19. Jamison
Driving back from the bridge, I decided to head up the gravel road that led to the campgrounds and beyond that the old mines. Tips from travellers on the highways close by had come up with three potential sightings of the two escapees. All turned out to be false sightings but at least people were being vigilant and calling the police.
Navigating the bumpy road, I kept my eyes open for tyre tracks or any unfamiliar cars. A few campers arrived in town yesterday and I already took down the make and model of their cars as well as the number plates. I was doing everything possible to keep Blessings safe, but I was severely undermanned but putting in a request for an additional full-time officer so soon after starting my new position would not go down well with the brass. As it was my boss back in Gracefield had to pull a few favours to get me transferred plus the money needed to set up the station. Getting Blessings a paramedic had also used up all of my favours no matter how many arrests I’d made over the years or my stellar record in the MPU.
Stopping my car on the shoulder of the dirt road, I noticed that one of the camper vehicles I wrote down yesterday was sitting at a weird angle hidden under a big pine tree, there was no campsite made up yet. Yesterday I observed tents were in the back of the wagon, but I couldn’t see any set up, neither was there any sign of a campfire nor sounds of kids playing.
Unfastening my seatbelt, I went to get out then stopped, leaning over I got my gun out of the glovebox, shoving it into the holster under my jacket. Stepping out, I took in my surroundings not seeing anything out of the usual in the area other than there was no noises or campers.
“Hello anyone here?” I yelled my voice carrying in the wind. “Blessings police.”
I stopped to listen but there was no answer, again I moved towards the car under the tree listening carefully for any sounds. Suddenly I heard a dull thumping coming from the vehicle. It sounded like someone was banging on a door or window.
Breaking into a jog, dodging holes, and ruts in the gravel road, I reached the car and saw that several of the lower branches had been snapped in a way to hide the windscreen.
“Hello!”
Hearing muffled shouts coming from inside the cab, I pulled on one the branches clearing it off the car and once I did, I could not believe what I was seeing.
“Hang on,” I yelled to the man sitting in the front seat his hands gaffer taped to the steering wheel, another piece across his mouth going around the back of his head and the headrest on the seat, practically rendering him unmovable.
“Fuck me,” I breathed, yanking open the door to see not only the man in the car but also a woman taped the same way. In the back was three kids, also taped to their seats hands bound and their mouths. The kids were all looking at me with pleading eyes, the mother I presumed had a mess of tears and makeup all over her face and the tape. And all of them looked like they were in a state of hypothermia.
Breaking into action, I pulled my pocketknife from my belt and slit the tape from the drivers hands, then tackled the tape around his head. The man moaned loudly, shaking his hands in an effort to get the blood flowing again.
“What happened?” I asked him in a hurry a sense of deep dread filling me. I knew already what happened deep down I sensed that it was going to happen.
“Two men with guns bailed us up in the last town we stopped before here,” the man panted, his voice gruff and strained from being restrained probably since yesterday.
“Here,” I said, shoving the pocketknife in his hand, “Get your family untied then drive back into town. Go straight to the town hall, I have a friend there waiting for you.”
Pulling out my phone, I pulled up Jock’s number.
“Jury what can I do for you?”
“Jock, I need you to get the town hall and wait for a family driving a grey Commadore wagon towing a camper. Have Josh go to the grocery and lock it up, make sure he stays with our women.” Ending the call without waiting for Jock to respond or question me, Jock and I knew each other well enough by now he knew when I was all business.
Jogging back to my car, I jumped in and gunned the engine, performing a dirt and gravel spitting U-turn.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I cursed mentally calling myself all kinds of stupid for not informing my girl and her family about the escapees. Despite not having clearance.
Going as fast as the rutted road allowed, I reached for my phone again this time ringing Gisele’s phone. Putting it on speaker, the tone barely rang the once before it was cut off going straight to voicemail my beautiful Gisele’s voice telling me to please leave a message and she will get back to me in a jiffy. Normally that would make me smile, but now it scared the shit out of me. Never has Gisele ever sent my call to voice message. Never. Something was very wrong, and I had a sinking feeling I dropped the ball, and my woman was possibly paying for it.
I was minutes away from town when my phone rang, thinking it was Gisele, I answered it without looking at the caller ID.
“Gorgeous?” I asked in a rush but again my stomach dropped when I heard Elle on the line. “Elle I can’t?—”
“Shut up Jami,” Elle screamed, not sounding like the calm stoic Blessing eldest sister that I had come to know and love. “Mum, Claudia and Gisele are trapped in the grocery with two armed men.”
And just like that my whole world collapsed.
“You son of a bitch!” Jock roared before decking me square in the jaw as soon as I stepped out of my car out front of the grocery store.
“Jock for fucks sake!” Josh growled, pulling the older man off me, my jaw throbbing from the ham hock that was Jock’s fist. Moving my mouth this way then that way, I deduced nothing was broken. Not that I gave a shit if it was, the only person I cared about was Gisele and getting to her as well as Georgina and Claudia. The only saving grace was Miracle had been at school and not with her mother.
Jock got back in my face, spitting mad and itching for blood. “You knew! You were told there was two escapees maybe heading here and you didn’t inform anyone but Josh?”
“Jock!” I shouted getting between him and Josh, “Now is not the time, if you want to kick my arse up and main street later then be my guest but right now, I need to get on the phone and call in a fuck lot of cops.”
With rough hands, Jock grabbed me by my leather jacket, pulling me inches from his face. “If I lose one of those girls, you won’t be safe anywhere on this planet, got it Detective?” releasing me with a hard shove, Jock stood there glaring at me with hatred, something I never expected to see from him, and it shook me more than I cared to admit.
My mind was racing with thoughts of Gisele and what she was going through locked in the shop with two dangerous desperate criminals.
Fuck I can’t go there.
I needed to dig deep and compartmentalize so I could do my job. If I got stuck in my head, then I would be no use to Gisele or anyone else. Jock was wrong about not being a place on this planet to hide from him. Without Gisele in my life, I wouldn’t want to survive.
“Jock, I get your anger, I do, but now I have to do my job,” I said trying to placate Jock and get control of the situation. Bickering amongst ourselves was not doing the women any favours. Looking around I caught sight of Elle, she was sitting in her car with Miracle in the passenger seat, Elle looked completely devastated. Lord knew I felt the same.
Giving her a chin lift, I tried to convey without words that she should get Miracle away from the scene. My lamb had seen enough in her little life, being here was not good for me or Jock or for Miracle.
Elle understood my silent pleading, giving me a death glare before rolling up her window, doing a U-turn and slowly heading back towards her house.
At least that was one person I didn’t have to worry about.
“Josh!” I called out to the one person that wasn’t pissed off with me or laying blame. He was also dealing with uncertainty as to what could be happening to his wife. But other than the tick in his jaw, Josh was thankfully keeping it together. “We have to get in that shop. I’m not waiting for tactical response.” Turning around I faced Jock head on, my stare not wavering under his scrutiny.
“I’ll get them out safe, you have my word. Then I’m asking Gisele to marry me.”
There was no option, no other conclusion than saving my gorgeous and taking her home to our daughter. Then I was giving my woman a ring.