Chapter 38

It was well after lunch when the switchboard operator buzzed back to tell Bryant he had a call. It was the first one directed to him that entire day – something he didn't mind in the slightest.

"Chief, this is Mike Mitchell," the voice announced. "I'm not sure if you remember me but I'm with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. I used to be stationed in Hamilton County. That's Cincinnati."

"I remember, Trooper Mitchell," Bryant replied.

"It's sergeant now," Mitchell told him. "I've been moved to the Northeast District."

"Congratulations!" Bryant replied enthusiastically.

"Well, it's a double-edged sword," the new sergeant laughed. "The pay is nice but the paperwork is a huge pain in the ass."

"I hear ya," Bryant replied. "I thought I had it tough in Chicago. That's nothing compared to what I have to deal with now. Did you hear about the Mayfield case up there?"

"That's actually why I'm calling," Mitchell said. "No one up here was really upset to hear that he got two in his head. I'm a little surprised you're back to work though. I read that you fired the first shot. That probably would have cost you two weeks up here. The one who killed him would probably be out for thirty days or more."

"Today's my first day back," Bryant told him. "Jan's been cleared, too. That's one of the nicest things about running a department. We have the autonomy to make some changes. Once we got our psych clearances there was no reason to keep us on the bench."

Mitchell chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad you're there," he said. "I have some disturbing news and I'm glad I can talk to you about it since we sort of know each other."

"What's up?" Bryant asked, sitting up and pulling a notepad in front of him.

"When I told you that no one was really upset about Mayfield I was not absolutely correct," Mitchell told him. "There is one person who is upset. They buried the Mayfield boy on Saturday morning. On Sunday the boy's mother visited the Supermax Prison here in Youngstown. I've got a couple of guys I put in there a few years back but I keep in touch with them. I guess I should just tell you how I mean. I've got a couple of guys in there that I used as snitches in the past. I still drop a couple of bucks into their commissary account from time to time. Anyway, one of the guys was visiting with his family and he overheard a conversation in which a woman solicited one of the inmates – an enforcer for one of the prison gangs up there – to hire a hitman."

"A hitman?" Bryant asked.

"That's what my snitch told me," Mitchell replied. "He gave me a call yesterday. I drove over and picked up the visitor's log. The only visitor the guy had yesterday was Eileen Mayfield. The guy she talked to is a long-term hardass from outside of Toledo. There is no way she knew him beforehand. I mean, I just don't see it. I pulled him out of chow and grilled him but he wouldn't tell me anything. He was a member of some militia up that way before he went to prison. Now he's a white supremacist. I can see the Mayfields maybe knowing of his group but this guy was low-level there."

"Who's the target?" Bryant asked.

"That's where it gets interesting," Mitchell said. "My snitch said she wanted three people killed. I think you should know that you're one of them. The others were two lady cops from down that way. I'm pretty sure I can guess that she was talking about the woman that killed her son but I can't figure where the other comes into play."

"The other arrested her husband," Bryant replied. "He'll be spending the next couple years at our state's expense because he assaulted a police officer."

"Ah," Mitchell said. "Well, the price involved in killing a cop was too high for her to afford three of them. She finally settled on one -- a female. I don't have particulars but I plan to pull the middleman out again today and sweat him some more. I don't know which of you is in danger and I don't know who has been hired but I'll try to find out."

"I doubt it will matter," Bryant said. He would have to put a protective detail on Jan and Holly. He could only imagine how that would go over. "Maybe I should fly up there and make a run at him. Do you think you can get me some time with the guy?"

Mitchell was silent for a moment.

"I could probably do that but do you think you can accomplish something I can't?" Mitchell wondered.

"I think I'm more willing to take things as far as I need in order to get a name from him," Bryant said.

"Oh," Mitchell said. "Uh, Chief, I'm not sure that is a good idea."

"I'm not sure it is either," Bryant admitted. "But I'm also positive that I need to know who is coming down here to kill our Chief of Police or one of my detectives."

