Chapter 2 - The Captain at the Door

Captain Hollis stepped from the van like he owned the driveway.

“Release Marcus Bennett.”

The two patrol officers looked at each other.

One of them, Officer Jensen, said:

“Sir, we have probable cause for assault.”

Hollis stared at him.

“You have a family dispute.”

Then he looked at me.

“Colonel.”

“Captain.”

His eyes dropped to my uniform.

Not respect.

Calculation.

Dr. Cole stayed near the van.

Too near the driver’s door.

Ready to leave.

I noticed.

So did Jensen.

Hollis entered the kitchen.

He saw Mom.

The blood.

The syringe.

The recorder.

Then Dana.

His face did not change.

That was the problem.

A normal person would have reacted.

He only asked:

“Who opened the basement?”

Jensen answered:

“I did.”

Hollis’s jaw tightened.

“Without a warrant?”

“With exigent circumstances.”

Dana spoke.

“I was chained to a pipe.”

Hollis looked at her like she was inconvenient paperwork.

Then Marcus shouted from the patrol car:

“Bob! Tell them!”

There.

Not Captain.

Bob.

The room changed.

Jensen heard it too.

Hollis walked outside fast.

Too fast.

He opened Marcus’s car door.

I stepped onto the porch.

“Officer, is he supposed to be speaking with a suspect privately?”

Jensen followed.

Hollis turned.

“Colonel Bennett, stay out of police procedure.”

I looked at Jensen.

He was already pulling out his body camera control.

Recording.

Good.

Then Dr. Cole moved toward the van.

Another officer stopped him.

“Doctor, remain here.”

Cole smiled.

“I was called for a medical evaluation.”

“Of whom?”

He looked at Mom.

Then at me.

That was enough.

My skin went cold.

He had expected two patients.

Not one.

Then Mom’s toxicology results came in from the hospital.

A sedative.

Strong enough to cause confusion, weakness, and memory gaps.

Exactly the symptoms used in Dr. Cole’s incompetency report.

Jensen read the preliminary result.

Hollis snapped:

“Those tests are not admissible yet.”

I looked at him.

“Interesting thing to worry about.”

He stared at me.

Then Dana asked for a lawyer.

Not Marcus’s lawyer.

Her own.

Good.

Before Hollis could take control, Jensen radioed county detectives.

Outside chain of command.

Smart.

Then Cole’s van was searched after officers saw an open medication case through the window.

Inside:

Syringes.

Sedatives.

Blank medical forms.

Guardianship evaluation packets.

And a stack of unsigned death certificates.

Hollis went pale.

Then one detective arrived.

Lieutenant Sarah Pike.

County Major Crimes.

She looked at the van.

Then at Hollis.

“Captain, step away from the evidence.”

Hollis laughed.

“You don’t have authority over me.”

Pike held up a document.

“Today I do.”

Internal Affairs had already been investigating him.

For four months.

Then she looked at me.

“Colonel Bennett?”

“Yes.”

“We were waiting for someone inside the scheme to make a mistake.”

She looked toward Marcus.

“He just did.”

Then Pike opened one of the forms from the van.

A prewritten death certificate.

Name:

EVELYN BENNETT.

Cause:

Accidental medication overdose.

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Date:

Tomorrow.