The Second Girl(70)

As I do, I notice his T-shirt is drenched with blood. He’s not wearing a vest.

Looks like two or more rounds hit him center mass. Blood bubbling from the right side of his chest.

He mumbles something I can’t make out.

“I’m gonna need your radio to call for help,” I say.

I grab his radio and key it in. “Officer down. Officer down. Seventeenth and Euclid. Get an ambulance here.”

“Keep focused on me, buddy,” I tell him.

He nods, but with effort; then his bloodied mouth opens and he struggles to speak.

“Help’s on the way,” I assure him again.

Then I hear something behind me, in Miriam’s direction. When I look up I see her running across the street.

“Motherf*ck.”

I turn my attention back to the officer but it doesn’t take me more than a second to realize he’s not my concern.

“Help’s on the way,” I say again, and then I bolt.

By that time she’s across the street and near the front entrance of the Ritz. All that adrenaline made her fast. I yell for her to stop, and hope with everything I got the hooptie hasn’t rounded the block to finish the job.

“Miriam!” I shout.

She opens the glass front door with a key, runs inside, and quickly closes it behind her.

I get to the door. I see her run across the lobby area and toward an opening on the right that leads to stairs.

I yank at the door. It’s strong. I yank it harder, but this time with both hands and all my weight.

All that does is make a loud metallic noise and wrench my fingers.

“Fuck it,” I say.

I pull out the Taurus from my backside and think about shooting the lock. I realize how stupid that’d be so instead I smash out the pane of tempered glass with the butt of the gun. I have to jump back to let the large shards fall.

With the gun in a tucked position I run into the lobby and make my way through the opening. It’s early enough in the morning that no one is around.

Stairs ahead of me that lead up to the first floor.

To the left, a narrow hallway and another door.

I got here fast enough that I should be able to hear her running if she’s taking the stairs.

I can’t, so I take a chance that she hit the back door instead.

A metal fire door opens to a furnace room. In the back there’s another metal door with an “Exit” sign above it.

I open it and see Miriam at the top of a tall metal gate with a chain wrapped around the middle securing them together with a padlock on the outside.

She’s straddling the top, lifting her skinny left leg over. I holster my weapon in my backside. It’s not far so I get there quick, but by that time she’s jumped to the other side.

I reach my arm through the gate in time and manage to grab the sleeve of her jacket.

“Let go!” she screams. “Let me go!”

“Why the f*ck you running like this?”

“Fucking let me go!” And she starts hitting me on the arm with her other hand while trying to strip herself free of the jacket. Then she bends down, mouth open, and before I can react she’s sunk her teeth into the exposed skin just above my wrist.

I belt out, “Fucking shit, you bitch!”

I can almost hear her sharp teeth break through my skin. My immediate reaction is to reach my other hand between the bars and knock her silly, but by that time she’s already let go. She struggles harder now, hitting the arm she bit me on.

She squirms her way out of her jacket. Shoots north on the sidewalk toward the back of the school, the same direction the hooptie was headed.

I drop her jacket on the other side of the gate, look up the fence to make the climb. Miriam’s feet are smaller so she was able to get them through the bars. I grasp high, let my breath go and manage to squeeze my toes in, just enough for purchase, and then take hold of the top of the gate.

I crawl over and slide myself down to the other side. The sleeves of my shirt and jacket have fallen back over my wrists.

I visually search the area where I saw her run.

Can’t see her.

It’s a long block and I’d see her running along Mozart if that’s where she was. She more than likely cut left and through the rear parking lot of the school that faces 17th.

I rush toward the driveway that leads to the back of the school and look across the parking lot. I’m not going to find her this way, it’s ridiculous. I need to get in the car. Get the police to hit the area with me. But first, I pull up the sleeve of my jacket to check out my throbbing arm. My shirt sleeve is soaked with blood, but the bite’s not so bad I need to give it immediate attention.

I shake my head, feel like I wanna scream. Instead I hightail it back to the gate and grab her jacket. I search the pockets and find a pack of Newports and three clean syringe needles with plastic covers.

I look at the needles and realize this shit alone’ll keep her from wanting to go home.





Sixty-one



Sirens in the distance, like angels sounding horns. I remember before the shooting the officer said it was a shift change. That’s why it took them longer than normal.

Best thing I can do now is get back to the scene and the fallen officer. Miriam’s got to be wandering around somewhere. It’s cold and she doesn’t have her jacket. If she’s on the street, the cops will find her. Hopefully before Cordell’s boys do.