Discombobulate

Chapter Sixty-Six

Time moved like molasses for Winston. The days went by slowly. Hours seemed like days and days seemed like years. Sunday took forever to arrive.

He had offered to let Andy stay with him. They had created a routine and got along quite well. Winston could feel himself liking her more and more.

"Winston, let me go with you."

"Absolutely not! I told you this could be dangerous." Winston sprayed cologne on the side of his neck. He rubbed some between his wrists. He liked the woodsy scent. He thought it fit him well.

"Other people will be there," Andy pointed out. "What about them?"

"They don't know anything about this. It should be fine. Stay here and I'll call you if something happens." Winston adjusted his black tie in the mirror. It had been a long time since he wore a suit.

Andy crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you going to be armed?"

"Yeah, but I don't plan on using my gun. It's the house of God, I'd rather not pull out a gun and traumatize everyone."

"I'm worried," Andy bit down on her lip. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

That's all she had been doing for the past few days. She couldn't help, but worry about Winston. A few tips had been called into the department with sightings of Bowers and Sullivan. They all ended up as dead ends.

"I'll be back by noon. Stay here and find something to do. You're allowed to watch TV if you want to."

Andy threw her arms around Winston. He was startled by her touch. The two hadn't been physically intimate, they weren't even dating. He wrapped his arms back around her.

"Please be careful, come back home safe."

"I will. I'll see you later." He pulled away from the hug and went towards the door. Andy watched him leave in silence.

A few minutes after he left, she changed into her own church attire. She threw on a bulletproof vest. She yanked a long black dress over it. A garter on her thigh held a black handgun.

Things could go wrong at any moment. She wanted to make sure she was prepared. It was better to be safe than sorry.

_ _ _

"Mullen, stop pacing!" Winston snapped. He sat behind Pastor Baker's desk in his office. The pair had ended up at the church way before everyone else.

They wanted to be hidden. If Sullivan or Bowers were to show up, they wanted to catch them off guard. Pastor Baker would lead them back to his office. They'd be arrested and taken to prison to await their fate.

Mullen turned on his heel in front of the desk. "I can't help it, I'm nervous!" He was wearing a pair of black dress pants, a black shirt, and a blue flannel.

"How's your wife?" Winston asked.

Mullen stopped his pacing. "Why do you always ask that?"

"It usually takes your mind away from your nerves."

"She's spoken here and there. For the most part, she's the same as she was. She's eating a little bit every day. I wish she'd eat more, but it's better than her starving."

"Grant Bowers is here!" Pastor Baker popped his head into the office. "He pulled into the parking lot."

"Go out there and greet him!" Mullen shooed him away from the door. "Bring him back here, so we can arrest him." He pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket. "I've been waiting for this one."

A frown appeared on Winston's face. The whole thing seemed far too easy. Grant Bowers was a wanted man and he knew that. Yet here he was, stepping into a church. As time passed, it filled with a variety of people.