Garvey's Revenge

Chapter 20

Matt quietly sat in the passenger seat in Williamson's truck. They were almost back in town. The Joneses had gotten back in their Escalade and left. Lawrence and Dalton tailed the Joneses to make sure they left town. Goldman took George back to Garvey's.

Matt thought about his next move in the investigation. The static of Williamson's radio on his dashboard interrupted his thoughts.

"Officers respond. We need officers to respond to 112 Oak Avenue," a female voice said over the airwaves. It was Patty, the switchboard operator.

Matt grabbed the receiver. "This is Sheriff Kirby. What's going on, over," he said and clicked off the button.

"Home invasion, Sheriff. The suspects are gone. Wife dead, husband badly injured," Patty said.

"Shit," Williamson said and pressed on the accelerator.

"What was the address again?" Matt asked with a furrowed brow.

"One-one-two Oak Avenue, David and Danielle Dalton residence," Patty confirmed. "Husband called for help. EMTs have been notified."

"Is he still on the phone?" Matt asked with concern.

"I asked him to stay on the line, Sheriff. I . . . I can still hear breathing, but..." She trailed off.

"Talk to him. He still might have his ear to the phone. Keep him alive. We're on our way. Where's Deputy Carter?"

"He left for the residence as soon as the call came in. He should be the first on the scene," she answered.

"We're only a mile away," Matt said and put the receiver back on the base.

"What the fuck!" Williamson exclaimed.

When they arrived at David and Danielle's, Carter's cruiser was there with the lights flashing. The front door was open.

Williamson cut the engine. Matt jumped out of the truck, not closing the door behind him. He ran to the door with Williamson on his heels.

Matt got to the doorway. His body flung back at the scene. Danielle had bled out from her neck. The carpet under and around her body was soaked with blood, her face was pale. David clinched two or three towels over his stomach as he lay on the couch. Carter was a foot away on his radio, demanding to know where the ambulance was. Carter must have given David the towels.

Matt rushed to David.

"Jesus," Williamson said.

"David, talk to me. What happened?" Matt asked with urgency.

David was weak. The towels were drenched with blood.

"Come on, man, stay alive. Who did this?" Matt asked with desperation.

David started moving his mouth. The only thing that came out was blood.

"Fuck!" Matt screamed. He turned his head to look at Carter. "Where the fuck is fucking ambulance?"

"They said they're on the way!" Carter yelled.

"I see the lights coming up the street!" Williamson yelled from the doorway.

"Get out there and tell them to hurry it up. David doesn't have long!" Matt exclaimed and put his hands on David's shoulders.

Williamson ran out into the front yard to flag the ambulance down.

Matt turned his attention back to David who was gasping for air. Matt got closer to him. "Who did this David? Did you know them?"

David nodded.

"David, I need you to gather your strength and tell me a name. Just one name, buddy."

He moved his mouth, it was practically gibberish. "Mur, Mar...Ma," he heaved out.

Matt heard Williamson yelling at the EMTs to move their asses.

David's bloody hand gripped Matt's arm. He kept trying to talk to him, but the only thing that came out was a long gasp. It was David's last as his face went paler and his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Matt screamed as he shook David's body. "Come on, man!"

David's hand fell away from Matt's arm.

Two EMTs rushed into the living room. "Get back," one of them said.

Matt slowly stood up and walked away. "You're too late," he mumbled and walked past Williamson to go outside.

Williamson and Carter followed behind him. They stopped on the front porch. Matt fought the shock that tried to take over his body. A grown man who had probably watched his wife die just died in his arms.

"Sheriff?" Williamson said in a voice that sounded far away. The more Williamson called for him, the louder his voice became.

Matt looked over at Carter. "What did you find when you got here?"

"The front door was closed. I turned the knob - it was unlocked. I walked in and saw-" Carter stopped and then continued. "I saw Mrs. Dalton dead on the floor and Mr. Dalton gutted like a fish. I ran to the bathroom and grabbed all the towels that I could and pressed them down on Mr. Dalton's wound. I asked him if the perpetrators were still in the house. He shook his head no. I got on my radio to find out where the ambulance was. That's when you and Deputy Williamson showed up."

A speeding cruiser with its lights blazing hopped the curb of the neighboring house's driveway and came to a halt in the sanded front yard of David and Danielle's home. Deputy Dalton jumped out of the car.

Carter ran over and restrained him. "You don't want to see it!" he yelled at him.

"Get the hell outta my way, boy! David! David!" The deputy screamed his brother's name like he already knew. Deputy Dalton was twice Carter's size. The young deputy wouldn't be able to restrain the older and more experienced deputy for long.

Williamson ran over to help Carter. He grabbed Dalton's other arm and braced himself against his shoulder. "The kid is right. You don't want to see it."

Then, Dalton looked over at Matt and stopped struggling. His face went pale. "Oh my fucking god," he groaned out.

Lawrence, Carter, Dalton, and Williamson stared at Matt. He realized that they were looking at his clothes. Matt looked down. The front of his polo shirt and jeans were soaked with David's blood. He stared at his bloodstained hands. Matt looked up at his deputies, but he felt that their eyes weren't the only ones on him. He looked out across the neighborhood. Several neighbors had come out of their homes. They were looking at him. Those who didn't come out of their homes were watching from their windows.