Page 12 of Last Chance Christmas

“I don’t have time to argue with that,” Olivia said. “It’s not my job to persuade you to feel differently about it. But I will say that tracking him down is going to make you feel better.” She wanted the guy who’d shot her partner and taken his gun.

“Thomas!” Donaldson called out over the bullpen.

Anthony turned. “Sarge?”

“Officer Stuart needs backup.”

Anthony hustled away, eager to get back out there. Olivia looked over her file. Jessica came over, and they compared.

Olivia said, “Blair Mackey. Sentenced to sixteen years for the murder of two foster kids he had stealing for him. He’s got the smarts to plan something like this.”

“Jason Vaynes.” Jessica whistled. “Nasty guy with some nasty habits. He’s a serial killer, convicted of kidnapping and homicide. We need to lock him down quick before he gets any ideas.”

Olivia found the page with his information. “That might be the guy who shot Junior. Told him he had things to do. Something about catching a mouse.” She didn’t want to know what horrible ideas a serial kidnapper and murderer might have. “And Alonzo Sosa makes four.”

“I’m getting on Vaynes. It’s not worth the risk focusing on anyone else.”

“They’re all dangerous.”

Jessica nodded. “True, but I won’t be able to sleep until Vaynes is behind bars. Guys like him?” She shivered. “I’m going to touch base with Savannah and find out what Wallace is saying.”

“I’ll go with you.” She followed the detective to the viewing room where Savannah and Lieutenant Basuto were questioning Wallace. They’d turn him over to the Department of Corrections soon enough so he could get back to his cell, but right now he was a source of valuable intel.

“Any updates on Officer Brighten?”

Jessica winced. “Still critical. His wife told Chief Barnes that the doctor said it doesn’t look good.”

She looked at the file for each prisoner who had escaped while she half listened to Wallace talking about what had happened in the van. Mostly looking for a place to start with one of the three they still needed to catch.

Jessica turned up the volume dial on the wall as Wallace was saying, “No idea he was gonna do that. I thought Mackey was joking about getting loose.”

“How’d he crash the vehicle?” Basuto asked.

“Someone shot at us from outside. It sounded like a hunting rifle. Shot the tire out, and we flipped.”

Olivia glanced at Jessica. “We weren’t looking at the outside of the van. We figured they overpowered the vehicle somehow and caused it to flip. Or the driver was in on it.”

“Officer Athers is the one on the run with them, isn’t she?”

“Probably dating one of them, or fell for him and he used it to coerce her to go with them.” She shrugged because all she had was supposition and no evidence.

Basuto said, “What happened after the van flipped?”

“Other cars hit us.” Wallace sniffed. “Mackey got through the grate to the front, since it was all mangled, and got the keys. We were free. But Brighten tried to stop him, and Vaynes grabbed his gun. Killed him with it.”

“He shot him?” Basuto asked.

Izan had told her the guy had been pistol-whipped, which meant Basuto was testing Wallace to see if he was telling the truth. She and Junior hadn’t been able to check on Brighten in the seconds before they’d realized the occupants of the van were running away and dragging a corrections officer with them.

Wallace shook his head. “Beat him to death with the gun.”

Apparently Wallace didn’t know that Brighten wasn’t dead. Though, he also had a slim chance of recovering since he was in critical condition.

“Did they say where they were going?”

“Mackey knew there was a vehicle waiting. He’d arranged it.”

“And Officer Athers? What did she do while Vaynes beat her partner?”