Searching for Anna, Jenifer Carll-Tong [cheapest way to read ebooks TXT] 📗

He was in pain. Searing pain. And although a slight repositioning might have relieved some of that pain, he refused to move. He would endure any pain if it meant holding her in his arms for just a while longer.

Will had awoken close to an hour ago and thought he was dreaming. In fact, he was still feeling the effects of the whiskey the doctor had insisted on last night. But even in his slightly inebriated state, her body was too warm, her hair too soft against his neck to be a dream. This was real. Phoebe was lying in his arms and he refused to give up the moment.

She stirred slightly in the small bed and he had to pull her closer against him to keep her from falling off the edge. He shuddered slightly. This is how it was supposed to be, could have been, or at least that's what he had thought. But he had been a fool.

A loud banging on the door brought him out of his musings.

"Miss Albright?" a voice from outside yelled. "It's Constable Jesse Moore, ma'am."

In a flash, Phoebe sprang from the bed. Will had to suppress a snicker as she quickly checked her appearance in the mirror. She was a mess - her dress wrinkled, and her hair tangled around her face.

"I'll be right there," she hollered.

When Phoebe opened the door, Jesse Moore and Frank Little entered, Captain Reynolds close on their heels. The appearance of Will's superior officer wasn't a complete surprise, but the appearance of the fourth Michigan State Trooper was. The first three troopers were followed by none other than Colonel Roy C. Vandercook, commanding officer of the Michigan State Constabulary. Close behind the officers walked Dr. Langley.

"How is Caffey doing this morning?" Captain Reynolds asked Phoebe.

"I…well, I'm not sure…" Phoebe sputtered.

"I'm fine, but my headache would do much better without all the pounding and yelling."

Phoebe twirled around and Will had to stifle a laugh at the look of shock on her face. A deep blush traveled up her neck to her cheeks. "I'll be out back if you need me," she said, quickly picking up the basin of bloody water and scooting out the back door.

It was then that Will noticed something about her hair that he had missed earlier. The back of her head was caked with dried blood. He winced as he tried to sit up to take a better look, but she was out the door too quickly.

"Hold on there," Dr. Langley said, placing his hand on Will's chest. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Did you see all that blood? Is she alright?" he asked him.

"I noticed the dried blood, too,” Captain Reynolds said, eyeing the door she had exited through. "But her shirt was clean."

All the officers, including Will, scanned the room. Their gazes came to rest on the pile of woman's clothing in the far corner.

Dr. Langley cleared his throat. "I examined her. Save for some bruising under her eye and the back of her head, she is fine."

"But all that blood?" Will insisted.

"Is yours," Moore interrupted. "The pastor kept you atop your horse by weaving herself into your gun strap. She was covered in your blood by the time she got you back to town."

"I don't remember much past getting onto my horse."

"You gave us quite a scare. By Moore's report, I didn't expect you to be awake so soon," Reynolds said.

"Well, I was taken very good care of, I suppose, Captain."

"I suppose you were," Captain Reynolds said, looking once more at the pile of clothes in the corner. "So, tell me, son. What happened?"

"Bootleggers, sir."

Reynolds nodded. "Just like you thought. None of us believed you, but you knew all along."

"I only had a hunch, sir. If I had known for certain, I wouldn't have been caught out there alone against them while they had a hostage."

Colonel Vandercook nodded. "Pretty impressive detective work, Caffey. How did you find their hideout?"

"Pastor Albright went missing. I had been speaking with her at the church and when I left her, there was a car and two men." Again, he was reminded of his own stupidity for leaving her alone with Parker. But he was also reminded as to why he left her. "It was the only lead I had, so I just followed their trail. I didn't expect that she was in that much danger when I set out."

"Why didn't you grab another officer or two before heading out?"

Because I was led by my heart, not my head. "I should have. I made a mistake."

The Colonel looked at him again. "I wouldn't call it a mistake. Misjudgment, maybe. But I suppose in the heat of the moment, you can't always expect to make the right call. Fortunately for you and the pastor, you were able to handle the situation."

He continued to question Will about the events of the previous evening. Will explained, in detail, how he had found the trail that led to the cabin deep in the woods, and the hidden crates of liquor. He then told about confronting the bootleggers and how he had taken all three of them down, including Officer Rogers.

"I still can't believe Rogers was messed up in all of this," Captain Reynolds said, shaking his head.

"That would explain how they evaded us for so long," Moore said. "They knew our every move from the inside. If Will hadn't taken him out, no telling how many more lives like Jimmy Richardson's would have been lost."

Will nodded. "The tires."

"Yep. That car belonged to Lucky Dombrowski, the third man you took down. He has a long rap sheet as 'muscle' for a major gang in Detroit."

Will frowned. "I don't get it. Why would Detroit bootleggers need to throw their weight around a little town like Iron Falls?"

"Iron Falls was just a gateway to Marquette and other bigger areas. But I guess they didn't like anyone stepping in their way, and they saw even the local moonshiners as invading their territory. Ain't that right, Little?"

Frank nodded. "I spoke with Henry Lambecker. He confirmed that it was the Detroit mob that burned down his still. He also said that Dombrowski had threatened him just days before poor Jimmy was found dead."

Colonel Vandercook pulled a kitchen chair close to the bed and sat down. "These weren't simple rum runners you tangled with, son. And to think, you did all this on your own. You're lucky you're alive."

"I had no choice but to do it alone, sir. I couldn't chance losing them. Not when they had a hostage."

"No. I don't suppose you could." Colonel Vandercook turned to the other officers. "Once he's had ample time to rest, I'd like a more detailed account of how he took down three armed men with only one bullet hole in return."

"Rest is exactly what he needs," Doctor Langley agreed. "And this powder will help." He pulled a small envelope out of his pocket.

Will shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm still trying to sober up from last night's medicine."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist. This will help you sleep, which will get you healed up faster."

Reluctantly, Will agreed.

"Well, I know you need to rest now," the colonel said. "But there's still a few matters I need to discuss with you."

"Matters?"

"Yes, son. Namely, the matter of your future with the force."

Even the pain in his shoulder couldn't distract him from the headache those words caused. Will had known he had acted foolishly, but he didn't think he had been so foolish as for it to affect his future as a Michigan State Trooper. But he had escaped unscathed from the