The sound of footsteps on the wooden porch is a comforting one to Claire. Ironically, after all these years of fearing the same sound, and what it had almost always come to portend, it’s with a sad sense of joy that she virtually welcomes it today. She opens the door wide, and surprises me by saying, “Come on in, Chief. I’ve been waiting for you.”
The minute Red pulls his car halfway up the driveway, he sees Matt’s Jeep and the other two vehicles, and breaks into a cold sweat. Shit! Now what? For a second, he thinks they may have found out about the girl, and instantly, various alibis start circulating around inside his head. Hell, he thinks, they can’t make Claire testify against him; she’s his wife. And there damn sure isn’t any physical evidence. He’d made sure of that. So, why else could they be here?
Then, it hits him; it’s the posters. He starts to laugh quietly. Damn fool, Matt, probably thinks I’m actually out there beating the bushes for his suspect. Hell, he figures, they’re probably just checking to see if he’s had any more luck than they have—which is probably nada. Well, he’ll show that Big City detective. I’ll send him on a real wild goose chase.
Red virtually bounds up the stairs, and bursts into the living room, grinning from ear to ear.
“What’s up, boys? Come to hear what the old Ex-Chief has found about your victim? How ‘bout it, Matt. Do you wanna hear the latest?”
I turn slowly to face Red, my hand moving carefully to the inside pocket of my jacket, withdrawing the warrant for his arrest. Bobcat and Rick slowly remove their firearms from their holsters, positioning themselves on either side of the big man.
“I’m afraid not, Red. Actually, I was intending to tell you what we’ve uncovered.” I hold out the signed warrant for Red to see. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Rhonda Jeffries.”
Red looks over at Claire, who appears unusually calm, in spite of the unfolding drama in her living room. “Are you behind this, Claire? Are you?” he asks, incredulously. Claire looks away. “I knew it. Damn it. I knew I couldn’t trust you.”
“Don’t blame Claire, Red,” I say. “You’ve got nobody to blame except yourself.” Pulling my revolver from its holster, I motion for Red to turn around. “Cuff him, Bob.” Bobcat grasps Red’s wrists in front of him, and quickly snaps on a pair of handcuffs, ratcheting the clasps tight enough to make Red flinch. “Take it easy, Bobcat,” says Red. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” I start to tell Bob to cuff Red’s hands behind him, textbook style, but stop short of saying it, allowing for the ex-chief’s docile demeanor. Besides, there are three of us, and only one of him. I don’t want to appear smug.
Indeed, all the air seems to have come out of Red’s sails, and the bravado he had exhibited earlier is fading like the rays of the sun, which is just beginning to set behind the nearby mountaintops. Claire watches her husband from a safe distance, apparently gaining confidence with each passing minute. And, who can blame her? Now that her lifelong tormentor appears to be a threat no longer, I can only imagine the relief she must feel. A little guilt, too, perhaps, but nevertheless a quiet satisfaction in knowing that she’s done the right thing—at long last.
“Claire tells us it was an accident, Red,” I say, my voice somewhat lacking in conviction. “With a little luck, you might get a sympathetic jury, and if you’re real lucky, maybe you’ll only be convicted of first-degree manslaughter.” Red shakes his head. “After all, I’m sure there must be some kind of explanation for what you did. Anyway, you’ll probably be out in five to seven years. It’s not the end of the world.”
“Maybe for you, it’s not, but for me…well…”says Red dejectedly, his voice trailing off. I can see his point.
“Okay, Rick, Bob, put him in the back seat of my Jeep. I’ll be right down.” The three men exit the front door, leaving me momentarily alone with Claire, who is visibly upset. Under most circumstances, I’m never at a loss for words, but right now, I can find no phrases or well-worn clichés that won’t come out sounding just like what they are. Instead, I gingerly place my arm around her shoulder, and provide the only comfort I can.
BAM!! The sound of a single gunshot rings out from the front yard. I rush to the door, just in time to see Red’s body fall to the snow-covered ground. Instantly, a puddle of blood begins to pool beneath his now lifeless form. “What happened?” I shout.
“He shot himself!” yells Bobcat, who is pacing back and forth in the snow, wringing his hands in despair. “I don’t know. I mean, it happened so fast. He grabbed my gun, and the next thing I know, he sticks it in his mouth and pulls the trigger. Jesus, Matt, I couldn’t stop him, I swear to God.” Bob is beside himself with guilt.
“Is he dead?”
“Deader than Kelsey’s nuts,” says Rick, never one to mince words.
“Jesus, Matt,” blubbers Bobcat. “I should’ve know better. It’s all my fault. I never should have cuffed his hands in front. I just thought, with him bein’ the ex-chief and all. Shit, if I’d have only known—”
“It’s not your fault, Bob. It’s mine. I saw how you cuffed him, and I should have made you re-cuff him. Goddamn it! I should have known better…”
Claire has joined me on the porch, and when she sees what has happened, it’s as if all of the torment and grief of all those years never happened. She rushes past me, and hurries down the stairs, falling onto her knees beside her husband’s body, crying uncontrollably. “It’s my fault,” she sobs. “I always knew what he wanted, but I never gave it to him.” She turns toward me, her face full of tears. “He wasn’t a bad man, Chief,” she cries. “He wasn’t. I swear it.” There’s no accounting for a woman’s selective memory. I shake my head in disbelief.
Rick reaches down, and gently helps the distraught woman to her feet. “Come on, Mrs. Buckner. There’s nothing you can do for him, now. Red’s with the Lord. It’s not your fault.”
I go to the Jeep, and call EMS. In less than fifteen minutes, the sound of sirens in the distance announces their arrival. I tell Bobcat and Rick to meet me back at the office. Claire and I will follow the ambulance into town.