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Clay had paused to secure the discarded weapon, but now he promptly joined her in the struggle, pushed his own weight on top of the writhing man, who was now screaming as if he had been stabbed, and yanked his left arm back.

“Stop resisting!”

Far from submitting, Winters took this as an invitation to fight harder. He tried to bite, kick, and punch, but in the end, he was no match for two trained cops. Especially as Cody ran out of patience and delivered another punch that left him stunned.You asked for it, you idiot.She stood up as Clay finally managed to cuff the man’s wrists behind his back and took a look at his boots.Well, what a coincidence…Winters had on Carhartt work boots in a large size. A thin layer of mud still stuck to the sculpted arches, and Cody knew that the forensics team would be able to analyze its composition. Winters’ boots would tell the true story of where he had been recently, even if he refused to cooperate.

“Got zip ties on you, Clay?” she asked.

“Sure.”

Cody secured Winters’ ankles; she relieved him of his boots, then went to squat in front of his snarling face.

“Are you awake? Can you hear me?”

“Fuck you,” he hissed.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then. Jack Winters, I am arresting you on suspicion of the first-degree murder of your wife, Cassie. Add to this assault with intent to kill two police officers.”

“You’ll be fucking sorry.”

“Uh-huh. Meanwhile, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand your rights as I explained them to you, sir?”

Cody reflected that if looks could kill, she’d probably be eviscerated on the spot and left to live long enough to experience the pain of being devoured by hungry vultures. Since his rage alone could not touch her, she flashed an easy smile, knowing it would incense him even more, and repeated the question.

“Youhave no rights!” he spat. “I do not recognize you, your laws, or your authority. I am a sovereign citizen. You can’t touch me!”

Clay stood aside, hands curled around his duty belt.

“Huh,” was his comment. “One of those.”

They carried him, yelling and screaming, to the cruiser and secured him, still bound as an added precaution, into the back. He went on shouting about his rights while Cody dropped his weapon and boots into two separate bags and labeled them as evidence.

“I’ll follow you to the station, Clay.”

“Alright.”

“Awesome job today, by the way,” Cody added. “Textbook surveillance and arrest. I’ll mention it in my report.”

“Thanks, Detective Miller.” He smiled. “I enjoyed it.”

She frowned when he handed her a handkerchief. “What’s that for?”

“You’re bleeding.”

“Ah.” Cody suppressed a wince as she applied the tissue to her eye. “Yeah, he got lucky.”

“His luck’s about to turn.”

“You got that right, Officer.”

In her office, with her suspect in custody, she took a minute to check her eye. A splendid bruise was already developing, but the cut was not deep enough to require stitches. She cleaned it, applied a Steri-Strip over it, and called Kim.

“It’s me. We have him.”

“Oh, thank God! Yes!” Kim let out a fierce cry, loaded with relief. But it also sounded like a sob.

“Are you okay?” Cody prompted.

“Yes. Fine. Oh, man!” Kim exhaled again sharply. “Such a rush, that’s all.”