Sins Of The Mother (Chapter-15)

Lukas showered and dressed in jeans, a plain, navy-blue hooded sweatshirt over a tactical shirt, and his favorite pair of Merrells. He checked the magazines on his Sig Sauer and Glock 42 back-up, stuffed his badge and handcuffs into his black go-bag, and grabbed his Kevlar vest and keys on the way out.

The late afternoon Friday traffic would be bad, so he decided against a direct route. Instead, he took State Route 36. It was a little longer drive than using the interstate, but it would take less time on a Friday at rush hour. Lukas drove with the window down, allowing the fresh air to circulate through the car and invigorate him. This time of year always brought back fond memories of playing football in high school. Those cool October and November nights seemed so far away, but he still enjoyed thinking back.

Lukas’s mind turned to the present, which was far more tumultuous than those Friday nights so long ago. He was excited about tonight. He actually had a few butterflies in his stomach. He walked into the conference room at police headquarters in Kingsport right at 6:00 p.m. All the task force members were there milling around getting to know one another. The women who would be the stars of the show were dressed in gaudy hooker outfits. A table at the rear of the room contained equipment that would be used during the sting.

Lukas looked at the clock on the wall and wondered where Brooke was. He slid his cell phone out of his pocket to call her when a sudden hush came over the room. It was as if everyone hit their mute button at the same time. Lukas looked up from the phone and saw stunned looks on all the faces, especially the men’s. He turned and realized Brooke was standing in the doorway talking on her cell phone. She was wearing a black leather miniskirt with black, fishnet hose, four-inch stiletto heels, and a red, skimpy mohair sweater with a neckline that plunged nearly to the middle of her chest, revealing a hot pink bra and ample cleavage. Her hair was loosely curled and seductively pulled back and tied with a pink bow. She had applied her make-up and lipstick thick and heavy. Hooker heavy.

She put away the phone and looked disapprovingly at her admirers.

“Let’s get started,” Brooke said.

But her co-workers were not letting her get by that easily. The catcalls started. The other women didn’t participate in the jokes, and Lukas thought he noticed genuine jealousy on their faces. He understood why. When the room quieted down enough, Brooke and Lukas took center stage for the briefing. Lukas noticed that nobody was looking at him.

“First, I want to thank everyone for volunteering to help us,” Brooke said. “Hopefully, we won’t have to do this for very long, and you guys can get back to your regular duties.”

“Uh, excuse me ma’am, but how much do you charge?”

An officer who looked like a homeless man, obviously a vice cop, had yelled the question from the back of the room. Laughter ensued. Brooke’s eyes met Lukas’s, and he thought he saw a flash of embarrassment. She recovered and continued.

“Remember why we’re here,” she said. “We’ll be working a couple of hotels on Stone Drive that are known for prostitution. We’re looking for a red car – unknown make or model – that may be occupied by a black male. I know it isn’t much. Just be vigilant and report anything suspicious, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. This is primarily a recon assignment, but if we develop any leads, we’ll follow them. Ladies make sure you stay in close contact with your handlers. They’re your lifeline out there. And handlers, stay close enough to be able to act quickly should the situation demand it. We’ll be working off tactical channel two. Ladies make sure you get your wires and have your handlers assist you with them. Grab your radios on your way out. Most importantly? Stay safe out there.”

After everyone filed out, Lukas took a wire from the table and began helping fit it to Brooke’s outfit. The job brought Lukas into close proximity to some parts of her body that made him feel a bit uneasy. Brooke didn’t seem to notice, though, and she certainly didn’t seem to mind. As he was finalizing the job and attempting to attach the microphone to the underside of her bra, Lukas heard a low whistle followed by, “Lucky dog.”

Lukas looked up at Brooke. “Ignore them,” she said, smiling. “You’d think they’d never seen a hooker before.”

He smiled back. “Not one that looks like you.”

“Was that a compliment?”

“I believe it was.”

“Thank you, Detective Miller.”

“You’re welcome.”

As soon as they were finished, everyone headed out, much more somber than they had been at the precinct. The seriousness of the task at hand seemed to settle heavily over the whole crew. It was go time.

Lukas drove to Stone Drive while Brooke navigated. She directed him to a corner of the parking lot of a hotel frequently worked by the prostitutes in her city. The place was a dump, and many of the security lights weren’t working. But there was enough light for a potential john to cruise through and notice her. Brooke got out of the car and walked away. Lukas made sure the wire was working and completed a communications check. Then he called her cell phone and adjusted the microphone to increase voice clarity.

“I need you to pick a code word or phrase,” Lukas said.

“Let’s make it ‘big boy,’” she said seductively.

“Got it. If anything goes wrong, or if you feel you’ve been compromised or are in danger in any way, say those two words. I’ll be there in a flash. And remember, once we’re off the cell phone, I can hear you, but you can’t hear me. We can text, though. So, keep your phone handy.”

“I got it. I’m not a rookie, you know.”

“You mean you’ve been a hooker before?”

“No, wise ass. I’ve done stings before.”

“Roger that. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. Remember, any problems at all, you say the words.”

“Got it.”

“All right. Go live. I’m listening.”

Lukas sat in the car, watched from across the lot, and listened to the wire. He could hear her clothing brushing against the microphone and the steady click, click of the heels as she walked. When she stood still, he could hear the night sounds. Sometimes she would talk to herself, momentarily forgetting she was wired. She would comment to Lukas to disregard this or that. If she found a potential customer, she would describe the car and the situation and Lukas would jot down notes. The whole session was being recorded, but notes often came in handy since it sometimes took days to get the recordings transcribed.

Lukas also kept an ear to the radio to see if the other teams were having any luck. The first hour was slow. After a short bathroom break, Brooke was back out on the lot. Lukas heard some chatter about a red Ford Mustang, but one of the other teams called it maroon. It could be the same car based on the loose description.

