Chapter Sixty-Eight

Mosby drove blindly toward what he hoped was the Senator’s house. One of the stories he had read on the Internet included a picture of Jaffe and his family standing in front of their two-story brick home in Great Falls. He remembered it was on a cul-de-sac near the river. There was a stream and a gazebo. He closed his eyes and tried to picture the house. He remembered there was a footbridge. All the homes looked the same. Maybe it was hopeless. Once a policeman had pulled up behind him and Mosby thought he was going to ask him why he was driving so slowly through this upscale neighborhood, but the patrolman had just passed him and drove on.

He was about to give up when he spotted the house. He was almost past it when he’d seen the dark colored Lincoln Navigator in the driveway. “We did it, Lilly. We found it. Now what?”

The lights were on in the house. What did that mean? He parked the Mazda behind the Navigator and crept toward the house. For a moment he wondered what a fifth grade teacher was doing skulking up to a strange house at two in the morning. He wasn’t even sure it was the right house. There were probably a hundred Navigators parked in Great Falls. Maybe he should get out of there before he ended up getting himself shot. But then from inside the house he heard a crash and the sound of someone falling. He ran the remaining few steps to the front door and got there just as it opened and a terrified Bonnie Jaffe fell into his arms. Just behind her Mosby saw Carl Stone holding a long knife. Mosby slammed the door closed just as Stone got to the door. “Run to my car and get it started. I’ll try to hold him.”

Bonnie didn’t waste any time. She ran toward the Mazda while Mosby used all his force to hold the door closed. He heard his car growl to life and out of the corner of his eye he saw the Mazda barreling across the lawn toward the front of the house.

“Get in!” Bonnie yelled as she opened the passenger door.

Mosby let go of the doorknob, ran toward the car and through the open door. He slammed it shut just as Stone reached the car. He slammed the knife against the windshield. “Get us out of here.”

Bonnie made a hard left and headed back toward the street but when she drove off of the curb the front axle broke but the car continued lurching forward. “Keep going” Mosby shouted over the screech of the scraping axle “rear wheel drive!”

“I can’t steer!”

Mosby grabbed the wheel and tried to help Bonnie but she was right. The car lurched forward, out of control. Behind them Stone continued his pursuit.

Mosby and Bonnie were so intent on getting away from Stone that they didn’t see the flashing blue lights moving in their direction until it screamed past them.

“What was that?” Bonnie yelled.

“It’s the police. Stop the car!”

When the car stopped, they could hear the siren that had been drowned out by the scraping axle. “They’ve got him! They’ve got Stone” Bonnie was laughing and crying and the same time.

Reno had jumped out of the car and was standing with gun drawn. A second later Jacoby was next to him with his gun aimed at Stone’s head. “Just give me an excuse to shoot, you asshole. Nothing would make me happier than to blow your brains out.”

Stone dropped his knife and raised his hands. “This is your territory, Barry. I guess you get the pleasure of cuffing this degenerate.”

Reno smiled sheepishly. “I seem to have left my handcuffs at the office.”

“Be my guest.” Jacoby tossed Reno his handcuffs. By the time Bonnie and Mosby crawled out of the Mazda and run the short distance to the cruiser, Carl Stone was handcuffed and Barry Reno was reading him his rights.

Jacoby was surprised to see Mosby standing next to Bonnie Jaffe. “What are you doing here, Ellis?”

“I got tired of hanging around the hospital and decided to go looking for Stone myself.”

“I’m sure glad he did, Jacoby. I was about thirty seconds from being shish-ka-bob when he showed up. I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Bonnie Jaffe.” She extended her hand.

“Mosby Ellis” he said taking her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“I hate to break this up, but I still don’t understand how you knew where to find Stone.”

“I don’t either, Detective. Let’s just say it came to me in a dream.”

“Well you can tell me about it later.”

Two Fairfax County cruisers had just arrived on the scene. Jacoby walked over and spoke briefly to one of the officers then returned to where Mosby was standing with Bonnie Jaffe. They’re calling a tow truck for you Mosby. They’ll wait here and then give the two of you a ride back to Reno’s office.

“I’d rather stay here if that’s okay, Detective. I just want to go to sleep. I promise I’ll come in tomorrow so you can take my statement.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right here alone, Bonnie? You’ve been through quite an ordeal. Maybe you should be examined by a doctor.”

“I’m tougher than I look. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Here’s my card. Give me a call tomorrow, okay?”

She took the card and walked toward the house. When she had taken a few steps she turned around and blew him a kiss.