Born To Be Wild

TWENTY-ONE

John’s cell rang with the theme to Titanic at eight o’clock Sunday evening.

“John, it’s Jack. You want to come with me to make an arrest?”

“Whoa-what, Jack? Who?”

Jack said, “Meet me at the Hildebrands’ house right away,” and he punched off his cell.

Jack arrived first, with two of his deputies close behind him, and found the Hildebrand house dark and quiet. Only one downstairs light was on, a dim shine through the living room draperies. He checked the garage, and was pleased to see both their cars inside.

He climbed back into his truck to wait for John, and soon saw lights in his rearview mirror. He unlocked the passenger door, and watched John pull his sleek BMW behind his truck and turn off the lights. When John tapped on the window, Jack leaned over and opened the door.

“Who?” was John’s first word.

Jack looked toward the Hildebrand house as he said, “Milo. The day after it happened, I knew to my bones he killed Jason Maynard. It just took a little work getting the proof, and now we have it. I’ll tell you all about it at the station, John, but right now we need to do this. Are you ready?”

He gave a small wave to the two police cars parked in each direction half a block away, and waited a moment until he saw the four deputies fanning out around the house.

Milo Hildebrand answered the door on Jack’s third knock. He looked haggard and wary, but he was well-dressed, as if he planned to go out. He stood in the doorway, blocking them.

“I heard you were asking more questions out at the club, Jack. I called my lawyer this afternoon. Ms. Bigelow said if you came by again you were bordering on harassment and I should refuse to talk to you unless she’s present.”

Jack nodded. “Yes, I’ve been out to the club three times now, interviewing people. And yes, your lawyer is trying to have you declared a saint, Milo. But I’m not here to talk this time. I’m here to make an arrest.”

Milo stepped back, shoulders slumped. “Olivia? She really couldn’t have realized what she was doing, Jack, she must have been crazed, angry-”

Now that was amazing. Jack interrupted him. “No, it’s not your wife I’m here for. It’s you, Milo. But you might want to tell Mrs. Hildebrand that I’m arresting you for the murder of your son-in-law, Jason Maynard, that you’ll be spending the night in my nice jail.”

“I don’t believe this! Are you nuts, Jack? I didn’t-”

They heard a noise from behind him and all turned to see Mrs. Olivia Hildebrand standing at the bottom of the stairs, her hand fisted against her mouth. She looked pale as death. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but he killed Jason, you know.”

Milo walked toward her, saying, “Olivia, it’s not true,” and then suddenly turned and ran through an open door down a short hallway past the stairs.

John shouted, “Damn, that’s his office!”

“He’s got guns in there,” Jack said. “I should have cuffed him the instant he answered the door. You stay put, Mrs. Hildebrand, stay here.”

Jack was after him, John on his heels. The door slammed in his face before he reached it. Milo yelled from inside, “Go away, Jack, or I’ll shoot you! I’m not going to jail!”

Jack said through the door, keeping his voice calm and slow, “Milo, don’t make this any worse by resisting arrest. I’ve got deputies outside. There’s no way out for you. Open the door, and we can talk this through.”

“I didn’t kill the thieving little bastard. I didn’t kill him!”

Jack waved John behind him, then backed up and kicked his foot hard against the doorknob. The door shuddered and gave way, crashing in against the office wall.

Jack drew his Beretta. “You stay out here, John.”

Milo had one leg out the open window that gave onto the backyard. He jerked around and fired wildly, two of the bullets striking the wall behind Jack, a third shattering a crystal brandy carafe on a drink trolley, spraying the air with the scent of liquor.

Jack and John had both dropped and rolled behind Milo’s desk. “Enough, Milo!” Jack shouted. “I don’t want to shoot you. Put down your weapon now.”

Jack came up fast to see Milo drop through the open window. He heard a shout from outside as he ran across the room. He climbed out the window, rolled as he hit the ground, and came up fast to his feet. He saw Milo running as fast as he could toward the back fence of his yard, and two of his deputies coming around the side of the house, yelling at him to stop. As Milo climbed over the high back fence, Jack took careful aim and fired. Milo yelled in pain, grabbed his calf, his handgun falling to the ground. He dropped backward onto his side, screaming.

“Nice shot, Chief,” said Deputy Ames as they restrained and cuffed him.

“Yeah,” John said, coming up to him, “so long as you weren’t aiming for his arm.”

Deputy Ames said, “An arm, a leg-I can’t see it matters much.”