Icy Betrayal (30 page)

At 7:48, McCallister’s phone buzzed. It was a text message from the team covering Lennox’s house. “The iceman cometh,” it read.

McCallister chuckled, then reached for his cell to call Chuck Borman, the lieutenant in charge of the SWAT team to tell him Lennox was en route.

“Here we go, Ms. Sullivan. Just play it exactly as we’ve instructed,” Mick told her. “Any questions?”

“No,” she replied, nervously. She wanted to look at her father for some reassurance, but looked straight ahead. Lisa knew she couldn’t risk it.

Scott Lennox peered frequently into the rear view mirror of his Lexus sedan. It hadn’t occurred to him to watch for police. He was more afraid his wife would tail him.

He thought of Lisa waiting to meet him at the office, and became aroused. He imagined the plans they had made together coming to fruition. He smiled and cranked up the stereo as he pulled the Lexus onto the interstate toward Lennox Ice. He turned up the radio and sang along with Tripp Barnes’s new country hit.

“Welcome back baby, we both know that you missed me…

You couldn’t stay away, so come on then let’s play…

We both know, you wanna go, don’t take it slow…

Just let your pretty hair down and come and kiss me.”

As their suspect pulled into the lot at Lennox Ice, the undercover officers alerted McCallister who in turn called Borman. He cued Mia and Keller.

“Lennox just pulled in.”

At 8:04, Lisa arrived at Lennox Ice in an undercover RCSO car procured from drug seizure operations. The sight of Scott’s Lexus sent her heart racing in fear. Still, she kept her cool and parked close to the entrance as instructed. The position of her car would offer additional cover to the SWAT team if needed. She climbed the steps of the loading platform and found the office door unlocked.

Her stomach turned at the sight of him. He stood confidently, arms extended. “Welcome back, baby,” he said.

Just like the song.

Lisa felt nothing but hatred and anger. The man who had used her and taken so much of her life stood there smugly, acting as if nothing had happened.

But she did what she had to do. “It’s so cold out there,” she said, setting down her purse and pulling off her hat. It seemed odd to be making small talk but it was all she could muster.

“Wow, I like your new hair. God, you look sexy. I have missed you so much,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll warm you up, babe. Just like before.”

He came forward and kissed her. This would be far more difficult than she had imagined, but she knew she had to play along and get him to admit to the murder.

“Scott, I just had to see you. I miss you too.”

“I’ve missed you more than you’ll ever know. Where the hell have you been hiding? Ah, forget it—it doesn’t matter. Now that you’re back, we can make it all happen. The cops have nothing on us. We can do all those things we talked about. Just you and me… It’s just about us now,” Scott said, extending his hand to stroke her cheek.

Lisa was repulsed, but had to carry on. “Scott, how are we going to get out from under this? I want to be with you, but I’m so tired of running. You have no idea what it’s like to be worried every second of every day. It’s a living hell.”

“We can make this work, don’t worry,” he said. Lennox put his arms around her and began to kiss her neck.

Lisa retreated slightly from his advances, looked him in the eye, and continued, “God, I wish we could take back what we did. I still have nightmares about it. I see Lombard’s face in my dreams. I hear the sound of when you hit him with the car. Why did he have to die, Scott? Why?”

“It was the only way… You know that. The insurance money paves the way for our new life, it can still happen. They will have to pay out on the policy eventually. It will just take a little more time.”

“I don’t know how much more I can take of this. I miss you so much.”

“I’ll get an attorney and have him force the insurance company to pay. They can’t keep stringing this along. Once I have the money, our new life together will start. You just gotta be patient.”

Tears flowed down her cheeks. “I’m out of money, and I’m so tired of running.”

Lennox pulled her close. Lisa let several seconds go by before cutting to the chase.

“Why did we have to kill him, Scott? I’d give anything to go back and change things. I can’t live with myself knowing what we did to that poor man.”

Scott held her closely, responding, “It’s all been for you since the night we met. From the moment I set eyes on you, everything was about us being together, don’t you see? That’s why Lombard had to go. But I needed your help.”

“You needed my help to kill him? Why did you get me involved, Scott? Why?”

