Cross Examination
CROSS EXAMINATION
The Second Jerrod Gold Novel
James C. Gray
Desert Enigma Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 2555
Dayton, NV 89403
www.DesertEnigmaPublishing.com
D.E.Publishing1@gmail.com
This novel is a work of fiction. The characters, names, locations, descriptions, and incidents depicted are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual persons (living or dead), organizations, businesses, locales,
or events is entirely coincidental.
CROSS EXAMINATION
The Second Jerrod Gold Novel
Copyright © 2016 by James C. Gray
Cover Art by: Travis Miles
www.ProBookCovers.com
Printed by: CreateSpace,
An Amazon.com Company
Also available in Kindle eBook on Amazon.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not violate the author’s rights by encouraging the piracy of copyrighted materials.
Complete Bible verses courtesy of: The World English Bible (WEB) ,
a Public Domain Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. www.ebible.org
ISBN-10: 0-9863595-2-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-9863595-2-1
DEDICATION
James Wesley “Bud” Gray
1932 – 2017
and
Nora Lee (Gray) Ransier
1939 – 2017
Dad and Mom:
Thank you for bringing me into this world.
I am proud to have been your son.
I love you and I miss you.
Rest in Peace.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To those who read Crush The Wicked and encouraged me
to continue into this endeavor.
To those same readers who waited -- not always patiently --
for this project to be completed.
To Cindy – “The Emoticon”
You gave the first completed draft your invaluable
emotional feedback through smiley, frowning,
and tearful faces.
Thank you. I love you.
To Brenda – “The Truth-Teller”
You didn't point out a single typo, but gave me the
honest review a writer never wants to hear...
but definitely needs to hear.
You set this project back in the right direction.
Thank you.
To Susan – “The Professor”
You picked apart the manuscript with the proverbial
“fine tooth comb.” You found so many errors that this
book may actually look like a professional project.
Your comments about faith were truly inspirational.
Thank you.
To Berni – “The Gatekeeper”
Nothing gets printed until you sign-off.
Your brilliant insights are the cherry-on-top.
I kept my promise not to edit any more after your review.
Thank you.
PREFACE
Thank you in advance for investing your precious time reading this novel. I say “invest” because all my efforts in this project have been in the hope that when you finish this book you receive some form of return on your investment.
There are a few things you should know before plowing into this story:
Unlike many other serialized works, The Jerrod Gold Novels are structured to be read in sequence. This is the second book of the series and it contains many “spoilers” for the first novel — Crush The Wicked. Frankly, this novel won’t make much sense without the context of the first.
“Write what you know,” is a common, and, perhaps, overused, refrain for anyone attempting to write a novel. If you think about the great novelists (who I would look foolish comparing myself to) -- nearly all wrote about “what they knew.”
I “knew” law enforcement in a small California coastal county.
I have received feedback from readers of Crush The Wicked who knew me from my career in law enforcement. Many have theorized about true identities of the characters, situations, and locations described.
The Jerrod Gold Novels are, by definition, works of fiction. Both the story and plot of these novels revolve around the protagonist -- Jerrod Gold -- a fictionalized cop, working for fictionalized agencies, with fictionalized characters, in fictionalized locations, and in fictionalized situations.
This is not just a “names have been changed” scenario and the intent of these novels are simply to entertain.
Comparisons with “real” people are understandable, but unnecessary.
The only exceptions are well-known personalities and a few real locations.
So, please, as you move forward to Page One of Cross Examination -- particularly if we knew each other “in the day” -- I implore you to not waste any of your valuable time wondering “who is who” and simply enjoy the adventure.
-- James
When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more;
but the righteous stand firm forever.
Proverbs 10:25
CHAPTER 1
March 1990 -- Wednesday -- 10:37 PM
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Three sharp alert tones. A group of three that is the international signal for distress. Mayday-Mayday-Mayday. S-O-S. Three blasts of a ship's horn.
When heard on the police radio it announced something serious was about to be broadcast. Every Mesa County Sheriff's Office deputy on patrol duty at that moment stopped whatever they were doing, tightened their guts, turned up the volume on their patrol car or portable radio, and prepared themselves for the announcement that was to come next.
Sheriff's Sergeant Jerrod Gold -- four weeks after his promotion and a few days after his thirty-first birthday -- was the supervisor on-duty when the call came out. As he reached for the volume control, he was unaware the broadcast that followed would begin a sequence of events that would test his ability to lead in a crisis, would dramatically change the course of his career, and would involve images he would revisit in his mind for the rest of his life.
"Mesa Comm to any units in position mid-county," the familiar male voice of a veteran dispatcher announced. "Multiple 9-1-1 calls of people screaming and shots fired in the area of the condo complex at 1755 Cardinal Lane. One of the RPs is retired law enforcement."
