Chapter 5
Ronan
He and Fitz were going to meet Jude and Greeley at Lobster Charlie’s for lunch and to discuss their interviews.
Ronan was about to tell Fitz to step on it when his phone rang.
Grabbing it from his back pocket, he could see it was Cole.
His heart started pounding. Cole never called Ronan.
“Hey, Cole,” he answered, his voice shaking.
“Ronan!” Cole wailed, his voice filled with panic. “Oh, my Jesus Christ. Where are you?” Cole panted for breath.
Fitz wore a concerned look. In the background of the call, Ronan could hear a commotion. People were talking loudly and all at once. “Fitz and I are on our way back to Salem. What’s going on? Is Ten okay?”
“No! H-h-h-h-he-”
Panic flooded Ronan’s entire body. “Take a breath Cole. Everything is going to be okay. Just tell me where Ten is and I’ll handle things from there.” All Ronan could think about was Everly’s prognostication that something bad was coming for Ten. It seemed that something had arrived.
“Ronan, it’s Carson.” Thankfully, Carson sounded much calmer than his brother.
“What’s going on there, Carson?” Ronan felt like he was going to throw up.
“Three huge men with guns burst into the shop,” Carson began.
Ronan felt as if his heart were being squeezed by an icy fist. Rage flooded his body, but he kept quiet, needing Carson to finish telling him what happened.
“They were wearing badges and wanted Tennyson. Jesus, Ronan, they threw him against the wall, and broke his nose. He was bleeding all over the place. One guy said Ten was under arrest and they wrenched his arms behind him. The cuffs were so tight that Ten’s hands turned purple.”
Ronan turned to Fitz who looked as surprised as he felt. “Arrested him for what?”
“They wouldn’t say at first, so I threw myself in front of the door and wouldn’t let them out until they told me what was going on. The man who arrested Ten was Captain Dutch Vance from the Danvers Police Department. He said they were arresting Ten for fraud.”
“Fraud?” Ronan and Fitz said together.
“He wouldn’t give me any more information than that. You have to hurry to get to him, Ronan. They were being awfully rough with Ten. Vance yanked him so hard that Ten fell into the street. His pants were ripped and his knee was bleeding.”
“I’ll call Cisco,” Fitz said, turning onto the highway. “I’m going to have him send a crime scene unit to take pictures and collect evidence. You may want to close the shop.”
“That was my plan.” Carson sounded on the verge of tears.
“Is anyone else hurt?” Ronan asked.
“No, we’re all fine. Shaken the fuck up, but fine. Cope is on the phone with Jude and he’s heading for Danvers with Greeley.” Carson’s voice cracked. “I’m so sorry, Ronan. I did everything in my power to keep Tennyson from being taken.”
“You did what you could, Carson,” Fitz said. “If you’d interfered they could have arrested you as well.”
“That’s what Vance threatened to do.” Carson began to weep. “I called Truman, he’s going to get the kids off the bus. Ten told me to call Reagan Pryce. I’m gonna do that when we hang up.”
“Give him all the information you gave us. Tell him to meet us at the Danvers Police Station.” Anger and fear warred in his gut. What the hell was going on?
“I will. Text with updates if you can. We’ll keep the kids overnight and won’t tell them anything.”
“Thanks, Carson.” Ronan tapped the phone to end the call. “Dutch Vance? Why the hell do I know that name?” Ronan asked, as Fitz gunned it down the highway.
“Fuck,” Fitz muttered.
“Fuck what?” Ronan asked, feeling his anxiety surge again.
“Vance had been pushing for a cold case team in Salem for years before Cisco got the grant to start the unit. When the money came through, he thought he’d be a shoe-in for the unit, but then Cisco hired you, me, and Jude.
Vance had a screaming match with Cisco and two weeks later quit for a job in Danvers that came with a captain’s shield. ”
“Is this revenge because I took a job that Vance thought should have been his?” Ronan’s head spun.
“I don’t know, Ronan. Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Fitz said, on a sigh. “We don’t even know what Ten’s been arrested for. Call Cisco and let’s see what he can tell us.”
Ronan did what Fitz asked.
Cisco answered on the first ring. “Jesus Christ, Ronan. What the fuck is going on?”
Ronan felt himself deflate. “I was hoping you’d be able to tell me, Cisco.
All I know is that three cops burst into the magic shop with their guns drawn and roughly arrested Tennyson.
They didn’t want to tell anyone why or even which department they were from.
Carson managed to get the officers to say they were from Danvers and were arresting Ten on fraud charges. ”
“Was he Mirandized?” Cisco asked.
“Shit, I don’t know. Carson didn’t say.” Ronan’s breath hitched and he had a hard time catching it.
