Deadly Stillwater

“Thanks John. Right now, we’re in front of the Stillwater home of prominent attorney Lyman Hisle. At this point, we don’t know if Mr. Hisle has been contacted by the kidnappers. What we do know is that his daughter Shannon was abducted outside Cel’s Cafe on Selby and Western avenues in St. Paul. It is believed there were three men involved, who appear to have abducted her behind the restaurant and left the area in a white van.”

There was a pause in Heather’s report, although she didn’t take her eyes off the camera.

“That’s a good question, Sheila. What we do know is that the van may have been dropped behind an industrial park in River Falls. Apparently, the kidnappers dropped it there and transferred Shannon to another vehicle. However, before the van was found by the police, it was burned, apparently through the use of an explosive device.”

A uniform cop moved one of the cars blocking the driveway, and Mac pulled through while Heather finished her report, her voice trailing away behind them.

“Man is she aptly named,” Lich said, his mind ending up where it normally did. Heather Foxx was a leggy brunette with inviting green eyes, a perfect little ski-slope nose, and a dynamite smile. One come hither look from her and men melted. She’d been covering crime in town for two years and had developed many a good source, which she obviously already plumbed for information.

“Man, what I wouldn’t give to throw a fuck into her,” Dick said, his eyes shut, dreaming of the lovely Heather. Riles laughed from the back.

“Forget it, Dickey-boy. Your only hope is if your partner made a move on her and then gave you the post-game recap.”

“Jesus Christ, not this again?” Mac said, shooting Riles a disgusted look.

“Whatever,” Riles replied with a big grin, “I saw her try to get in your pants that night. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t let her.”

Heather had been at the pub a few months ago with a group of friends. Mac was there after work with Riley, Lich, and Rock but not Sally, and the two groups eventually found themselves together. Heather was well served and, at the end of the night, horny. As they were getting ready to walk out of the pub, she made a less-than-subtle pass that Mac was forced to decline in front of the boys. Of course, with these guys around to see it, he never heard the end of it.

“Hey Mac,” Rock said, “There are worse things to live down than having Heather Foxx want to screw your brains out.”

“This is true,” Mac replied with an evil grin. “It’s one problem I have that you all never will.”

“Fucker,” Lich replied.

“Prick” and “Smartass” were added by Riles and Rock, respectively, as Mac parked the Explorer at the edge of the circular drive. Theirs was the last in a long line of cars, both police and private. Inside the front door, they found Chief Flanagan and Captain Peters awaiting their arrival. The group quickly ducked into a small, well-appointed study.

Charlie Flanagan had been chief of the St. Paul Police Department for nine years. The chief was an angular man with a shock of bright white hair that had, at one time, been an equally bright red. He was a thirty-four-year veteran of the force who worked his way up from uniform cop to chief the old-school way.

While usually a man of good cheer, tonight the chief was pensive and foul-mouthed. The daughter of one of his best friends had been abducted, and in his city, no less. Not only that, but the mayor, Hizzoner Ted Olson, and the FBI’s local agent in charge, Ed Duffy, were standing just outside their room, monitoring the chief’s every move. Neither of them had much love for the chief, nor he for them.

“Where are we at?” the chief demanded.

“We’ve got what apparently the media’s got,” Riles said.

“Which is?”

“Zip,” Riles started, opening his notebook. “She was taken in the parking lot behind the cafe. She was thrown into a white van, which we found in River Falls. The kidnappers burned it there. Doesn’t look like there was much left behind. We have some crime scene techs going out there. Who knows, they might turn something up.”

The chief sighed and ran his hand through his thinning hair. Peters asked the obvious.

“So you don’t think you’ll get anything?”

“Doubtful,” Mac replied. “The River Falls cops didn’t know they were dealing with a crime scene right away. Police and fire trampled all over the place and hosed up what evidence there might have been.”

“Maybe the FBI can help,” Peters replied.

“They’re in for sure then?” Rock asked.

“Yup,” the chief said. “As you saw, Ed Duffy is in the house.”

“Bet that makes you happy,” Lich said with a wry smile.