"People screaming" and "shots fired" were not uncommon service calls... separately. But when both were heard together they became terrifying. The fact an "RP" or Reporting Person was a retired cop gave even more gravity and credibility to the call.
"3-3 en route, Code 3," Deputy Scott Jackson radioed -- the first "3" being the radio designator for the patrol night, or "graveyard," shift and "3" being the mid-county or "Three Beat." "Code 3" meant he was responding with all emergency equipment -- overhead red and blue lights and siren on -- and traveling to the scene as fast as possible.
"2-3 en route. Code 3," Deputy Roger Collins radioed." The "2" indicating he worked on the overlapping evening "swing" shift and was also assigned to the mid-county area.
The dispatcher radioed, "Sam-15 copy. Units responding Code 3?"
Jerrod Gold keyed his microphone. "Sam-15 copy and en route. All units clear for Code 3." "Sam" was police radio phonetics for "S" as in Sergeant and "15" was his badge number based on seniority.
"3-4, Sam-15'" Jerrod Gold radioed to the graveyard shift deputy covering the beat just south of mid-county.
"3-4, go ahead," Deputy Tyler Baumann radioed.
"Respond to the Cardinal Lane de
tail."
"3-4 en route... Code 3."
"All units responding to Cardinal Lane," the dispatcher announced. "The RP reports no more screams or gunshots. He wasn't sure if the noise came from one of the condo units or the field just west of the condos."
"2-3 copy," Roger Collins radioed. "Two minutes away."
"3-3 copy," Scott Jackson radioed. "Three away."
"Sam-15 copy," Jerrod Gold radioed. "About five away."
"3-4 copy," Tyler Baumann radioed. "Seven away."
Jerrod had been to that condominium complex before and was familiar with the layout. He had handled several service calls there in the four years he worked as a patrol deputy for the Sheriff's Office -- or simply "the SO."
1755 Cardinal Lane was more like a wide, dead-end shared driveway separating a group of ten two-story condominiums in a middle-class neighborhood. Five condos connected with common walls stood on each side of Cardinal Lane with each unit's front door and two-car garage door facing the shared roadway. The units to the east-side were numbered "A" One through Five. The west-side condos were "B" Six through Ten. An overgrown field -- a little more than an acre in size -- was behind the back fences containing the small back yards for the five west-side "B" condos.
"2-3 at the entrance of the condos," Roger Collins radioed. "All quiet."
"3-3 with 2-3," Scott Jackson radioed twenty seconds later.
The dispatcher broadcast, "The RP is calling from Unit B-9."
"2-3 will contact," Roger Collins radioed.
"Sam-15 at Cardinal Lane," Jerrod Gold radioed a minute later. "Clear the channel."
The dispatcher gave a single alert tone and announced, "Radio silence on 'SO Blue' until we get a 'Code 4' on Cardinal Lane."
“SO Blue" was the primary police radio frequency and the announcement directed all other sheriff's personnel to stay off the radio unless they were involved on the Cardinal Lane call. "Code 4" was radio code for "all secure" and normal activity could continue.
"3-4 on detail," Tyler Baumann radioed two minutes later.
Roger Collins --- thirty-two, average height, stocky --- had been a patrol deputy for over ten years. His experience and skills had earned him the position of Field Training Officer, or "FTO."
He had with him a recent police academy graduate, Amanda "Mandy" Levine -- twenty-two, thin, fit, anxious, unsure -- in just her second week of field training.
Scott Jackson -- twenty-nine, dark hair, permanent red cheeks -- had been a patrol deputy for six years.
Tyler Baumann -- twenty-three, crew-cut brown hair, confident bordering on cocky -- had been a deputy for less than a year.
"I talked to the RP," Roger said. "He used to be a Mesa PD sergeant."
"What'd he say?" Jerrod asked.
"He said he heard people screaming --wasn't sure if male or female or both -- and then heard about six or seven gunshots. The shots were kind of spaced out for thirty-seconds or so."
"Could he tell where they came from?" Scott asked.
"His bedroom window was open," Roger said. "He was pretty sure the sounds came from either one of the 'B' units or the field."
"Tyler. Check the other residents in the 'B' units first," Jerrod directed. "See if everyone is accounted for and if someone else can narrow down the location of the sounds. Then check the 'A' units."
"Okay," Tyler said as he turned to walk to unit B-10.
"Scott. Start at the other end of the "B" side," Jerrod directed. "Roger. You and Mandy come with me to check the field."
Scott nodded and he walked away toward B-6.
Jerrod, Roger, and the wide-eyed trainee walked to the field behind the "B" side condos. Above the six-foot redwood back fences, they could see lights on in the windows of all five condos. They searched along the fence line and peaked into the tiny backyards. No signs or sounds narrowed their search.
Sam-15, 3-4," Tyler radioed to Jerrod. "Units B-10 and B-8 are clear. Going to the "A" side."
"Copy," Jerrod radioed.
