Officer Jones

Chapter 30

The sound of Lisa’s scream woke Noah from the nightmare. He spotted a pair of headlights following too close behind him. He was in no mood for such a trivial annoyance on this night.

As Samerauk Bridge came into his field of vision, lights flashed behind him.

“Cop?” Noah muttered, unable to think of any violation he might have committed. In his brasher days he would have made a run for it. But he cooperated, pulling off to the side of the road just before the bridge.

Noah took a glance into his rear-view mirror. He recognized Kyle Jones exiting the cruiser and walking slowly toward the Jeep. Jones was known to have a special dislike for drunk drivers, which had put Noah in his crosshairs. He’d heard rumors about Jones planting evidence and doctoring Breathalyzers. It wasn’t their first encounter, but he had a bad feeling about this one.

Noah rolled down his window, and a gust of wind blew through the Jeep. “Can I help you, officer?”

Jones smiled, but didn’t look happy. “Please step out of the vehicle, Mr. Warner.”

Noah began to argue, “I wasn’t doing anything wrong, Jones. I don’t…”

The officer took matters into his own hands. He opened the door, and in one fluid motion, grabbed Noah by his jacket and tossed him to the ground.

When Noah tried to get to his feet, Jones took his nightstick and pounded it into his knee. Noah collapsed back to the ground in agony.

Jones pounced on top of him, pushing his face into the pavement. He forcefully twisted Noah’s arms behind him and handcuffed him. He pulled him to his feet, pushing him face-first against the hood of the car, and grinding his nose into the still-warm metal.

“What the hell are you doing, Jones?”

The officer remained calm, almost trance-like. “You are under the arrest for the murder of Lisa Spargo.”

Noah had watched enough TV to know you couldn’t be charged for the same crime twice. He tried to reason with him.

Jones would hear none of it, again jamming Noah’s face into the hood of the car.

“You took an innocent life, Mr. Warner, and now you must pay with your own.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I’m crazy?” he repeated with condemnation. “Crazy is murderers like yourself being allowed to drive the streets.”

“You will never get away with this,” Noah shouted as loud as he could. The only response was his voice echoing back at him.

Jones’ expression never changed. “I remove the evildoers one at a time. If they couldn’t connect me to the death of Senator Kingsbury, with every law enforcement official in this country working on it, I truly doubt I’ll be connected to the suicide of a small-time punk like yourself.” His nightstick landed another blow to Noah’s back with a hollow thud.

Noah gritted his teeth. Only the intense pain distracted him from grasping Jones’ insane claim of killing a US senator. “My brother will never let you get away with this.”

Jones laughed condescendingly. “JP Warner is too wrapped up in his own vanity. He will only be concerned how good he looks in the suit he wears to your funeral.”

“He will know I didn’t kill myself.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time you attempted to take your own life. The way I see it, on the anniversary of your murderous act, and ravaged by guilt, you couldn’t bear to live another day without your beloved Lisa. And this year you found the guts to go through with it.”

The mention of Lisa’s name shot a warm energy through him. Noah wanted to live. He kicked his leg back like a mule, knocking Jones to the ground. He began running away over the bridge, his hands still cuffed behind his back.