The Oaths We Keep

Chapter 12

Barnes was up quickly that morning despite the lack of sleep. She dressed and drove to a fast-food restaurant to pick up breakfast. She pulled into the parking lot and made her way to the station. After signing in, Barnes looked around to see if Taylor or the Chief had arrived. Thankfully, they had not.

She took her breakfast down to the lock-up. A few men were still there from last night, but Erin was the only female. As Barnes walked to the cell door, Erin picked at a plate from a local grocery store deli. She didn't look enthused about the food offering. "Erin," Barnes said as she stood before the cell. "How are you holding up?"

Looking up from her Styrofoam box, Erin greeted her, stood up, and walked to the door. "I've slept better," she said. "I guess I should probably get used to this, though. I'm nervous about today. I want to get it over with." Inside, she felt ashamed for complaining about her problems. Barnes was being nice, and she had no right to be upset. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine, and look, we don't know what will happen, okay? Let's start by getting your husband back first." Erin nodded her agreement. "Oh, by the way, I brought you some things. I hope you like breakfast burritos. It's the best I could do. And I brought you this." Barnes handed her the bag and then the picture. "I took the picture from your house yesterday. I thought you would want to have it. Sorry, but I had to remove the frame. You're technically not supposed to have the picture, but I thought it may help."

"Thank you, Detective Barnes. That's very kind of you." Erin looked worried. The stress was starting to get to her. Barnes could tell that she was reaching a breaking point.

"Erin, we're going to get him back. Whatever happens, we are going to do our best. Keep it together for them," she said, pointing at the picture. "Alright, we've got a couple of hours before they call, so get ready. Taylor will want to go over the plan." She left Erin there, hoping she didn't promise something impossible to deliver.

Barnes had to admit she was feeling the pressure that Erin must have felt, too. As she walked back up the stairs, she tried to push all the thoughts from last night out of her mind. They needed clear focus today, and mistakes could prove fatal to Conner and Erin Harper.

Barnes spotted Taylor in his office with McClendon as she topped the stairs. The men were no doubt planning their move once the kidnappers arrived. She walked in as Taylor was speaking. He stopped when he saw her arrival. "Barnes, is Mrs. Harper up and ready?" he asked as she walked through the door.

"As ready as she's going to be. She's nervous, but that's to be expected." Barnes said as she stood behind McClendon's chair.

"She probably should be nervous. We'll brief her in about twenty minutes. I told McClendon they'd likely want to meet in a public place. Probably one with a good number of people around. Somewhere, surveillance will be difficult. Once we have the location, we can plan accordingly."

Taylor told both people in the room, "We must be our best today. This department has been through a lot recently. No mistakes." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Okay, let's go to work. Oh, Barnes, hang back for a second."

McClendon left the room, shutting the door behind him. "Have a seat, Barnes," he said. Barnes took the seat McClendon had just left. "I've got to know where your head is right now. Are you clear-headed enough to handle this right now?"

"Taylor, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm not sure you are. You passed all the psych evaluations and put up a good front, but I know you're still dealing with all that happened with Davis. If you aren't ready, I get it."

"I told you I'm good. We'll need everyone today, so you can't afford to leave me behind."

"I don't want to leave you behind, but I also don't want you doing something to compromise this operation. If you say you're ready, then fine, I believe you. I'd much rather have you out there with us. But, if you need to stay out of this one, no one will think less of you. This is the first big-time case since you were shot. If you're not ready, I don't want to push you."

"You were shot at, too, Taylor. If you can handle it, so can I," she said, trying to keep her anger down.

"Wasn't the first time someone has taken a shot at me. Laura, there's no one I'd rather have out there than you, but if you're not ready, it's okay. I just wanted to give you an option if you need it. That's all."

"We took an oath to protect the public, right?" she countered him. "Right now, I need to keep that oath. I appreciate your concern, but I've never been more focused in all my life than now."

Taylor sat back in his chair and nodded his head. "Let's bring this guy home. Then bust whoever's responsible for taking him."