Derick (Delta Forces #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,26

the back of the building.

Richard held the door for both of them, but when they were in his office, he closed the door. “I’m guessing this isn’t a social visit.”

Derick shook his head. “Not social. And Mike is on his way with something, not sure what. But Carrie needs your help.”

The sheriff sat down behind his desk, folded his hands, and looked at her. “What’s the problem?”

Carrie took a breath and, slowly, started to explain. Step by humiliating step, she explained what John had done to her. Right up to the point where she’d seen the daisies on her front porch this morning.

“I have no idea how he found me, but I know he’s here.”

The sheriff didn’t react until the end of her story. Slowly, he sat back in his chair, and sighed. “That’s a pretty bad story. Unfortunately, I can get the guy for trespassing, but I’m not sure a judge would do anything. So far, he hasn’t violated any laws.”

At that point, there was a knock on the door. Derick glanced at the sheriff. “That’s probably Mike.”

“Come on in!” the sheriff called out.

The door opened and Carrie’s eyes widened as a stranger, this one almost as big as Derick, stepped into the office. “Derick asked me to bring this to you,” he said softly. But instead of leaving, the big guy handed her the envelope, then stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest and waited.

Carrie’s fingers trembled as she took the envelope. “I carry these as…” she paused. Taking another breath, she shook her head as she handed the envelope to the sheriff. “Well, take a look. Will these help convince the judge to…?”

“What is it?” Richard asked, taking the envelope, which was obviously well worn and wrinkled. He lifted the flap and peeked inside before pulling out the pictures. “Dear God!” he breathed.

Mike’s arms dropped and he moved over to look at the pictures. Derick stood as well, moving around to the other side of the sheriff’s desk. “Holy Mother…!” Mike hissed. He looked at the pictures, then at Carrie and back again. “Tell me that’s not you,” he said.

Carrie nodded, lowering her lashes. “Yes. That’s me.”

“He did this to you?” Derick demanded, staring at her, his voice was low and soft. Then he came around to kneel in front of her, taking her hands. “Honey, did he really do that to you?”

The pictures showed a woman whose eyes were swollen shut and her jaw was clearly broken. In fact, her entire face was purple from that beating. Her arm was broken and both legs, plus several ribs which couldn’t be seen on the photo because of the hospital gown. But it was all documented in the medical report that was also in the envelope.

“Why is this guy not in prison for attempted murder?” the sheriff demanded. “No judge would let something like this slide!”

Carrie pulled one hand from Derick’s reassuring grasp, wiping an errant tear away. “He’s a police officer. A detective, actually.”

There was a stunned silence. All three men stared at Carrie, then back at the pictures.

“Still…” the sheriff argued. “This is brutal!”

She smiled as if trying to laugh off the seriousness of the beating. “He plays poker with the judge and police chief. John told the doctors that I fell down the stairs.”

They all stared at her as if she’d said something that didn’t make sense. And in reality, every police officer and medical doctor knew the difference between a fall and a beating. These pictures clearly showed a beating!

“I’m going to kill him,” Derick muttered, practically breathing smoke.

Chapter 14

In the end, Mike held Derick back until he was calm again. It helped that Mike got a call from one of the team members. General Kelly had assigned several team members to set up a perimeter around Carrie’s house. One of the team members had spotted Detective John Mingram of the Minneapolis Police Department hiding in a tree behind Carrie’s house. Since the land was technically part of the Army base, although not many people knew that, it was more of a buffer area, the fence of the actual base being about a mile west of that spot, but the trespassing charge was the first offense tacked onto the man’s list of crimes. The team member snapped several photos of John, who was taking pictures of Carrie’s house. So stalking was added to the list as well.

Detective John Mingram stayed behind the damned house all day, pacing back and forth while muttering expletives.