Lover's Bridge Pt. 04

...

"What's going on, Sheriff?" Mike Thompson asked when Ryan and Smith pulled into the crowded parking lot. Mike was not only the owner of a successful trucking company, but he was also the commanding officer of the local National Guard unit.

"I'll explain it in the briefing, Mike. And thanks for coming," Ryan said, taking in the man's camouflage field uniform, his oak leaves prominently displayed. "I know it was on short notice."

"You ain't kidding. I got the call just a bit ago. Then your desk sergeant called and said there was a meeting. Almost made it sound like we're fixin' to get overrun by terrorists or something."

"Something like that," Ryan said grimly.

"Oh shit," Mike gasped.

The meeting room was filled to capacity as deputies - both on and off-duty - jockeyed for places to sit. Ryan saw the uniformed DPS officers and nodded his head. They returned the gesture, and Ryan strode to the front of the room, where he acknowledged Ray and Deputy Sanders.

"I wanna thank y'all for coming out on short notice," Ryan began. "And I wanna thank our friends with the Department of Public Safety and the National Guard commander for joining us. I'd like to introduce Darrel Smith, Deputy Director of the FBI, who flew out from Washington, DC earlier today."

All heads turned to look at Smith. Most of them had seen his face on television, and they all seemed surprised that he would come to Hard Rock. One of the deputies shouted out to Ryan.

"What's going on, Sheriff?" the deputy asked.

"We have a situation here, and it requires all hands on deck until it's resolved," Ryan began loudly but grimly. He briefed them on the three murders and what they had learned over the last few days. Then he turned his attention to the map on the wall behind him.

"I want checkpoints set up on all roads coming into town," Ryan instructed. "Here, here, here, here, and here," he added, pointing to locations on the map. "Since those are technically outside the city limits, I'd appreciate it if the DPS handled those. That will free the deputies to do double patrols throughout the town."

"We'll handle that, Sheriff," a senior DPS officer called out.

"Thank you," Ryan said. "I was told tonight there would be extra DPS officers on the way, so hopefully, you shouldn't be stretched too thin."

"Appreciate that, Sheriff," the DPS officer replied.

"I also want double air patrols over the city. Can you handle that, Jim?" Ryan asked Jim Thornton, the air patrol coordinator.

"Yeah, we can handle that, Sheriff," Jim said.

"What do you want my people to do?" Mike asked.

"I want your people to provide backup to the DPS, and be prepared to move the minute we have the suspect sighted," Ryan said. "But you need to be careful. Our suspect is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous. And there's a chance he will have reinforcements. From what we have learned, the suspect is a highly-trained former Canadian special forces operative."

"You mean, like Rambo or something?" another deputy asked. Just then, Elaine entered the room carrying a large stack of paper. She began passing out the sheets containing a photo of Jean-Pierre captured from the Teams meeting with Ryan and a brief background.

"Something like that," Ryan said. "This is our suspect. His name is Jean-Pierre Gagnon. He is currently the head of security for the North American division of Worldwide Imports and Exports, a company based in France. He is a Canadian national, a veteran of the elite JTF2." Ryan heard several deputies whistle in awe.

"Damn," one of the deputies said. "A real bad-ass."

"Yes. So everyone needs to be on their toes. And don't try to be a hero. It's not known if he'll be alone, and we don't have any intel on what he may be driving. If you spot anything suspicious - anything at all - you immediately call for backup. Do not, and I repeat, do NOT try to engage him on your own. Understand?" Everyone muttered their understanding. "Director Smith, do you have anything to add?"

"Thank you, Sheriff," Smith said as he approached the lectern. "As Sheriff Caldwell said, this is an all-hands-on-deck situation. I'm here because this is part of a multi-national operation. Law enforcement and intelligence services of at least four countries are involved. I prefer that we take Gagnon alive, if at all possible. However, if he gives us no choice, we'll deal with that when the time comes. I'll be in town until this is resolved."

