Chapter Forty-Seven
Haizley
Quite honestly, I was surprised when Deputy Reed pulled into the station. The look in his eyes when he said, ‘I got you, bitch,’ held a sinister feeling. Leading me to believe he was unhinged.
I made a mental note to talk to the sheriff about vetting his deputies as well. I didn’t normally have an ego, but it was clear someone had fucked up. How this man had passed any type of psychological evaluation had me concerned for the state of law enforcement as a whole.
He opened the door and grabbed my arm, hauling me out of the vehicle. If I hadn’t ducked my head myself, I would have slammed into the jamb. I saw the motorcycle sitting outside, but we were moving too fast for me to see who it belonged to.
When we walked in, Martha Daniels stood from her desk. She’d known my parents. They were friends. She stepped around her desk in front of Deputy Reed, her hands on her hips.
“Why is that girl in handcuffs?” she demanded.
“Because I arrested her.”
“What the hell for?”
I appreciated Martha’s irritation on my behalf, but I just wanted to get to a room and have these cuffs taken off. My shoulders hurt in a way I had never felt before.
“The murder of Penelope Ridgefield.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.”
“Martha, get the fuck out of my way.”
We were starting to gather a crowd now. There were two other deputies in the station, as well as an older man I recognized.
“Deputy, please uncuff my client. She poses no danger to you.”
Matlock stared down Deputy Reed. The imposing man didn’t threaten him. He didn’t move to get into his space. He simply stood there in a suit, his hands in his pockets.
The entire town knew Anthony Gallagher was a patched member of the club. He didn’t need to wear his cut to show his authority or demand respect.
A member of the bar in fifteen states, Matlock, aptly named after Benjamin Matlock, played by Andy Griffith in the hit procedural drama Matlock , never lost a case.
“Fuck you! She is here under suspicion of murder. Murderers are dangerous.”
“She doesn’t look like she would tip the scale over a hundred pounds if she was soaking wet,” Deputy Malone remarked.
“Rules are rules,” Reed clipped back. Sneering at Matlock, he said, “She hasn’t asked for a lawyer.”
“I would like my lawyer, please,” I shouted loud enough that everyone heard me.
“Fucking bitch.”
“Deputy, you are racking up lawsuits. Release my client.” This time, Matlock did step forward.
It was slight, and if I had been watching him so closely, afraid of what he might do, I never would have seen Reed flinch.
“When I put her in the interrogation room.”
He pulled me along with him and I heard Deputy Marquez ask, “Does the sheriff know you brought her in?”
“The sheriff is a fucking pussy who is on the MC’s payroll. She isn’t getting away with this one.”
The deputy shoved me into the room and pushed me to sit in the chair, where he finally unlocked the cuffs, only to connect them to a ring set on the table.
“Deputy, that isn’t necessary, and you know it. You are trying my patience.”
Deputy Reed got in Matlock’s face and asked, “What the fuck are you gonna do about it?”
“Get out.” Matlock’s voice was low and deadly. His tone brooking no argument from the deputy.
“Where the fuck is my woman?”
“Oh shit,” I whispered, my fearful gaze going to Matlock.
“REED!” That was the sheriff.
Everyone had been notified.
The deputy finally stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Matlock came over to the table and placed a finger over his lips. He pointed to the corner where I saw a small camera with a little green light.
We could hear arguing outside the door. I heard Gunner’s angry voice, and I was afraid he would do something stupid and get himself arrested. A moment or two later, the door opened. Gunner pushed past Corbin and kneeled at my side.
“Baby, you ok?”
I nodded, not quite trusting my voice. Nothing like this had ever happened to me. I was a good person. I didn’t break the law. Killing a rapist aside, but that was clearly self-defense.
“Get these fucking things off her!” he demanded, but Corbin had already put the key in the lock to release my hands.
Gunner dragged me into his arms, holding me tight. His hand sat on the back of my head, clutching me to his chest. I could feel the rage inside him causing his body to shake.
“I’m ok, Gunner. I promise. I’m ok.” I tried to calm him down, but he wouldn’t listen. He stood up, taking me with him.
“We’re leaving.”
“Gunner.” Matlock put a hand on his arm. “Let me do my job.”
“Matlock’s right. Reed brought her in under suspicion. Let’s clear it up so we don’t have to go through this again.”
“Fuck you, Dec. She never should have been dragged in here.”
“Gunner, they’re right. Let them do their job,” I pleaded.
He looked down at me, and his hands cradled my face, and his body finally relaxed once he could see for himself, I really was ok.
“Please sit down, Miss Walker.”
“Who the fuck did she supposedly kill? Look at her for Christ’s sake?”
