The copper minions of death drilled into his chest and tumbled him back against the Aston.
Crimson spewed.
Richard fell to the ground, gasping and gurgling for breath as his lungs filled with fluid.
I jumped down from the loading dock and sprinted to Denise while JD secured Richard. By the time Jack got to him, the perp had exhaled his last breath.
45
Ihovered over Denise as she gasped for breath. The bulletproof vest had saved her life, but she had the wind knocked out of her.
She looked up at me in a daze. There was no doubt she had a broken rib or two. I called dispatch and shouted, "Officer down!"
I gave our location, and it wasn't long before the distant sound of sirens drew near.
Denise winced as she tried to sit up.
"Just take it easy," I said.
"I'm just gonna go on record and say getting shot sucks.”
I chuckled. "First time?”
She nodded. "And hopefully the last.”
Flashing red and blue lights painted the area. Patrol cars screeched to the scene. EMTs and paramedics attended to Denise. She was transferred to a gurney, and they loaded her into the back of an ambulance.
Dietrich snapped photos, and Brenda examined Richard’s remains.
The cash would be confiscated and logged into evidence.
Sheriff Daniels arrived. He was not pleased. With an angry scowl on his face, he asked, "You want to tell me what the hell kinda cockamamie scheme you two nimrods cooked up?”
I gave him a brief overview of the situation and tried to make it sound less terrible than it was.
He just shook his head. "Wild, you put me in a bad position. You're lucky that girl is alive.”
A grim frown tugged my face. “It’s my fault. I recruited her. I shouldn’t have put her in that situation.”
"Surrender your duty weapon. You two are on leave for the foreseeable future. Maybe indefinitely.”
"You don't mean that."
"Don't tempt me, Wild.”
He was pissed.
Brenda and her crew bagged Richard’s remains. He was transferred to the medical examiner's van.
Paris Delaney and her crew showed up, capturing footage of the carnage.
She found us, and the camera closed in. "Deputy Wild, what can you tell us?"
"An officer was shot in the line of duty. The perpetrator is deceased."
"Can you confirm the deceased is Richard Pearson?”
"I can't confirm anything at this time," I said, then stepped out of frame.