"Okay, let's firm up our strategy," Ryan announced. Everyone in the room came forward and surrounded a large table with a detailed map of Hard Rock and the surrounding area. Everyone offered input, which Ryan readily accepted. Suggestions and counter-proposals were put forward, and some were accepted, while others were rejected. By the time they wrapped up, everyone felt confident about their success.

"Sheriff, I printed out a whole bunch of these flyers as you requested," Elaine said, showing him a stack of flyers with Gagnon's face prominently displayed.

"Good. Thank you, Elaine," Ryan said. "Pass those out and have them posted on every public community bulletin board and everywhere else the public can see them." The flyers were prominently marked: 'Presumed armed. Extremely dangerous. Do not approach. Contact Sheriff's Office or dial 911 immediately.'

"I've also reached out to KHRK and they said they would be more than happy to make some public service announcements. You'll probably get a call from Allison Channing," Jenny Carson, the department's public affairs officer, said.

"Excellent," Ryan said. "Thank you, Jenny." He remembered his encounter with Allison after Commissioner Higgins' murder. "Is there anything else?"

"I spoke with Tom Reynolds," she replied. Ryan knew that Tom owned ABC Outdoor Advertising, a company that owned several billboards throughout town. "He says he has several of those new digital billboards and he's willing to put our flyer in the rotation. All he needs is your approval."

"I like the way you think, Jenny," Ryan said with a wide smile. "Consider it approved. When can he get this done?"

"I already gave him the flyer. He said he can get it up in minutes," Jenny said. "I'll let him know."

"Great. We'll make Gagnon's face the most well-known in town. Good job, Jenny. And I like your initiative," Ryan told her.

"Thank you, Sheriff. I'll take care of this right away," she said with a smile.

"Are we good to go?" Ryan asked the assembled officers in the room. Everyone nodded their heads, and several replied in the affirmative. "Good. Let's roll, people." He held back to answer any individual questions or comments, leaving only after everyone else was gone.

"It's after 2:30 in the morning," Smith said. "I don't know about you, but I could use an hour of sleep or two."

"Me too," Ryan said. "Bev will be up in a couple of hours to tend to her chickens, and I could use an hour or two of sleep myself." They left the office and returned to Ryan's house, where they saw Azalea sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. A 9mm Glock sat on the table beside her, along with a pair of night vision goggles.

"You been out here all night?" Ryan asked when he and Smith stepped on the porch. Ryan stepped in front of Azalea as Smith went inside.

"Yes," Azalea said quietly. "I took a short nap after you left. Roland is posted on the back deck."

"I thought the two of you would be..."

"No. I am on duty. I never fuck when I am on duty," she replied in a clipped monotone.

"I see," Ryan replied. "Do you need anything? Coffee?"

"Your wife was gracious enough to give me a Thermos of coffee. I am fine." She looked at Ryan before continuing. "He is here. I can sense it in my... intestines."

"No offense, but this is one time I hope your gut is wrong," Ryan told her.

"No offense taken, Sheriff. But you should know that my... gut instincts... are usually correct," she said unemotionally.

"If he is here, his will probably be the most recognized face in town by morning," Ryan said. Azalea looked at him sharply.

"He is probably not expecting that," she said. "I am concerned that might make him unpredictable. Perhaps even more dangerous."

"Or reckless," Ryan said. "I know a little bit about improvising and adapting to the situation. I don't think he'll be expecting this."

"No, he won't. It will be a new experience for him. That alone could make him extremely dangerous. Like a wounded animal trapped in a corner," Azalea replied.

"Perhaps. We'll see," Ryan said. "You gonna be okay out here?"

"I will be fine, Sheriff. You need to see to your wife. She is frightened."

"I know. I will. Let me know if you need anything," Ryan said. Azalea said nothing but nodded her head in acknowledgment. Smith intercepted Ryan as he walked through the house toward the back deck.

