Chapter 45
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Sam parked the cruiser a block down from Griggs’s house. Lucy shifted in the back seat, her ears perked, alert as always. Sam grabbed his flashlight and gun, motioning for Kevin and Lucy to follow.
Wyatt’s unmarked car sat ahead, its silhouette blending into the quiet neighborhood.
Wyatt rolled his window down as they reached the car. “He’s been inside for hours. Lights on, TV going. Looks like he’s comfortable.”
Sam glanced toward the small house, its curtains drawn tight, shadows flickering from the television’s glow. It wasn’t much—a sagging roof, peeling paint, a porch that looked ready to collapse—but inside was Desmond Griggs, their key to unraveling the tangled web around Garvin McDaniels’s murder.
“Here’s the plan,” Sam said, his voice low. “I’ll go to the front. Wyatt, you take the back. Kevin, cover that door on the side. Lucy stays with me.”
Wyatt grinned. “You got it, boss.”
Kevin nodded, gripping his flashlight.
They moved in silence, splitting off to their positions.
Sam approached the front door cautiously, Lucy at his side, her ears swiveling to every sound.
The door was locked, as expected. Sam leaned closer, listening for movement inside.
The muffled sounds of an action movie filtered through, explosions and gunfire masking their approach.
He gave a subtle nod to Kevin, stationed by the side. Sam turned back to the door and knocked sharply.
“Desmond Griggs,” he called, his voice firm. “White Rock Police. Open up.”
Inside, the sounds of the TV abruptly stopped. Sam’s hand tightened on his gun. Lucy let out a low growl, her stance shifting as she prepared for action.
Wyatt’s voice crackled softly through Sam’s earpiece. “He’s moving. Back of the house. Looks like he’s grabbing something.”
Sam knocked again, louder this time. “Griggs! We know you’re in there. Open the door!”
A beat of silence passed, then the lights inside went out.
“Move in!” Sam barked into his mic.
Wyatt surged toward the back door, Kevin covering the side. Sam kicked the front door hard, the frame splintering as it burst open. Lucy shot ahead of him, her growl echoing through the small, cluttered house.
“Police!” Sam shouted, sweeping his flashlight across the room.
Griggs was already bolting through the kitchen, a bronze statue of an elk tucked under his arm. He turned briefly, a glint of metal in his hand—a gun.
Sam ducked as Griggs fired, the shot slamming into the doorframe behind him.
“Lucy, go!” Sam commanded.
Lucy launched herself forward, her powerful frame hitting Griggs as he aimed again. Her teeth clamped onto his arm, forcing him to drop the gun with a clatter. Griggs roared in pain, twisting violently as he tried to shake her off.
Sam rushed forward, but Griggs managed to throw Lucy off, the dog landing hard but springing back to her feet with a snarl.
Griggs made for the back door, statue still in hand.
“Wyatt, he’s coming your way!” Sam shouted.
The back door burst open as Griggs barreled through, colliding with Wyatt. They hit the ground hard, rolling in the dirt. Griggs swung the heavy statue, striking Wyatt’s shoulder. Wyatt grunted, trying to wrestle the weapon away.
Sam and Kevin sprinted out after them. Lucy was right behind, her growls filling the air.
“Get off me!” Griggs snarled, raising the statue for another swing.
“Don’t even think about it!” Sam bellowed, his gun trained on Griggs.
Griggs froze, his chest heaving, the statue poised in his hands.
“Drop it,” Sam ordered, his voice ice-cold.
Griggs hesitated, his eyes darting between Sam’s gun and Wyatt beneath him.
“Now!”
With a growl of frustration, Griggs let the statue fall to the ground. Wyatt shoved him off, scrambling to his feet with a glare that could’ve melted steel.
Kevin darted forward, kicking the gun away and cuffing Griggs as Sam kept his weapon trained on him.
Lucy circled Griggs, her tail high, her growl low and menacing.
Griggs sneered, blood dripping from the bite marks on his arm. “You don’t know what you’re messing with,” he spat.
Sam stepped closer, his eyes locked on Griggs. “Oh, I think we do. You killed Garvin McDaniels. You thought you’d get away with it, but you were wrong.”
Griggs glared, his chest heaving.
Wyatt dusted himself off, wincing as he rolled his shoulder. “You hit like a wimp,” he muttered, tightening the cuffs on Griggs.
Kevin picked up the bronze elk statue, examining it. “This thing matches the murder weapon perfectly.” He looked at Griggs. “What, you thought you’d pawn it later once things cooled down?”
Griggs stayed silent, his eyes burning with fury.
Sam crouched slightly, meeting Griggs’s glare head-on. “You’re going to tell us everything. Who hired you, why you did it, and what you know about Garvin’s land. Or you can rot in a cell for the rest of your life. Your call.”
Griggs’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Sam straightened, holstering his weapon. “Let’s get him out of here. We’ll see how long he keeps quiet.”
Wyatt yanked Griggs to his feet, his grip iron tight. Kevin followed with the statue, his expression grim.
Lucy stayed close to Sam as they headed toward the cruiser, her tail wagging slightly, her job done.
But Sam’s mind was already racing ahead.
They had Griggs, and the evidence was mounting.
But there was someone higher up that had orchestrated this.
Someone higher than Beryl Thorne even. Hopefully, Griggs would tell them who it was.
Otherwise, they might never know the truth of who was really behind this and why they wanted that land so much.