Closing In

There is chaos all around him. Chairs scraped against the hardwood floor, papers shuffled, and officers walked to and fro. The commotion stops. The silence is replaced by heavy footsteps tromping across the floor, Joe looks up to find the captain walking towards him, a paper dangling from his hand. He looks so worn, so drained, like he'd aged twenty years overnight. Joe looks around to find everyone staring at him. I'm sure they see it too. He thinks back to when they first met. The captain was a courageous middle-aged man who made sure nothing slipped past him. He was always one step ahead of his crew. Now the once admired leader is a worn-out, tired old man who's barely hanging on. Having a sick wife at home is really taking a toll. He recently hired live-in help, but that doesn't seem to be lifting the burden enough. "Do you have something, captain?"

"The witness from the robbery sat down with a sketch artist and came up with this." He hands Joe a picture.

Joe studies the charcoal sketch, taps on the picture, and says, "This face looks familiar." Joe brings up Jerry's recent search. A photo pops up on the screen. "That's what I thought." Smiling, Joe leans back in his chair.

"Who's that?" The captain asks, moving in for a closer look.

"It's Jeff Donaldson." Turning to face him, he continues. "The picture confirms what Jerry and I thought all along. Seeing the perplexed look on the captain's face, he explains. "I saw a blue coupe at the side of the road. It'd been wiped clean, and the tags were gone. So I took down the VIN. Jerry ran it and came up with a name. When Jerry questioned the owner, she said she'd sold it to this man." He points to the screen. Picking up the phone, Joe dials his partner's number. "Have you talked to Jeff yet, Jerr?" He asks, putting it on speaker so the captain can hear.

"I'm headed to his house now. Why?"

"I believe he's involved in the robbery. So hold tight, Rachel and I are on our way." Hanging up the phone, the sergeant collects his stuff.

"Keep me posted." The captain says, walking away.

"I will, sir."

"On our way to where?" Rachel asks, walking toward her desk.

"The Donaldson's. We believe he had something to do with the robbery and the fire."

"Jeff wouldn't do anything like that, not in a million years. He's too much of a straight-laced goodie-goodie to do anything like that." Thinking of a story, Rachel chuckles and then says, "He's such a goodie two shoes that he drove eight miles through a terrible snowstorm just to return a pen."

"That may have been what he was like then, but this is now." Joe hands her the sketch. "This drawing came from a description given by a witness at the robbery."

The detective studies it for a second. "It looks a lot like him, but it also could be a lot of other men." She glances up at her boss and adds, "Like you and Jerr."

"He bought a blue coup a few months back but has yet to register it in his name.."

Rachel recalls what Julie had said about Jeff working himself to death. "He's probably busy with work, family, and all."

"That's why we're going to talk to him and give him a chance to explain. Shoving his gun in his holster, Joe closes his desk drawer and then asks, "How did your interrogation go?"

"She denies knowing anything, but the whole time I was with her, she seemed scared out of her mind. Like the perp was going to come back and finish the job."

"What did the husband have to say about all of it?"

"He's out of town. Away on business, so the wife claims."

"That's mighty convenient."

"I thought so too."

"Let's go talk to Jeff and see if he can tell us anything."

Stopping at the door, Rachel turns and says, "You're wrong about Jeff being involved, Joe, dead wrong."

The sergeant runs his fingers through his thinning hair. "It wouldn't be the first." Nor will it be the last."

Seeing Jerry's car parked a few houses down, Joe pulls in behind him.

"How do you want to do this, boss? Jerry asks, stepping up to Joe's cruiser.

"I'll take the front. You and Rachel take the back in case he decides to flee."

***

The kidnapper is untying Jeff's hands when the phone rings. Glaring into his victim's eyes, the man says, Try anything heroic, and your family dies.

Nodding, Jeff reaches for the cordless phone hanging on the wall. "Hell, Hello." Clearing his throat, he nervously glances at the men.

"This is Betty, your secretary at work. I hate to bother you, sir, but I thought you should know that Detective Bower asked to speak to you."

"Did he say what it was about?"

"He wouldn't say. I asked if he wanted to leave a message, and he said he'll rather just stop by your house."

"I'm sure it's over something simple like an unpaid parking ticket or a charity function."

"I hope you're right."

Jeff hears the panic in her voice. She'll have a heart attack if I don't do something quick. "I'm sure that's what it is. Thanks for letting me know."

There is a long awkward pause, both searching for more to say. Betty finally breaks the silence. "The boss frowns on personal calls on company time, so I better go before he has my head." She's been his secretary for nearly four years. It wasn't the transfer she wanted, not after hearing all the rumors flying around the company about him being difficult to work for, demanding, and hard to please. One former employee claimed he expects you to be at his beck and call twenty-four seven three hundred and sixty-five days a year. She told corporate the only way she'd agree to the assignment was if she was given a raise. She expected them to find someone else but gave in to her demand instead. She soon discovered the rumors were the furthest from the truth. Betty told him about the whole ordeal a month or so in.

Jeff laughs and says, "At least you got a raise." Now they joke about her scare.

Trying to keep the conversation light, Jeff chuckles and says, "I heard Mr. Donaldson can be a brute sometimes."

"The man works me to death." He actually had talked her into a much-needed vacation. Told her after five long years, she deserved a little time to herself.

Jeff laughs. "Have a good weekend, Betty."

"You too, sir."

Hanging up, he turns and says, that was my secretary. She said a detective was asking for me at work, but he didn't say what it was about and that he's going to stop by the house."

A sullen look crosses the second kidnapper's face. "We better clear out of here, boss, before they come snooping around."

"You take care of Jule. I'll grab the girls." He turns to Jeff and says, "Remember, we have your family. So one screw-up, and they're all toast." He runs his finger across his throat.

Jeff nods. "I…I understand."

"Good."

There's pounding at the front door. Jeff runs over to find an officer on his porch. Jeff feels his heart plummet to his stomach. With tears in his eyes, he turns and says, "They're here."