Bryant knocked on Jan's doorframe and waited for her to conclude a telephone call. She motioned for him to come in. He closed the door behind him as Jan set the phone on the cradle.

"Come to sexually harass me?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

"Not this time," Bryant replied with a sigh.

"Pity," Jan said. "How's your day going?"

Bryant saw that Jan was bright and cheerful.

"It was going well until a few minutes ago," Bryant replied. "Do you remember I told you about an Ohio state trooper who met me at the airport up there?"

Jan nodded.

"He's working outside of Youngstown now," Bryant said. "There is a high-security prison there. It's also a few hours up the river from Gallipolis."

"Okay," Jan said, unsure of where the conversation was going.

Bryant filled her in on the rest of the conversation.

"She has hired someone to kill me or Holly?" she asked incredulously.

"According to a jailhouse snitch," Bryant said. "She hasn't been arrested if that's what you're asking. But Mitchell and the state police are investigating. If they get any proof, they'll call in the FBI. The thing is, I want to put a detail on you and Holly."

"Are you insane?" Jan asked. "I'm not going to permit that. I can take care of myself."

Bryant let out a long breath.

"I understand that," Bryant replied. "The thing is ... Jan, you can't look everywhere for threats. We're a tourist town. We have 150,000 unfamiliar faces in this town every single week. You can't watch every direction all the time."

"And how in the hell can we justify you pulling a detective to shadow me?" Jan asked.

"I was actually thinking of three detectives," Bryant admitted. "I'm going to put two on you and one on Holly."

"Holly?" Jan asked.

"That's the other part," Bryant said. "She gave three targets: You, Holly and me."

"And who is going to protect you?" Jan asked hotly. "You think because Holly and I are women we can't protect ourselves but you can because you've got a dick!"

"Jan!" Bryant said hotly. "That's not the case. I worry about you because she could only afford one. The snitch said that she said 'I guess I'll just have to do the woman then.' That precludes me. Besides, I'm not going to be here for a while."

"Where are you going to be?" Jan asked. She still did the departmental budget.

"I'm going to take some personal time," Bryant said. "I need to pay a visit to a few people."

"Were you planning to discuss this with me?" Jan asked.

"Professionally or personally?" Bryant inquired.

"Either!" Jan said angrily. "Both!"

"I'm discussing it with you now," Bryant said. "I planned to talk to you later tonight about the personal part."

"Where do you plan to go?" Jan asked.

"I'd rather not tell you," Bryant admitted.

"Are you going to visit your parents?" Jan inquired.

Bryant blinked hard.

"Why in the fuck would I go to visit my parents?" he asked her. "No. Jan, I would prefer you just let this go. I'm going to request some personal leave time. I'm entitled to it after a shooting. I can take 90 days leave if I feel it's necessary. I feel it's necessary."

"Oh, bullshit," Jan said. "Don't try to feed me that."

"Jan, that's the official reason I'm asking for time off," he said. "I'll fill you in on the rest of it later if you absolutely have to know. As I said, I'd prefer you just let me explain it afterward."

Jan crossed her arms and glared.

"Fine," Jan said. "I can't stop you from taking leave. If you're authorized, you're authorized. But we're going to have to discuss the rest of this later."

"Yeah, I guess," Bryant said.

"You guess?" Jan shot back.

"Christ, Jan, we've been dating a week," Bryant pointed out. "We're not married. We're not engaged. I'm still allowed to make decisions for myself. This is a decision I've made and I've also decided you don't need to know the details just yet."

"You're pissing me off," Jan told him.

"I know I am," Bryant admitted. "And that isn't my goal. But I have to do this and it needs to be done right now."

"Well, fine," Jan said. "I'll accept that for now. But Bryant, I'm hurt that you're not willing to confide in me."

"It's not that I don't want to confide in you!" Bryant said, shaking his head. "I don't want you to try to talk me out of it."

"You plan to do something I would talk you out of?" Jan asked.

"Probably," Bryant said. "But I'm doing it anyway. It will cause less harm to our relationship if you just let me do this."

