Badge of Dishonor

Passion In James County X

Badge of Dishonor

By D.C. Roi

Chapter twenty-five

Sheriff's Department Sergeant Joan Mills was just turning onto Millis Street when she heard what sounded like shots. She was on her way to make a swing past the little diner where other deputies had spotted Lise Billingham's car, to see if Lise had returned to pick up her car.

The shots caused a surge of adrenaline, which sent Joan's heart rate sky-high. She grabbed her radio microphone. "Operations from James County Five, I have shots fired in the vicinity of the Jamestown diner! Get me some backup! Now!" she yelled. She dropped the microphone and turned on her siren and blue lights.

"Operations to James County Five," the dispatcher said, her voice at least an octave higher than it usually was, "We copy. You have shots fired at the Jamestown diner. All available Sheriff's units respond, your call is Code Three!!"

Rod Billingham, with rage in full control of his actions, continued to hold the combat shooter's stance and point his 9mm pistol into the sheriff's cruiser. He thought he'd hit Luke, but the deputy had returned fire, which meant he wasn't dead. He wanted to kill both Luke and Lise, and fully intended to. He was starting to squeeze the trigger a second time when the sound of sirens, and screech of brakes as Sergeant Mills arrived, made him pause.

Joan Mills jammed her cruiser into "Park," grabbed the riot gun out of the rack next to the radio, and jumped out. She saw the man - she thought it was Rod Billingham, but wasn't sure - pointing a gun at another sheriff's cruiser. "Sheriff's Department!" Joan yelled, aiming her shotgun at the man. "Drop the gun and get on the ground! Do it now!"

Rod turned and pointed his gun at Joan, but he remembered that Luke had fired at him and that he wanted to kill him, so he turned back to the cruiser.

"This is your last chance!" Sergeant Mills yelled. "Drop the gun and get on the ground now, or I'll shoot!"

"Fuck you!" Rod screamed. He realized Luke wasn't moving and instinct told him the officer yelling at him posed a greater threat at that second, so he turned and fired two shots in Joan's direction.

Luke continued to hold his fire. Backup had arrived and Rod had stopped shooting at him. If there was a chance they could take the deranged man alive, Luke wanted to take it. Besides, his chest hurt and he wasn't sure he'd be able to raise his gun and shoot again.

As he watched Rod, he saw the man his gun toward Sergeant Mills. Then he turned it back toward the cruiser where Luke sat. "Stay down, Lise," he said. His passenger remained huddled on the floor of the cruiser, sobbing.

Suddenly, as Luke watched, Rod swiveled back toward Sgt. Mills and fired two shots. Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw the sergeant fall down. He immediately triggered two shots of his own. He saw Rod's body jerk, then the man turned and began running toward his truck.

Luke grabbed the microphone attached to his two-way radio. "Operations from James County Nine!" he yelled. "Officer needs assistance, shots fired, officer down, in the parking lot of the Jamestown Diner! I need help! Now!"

"Copy, County Nine!" the dispatcher replied. "All responding units, did you copy? We have shots fired, an officer down! I'm starting paramedics and rescue! Please advise when the scene is secure!"

Rod saw the female officer fall, but was shocked when Luke fired at him. He was wearing his bullet-proof vest and the bullet barely clipped him, but it did make him jump. He heard more sirens and realized he'd be in big trouble once more cops got there, so he turned and started running toward his truck.

Luke heard the sound of a vehicle's starter motor, then an engine roared to life. He saw Rod Billingham behind the wheel of his pickup truck, screeching out of the parking space behind the diner.

"Lise!" Luke gasped. His chest hurt as he tried to breathe. "Are you OK?"

"I...I think so," Lise replied. "What...what about you?"

"I'm OK, I think," Luke replied. He put his cruiser in "drive" and started toward the other cruiser.

"Was...was that Rod?" Lise sobbed.

"Yeah, it was," Luke replied. "He shot Sergeant Mills and he's taking off. I need to go after him. Backup and an ambulance are coming. Can you stay with Sergeant Mills and do what you can?"

"I...I guess so," Lise responded.

When Luke braked to a stop, she climbed out of the car. Brushing broken glass off herself, she started toward the prone form of Sergeant Mills, knelt beside her, took her wrist, and checked for a pulse. She felt the woman's pulse was surprised there wasn't any blood.

"Is she OK?" Luke yelled.

"She...she's breathing, she has a pulse, and I don't see any blood," Lise told him.

"I've got to go after your husband," Luke yelled.

Lise nodded, then turned to Sergeant Mills, who moaned softly. As she turned, she heard the tires of the cruiser Luke was driving squeal and the siren start wailing as he roared out of the parking lot.

