Unfound

26

Detective O'era

We had been driving for nearly an hour before Stephen told us he had pulled off the road to a rest stop. I passed the rest stop and took the closest exit on the freeway, waiting for Stephen's next directions in a McDonald's parking lot. The radio silence made me anxious, absent of even needless chatter between the vehicles. I tapped my fingers on my coffee mug, counting the second and minutes that passed. Every second we waited to apprehend him was a second that poor girl was in his possession. Were we making the right choice not to corner him there? He was armed and other civilians could get hurt and he surely would kill the girl at the first sight of us. I had to bring her back alive for Liam and her family who were no doubt as nervous as I was.

I waited anxiously, hoping he'd start back on the road as soon as possible, the light already starting to get darker in the sky. They'd have to rest soon and even I was already struggling to keep my eyes open. I wasn't prepared for this day to go in the direction it had. I was expecting to storm a basement and return victorious with the girl, still alive and well and the perp in custody, worst case he'd be dead which still wasn't too bad of an option. That definitely didn't end up happening.

My radio crackled to life, "Detective, they're on the move again, but they've changed direction. He's made a loop towards the North West. I don't know where he's going, but he's changed freeways. He's completely backtracked and looks to be going towards the mountains." Stephen's voice sounded frantic. He was usually very good at tracking the perps, but this one had shaken him good. He didn't predict this move. He had guessed that he was going to take the girl to the city and ditch his vehicle. That would have been smart, but he was apparently brighter than we had originally guessed. We were just lucky we had any tracking on him or I don't know what we would have done.

They aren't usually smart enough to spot us, much less to change direction in the middle of their trip. He had planned this ahead of time, no doubt mapping out many possibilities through his various escapades. "Thank you Stephen. Continue to keep me updated if he changes courses or stops anywhere else."

"Will do, Detective."

I turned on my radio and informed the other boys of the change in direction. I warned them to maintain a large distance behind them. We had their location and didn't need to be right on his tail to know where he was. I told them to be careful since he was obviously smart and well prepared. He must have seen one of the cars and decided to change course, hoping he could slip us up. I warned them that since he was changed locations, we should still follow on the assumption that the girl was alive, but we couldn't be certain how much longer he was going to keep it that way. No one questioned me or the fact that if he left town we'd have a change in protocol, but I was going to cross that bridge when we got to it. The murders happened in our jurisdiction and he had the girl. No one would fight back too hard if we kept on his tail. 

I pulled back onto the road myself, tired from the drive, but not willing to hand it over to anyone else. Liam was my responsibility, and I couldn't help him. I didn't help him. I was too slow to get to the house and I still hadn't heard word from the hospital that he was okay. All I could do was drive and get my mind off of everything until we came to another stop.

Almost 50 minutes later, the sun long gone behind the mountains, my radio crackled to life again, fully waking me up. "Detective, they've pulled into a Motel. They're in Jameston. It's a remote town, no one else should be close by. The others are further behind you so their ETA is unpredictable. I've already contacted the local authorities who are waiting for further instruction from you."

Finally, "Good work, Stephen. Get some rest."

"I'm not going anywhere, Detective. Not until you get that son of a bitch." I smiled. Stephen was a great cop, an even better hacker and probably my best friend in the station. He was quiet and quirky, but had a big heart and an even bigger funny bone. I truly enjoyed spending time with him and would have to look into giving him a raise after all this was over.

"We'll keep you updated."

"Please be careful. No hero stuff O'era."

I laughed, "No promises. It is what I get paid to do."

I got on the radio to the unit, "Boys, they've pulled in to a Motel in Jameston. Circle the town for ten minutes, then we move in. Lights and sirens to be remained off. This man is armed and dangerous with a hostage, so move with caution. I'll be the lead when we get there. Stay behind me and stay close."

I got confirmation from every member of the team, all more than happy to oblige to my command. We were so close, I could almost feel myself putting this man into cuffs. I smiled as I passed the "Welcome to Jameston" sign. Welcome indeed.