Chapter XIV

hief Coker sat there as tears rolled down his face, watching Sharon, Ellen, Melinda just boo hooing their heads off.  "Help is enroute.  Thanks for the call William."

The group was incredulous.  How in the world had Billy survived the blast without being taken out before hand.  But that would be kidnapping.  Who?  How?  What?  When?  Where?  These and a thousand other questions were rushing through their heads.

Melinda had kept Billy the day prior and had left some soiled clothes at her house.  She had nearly a full wardrobe of things for him, almost as much stuff as Sharon and William had.  She condsidered him her son as much as Sharon did, and loved him with the same passion.  Len as well.

Chief Coker said "OK.  Let's get all this confusion out and set some order to this situation.  First, Ellen, you drive Melinda and Sharon by Melinda's house for the things Billy needs  Lorraine, you ride shotgun.  Are you heeled?"  At her nod he continued.

"Len, you drive toward the location of Williams' GPS mark.  I'll be on the phone.  Drive my vehicle.  Victor, you and Lane follow.  I'll have backup on the way as well as an ambulance.  When we get within a half mile, all sirens will go silent.  Let's go team.  Be safe out there.

His take charge attitude was cause for Vincent and Lane both to glance up to the picture of Chief Amanda Williams on the wall.  They'd planted it there themselves.  She had the same kind of courage and get the job done safely attitude she'd displayed from her first day on the job as Chief of Police.

They had no way of knowing, but it was the last word she said to William that woke him early that morning and set the ball to rolling as to the key of the whole process.  She had already broken the case, and it was the destruction her body had shown to alert William.  Then, her last word proved him right.

William, in his deep sorrow, walked the floor in anguish of what the loss of their child had done to him and his wife, as well as to Len and Melinda Mathers.  William felt closer to them than anyone else in the world.  They were heartbroken as well, and also heartbroken as to the effect the loss of Billy was having on William and Sharon.

And the whole Team.  He was going over each scene now once again, and almost as if a picture screen were before him, Chief Williams lay on the ground with most of her whole left shoulder blown away.  Although the scene had bothered him, he had forced himself to relive those moments when she looked up into his eyes as he cradled her head.

Then the thought that had been attempting to break through the fog and into the spotlight finally surfaced.  The rest of the police officers had been shot with a pistol.  This wound was not accomplished with a pistol.  It was a very high powered rifle wound.  He'd seen similar wounds on deer as they were registered as being taken.

Also, it was probably fired a quite a distance as no one in the area reported hearing gunfire.  Too, it could have had a noise suppressor, or as some call it, a silencer on the weapon.  In his minds eye he remembered looking around, and, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, had focused his attention on Chief Williams.  She had gained consciousness enough to look into his eyes, with a look that told she knew she was in her final moments.

She mouthed something, and he knelt close.  All she could accomplish was the word Slayton.  Then she closed her eyes.   William laid his forehead on her forehead, and wept.  A firm hand was gripping him by the shoulder, and he allowed himself to be lifted up and away from her body, then watched as they covered her over.

He felt as if a light in his life had gone out.  Again, the anger which he kept suppressed at Greg Wheaton, Gilroy Hastings, Don Siegal . . . and a whole list of people paraded through his mind.  If any of them were alive right now he would strangle them with his bare hands.  As it were, the Grim Reaper had already finished the job on each of them leaving him empty and bare, with no place to vent his anger.

How many had died over these discs?  How many more would die before they were destroyed?  He swore upon his very life that he would personally destroy those discs and weapons even it if meant his life.  He had been pursued, tortured, nearly lost his life as well as his beloved Sharon's life, and a whole passel of his friends were dead because of that one act of vengeance precipitated by Gilroy Hastings.

His mind went back again to that one word.  Slayton.  What had Chief Williams learned?  What did she know that would have caused her to die such a violent death by the hands of an unknown assailant?

William used that once single word as a springboard, and he began to walk through the corridors of his mind with the information, and it wasn't long before he had a definite direction.  Should he wake someone?  Should he go alone?  What if the information didn't pan out?

So, his decision was made.  He cleaned and checked his XD, reloaded all his mags, strapped another shoulder harness on to the other side of his body, strapped on a snub XD to his ankle and walked quietly out the door.

Sharon had been given a mild sedative and he didn't like leaving her alone especially with her vulnerable like that.  But if his figures were correct, he would have the discs, the weapons and the shooter of Chief Amanda Williams before noon.  Someone was going to die from a deliberately fired pistol at the hands of William Travis this day.

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