9 Seconds of Freedom, Original Suspense, Part 40, links to earlier episodes.
She pulled the truck up to the cruiser and gassed it. The front wheels climbed onto the hood of the car. There was a crunch and a large puddle of water started building underneath the cruiser. She set the brake and turned off the motor.
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We climbed out of the truck, stepping onto the front fender of Crawford’s car and down to the street. He was pushing his way out the door.
“Mr. Crawford,” the mayor said. “We’re just here to accept their surrender.”
Her voice was calm and measured. Crawford stopped just outside the door.
“Hey, Crawford, how’s It hangin?” I asked.
He glared at me and winced.
“Give it up Leeanne, you’re all under arrest,” he said. “You’re an escaped convict and we’ve got you dead to rights. The rest of you are aiding and abetting a known felon. Or, did you forget? When you walked away from this town, you skipped out early on a felony conviction for attempted murder. Not to mention the thirteen inmates you killed in cold blood.”
Thirteen. That was a lot. But, I’d seen The Farm. I knew what this was about.
“This ain’t about that,” Leeanne said. “Give me my baby and you can all walk away.”
“Your baby?” the mayor said. “Oh, you mean my grandson that you tossed into a trashcan at birth? Oh, heavens, he’s not here. We couldn’t risk you rolling into town with your redneck army, tearing the place apart the way you did my farm last night.”
“Trash can? Listen, bitch, you know that’s not what happened,” Leeanne said.
“Well, you’ll get to tell your side,” the mayor said. “But, who are they gonna believe? A washed-up junkie who escaped from prison, or an upstanding mayor, with no criminal record, and a witness to the baby being found?”
“What witness?” Leeanne said. “You had no idea there even was a baby, until Boots told you.”
“Boots? Could you come out here?” the mayor said.
All sweetness and light again. It was quite an act.
“Tell them what you told me, dear,” the mayor said.
Hal dragged Boots out of the jail. She had a bloody lip and two black eyes to go with the knot Leeanne had put on her head with the pistol. Her hands were cuffed behind her back.
She fell on her knees.
“Leeanne, you have to believe me, I didn’t want to do it. She forced me. She was going to let Hal kill me,” she said. “I didn’t have a choice. Really, I’m on your side this time, I swear.”
“You haven’t done anything yet, except spout some lie this bunch fed you,” Leeanne said. “We’ll deal with what’s between you and me later.”
“Oh, I wish it was gonna be that easy, sweetheart,” the mayor said. “But Boots signed a notarized deposition claiming she found the baby in the dumpster outside her daddy’s bar after you busted out of prison, and took it to Kansas City for its own safety.”
Leeanne looked defeated. With Jensen gone, there was no way to prove her side of the story anymore. They were going to win, like they always did.
“Oh, look, she knows when she’s been beaten,” the mayor said.
Crawford smiled. “Take her into custody Hal,” he said.
Hal took handcuffs from Crawford and stepped into the street. He turned Leeanne to face toward the mayor, while he pulled her arms behind her back with a grin. It was over.
Leeanne’s hands moved so fast, I couldn’t tell what she was doing. As quick as she’d seemed to surrender, she had the upper hand. Instead of her hands in cuffs, Hal stood, shackled. Leeanne’s left hand at his throat, while her right drew the pistol from behind her back and put the muzzle against his chin.
“My baby, for yours,” Leeanne said. “Dalton get the Chevy.”
I ran around the back of the hardware store and found my truck, right where I’d left it. The keys were still in my pocket. I drove around front. The sheriff sat helpless, with a shotgun pointed at Leeanne, while the Mayor fumed.
I pulled up out front and hopped down. I popped the tailgate and Leeanne climbed into the bed, half dragging Hal with her. She kept the gun to his head.
“Two hours, Vern’s barn, bring my baby. Anybody else comes with you, junior gets it. Don’t bring my baby, I’ll kill him. Show up late, he’ll already be dead. You get the idea,” Leeanne said.
“And bring the bear,” I added.
I closed the tailgate and climbed into the cab. Sarah climbed in beside me. On the way to Vern’s, we passed Skinner’s cruiser, he was still trapped inside. Two volunteer fire fighters were working to free him.
I pulled up in front of the barn and checked my watch. It was nearly seven pm and getting dark. I opened the barn door and threw the switch for the overhead lights. The familiar hum began.
Leeanne dragged Hal into the barn and straight to the cage. She took him through to the back and pushed him into one of the holding pens used for fighters. There were manacles hanging from the cage wall, she snapped them around his wrists, ankles and neck.
“Hey, how am I getting out of this?” Hal asked.
Leeanne grabbed a huge ring of keys from a board on the wall and tossed them to land five feet from Hal’s reach.
“Knock yourself out,” Leeanne said.
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