It Started With Hello

Chap. 133

Harry's gun dropped to the ground, his hands slightly shaking. He'd never thought he would have to kill someone. It was an unexpected turn for him so early in his career, but it was necessary. He watched as Thomas's dark blood seeped into the grass, his own heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. There was no time to dwell on it, though. Blake needed help.

He ran to Blake's body, which lay motionless on the ground, and fell to his knees beside him. "Blake! Blake! Answer me, please!" he begged, pulling Blake's body against his own. Blake's eyes were closed, his breathing short and shallow. Harry's eyes filled with tears. "Open your eyes, Blake! Come on!" he said, patting Blake's cheek softly, but his eyes remained tightly shut.

Harry quickly checked the side of his neck; there was a weak pulse. He pressed his hand against the bullet wound in the middle of Blake's chest, trying to stop the bleeding. Blake's blood had soaked through his thick leather jacket, and Harry's hands were now covered in it.

Ms. Kit ran up the mountain, seeing the horrifying scene in front of her. "Harry! What happened? Are you okay? Is Blake okay?!" she rushed to ask, her voice filled with panic. Harry looked up at her, and she could see how shaken he was. This was something he hadn't expected in his first year as a cop "Call 911! We need to get him to a hospital!" he yelled.

She nodded, pulling out her phone.
At the base of the mountain, Mona had just pulled up in her police car. She saw Mr. Hatter trying to wrestle Mr. Gates into the back of his patrol car. He was fighting him, yelling and thrashing around.

Even through her bulletproof windows, Mona could hear him. "I was set up! Of course, I would never be a part of this! I'm the chief of police! Get your hands off me, Mr. Hatter! I'll have your badge for this!"

Mona rolled her eyes at his pathetic behavior. He was caught red-handed and was still trying to act as if he had done no wrong. With all the evidence she had at home, she was going to make sure he was put away for a very long time.

She looked back at Heather, who was leaning her head against the window, the dried blood from earlier now a dark crust on her face. "Listen, just sit here and don't make any trouble. I'll be back in a few." Heather didn't respond.

She hadn't said much since their conversation. Mona guessed the reality had finally set in—that she was going to jail for a very long time. Mona had no pity for her; she was a murderer.

She climbed out of the car, running over to help Mr. Hatter. He looked up, noticing her. "Hello, Ms. O'Connor. Nice pajamas," he said with a slight laugh as she grabbed Mr. Gates's shoulder, helping to push him into the back seat.

Mr. Gates looked up at her, his face a mask of desperation. "You believe me, right, Lieutenant? They have it all wrong! I would never help these people! Think about your late husband! He wouldn't want you messing up your whole career by putting me in jail! Come on, you're with me the most! Tell him!"
Mona's eyes narrowed, and a cold rage filled her.

How dare he bring her dead husband into this. Her fists clenched at her sides. Mr. Hatter chuckled softly, knowing what was about to come. He had witnessed a few of her explosions at this point and couldn't wait to see this. Her strength and determination were two of the main things that had drawn him to her.

She gave Mr. Hatter a small, playful shove, a moment of silent understanding between them, before her smile vanished and she met Mr. Gates's eyes.

A venomous laugh escaped her lips. "You're right. I do know you. I know you're an arrogant, rude asshole and a loudmouth who thought he could get away with a crime by covering it up for years and keeping your fellow officers in the dark." Her voice dropped to a fierce whisper. "You're unworthy to run the police force, un-fucking-worthy of being the chief of police. I'll make sure you get locked up for everything you've done, from hiding evidence to covering up those five girls' murders. You're done, and it's over."

His eyes widened, clearly surprised by her outburst. She had never spoken to him like this. He started to sputter, trying to make an excuse.

"Oh, and one more thing," she said.
She punched him hard in the face, a sickening crack echoing in the night air.

He fell back into the police car, groaning in pain. She wiped the blood from her fist onto her rainbow shirt. Mr. Hatter stared at her in stunned amazement.
"That was for my late husband, you piece of shit," she growled. "Never speak about him again."

Mr. Gates groaned, blood dripping from his nose. Mona sighed, feeling a lot better. She turned to Mr. Hatter, who was still smiling. "What?" she said, pushing her hair behind her ears and placing her hands on her hips.
He shook his head, looking down.

"You're something special, Mona O'Connor." He looked back up at her, making her slightly blush. James Hatter was a good-looking guy, with his tall frame, dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes.

He kind of looked like Brad Pitt. Mona had never really noticed before; since her husband died and she had moved here, she had put all her effort into her work. It became her sole purpose, and she hadn't paid attention to the guys around her.

They were just coworkers. He had always been nice to her, but she had never thought anything deeper than that. Now, finally looking at him, she had to admit he was pretty attractive. She let out an awkward cough, looking up the mountain.

"Is Ms. Kit up the mountain already?"
He nodded, watching her. "I'll go ahead up there," she said, turning and walking up the mountain.

He let out a heavy breath, watching her walk away, just as Mr. Gates started to sit back up. "Are you just gonna let her hit me like that?! That's police brutality!" he yelled, stunned that James wasn't on his side. He was completely ignored.

"What a woman," James muttered to himself before he slammed the car door in Mr. Gates's face, hitting him in the nose and making him fall backward again.

Mona was only halfway up the mountain before she heard ambulance sirens behind her. She turned her head, seeing an ambulance pulling up along with other police cars. She raised an eyebrow, questioning what had happened.

"Ms. O'Connor?" Ms. Kit said, making her turn back around, her eyes widening. She saw Ms. Kit and Harry coming down the side of the mountain, holding up a bleeding, nearly unconscious Blake. She covered her mouth before running to them to help.

"What happened?" Ms. Kit answered, her voice calm and professional despite the chaos. "He was shot at close range. We still haven't found Emma yet."

The paramedics rushed over to them, helping Blake onto the stretcher. Mona ran beside the stretcher. Blake reached up, holding her hand weakly. "Loner... lo.. loner.. lan..." His hand fell out of hers as he passed out.

The paramedics pushed him into the back of the ambulance, which drove down the road toward the hospital.

"What was he trying to say?" Mr. Hatter asked, walking over to stand next to her.
She didn't know what he was trying to say, but they had to figure it out. Emma's life depended on it. She pulled out her phone, calling Chris. He knew the area and Blake better than they did. Maybe he knew what Blake was so desperate to say.

Ms. Kit looked over at Harry, who was still visibly shaking and looking at the blood on his hands. "The scene is secured," she told her radio. "We have one DOA. I'll stay with the body until the coroner arrives." She looked over at Mona and Mr. Hatter before heading back up the mountain, the silence between them heavy with the blaring sirens and the grim reality of what had just happened. The search for Emma was the only thing that mattered now.