CHAPTER FOUR
Detective Samantha Moore sat in the passenger seat as her partner drove them to Franklin Howard’s apartment.
"You know," Detective Karter Roisin told her. "You can drive from time to time."
"Yeah, I know," Samantha replied. "It gives me time to think when I get to ride along and you do the driving."
"Oh, yeah?" Karter asked. "And what has it given you time to think about today?"
"How inadequate my thinking is," she replied.
Detective Roisin indicated a turn and pulled into the second lane to overtake the slower vehicle. They didn't have lights or the siren on, not yet. They only needed to get to the apartment and keep an eye on the front door for Franklin Howard until backup joined them.
"Sounds existential," Karter told her.
"Nah, not like that," Samantha replied. "Do you know who I met yesterday?"
"Who?"
"Dr. Alison Payne," Samantha said with some pride.
"And she is?"
"Ugh, Karter. Do you really not keep up to date with developments in our field?"
"Just the ones that keep criminals off the streets," Karter replied.
"Which are?" Samantha asked.
"There’s a new line of handcuffs coming out. Almost impossible to crack." He took a drink of the energy drink from the cup holder to the right of the steering wheel.
"And that keeps criminals off the streets, how?" Samantha asked.
"They can't get out of them once they’re on." He indicated again as he pulled past another slow driver on the way to the apartment building. The streets were getting busy with the start of rush hour. "They can't escape, right?"
"And how many criminals escape once the cuffs are on?" Samantha asked.
"I don't have the numbers off-hand, but they must have invented them for a reason, right?"
"I don't know why I talk to you sometimes," Samantha said.
"Come on, you love me really," he told her.
"Yeah, unfortunately, I do," she admitted.
"Alright, so who is she?" Karter asked. He indicated one final time and pulled to a stop out front of the apartment building, thirty feet from the front door. "Can't we just go in and pick this guy up?"
"They want us to wait for backup, so that’s what we’ll do, and to answer your questions, Dr. Payne is one of the leading doctors in the field of criminal psychology.
It’s thanks to her that the most dangerous criminals are behind bars, and her research has furthered criminal psychology so much that she’s responsible for dozens of criminals being caught that never would have been.
Heck, she’d ever run down a couple of serial killers herself. "
"So, like a pair of human handcuffs, in a way, then," Karter noted.
"No, nothing like that at all," Samantha replied. "I might go in and grab Howard myself just to end this conversation."
"I have some chips in the back," Karter said.
"All right, I’ll stay for now," Samantha said. She reached back and grabbed the sealed bag, opening it and offering the chips to Karter first. He took a handful and began work on them as they both stared at the door.
"I almost didn't know what to say to her," Samantha admitted. "She’s been a hero of mine for some time, and I didn't want to mess up."
"And did you?"
"I handled myself well. I took her through the crime scene and gave her the facts. I don't think I forgot anything. It was amazing just to see her work and listen to her think out loud. She has this aura about her."
"Like a superhero," Karter commented.
"She might be the best profiler in the state, maybe the county, male or female."
"This seems pretty cut and dry," Karter pointed out. "Do we even need her on the case?"
"It doesn’t matter," Samantha said. "It’s just amazing to have her around. She’s done so much to further the acceptance of females in law enforcement. It’s a constant battle for any woman in this line of work, and I’ve had to work twice as hard as any man in the same position."
"You work three times as hard as I do," Karter commented.
"I’m not joking," Samantha said.
"Neither am I. I know how hard you’ve worked for this. I might be an annoying jerk most of the time, but I’d back you over anyone. You deserve to be where you are because of who you are, and you have worked harder than anyone else. There’s no one I’d rather have by my side."
Samantha patted her partner on the arm. "See, you’re not a total jerk."
Karter smiled.
Not everyone was as understanding or supportive as Karter. She knew that Dr. Payne must have undergone similar treatment in her career, and she’d risen above it all. She’d gotten to heights that most women could only dream of.
Samantha still felt an excitement inside at meeting one of her heroes. A part of her hoped the case was at an end once Franklin Howard was brought in, but she also wanted more time to work with Dr. Payne.
For now, she crunched on some chips as they conducted their stakeout that shouldn’t last more than ten minutes—backup was en route.
Howard was deemed a dangerous suspect, but she and her partner had taken down dangerous subjects before.
She might have gone in with Karter if Dr. Payne was not part of the case, but she needed to do everything properly and by the book, so she couldn’t be blamed if anything went wrong.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Karter said. "What’s this?"