I didn’t take offense to Gunner suggesting I was weak. He knew the truth. He knew I was capable of more than I appeared. The truth was, everyone was capable of murder under the right circumstances. Whether it was to protect someone else, or self-defense. Every person on the planet would kill if they needed to.
“Someone killed Penny, Gunner.”
“What?” He looked down at me, confused. Then his gaze trailed to the sheriff. “I thought you wanted to question me? Why is she here?”
“I did want to question you. After what happened at the bar last night, you are a person of interest. Technically, Miss Walker is also; however, given the state of the body, we assumed it was a man who beat her.”
Matlock’s phone pinged, and he spoke, “I believe I can clear them both right now. What was the TOD?”
“Coroner estimated the time of death at one a.m.”
He slid his phone across the table to the sheriff. “There is a time-stamped surveillance video of the hallway at the clubhouse. You will notice the time they both entered the room. And the time they both exited the room this morning. They were together all night.”
“Maybe she went out the fucking window,” Reed sneered from the doorway.
“It’s on the third fucking floor. There is no way out the fucking window. Maybe you killed Penny and are trying to frame Haizley.”
“Why the fuck would I do that?”
“Because you think she’s the reason your rapist brother disappeared,” Gunner clapped back.
“What?” I gasped, looking at Gunner.
“Baby, meet Benjamin fucking Williams. Older brother to Greg Williams,” Gunner explained.
I didn’t know when they figured it out and I didn’t really care, but it made sense why Deputy Reed was so concerned about Greg’s whereabouts.
Looking at him now, I could see the resemblance. Without knowing all the information, it was easy to avoid the obvious.
I had spoken with Beck a little about her guilt at not recognizing Micah right away. I had to remind her that he was much bigger than the fifteen-year-old boy she knew. Combined with the beard that hid half his face, it made sense. But the most important thing was she believed Micah was dead. Her brain would not have made the connection on its own.
Then I told her not to feel bad. There was an entire universe who couldn’t tell that Clark Kent was Superman due to a simple pair of glasses. We laughed at that. But that one sentiment seemed to relieve her guilt the most.
“She did something to my brother!”
It was clear now that we knew, he wasn’t afraid to admit it. Gunner’s accusation made more sense than I cared to think about.
Poor Penny!
Standing from the table, Sheriff O’Rourke said, “You are both free to go. Matlock, please email me a copy of that video for the file.”
“You can’t let her go! She killed my brother!”
Corbin pushed Reed away from the doorway, and Gunner shielded me as we walked back out to the main room.
“Deputy, I want to see you in my office. RIGHT FUCKING NOW!”
We walked toward the front door, stopping only so Martha could hug me. I could hear the sheriff and Deputy Reed yelling back and forth before a door slammed.
“You won’t get away with this, bitch!”
We turned at the hateful words, and Deputy Reed pulled his gun, aiming at me and Gunner. Martha pulled me to the floor, and I heard the bullet leave the gun. The sound was deafening in the concrete building. It echoed as it bounced around, searching for a way out.
“GUNNER!” I screamed, then closed my eyes. I couldn’t look. I didn’t want to see him on the floor. Blood leaving his body the way it had left Greg’s. I didn’t want that vision to haunt my nightmares.
“I’m ok, baby!”
Hands pulled at me, lifting me from the floor. I pushed against whoever it was that held me immobile.
“Haizley, baby. Open your eyes. Open your eyes, little lamb.”
I could hear him talking to me. Trying to console me. His voice would haunt me forever. There would never be another man who could take his place.
“Give me your fucking eyes, Haizley.”
My body froze, and my eyes snapped open. He was ok. He was standing in front of me, holding me. He wasn’t on the floor bleeding out. My hands roamed over his body, looking for the bullet hole.
“Where are you hurt?”
“I’m ok, baby. I didn’t get shot.”
“But I heard...” I looked back, and Deputy Reed, AKA Benjamin Williams, was lying on the floor. A bullet between his eyes. Looking around the room, I locked eyes with Deputy Jackie Stilton.
I would learn later on that Deputy Stilton had walked into the station just before Reed pulled his gun. She didn’t know the situation, but she didn’t hesitate once she realized he was the only one who had pulled a weapon.
I would forever be in her debt. Now, I just wanted to go home and forget this day ever happened. Between the weight of what Aspen told me and Archie almost... Wait!
Turning to Gunner, I asked, “Is Archie ok?”
“Archie is fine. Though he has been blowing up my phone, and I don’t think he will stop until he has eyes on you.”
“He tried to protect me. He told me to stay in my car, but Reed pulled his gun and shot the tire on his bike. Then he threatened to shoot Archie, so I let him arrest me. I knew you would come.”
“Damn right I would come. I will always come for you.”