"Sam-15, 3-3," Scott radioed. "B-6 is clear. They said the shots were from either next door in B-7 or in the field. No answer at B-7. The front is locked tight."
"Sam-15 copy," Jerrod radioed.
"Sam-15, Mesa Comm" the dispatcher radioed. "Calls pending mid-county."
"Sam-15 copy," Jerrod radioed. "Have 2-4 and 2-2 cover mid-county and 2-5 cover the 'Four Beat.'" He directed deputies from the adjacent beats cover the one temporarily vacated by the deputies on Cardinal Lane.
"Sam-15, 3-4," Tyler radioed. "All 'A' units are okay. They said the shots came from the 'B' side."
"Sam-15, 3-3," Scott radioed. "Still no answer at B-7."
"Sam-15 copy," Jerrod radioed. "We're searching the field. Check the back doors at B-7."
"3-3 copy," Scott radioed.
Jerrod, Roger, and Mandy searched the waist high grass of the field with their black Glock Model 19 9mm auto-pistols in one hand and large flashlights in the other. Small plant stickers attached to their khaki uniform shirts and olive green pants as they spread out in the field with no idea what they might encounter -- human or otherwise.
"Sam-15, Mesa Comm," the dispatched radioed. "Priority calls backing-up mid-county."
"Sam-15 copy," Jerrod radioed.
"Sam-15, 3-3," Scott radioed. "The back door and windows at B-7 are secure. No answer or movement inside."
"Sam-15 copy," Jerrod said as he looked back at the "B" condos. From that angle, he looked through the partially open upstairs window of unit B-7 and could see a light on and a ceiling fan spinning slowly.
Twenty-two minutes had elapsed since they arrived at the scene. They found nothing in the field to indicate the screams or shooting originated from there.
"All units on Cardinal Lane, Sam-15," Jerrod radioed. "Meet behind unit B-7."
"Sam-15, Mesa Comm. More calls backing-up," the dispatcher announced.
Jerrod, Roger with the trainee, Scott, and Tyler met on the field side of the fence behind B-7.
"Mesa Comm, Sam-15," Jerrod radioed. "We're not 'Code 4,' but you can lift the radio silence."
At single alert tone was heard and SO Blue was announced clear for normal radio traffic.
"Scott and Tyler," Jerrod said. "You guys go back into service to take some of those pending calls. Roger, you and Mandy stay here with me to see if we find someone to get us into B-7."
Tyler was looking up at the second-story bedroom window of B-7 and said nothing.
"Tyler, you can go back--," Jerrod said.
"Sarge," Tyler interrupted. "Isn't that a bullet hole in the ceiling of that bedroom?"
CHAPTER 2
They looked from various angles and used their flashlights to illuminate the ceiling, but it was difficult to tell what the oblong black spot on the white drywall ceiling was. It could have been a bullet hole... or it could be some other, innocent, defect.
"Sam-15, more calls backing up," the dispatcher repeated.
"We need to get a ladder to that window," Jerrod said.
"Let's call the Fire Department," Roger suggested. "They have ladders."
"Mesa Comm, Sam-15," Jerrod radioed. "Call out Mid-County Fire. We need a ladder to reach a window about fifteen feet off the ground. Have them respond 'Code 2.'"
"Code 2" meant as-fast-as-possible without lights and siren.
"Mesa Comm copy," the dispatcher radioed. Thirty seconds later he radioed, "Fire's ETA is about five minutes."
"Roger," Jerrod said. "Have Mandy meet the fire truck and direct them back here."
"Go," Roger said as he nodded to the trainee -- who said nothing as she turned and jogged toward the mouth of the condo complex.
"Sam-15, Mesa Comm. More details backing up."
“Scott. Keep an eye on that window," Jerrod said. "Don't want someone popping up and start to shoot at us. We're 'sitting ducks' down here."
The fire department arrived seven minutes later. The deputy trainee guided two firefighters dressed in full turnout gear and carry
ing a two-piece aluminum extension ladder to the fence behind B-7.
"Thanks for coming, guys," Jerrod said to the firefighters as he pointed to the upstairs window. "We need to get into that."
"No problem," the senior of the two firefighters said.
The firefighters carried the ladder into the small backyard and expertly spotted its feet on the concrete patio the appropriate distance from the wall. They used a halyard, essentially a rope on a pulley within the ladder, to extend the second "fly" section toward the bottom of the window. A spring-loaded device on the ladder gave a loud "clack" each time it locked onto another rung as the ladder was extended.
"Who's going up?" the senior firefighter asked.
"I'll do it," Scott said as he stepped to to base of the ladder and placed his right boot on the lowest rung. He took a deep breath and pulled himself up to the second rung. He climbed the ladder and paused as his head reached the bottom of the window. He took one more step, peeked inside, and remained motionless for ten seconds.
"What's there?" Jerrod yelled to him.