Page 50 of Justice for JoElla

Brandon thought about the previous two days as he drove back to Landon and Jerrica’s house. They’d had a rough morning on Saturday, but he really believed going back had been the thing that had tipped the scales. She knew he meant business. He wasn’t just looking for a quick roll in the hay. And the butterfly farm… He wished they could go back there and stay forever. It had been positively breathtaking, and he hoped she would want to return.

He spent the rest of the evening waiting, wondering if JoElla and Mick had found anything useful. It had to be frustrating, knowing someone was out there, someone who needed help, and being unable to find them. If anyone could, it would be JoElla and Mick. He’d only met the male detective briefly, but the guy seemed to be on the ball, and that was better than having someone who was trying to stick a knife in your back while you were working with them.

Unfortunately, that’s how he saw ChiefLance Margolis. Yeah, he’d been JoElla’s partner, and yeah, he’d been her fuck buddy, but there was something else there, something that bothered him. She’d been suspended and he’d been promoted. Yes, of course, the shooting was part of that, but it just didn’t seem right. Why wasn’t Margolis suspended, even for a few days? And why hadn’t JoElla told him about being shot? There was a missing piece there, and Brandon couldn’t figure out how to find it, but he intended to give it a lot of thought.

They’d anticipated a slow night, but he’d only been on shift for about fifteen minutes when they got a call. “Station Two Med, Station Two Med, respond, over.”

“Station Two Med, over,” Froggy answered.

“Station Two Med, report of multiple GSW victims, seven five two Clampett Road. Repeat, report of multiple GSW victims, seven five two Clampett Road. Copy?”

“Copy that, dispatch. Rolling.” Brandon was already in the back when he heard the bang on the wall between him and the front. “You ready back there, Doc?”

“Ready.” Strapped into the jump seat, he rode along and listened to Froggy and Crow talking about a ball game from Sunday afternoon, but he was wondering what they’d find when they rolled up on the scene.

There were three SpencerCounty cruisers there, and he recognized none of the officers. “EMTs coming through!” one of the deputies yelled, and the cluster of brown uniforms separated and moved aside to let Brandon and his two partners through.

The inside of the place was a mess. Blood was everywhere. The victim was an older man, probably a little over sixty, and a few feet away sat his wife, in a recliner. It looked like the old guy had been trying to reach a phone, but the woman was slumped in the chair. “This is just a formality, guys,” he heard one of the deputies say from behind him. “They were gone when we got here.”

“Who called it in?” Froggy asked.

“A neighbor. Said she heard something last night, then started thinking about it and came down here. But her house is on the other side of that tree line, so she couldn’t see anything. Tried calling them repeatedly but no one answered. Walked up onto the porch and looked through the window. Said they had a spare key, but it wasn’t where it was supposed to be.”

Brandon turned and looked directly into the deputy’s face. “I’m guessing it was in the lock?”

“Yep. When she reached the door, there it was,” the man answered. “Whoever it was knew where they kept it. She looked through the window, saw them, and called us.”

“Okay, I’m gonna call ‘em.” Then Brandon remembered?he couldn’t call time of death. It wasn’t part of his job as an EMT. Yeah, he could do it, but he wasn’t supposed to. That was a job for the medical examiner, and it made him feel oddly relieved. “They need to go with the coroner. And we need to get out of your way so your forensics people can come in.”

“Yeah. Thanks, guys. Sorry it was for nothing.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” Crow answered as Brandon picked up his bag and headed toward the door. That was when he saw them.

On a table by the door were a handful of brochures, all identical. They were the ones funeral homes prepared for the loved ones of the deceased, and they usually had personal information about the person, such as their activities in the community, family members, school information, anything that would help to memorialize the deceased. But something about that particular funeral brochure struck him.

It was a kid?a teenage boy. He didn’t want to say anything in front of the uniforms, but he had to ask. “By the way, what are the names here? We need it for our report.”

The deputy looked at his tablet. “Case. Burton and Emma Case. ID says he’s sixty-two and she’s sixty-one.”

“Thanks.”

He heard the deputy snicker. “You’re not gonna write that down?”

Brandon wheeled and glared at him. “I’m a fucking doctor. I think I can remember something that simple.”

“Whoa! Look who got up on the wrong side of the bed!” the deputy responded with a laugh and palms out. “Sorry! Forgot you were some big mucky-muck, Fox!”

Shut it down, Fox, Brandon heard his brain growl. “Sorry. Bad day.”Actually, a really good day, but this is going to set off a chain reaction you guys really don’t want to deal with. Not just that, but if they didn’t play it right, the entire department would know about him and JoElla, and he was pretty sure she didn’t want that just yet. Instead of saying another word, he stomped down the front steps and headed back to the rig.

He had to find two seconds alone to call her. The rig rolled into the bay at the station and he hopped out. “Hey, gotta make a run to the john. I’ll be right back.”

“Not like we used any supplies or anything. Take your time,” Crow called back to him as he ran.

Instead of going to the big bathroom all the guys used, he sneaked to the washroom at the rear. As soon as the door closed, he whipped out his phone and hit her contact. It was answered after only two rings. “I’m busy.”

“You’re not too busy for this call. I just came back from a run, and you won’t believe who it was.”

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