The pieces clicked together in her head.

"You're going back up there!" she exclaimed. "You're going to make a run at Eileen Mayfield."

"I'm not going to make a run at the Mayfields," Bryant stated firmly. "I'm going to get the ID of who is coming down here to kill you. And Jan, I'm going to do whatever has to be done to get that name."

Bryant sat in an observation room watching through a one-way mirror as a large man with a shaved head and Nazi lightning bolts on his arms was led into the room and shackled to a table.

Ryan Lucas looked to the mirror and smirked. He figured it was the little state cop who had been there twice before. His eyes widened when a man clad in a pair of blue jeans and a leather bomber jacket walked in. The first thing Bryant did was to backhand Ryan and knock him out of the chair. The fact the man's hands were cuffed to the table (which was bolted to the floor) was all that kept the man from tumbling to the floor.

"What the fuck!" Ryan said as he tried to get his feet under him. He didn't get a chance to stand because Bryant slid behind him and punched him twice in the kidneys.

The man grunted as the impact drove his chest into the table. Bryant grabbed Ryan by the back of his orange jumpsuit and pulled him back to the chair.

"That's the start," Bryant said, sitting down opposite him.

"I'll fucking sue you!" Ryan said loudly.

"For what?" Bryant asked. He motioned to the camera that hung in the corner of the room. The wire that connected it to the surveillance system was hanging below it. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to give me the name of the man you gave to Eileen Mayfield. I'm going to find him and I'm going to kill him."

"Fuck you," Ryan spat. Bryant responded by reaching across the table and punching him in the mouth.

"You think I'm scared of a little pain?" Ryan asked. "I can take anything you can dish out. Better yet, why don't you uncuff me and see how it goes?"

"Because I want the name from you," Bryant said evenly. "If I uncuff you, well, I'm not sure I'll stop beating on you until you're dead. So it's a lot safer for you if you stay shackled. I'm less likely to kill a shithead like you if you're unable to defend yourself. I will, however, make you piss blood for the rest of your life if you try to fuck with me."

"I have no doubt that you can take decent beating," Bryant continued. "But how much of a beating do you think your daughter can take? She's what, fifteen now? How many times do you think I can punch your son in the mouth before I snap his neck? He's a little small for his age, anyway. Let me explain to you how it's going to be, Lucas. Unless I walk out of this room with the name, I'm going to drive to Wapakoneta and take my frustration out on your children. Then I'm going to track down Ma and Pa Lucas and beat them into comas. If you fuck around and Jan Elliot is harmed, I will drag your children in here and slice their throats while you watch. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"You ... you can't do that," Ryan Lucas spat.

"Just like I can't drag you in here and beat the fuck out of you while no one watches?" Bryant asked. "Lucas, you have to understand: There is absolutely nothing I won't do to keep that woman safe. If I have to end your entire family line, I'm willing to do it. I planned to stop at the Mayfields first and get the name from Eileen herself but she's off the grid. I could track her down if I had time. You're not going anywhere and you can't hide from me. So it's your lucky fucking day."

Lucas gulped.

"Now, I'm not by nature a cruel man," Bryant said. "You hit me in a vulnerable spot so I hit you there too. I'm going to give you a little more incentive. I've heard that you have trouble getting your kids down here to visit. You fucked up and got put in here but from everything I've heard your kids still love you and you still love them. Your wife has a felony conviction so she can't get approved on the visitor's list. Your folks are too old to drive the kids down and her parents won't do it. Do I have that right?"

Lucas bit his bloody lip and looked away.

"Yeah," he admitted eventually.

"I'm willing to get your wife on the approved list," Bryant answered. "That will take a few months but I'll get it done."

"How in the fuck will you do that?" Lucas asked.

"I'll inform the warden that your wife is a CI for the Ohio State Police," Bryant said.

"She would never snitch!" the man shot back.

"No, I understand that," Bryant stated. "But no one needs to know that except you, me and the wall. Her name will never come out and she'll never be asked to give information about anything. But it will permit her to be approved as a visitor."