44. Garrett
CHAPTER 44
Garrett
The couch in the small hospital waiting room was hard and uncomfortable. But I didn’t care. I had one arm around Harper, the other around Owen. My injuries, aches, and pains, the mountains of paperwork I’d have waiting for me when I went back to work. None of it mattered.
They were alive, and we were together.
When Luke and I had arrived at Angel Cakes, we’d found it closed and locked—but the kitchen lights on. I’d known, without a shadow of a doubt, that Phillip was in there with them. I’d picked the lock as quietly as I could—with the rusty paperclip I was keeping forever—Luke and I had slipped inside, and seconds later, chaos had ensued.
And yet, I remembered every detail, as sharp as if I’d been moving in slow motion.
Crawling across the floor to get behind the pastry case. The sound of Phillip’s voice. And then the look on his face when I popped up in the doorway. My son on the floor, the gun moving toward Harper.
I’d lost it.
Become driven by rage.
I’d tackled him. Wrestled for control of the weapon .
Time stopped at the sound of it firing, stalling in the split second when I’d wondered which one of us had been hit.
Harper nestled against me. The warmth of her body kept me centered and calm. Owen leaned into me on my other side, his poor body exhausted and sore.
But it was over. I’d gotten to them in time.
Luke had been right behind me, but everything had happened so fast. And with the first gunshot, he’d instinctively dropped to the floor. About to dive in and help when it had all ended, he’d kept his head and called 911.
I didn’t know how to thank him. He’d had my back, no questions asked, no wasted time. And he’d helped save my family.
Paramedics had arrived first, followed moments later by several of my fellow deputies. I did my best to shield Owen and Harper from the grisly scene and took them outside.
We’d been taken directly to the hospital where Owen had the barbs from the taser removed. Fortunately, he hadn’t sustained any major injuries. He was just going to feel like he’d been hit by a truck for a while. And to my enormous relief, Harper was unharmed.
She’d told me what Owen had done. The taser had been meant for her.
I was so proud of my son it made my chest feel like it might burst.
They’d patched me up—my injuries were superficial—and brought the three of us to the waiting room so we could be together. I figured whoever was being assigned the case would be in soon to ask follow-up questions, then we’d be released to go home.
Home. That sounded like heaven.
The door opened and Jack came in, dressed in uniform. Harper sat up a little, but I kept my arm around her.
Jack grabbed an ottoman and pulled it in front of the couch, then took a seat. He shook his head slowly. “Holy shit.”
That made me chuckle. “You can say that again.”
“Sorry, Owen.” He let out a long breath. “Garrett, I owe you an apology. I should have trusted you when you said something was going on.”
“I don’t blame you. You have to follow protocol.”
“Yeah, but I also need to know my people. Your instincts rarely steer you wrong. I should have given you more support.”
“Thanks, Jack.”
“I’d ask how you are, but I’d imagine you’re exhausted, sore, and probably hungry. So I’ll try not to take up too much of your time. I was just out at Rich Pine’s property. I don’t know how the hell you beat your way out of that freezer. You’re lucky it was a pretty thin sheet of aluminum on the outside.”
“I knew what he was going to do. Getting out was my only option.”
He shook his head again, his expression slightly bewildered. “Adrenaline can make a man capable of a lot of things. But that was something else.”
“Have you started searching Phillip’s residence?”
“We’ve secured it. We’re working on processing the scene at Angel Cakes first.” His eyes moved to Harper. “It’s going to take us a few days, but we’ll also make sure there’s no sign of what happened in there.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“You three have been through a very traumatic ordeal. We’ve already got several therapists lined up. You can reach out and choose who you feel comfortable with, or we can do it for you. Either way, we’re going to make sure you get the support you need. And Garrett, you’re on administrative leave. Don’t argue, it’s protocol. ”
I wasn’t about to argue. I knew I needed it, so I just nodded.
“Phillip didn’t just kill Jasmine,” I said. “He told me he’s killed more. He wouldn’t give me any details, but who knows how many other victims are out there.”
“We’ll reach out to the FBI. Hopefully we can track them all down. Give their families some closure.”
“I know I can’t investigate this case, but I want to see what you find. He has to have something. A guy like him would keep trophies.”
“We can keep you in the loop.” He turned to Owen. “You were more than brave today. The whole department is proud of you.”
“Thanks, Sheriff.”
“You’ll make a great deputy someday, if you decide to follow in your dad’s footsteps.”
“I was just doing what my dad would have done,” Owen said quietly.
I tightened my arm around him and cleared the lump from my throat. Jack met my eyes and nodded.
The door opened again and Kade walked in, carrying three greasy bags from the Zany Zebra.
Jack grinned. “I did need to talk to you, but I was also stalling for time. We figured you guys needed food.”
Nothing had ever smelled so good.
That wasn’t quite true. Harper’s cookies always smelled like the best thing I could imagine.
But my stomach growled at the scent of burgers and fries.
“Thanks, Jack.” I took the bags from Kade and handed them to Harper and Owen. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem. It’s the least we can do after the day you’ve had.”
Jack stood and I got up so I could properly shake his hand.
As Jack left, and Owen dove into the food like he’d been starving for weeks, I stepped aside so I could talk to Kade .
His lip curled in a smirk. “Glad you didn’t die.”
“Thanks, man.” My brow furrowed. I hated that I still had to wonder. Kade couldn’t have been involved, could he? Working with Phillip somehow? My instincts said no, and it didn’t add up. Phillip would have been a lone wolf. He wasn’t the type to have an accomplice. Too much risk, and he’d have to share in his sick version of glory.
But something had been up with Kade.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” he said.
“Is everything okay? It seems like something might be going on. I know, I’m one to talk. But what’s up?”
He glanced away and let out a breath.
“I don’t mean to pry if it’s personal.”
“It is, but I should have just said something. My wife has been dealing with some health problems. It’s been pretty frustrating, but I think she finally has a diagnosis. We should be getting somewhere.”
“I’m sorry, man. That’s rough.”
“Yeah.” He looked down. “Sorry if I’ve been a dick lately. Perpetual bad mood, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
He held out his hand and I took it. “You were the right man for the investigator spot. No hard feelings.”
“Thanks, Sheehan. And thanks for the burgers.”
“Sure. I’ll let you get to it. I’ve got dinner out in my car, so I better get it home to Erin before it gets cold.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you later.”
I went back to the couch and sat between Harper and Owen. Zany Zebra burgers had never tasted so good—not even when I was hungover. We inhaled our food, signed our discharge paperwork, and then it was time to go home.
Josiah and Zachary had retrieved my SUV and brought it to the hospital. We climbed in just as fatigue started setting in. Fortunately, it was a short drive home .
The flowers were still where I’d thrown them, off in the side yard next to the driveway. I ignored them. They didn’t matter anymore.
It was over. We were safe. And I’d never been so grateful for the people I loved.