Chapter 11 - The River's Secret
Julian’s scream was swallowed almost instantly by the roaring tempest.
His body tumbled through the darkness, disappearing into the thick canopy of mist and jagged pines that choked the bottom of the gorge. A faint, distant splash rose above the sound of the rain, and then there was nothing.
Only the wind. Only the storm.
Callahan lay on his stomach at the cliff's edge, his chest heaving, rain plastering his graying hair to his forehead. His forearms were bleeding where Julian’s nails had raked across his skin. Slowly, painfully, he pulled himself back onto the solid asphalt of the road.
He sat against the tire of his cruiser, staring at the broken guardrail.
Ten minutes later, the flashing lights of three state police cruisers and two county squads arrived, their sirens cutting through the valley.
Deputy Chief Miller stepped out of the lead vehicle, his uniform impeccably dry beneath a large umbrella. He looked at the mangled sedan, the broken rail, and then down at Callahan, who was still sitting in the mud.
"Where is he, Mark?" Miller demanded, stepping closer, his hand resting conspicuously on his hip. "What did you do?"
Callahan stood up slowly. He towered over Miller, his eyes cold and devoid of any fear. "He's in the river, Miller. Along with your retirement fund."
Miller’s face flushed red. "You're suspended, Callahan. Relinquish your weapon. You just chased a candidate for governor off a cliff without an active warrant. You're done."
"I don't think so," Callahan said quietly.
He reached into his cruiser, pulled out the micro-SD card and the encrypted files he had salvaged from the safe before running, and held them up.
"Julian’s ledger," Callahan said. "Names, dates, bank wire numbers for half the county officials—including the five-hundred thousand dollars deposited into your offshore account last October to bury Clara’s hospital records."
Miller went dead white. The umbrella in his hand dipped slightly. "You... you don't know what you're talking about."
"Search and Rescue is on their way to drag the river," Callahan said, stepping past Miller toward the State Police captain who was walking over. "And Captain Vance from the State Bureau of Investigation is taking over this scene. You might want to call your lawyer, Miller. Because your badge comes off tonight."
Callahan didn't wait for a response. He walked to the State Police car, borrowed a radio, and called the one place that mattered.
"St. Jude’s Memorial. Patch me through to Dr. Hayes in the Maternity Ward."
A pause. Then the doctor’s voice crackled through the speaker. "Sheriff? Is it over?"
May you like
"Julian is gone," Callahan said, his voice dropping into a gentle cadence. "How is she? How is the baby?"
"Clara is awake," Dr. Hayes said, her voice filled with quiet relief. "She's out of danger. And Mark... she’s holding her son."