“Ten’s worked with us long enough to know that the cops aren’t your friends when you’re arrested and to keep your mouth shut. Carson’s calling Reagan Pryce and he said Jude and Greeley are going to meet us in Danvers. Did you know anything about this?” Fitz asked.
“No,” Cisco said. “I hadn’t heard a peep. I wanted to hear what happened first before I called the chief of the Danvers police. I’ll do that now. But before I go-”
“I know, Cisco. Keep my mouth shut and don’t make this problem bigger than it already is. You have my word.” Ronan knew his mouth was his worst enemy when he was angry. Ten needed Ronan at his best. Shouting the walls down wouldn’t help his husband.
“That’s not what I was going to say, but that’s a good plan.
I was going to tell you to let Ten know we’re all on his side and I’m going to do everything in my power to help him.
We’ve got this, Ronan. Fitz, take the lead here, use your charm to find out what the fuck is happening.
Try to speak with the officers who were with Vance.
Hopefully one of them won’t be as biased as their captain. ”
“You got it, Cisco. Call us with updates.”
“You do the same.” Cisco ended the call.
The SUV was dead silent. Ronan didn’t think he’d ever heard such a loud silence before. “What the hell is going on, Fitz?”
“I don’t know.” Fitz shook his head, as he pulled into the Danvers Police Station. He searched the parking lot for a spot. “Looks like Jude is already here.” He parked across from the Thunderbird and was in the process of opening his door when Greeley sprinted toward Fitz.
“You need to get in there, Cap,” Greeley said, as Ronan met both men in front of the SUV.
“Why, what’s going on?” Fitz asked, looking worried.
“They won’t let Jude or I see Tennyson and Captain Vance said he’s already been sent to the Essex County Jail.”
“What?” Ronan shouted. “Why the hell is he there and not here being booked?” People were sent to the Essex County Jail for holding when it was too late in the day for the suspect to be seen by a judge.
It was only half past twelve on a Monday, there was no way Salem District Court was closed for the day.
“He was booked here and was quickly moved to Middleton.” Greeley shook his head.
“Vance said that there’s a backlog of arraignments from the Easter weekend and only one judge who’s handling them all.
Vance seemed particularly happy to tell Jude that Ten was spending the night in jail no matter what friends in high places he had.
What the fuck is this guy’s deal, anyway? ”
“He wanted to join the cold case team, but Cisco hired us instead,” Fitz said, wearing a sour look. “Where is Jude now?”
“Waiting for Vance to write his police report, so he can get a copy of it. He asked for the arrest warrant, but they’re telling Jude he doesn’t have the right to see it or to have the charges explained to him in full.”
“I’m going in there,” Fitz said.
“I’ll come with you.” Ronan needed to do something. He couldn’t just sit in the parking lot while Ten was shipped off to jail.
“You stay here with Greeley. Text Cisco, see if he can get us a copy of the charges and the arrest warrant. Find out if they’ve got a search warrant for the house and the shop or if one is in the works.
Make sure Cisco sends officers to the house and the shop to make sure things are done by the book and no property is damaged. Okay?”
Ronan nodded, his eyes blurred with tears.
It wasn’t bad enough that Ten was in jail under some kind of half-assed charges, but the idea of police officers tearing their house apart looking for evidence, shattering the peace and safety of their home was beyond any horror Ronan could imagine.
Everly would be able to see and sense the officers presence and their intentions.
For the first time in a long time, Ronan wished his daughter wasn’t psychically gifted.
He watched, feeling helpless, as Fitz made his way into the police department and slumped against the side of the SUV.
“I’ve got you.” Greeley helped Ronan into the front seat. He climbed into the back. “I’ll text Cisco.”
“If they’ve taken Ten to the county lock up, why hasn’t he called me?” Ronan asked out loud. “Why hasn’t he been given his phone call?”
“My guess is that if the jails have been backed up with Easter weekend arrests, then it would make sense if the jail was too. Not all of those suspects are going to be released on bond or on their own recognizance.”
“You’re right,” Ronan agreed. He’d worked in law enforcement for over half of his life.
This was the second time he found himself on the other side of it.
The first being when the dead body of a man who’d made a move on Ten was found in West Side Magick.
He’d been arrested, booked, fingerprinted, and strip searched.
Every single step of which had been humiliating, but Ronan had known what was coming since he’d arrested so many people over the course of his career.
Tennyson had no idea what was coming for him.
Not just with the mechanics of being arrested and held in jail overnight, but as a public figure who was an out gay man working for the Salem Police.
Those reasons alone upped the ante. Ronan needed to get to the bottom of this situation as soon as possible so he could bring Tennyson home where he was safe and sound.