"Operations from James County Nine!" Luke yelled into his microphone as he started after the pickup Rod was driving. "I'm in pursuit of a green Ford pickup truck, westbound on Lincoln! The operator of the vehicle is Rod Billingham, he's armed, he's shot two officers!"

"Operations copies, County Nine," the dispatcher replied.

Tim and Alex had heard the radio traffic and were headed toward the scene of the shooting in the Tim's unmarked cruiser. "Step on it, Tim!" Alex yelled.

"I think we'll be able to intercept them," Tim said, guiding the car around a corner, tires squealing. "Luke's going to need help if he catches up with Rod again."

"He sure as hell is!" Alex replied.

They approached Lincoln on a cross street and saw the green pickup truck speed through the intersection, with the cruiser a short distance behind him.

"Operations from James County One!" Alex yelled into the mike. "This unit is joining the pursuit. We're behind County Nine, westbound on Lincoln! County Nine, continue the pursuit as primary. We'll handle radio traffic."

Luke, wincing every time he drew a breath, picked up the radio mike. "Copy, County One. You got any other help coming?"

"Operations to County One," the dispatcher said. "The state patrol advises they have a roadblock set up at the intersection of Lincoln and Route 25."

"Copy, operations," Alex said. "Looks like we've got him."

"Yeah," Tim said, "but what are we going to do with him when we finally get him stopped?"

"That's up to him," Alex said.

Rod kept his foot pressed against the floor as his truck, engine roaring, raced down the street. He was trying to figure out what he was going to do. The reality of what was happening had begun to sink in. He'd shot at least one cop, maybe two. He knew he wasn't going to get out of this. His life, as he knew it, was over. If he could just be sure Luke Thomas was dead, he'd...

"Operations from James County Seven," came another voice on the sheriff's department radio, "I'm joining the pursuit."

"Operations from County Eight, I'm off with the state patrol, intersection of Lincoln and Route 25," came another voice.

"Operations from County Ten," came another voice, "we're off with the patrol."

Rod saw the police cars, their blue lights on their roofs spinning, blocking the intersection ahead of him and jammed his foot on the brake pedal. His truck came to a screeching, sliding halt.

Luke saw the brake lights on Rod's truck flash on, then it fishtailed and slid to a stop. He braked his cruiser to a halt a safe distance away.

"County One to County Nine!" Alex yelled into his microphone as Tim guided the unmarked car to a stop. "Remain in your unit. Let us handle this!"

"Copy, County One," Luke replied. Actually, the way his chest felt, he wasn't sure he'd have been able to get out of his cruiser if he had to.

"County One to operations, suspect has stopped at the intersection of Lincoln and Route 25," Alex told the dispatcher.

"Copy, County One," the dispatcher replied.

Rod sat in his truck, looking at the scene arrayed in front of him. Crouched behind the state patrol and sheriff's cars in front of him, uniformed police officers pointed their weapons at him. He looked behind him. More officers were there. He was trapped.

"Driver of the truck!" a voice boomed over a loudspeaker. "This is Sheriff Martin. Throw out your weapons and stick both of your hands out of the window of your vehicle!"

Rod didn't know what to do. Rage still boiled in him. He wanted to kill these people who were destroying his life, who were trying to take away everything he'd worked for.

"Driver of the truck!" the amplified voice said again. "Throw your weapons out and stick your hands out of the window where we can see them! Do it now!"

"Fuck you!" Rod yelled. "You want me, come on and get me!"

"Rod! This is Sheriff Martin. Don't make this harder than it has to be!" Alex said, using the amplifier in the patrol car. "Throw your weapons out and put your hands out the window. Enough people have gotten hurt. We don't want to hurt you."

"You expect me to believe that after I shot two of your people?" Rod yelled back.

"Rod, you know the drill," Alex said. "We don't want anybody else getting hurt. You haven't killed anyone yet, don't force us to kill you!"

"What have I got to live for?" Rod yelled back. "You and I both know I'm not going to walk away from this."

"What about your kids?" Alex asked. "You want them to have to live with the fact you died like this?"

"You think having me in prison's going to be any better for them?" Rod yelled back.

"Even if you go to prison, you can get yourself straightened out and be a father to them again," Alex said. "You can't do that if you're dead."

Rod couldn't think straight. He wanted things to be the way the were, he wanted his life to be like it was, but he knew that would never, ever be. He'd lost his wife, his family, and his job. And he was going to prison. He'd heard what happened to cops who went to prison.

"No fuckin' way!" he yelled out the window of his truck. "It's over! I got nothing to live for!" He raised his gun, and placed the muzzle against his temple.

Shocked, Alex and the other officers watched. "No! Rod! No!" Alex yelled. He felt as helpless as he'd ever felt in his life. He, and the other officers there were going to witness a man, a fellow officer, take his own life!

Then there was the loud sound of a shot.