They watched as Franklin Howard emerged from the main entrance to the apartment building holding a large duffel bag in one hand. He looked both ways down the street before walking quickly away from them.
"We can't wait for backup," Samantha said. "He looks like he’s packed up and making a getaway, doesn’t he?"
"Classic duffel bag," Karter said. "We can't let him out of our sight, or we might never see him again. If he gets into a vehicle, he could leave the city."
"The state," Samantha added.
The two detectives exited the vehicle and started after Franklin, walking quickly to close the gap, then matching his pace to follow wherever he was going.
"Ten bucks says he makes a run for it," Karter said.
"No deal," Samantha said. "Look how on edge he looks. One glance behind and he’ll make us. Just be ready to run if he does."
"All right, ten bucks I catch up to him first if he does run."
Samantha held out her hand for Karter to slap. "Yeah, I’ll take that bet. Do you really think you can outrun me?"
"There’s a first time for everything."
Franklin reached the corner at the end of the block and rounded it. Samantha and Karter hurried to the corner in case he ran when he was out of sight. As soon as they rounded the corner, they saw he had broken into a sprint.
"Oh, heck no!" Samantha gasped.
The two detectives took off running after the suspect.
Franklin dived to his right and into an alleyway halfway down the block. Samantha reached the alleyway slightly before Karter and held onto the brick corner to keep her speed while rounding it. They couldn’t see the suspect as they entered the alley, and slowed a little as they ran down it.
Samantha saw him a fraction too late as she passed the large metal trash bin.
He stood behind it, his back pressed to the metal.
She saw him swing the bag as she passed, but the attack wasn’t for her.
She stopped dead and turned just in time to see the bag smack Karter in the face, whipping his legs up into the air from under him.
There was a moment when Karter seemed to float in midair, then he fell to the hard concrete below with a thud.
The bag was hurled at Samantha, and she had to bat it to the side with her forearms before it hit her. Franklin took off running again from the alley. Samantha immediately rushed to Karter.
He groaned, then, "Don't worry about me. Go after him. I’m right behind you."
Samantha took off running after the suspect, leaving her partner. He might be a jerk at times, but he was as tough as they came, and as soon as he was able, he’d be back on his feet and after her.
When she broke free of the alleyway and back onto the main street, she spotted the suspect on the other side of the road, an annoyed driver shouting something from within his vehicle after he'd been forced to stop.
Samantha held up her hand to the oncoming vehicles as she ran out into the road, putting the pursuit of the suspect before her safety.
Cars screeched to a halt, and horns were honked as Samantha crossed the street. None of them knew she was a detective in pursuit of a suspect, but that likely wouldn’t matter to them when their commutes had been set back ten or twenty seconds.
She ran her hand over one car's hood as she made it to the other side and sprinted after Franklin.
A moment later, there was twice as much honking, and she knew Karter was coming after her.
Franklin looked over his shoulder to see if he was being chased, and when he saw Samantha, he grunted and increased his speed.
Samantha maintained hers, losing some ground momentarily, but then gaining as he ran out of energy.
She felt the gun knocking against her hip, and it brought her some comfort.
She had no idea if Franklin was armed or if he would pull his weapon in what was a crowded area.
Civilians stood and stared as the three of them wove their way through the crowd.
She was ten yards from Franklin when he stopped and spun to face her. He balled his fists and raised them to his chest. She didn't like that he was willing to fight, but was thankful that he hadn’t pulled a gun. She would shoot him if needed, but would rather not.
As she got to him, he swung a fist toward her.
Samantha deftly ducked under the punch and slammed her hip into his thigh.
He was bigger than her, but he wasn’t as fast. She quickly raised her arm and slammed an elbow into the side of his neck.
The grunt indicated the sheer pain that the single blow brought.
Samantha spun and drew her gun, leveling it at Franklin. "No more," she warned. "Don't make me put you down, Franklin."
Karter arrived not far behind and a little out of breath. He also drew his gun, pointing it at the suspect.
Franklin laughed as he tried to catch his breath. He rubbed at the side of his neck before he put both of his hands behind his head and dropped to his knees. Karter kept the gun trained on him as Samantha slapped the handcuffs on his wrist and read him his rights.
"Let’s go down to the station and have a little talk, shall we?" Samantha asked, hoisting him to his feet.
Franklin sneered at her defiantly as if he had nothing to worry about. He looked like a man who knew that whatever he’d done, he’d somehow come through it without any trouble. Alison would make sure he had a lot to worry about.