Well into the second hour, word must have gotten out that at least some of the girls were back in action, because the radio chatter picked up considerably. Brooke’s parking lot remained relatively quiet. Lukas wondered to himself if maybe Brooke looked a little too good. She damned sure didn’t look like a crack whore or a meth addict. She might be scaring off their killer, who had to be smart enough to realize that if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was. His thoughts were interrupted by Brooke’s voice over the wire.

“I’ve got a red Ford Mustang. It’s been around once, and I think it’ll be back.”

Lukas refrained from texting her. A couple of minutes later, she spoke again: “He’s coming back around, slower this time. I’m going to ease out a little farther and see if I can get a look at him.”

Before Lukas could text, he heard Brooke on the wire.

“I spooked him. Damn it.”

Lukas could hear the frustration in her voice. Another two minutes passed. “Wait,” Brooke said. “He’s creeping back around. What’s up with this guy?”

Lukas texted, “B patient stay where u r. He is testing u.”

“Okay, standing by. He’s parking now. About fifty yards out.”

“STAY PUT.”

“Okay, I’ll just walk around a little,” she said, and Lukas heard the stilettos again. “He’s moving again, headed this way.”

The faint sound of a car engine emerged in the distance on the wire.

“Hey there, sweetie.” It was Brooke’s voice. “Looking to party?”

The tenor in her voice had changed. She was talking to the john. Lukas could see them. He saw the car door open and a man begin to climb out. He heard a voice that was indiscernible.

“Oh, really?” Brooke said. “Well, let’s see what we can do, honey. What’d you have in mind?”

“I’ll tell you what you can do,” the man’s voice said.

“What’s that, sexy?”

“As a matter of fact, I’ll show you what you’re gonna do.” The voice was forceful, and Lukas tensed.

“Excuse me?” Brooke answered. She didn’t sound as confident as before.

“How about you do this?”

Lukas heard fabric rustle and hesitated. She hadn’t said the code words, and he didn’t want to blow the operation. But a moment later, he knew Brooke was in trouble.

“Get your hands off me! Stop.”

Lukas started the car and slammed it into drive. He could see them struggling. The man had Brooke bent over the hood of his car and was standing behind and almost on top of her. Her top had been partially torn off, and her left breast was exposed and being groped by the assailant. His right arm was across the back of her neck, and her face was being pushed into the hood of the car.

Lukas screeched to a halt, jumped out of the car and hit the man with a flying shoulder check, knocking him off Brooke and flat on his back. The man writhed on the ground, clearly out of breath and incapacitated. Lukas turned his attention to Brooke, who’d also been knocked to the ground. She had a dazed look on her face as he helped her to her feet.

She was a mess. She didn’t seem to realize that her breast was exposed or that a small stream of blood was running down her chest. The pink ribbon that had been used to bind her hair was hanging haphazardly at the back of her head. The look on her face suddenly changed to embarrassed fury as she noticed the condition of her sweater and bra. She covered herself as Lukas reached for a handkerchief in his pocket and handed it to Brooke to help her stop the bleeding.

“You okay?”

She nodded, not speaking. Lukas took his sweatshirt off and helped Brooke put it on. As the shirt cleared her face, her eyes widened. She pushed Lukas to the side.

“Look out!”

A flash in his peripheral vision had him throwing up his arm in reflex. But he couldn’t escape the blow. A searing pain hit his right arm at the shoulder. He spun quickly and hit the man with a left cross, knocking him out cold. The knife fell straight down, and Lukas thought he heard some teeth rattle on the pavement near his feet when the man hit the pavement for the second time.

Almost as soon as the man was on the ground, Brooke, who had regained some of her composure, had her handcuffs out. She slapped the cuffs on the unconscious man.

Lukas staggered and clutched at his shoulder. A burning pain radiated from the site of the wound down his arm and into his right hand. He felt as though his whole arm was on fire. His time as a pararescueman had taught him the process of tending to all manner of wounds, and he knew the first step was assessment. He found his balance and rolled up his tactical shirt. The wound was deep and bleeding badly. The first order of business was to get the bleeding stopped.

Brooke had finished with the assailant and was now standing next to Lukas. He let her inspect it.

“It’s pretty deep,” she said. She took the handkerchief he had given her earlier out from under her shirt and placed it directly on the wound. “There. Hold that.”

Lukas applied pressure. Brooke gave him a gentle pat, kicked off her stiletto heels, and pointed toward the handcuffed assailant. “Watch him.”

She ran quickly to Lukas’s car. He could hear her summoning the other officers. Two of them arrived within minutes.

Time seemed to thicken and slow down for Lukas. The effort of applying pressure to his shoulder was wearing on him. He was losing blood quickly. Brooke helped him into the car. Lukas heard a voice ask what had happened, and Brooke told him to hold the scene and she would explain later.

She got behind the wheel and started weaving through traffic at break-neck speed, and time suddenly revved right back up for Lukas.

“Keep pressure on that wound,” Brooke said.

They zigged and zagged between cars with the lights flashing and the siren and horn blaring. The woman could drive, Lukas had to admit. Five minutes later, they pulled up to the emergency entrance at Kingsport Memorial Hospital.

Lukas tried to open the car door, but a rush of dizziness overwhelmed him. He knew the loss of blood was taking its toll. Brooke helped him to the entrance and announced in a loud voice that she had a wounded officer. The effect was immediate. Several nurses assisted Lukas to a stretcher and rolled him into a trauma room. The world was starting to swirl. Lukas opened his eyes wide attempting to maintain consciousness.

The last thing he saw was Brooke standing in the corner of the room biting her fingernails nervously.