Got Your Six

Chapter 16

Captain Bennett

I say hello to Cameron's wife at the entrance and grab myself a sandwich, taking it across the room to a mostly empty table. There's an elderly couple sitting across from me who just look over and smile at me when I sit down, letting me know they don't mind my presence. I don't know anyone here except for Calvin, but I figured coming to Cameron's memorial was the least I could do. I kept to the back of the crowd during the memorial service, not wanting to get asked too many questions from the family. I was here to pay my respects and then leave. Getting fed lunch was just part of it I guess.
Midway through my sandwich, I begin to hear loud voices coming from outside. Looking through the windows doesn't give me any answers. Whoever it is must be hidden by the long wall in-between the narrow windows. I glance around to the surrounding tables but no one else seems to notice the voices coming from outside. Even the couple across from me is too consumed by their own conversation to notice.
I want to go investigate, just to make sure everything is okay, but I feel I should say something to Cameron's wife before I leave. She's still standing by the entrance, even though there's no one left in the line for food. She's alone, sipping on a small bottle of water, blankly staring off into the rest of the room. I toss my plate in the garbage can at the front of the room and approach her cautiously, not wanting to startle her.
"Hello," I say softly. She turns and displays a weak smile, lowering the bottle of water from her lips. "I'm..."
"Captain Bennett," she says before I can even introduce myself. "Cameron told me about you."
"Of course," I say with a light smile. "I'm sorry."
She turns to look over the crowd of people again, her fake smile fading away. I can understand if she doesn't want to talk to me. I'm sure she can't be too happy with me right now. She probably only sees me as the man that took her husband away from her.
"Be patient, it will get better with time," I say and then slip behind her to head out into the lobby.
I turn for the exit and catch a glimpse of a car speeding out of the parking lot through the glass doors. I push my way through to the cool outside air and see someone standing on the side of the building, shoving something into their waistband. 
"Jenkins?" I say, hoping I didn't mistake him for someone else.
He turns around to face me, looking slightly shocked. "Hey Captain, are you leaving already?"
I want to ask him what he was putting in his waistband but I have a bad feeling I already know the answer. What I don't know is what he might have been using it for. I decide now's not the best time to ask. "What was that all about? I seen that car peel out of here in quite a hurry."
Jenkins hesitates before he decides to respond to my question. "Come with me," he says, leading me further away from the front doors. We walk across the parking lot until we're standing next to his truck and then he begins to spill everything. "There was this sketchy looking guy in there. He kept staring at me, giving me a bad feeling. So, I decided to follow him out. I needed to know who he was."
"And who was he?" I ask, expecting this to lead to something big.
"He told me that Gavin sent him. He told me where Gavin has been hiding," Jenkins says, raising his voice towards the end.
"Jenkins, how do we know this guy was telling the truth? He was probably sent here to set up some sort of trap for you. Gavin's probably plotting to get rid of every cop that was there that night," I warn him.
"We can't just leave it alone. Captain, we have to follow up on this. That guy was not lying, I just know, okay? We have to check this out," Jenkins pleads with me, practically begging me to help him with this.
I don't want to give in. I don't want to put anyone else in a dangerous position. But something tells me that if I don't help Jenkins with this, he'll go out and try to handle this himself, and most likely get himself killed. I can't have that happen. "Where did he say he was?"
A wave of relief rushes over Jenkins as he realizes I plan on helping him. "He's at an abandoned house at the end of Weaver Street."
I hesitate for a moment, trying to figure out how I want to handle this situation. "Meet me down at the station," I tell him, leaving him at his truck and heading off towards my own vehicle.
I know we can't afford to wait to check in on this. If the guy was telling the truth, who knows how much time we'll have before Gavin decides to move to a new safe house. And just in case this turns out to be a trap, then I have to make sure Calvin doesn't go in first.
I walk into the station fifteen minutes later, pulling the first two officers I see into my office.
"I need you two to come with me. We've got a lead on where a prime murder suspect may be hiding out and we've only got a short window to check it out before he possibly moves on. So, gear up and get ready to go," officers Leo and Price hurry out of my office as soon as I finish talking. I could've told them this information at their desks but I'd rather keep this whole thing under wraps.
Jenkins walks in right as the other two officers enter the locker room. He looks so out of place dressed in such nice clothes. I guess I probably look the same way. There's no time to get changed though, so I guess we'll be going on this little mission in style.
"Get your vest on," I tell him once he's in earshot.
"You're actually going to let me work the case?" He asks eagerly.
