Deal Me Out

Deal Me Out

By Matt Martin

 

Chapter 1

– Monday Morning, July11th – Orlando, Florida

What Goes Around, Comes Around

 Homicide Detective Charlie Vance held the gun stretched out and pointed directly toward the aisle of parked cars where the killer had led his hostage.

 

His arm shook and it took every ounce of energy to keep it up.

 

Perspiration beaded and dripped from his gray brow.

 

He felt the sweat roll down over the silver stubble on his cheeks and off his chin to the concrete.

 

Charlie knew his jitters could be attributed to fear and fatigue, but his mind was telling him that there was no good solution to this predicament.

 

He was not sure why he even needed a gun.

 

In his soul, he knew the man who had been on this killing spree was not going to kill him.

Charlie kept the gun in front of his fit, sixty-something body and yelled, “I am getting too old for this!”

 

He took a second and glanced back over his shoulder through the parking garage at the black man lying on the floor near the door to the stairs.

 

Blood oozed from the man’s upper thigh and his hands clasped his leg in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.

 

“Damn it John, you alright?”

 

Charlie asked.

 

The injured man nodded at Detective Vance in a solid confirmation, “I’ll be OK, just go get him.”

 

This was an optimistic diagnosis given his gritted teeth and raspy shallow breaths.

 Charlie’s attention turned back down the aisle of cars to a distant door that led to the roof of the garage.

 

“Couldn’t let me retire, could you?” he shouted to the distance.

 “Eeeeeeh” screamed a woman’s voice echoing from above.

 Charlie crouched, scrambled and a surreal tingle engulfed his body as he put his back on the door.

 

He peered up through the tiny rectangular window with its crisscrossed wire.

 

Sirens blared in the distance, a signal that the cavalry was coming.

 

If this standoff was going to end without another death, it was going to require immediate action.

 

He pushed open the door and made sure the coast was clear.

 

The door at the top of the stairs was open and he cursed under his breath, then yelled, “She’s innocent… you started this to protect the innocent!”