want to?"
"How should I know? I'm not responsible for this fiasco. Call for backup and
let's get out of here before that shooter comes back with friends."
"How do you know he's not doing this on his own?"
Finn wanted to shout in protest. Instead, he calmed himself and looked directly
into Selena's hazel eyes, willing her to sense his sincerity and actually trust
him.
"All I know right now is that you and I are the only survivors and we're sitting
ducks down here. Cuff me again if it will make you feel better, then let's get
out of here."
"Scout, guard," she ordered her K-9 again as she fisted her radio, got no reply
and switched to her cell phone.
"No signal?" Finn asked. His answer was her scowl.
"We're not going anywhere," Selena said flatly. Another scan of the road, then,
"The shooter is gone and I reported the accident before I left my unit. Now that
the storm is passing they'll send ground units and probably a chopper. We need
to sit tight."
Finn's gaze had followed hers when she'd looked toward the highway. Colored
lights from the patrol car reflected off the wet ground and cliff, silhouetting
two figures appearing at road level. He pointed. Shouted, "Get down!"
The singing whine of a rifle bullet echoed. One of the figures started down the
incline toward them.
Finn grabbed Selena and threw himself behind the chassis of the wrecked van. The
K-9 lunged for his arm.
Selena yelled a command unintelligible to Finn and the dog backed off.
She fired twice at the approaching figure, then turned to Finn. "Okay. You win.
Let's go."
Finally. His answer came from the bottom of his heart. "Yes, ma'am."