"You're not working the case. I've got officers Leo and Price that I'm going to take in with me and I want you to wait outside. You're only there if I absolutely need you. So, if you want to tag along, I suggest you go get your vest on." Jenkins is off to the locker room without saying anything else.
I walk in right behind him to grab my own vest and weapon and then we head out to the parking lot. I grab the keys to an unmarked SUV on our way, which brings back unpleasant memories that I can only hope don't affect Jenkins too badly.
"Lead the way, Jenkins," I say as I toss him the keys and climb into the passenger seat.
Leo and Price are in the backseat and ready to go before Jenkins gets into the vehicle.
"Let's go," I say loudly. "We're on a bit of a time crunch here."
That seems to snap him back to reality because he hops into the vehicle and gets it out onto the street within a matter of seconds. I actually have to tell him to slow down a bit because he's driving like he's in a high speed pursuit. He gets us to the street the guy told him about and slows the vehicle down until it's just creeping down the road. Everyone in the vehicle is eyeing up every house we pass, looking for anything that might look out of the ordinary. Every house so far looks like a normal family home. Decorations outside, cars in the driveway, curtains wide open, displaying everything one might have in their house. No one has anything to hide here.
Jenkins keeps the vehicle moving until the road comes to an abrupt end around a bend in the road. The trees are thick surrounding the end of the road. It makes it hard to notice the house right on the end, separated from the rest.
"That must be it," I say, pointing out the house to the rest of the vehicle.
Jenkins parks the vehicle on the side of the road, a little ways down from the house and kills the ignition. We all climb out and gather on the driver's side, using the SUV to hide us from anyone that might be inside the house. Not that anyone inside would be able to see us anyway. There's a shed and a few trees that would block anyone inside from getting a clear view of the road. The woods cover us from our back side, not like anyone could be hiding in there anyway. Just a few feet into the woods marks the beginning of a steep hill that would take you down to the next neighborhood. That is, if you survived the fall.
"Leo, Price, you guys are leading the way, I'll be right behind you. Clear every room in there and arrest anyone you find inside," I instruct them and then turn my attention towards Jenkins. "Jenkins, you stay outside until we say it's clear."
Jenkins nods in agreement, not that he has much of a choice to object. I didn't want him to come in the first place but he's the one that got the lead so I figured he would be able to help us in some capacity.
"Let's do this," I tell them, resulting in everyone getting on their feet and rushing across the road and down the short driveway to the front door of the abandoned looking house. 
Leo and Price stage themselves on the left side of the door while I stand ready on the right. Jenkins waits right behind me with his gun drawn. He knows he's not coming in, maybe he's just hoping someone will come running out so he can play a part in this.
I nod my head at Leo and he does the same to me, letting me know he's ready. The handle is on my side and I twist it, expecting to have to kick the door down. To my own surprise, the door swings open and Leo rushes in, his weapon held high. Price rushes in after him, heading in the opposite direction. I enter right behind him and pull up the middle, discovering the living room to be vacant. It looks like whoever owned this house last didn't even bother to move their stuff out before abandoning it. There's still a full living room set up with a thick layer of dust covering everything.
"Clear," officer Price calls out and then follows Leo to check the rest of the house.
I begin to follow them but catch a glimpse of Jenkins coming in through the front door. "Didn't I tell you to wait outside?"
"You said to wait outside until you say it's clear," Jenkins points out. "And I heard Price announce that it was clear."
Before I can respond, the other officers begin hollering about something in the next room.
"We've got something in here," Price calls out.
"You're going to want to see this," Leo follows up.
I hurry into the dining room while Jenkins follows close behind me. Leo and Price are standing on either side of a dead body. The man is sprawled out next to the dining table with a single gunshot wound to the forehead.
"That's him," Jenkins says from behind me.
"Who?" I ask, turning to look him in the eye.
"That's the guy that told me about this place, at the funeral home," Jenkins informs me.
"Looks like he got punished for snitching," Leo mumbles.
"As of now, this place is a crime scene. I want the whole property blocked off with tape," I say aloud, ignoring Leo's comment. "You get started on that, Leo. And Price, I want you to search the rest of the house. Let me know right away if you find anything at all."
Leo immediately heads back to the vehicle to start blocking off the property while Price moves into the next room. Calvin begins looking around the room while I study the body on the ground. There's a black baseball cap lying on the ground in the puddle of blood next to the man's head.
"He must have come here right after he left the funeral home," Jenkins says, sounding like he's talking to himself. "He had to have come here and told Gavin we were coming." Now Jenkins turns to look directly at me. "This had to have been Gavin's doing."
"It seems likely," I admit, reaching into my pocket to retrieve my phone. "I've got to call this in," I tell him before heading back into the living room.