"Good news," Smith said, placing his phone in his pocket. "Washington called and said the French government has agreed to revoke diplomatic immunity from several consular employees. They're being rounded up now. From what I was told, two are unaccounted for."

"That is good," Ryan said.

"A lot of happy campers in Washington and Ottawa right now," Smith said. "Anyway, they're sending me a list of names of those they can't account for. Maybe one or two of them are with Gagnon."

"Makes sense," Ryan said.

"I'm heading up to bed. These parties of yours are really getting to me. Wake me if nuclear war breaks out, okay?"

"Sure," Ryan said with a chuckle. After Smith left, he went out back and saw Roland with his Thompson gun ready, sitting behind a trellis with his night vision goggles pushed up on his head.

"Well, you finally decided to get back," Roland said sarcastically. "I hope you got everything figured out."

"Yeah, I think Gagnon may be in for a little surprise when he rolls into town," Ryan said.

"You know, Ryan, it sure is strange seeing you all... upright and mainstream. There was a time when you would've gone after Gagnon, guns blazing. To hell with the consequences."

"Well, that was before I took an oath to uphold the law," Ryan said lightly but seriously. "I have a responsibility to these people. It's my job to protect them; keep the wolves at bay."

"I guess," Roland said. "Still. It's... strange. I've never seen this side of you before. You enjoy this life?"

"I do. I have a wonderful wife and a nice home, and the folks around here seem to like me for some strange reason. The wolf is now the sheepdog. It has its rewards. You might try it out one of these days."

"Maybe. We'll see." He sounded doubtful, though possibly a little wistful.

"Weren't you married once?" Ryan asked, leaning against a pillar.

"Yeah. Her name was Susan," Roland said absently, looking off into the distance.

"What happened?"

"She fell in with an old rival. Left me to have her fun. He was using her to get back at me. You remember Van Owen?"

"Yeah. I thought he was dead," Ryan answered.

"Not as dead as I thought he was," Roland said. "He got his hooks into Susan and took her. Then Bill found out he was gonna sell her off into the sex trade. So we went after him."

"Why? You were gonna divorce her anyway, weren't you?" This was a side of Roland he hadn't seen before.

Roland hesitated, then shook his head slightly. "I was. But I figured whatever she did to me, she didn't deserve that. Dumb and ungrateful shouldn't have that horrific a death sentence. Plus, I had a score to settle with Van Owen. I settled it."

"I see. I gather she didn't make it."

"No, she didn't," Roland said quietly, a tear threatening to fall down his face. He composed himself quickly to avoid embarrassing himself. Fortunately, it was dark. "It wasn't by my hand, though. I swear."

"I believe you," Ryan said sincerely.

"That was the last time I ever used... this," Roland replied, holding up his Thompson gun. "A part of me hoped I'd never have to pick it up again. But this is for a good cause, though. Right?" He sounded almost hopeful, like he needed to seek some kind of... atonement.

"Reckon so," Ryan said in response. "Is Bill going to relieve you soon?"

"Yeah, in about an hour," Roland said.

"Okay. Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some shut-eye. See you in the morning."

"See ya, Ryan," Roland replied as Ryan returned to the house. After the door closed quietly, he pulled down the goggles and resumed scanning the surroundings, thrusting the painful and distracting memories to the back of his mind. He had remote control flash-bangs concealed at the three best recon points in the surrounding area and the detonators in his pocket. And after they were deaf and blind, they would only feel the.45 caliber slugs shredding them. He specialized in unpleasant surprises.

Ryan climbed the stairs to the master bedroom, feeling exhausted. When he got upstairs, he undressed and climbed into bed beside his wife. Taking her into his arms, he felt her trembling.

"It'll be alright, sweetheart," Ryan whispered. "I'm home." He felt her settle down and drift off to sleep. A few moments later, he was also asleep.

...

To be concluded in Part Five...