“I needed your help to secure our future. And it’s going to work, Lisa. The police have nothing. We can be together. You have to know I did this all for you. George was between us and our future, so I had no choice.”

“You had to run him over?”

“Yes, and you had to help me set up the story. Don’t you understand? It was all for us.”

Lisa wanted to be sure the cops would have enough to make their case so she pushed a little harder.

“So you killed George Lombard for me?”

“Yes, Lisa, just like we talked about.”

Lisa grabbed her hat and purse and turned to the man who caused her so much misery. “Goodbye, Scott. Rot in hell.”

Lennox didn’t move. His mind struggled to catch up as Lisa moved quickly. She was through the door and down the stairs to the parking lot in seconds. Lennox sprinted after her, gaining with every step. “Lisa, wait!”

Lisa slipped and dropped her keys. Scott was closing in. She left the keys and ran as fast as she could toward the street. Lennox bounded down the stairs from the loading dock and headed toward her.

In the command vehicle, McCallister grabbed his radio and shouted, “Go, go, go!”

SWAT officers stationed on the nearby roof began to zero in on Lennox with their high-powered rifles, while officers on the ground rushed in from the street. Jack and Mia quickly maneuvered their vehicle to block the exit from Lennox Ice and rushed in on foot, guns in hand.

“Freeze, Lennox!” A voice echoed from a megaphone, somewhere above. “On the ground!”

Scott stopped cold next to his car. Stunned, he realized it had all been a setup. Anger exploded from inside of him as the deputies moved quickly towards him and Lisa ran. The scene seemed to unfold in slow motion.

Lennox grasped at his only chance for escape. In a heartbeat, he jumped into his car, shoved it into gear, and gunned the engine. The deputies on the ground jumped out of the way of the speeding car. Snipers opened fire from above. The rounds pierced the Lexus as it accelerated toward Lisa.

The deputies screamed out to her, but it was too late. The car struck her from behind, tossing Lisa’s body like a rag doll onto the hood of the car and over the roof. She dropped in a thud on the pavement not far from where George Lombard had come to rest nearly a year ago.

The Lexus turned sharply and slammed into a metal garbage bin, setting off the airbag. Officers swarmed the car with guns drawn as Mia and Keller rushed to Lisa Sullivan.

“Lisa!” Keller screamed. “Lisa!!!”

FIFTY

T
he headline on the front page of the News-Press read, “RCSO BUSTS LENNOX; Gunfire, Confession and Witness Deal in Lombard Murder Arrest.” The byline belonged to Anita Sanchez, and the story covered the night’s events, complete with quotes and photos from the scene. A quiet, last-minute deal struck between Mick McCallister and Sanchez gave her photographer the perfect vantage point to capture Lennox being loaded into an ambulance.

The story made the front page of every Colorado paper and was the lead on every Colorado TV newscast. But the News-Press had the most extensive coverage, thanks to the tip from McCallister. In each article, Dave Baxter offered a glowing account of the work done by his office and RCSO Captain Mick McCallister in getting Ms. Sullivan to admit to her ‘small role’ in covering up the killing and convincing her to “testify against the actual killer, Scott Lennox.”

The media outlets were satisfied—they had another sensational murder trial to cover, and the beautiful Lisa Sullivan would be part of the prosecution’s effort to put away a cold blooded killer.

Captain Mick McCallister was on his way to a last-minute campaign event when his cell phone rang.

“Hey,” he said, “I saw the front page, nice work.”

“I just called to say thanks.” It was Anita Sanchez.

“Don’t mention it,” McCallister said.

“Hey listen, I’d like to be able to call you on things after you’re elected sheriff tomorrow, if you don’t mind. Future stories, stuff like that. I think we can have a really great working relationship.”

“Absolutely, I look forward to it.”

“Great, and thanks again for the heads up on the Lennox deal. It was a great story for us.”

“No problem, we’ll talk again soon.”

While Mick McCallister was new to politics, he did understand the world of give and take. It was a savvy move on his part to give Sanchez the heads up about the Lennox takedown, knowing his photo would land on the front page of the paper the day before Rocklin County voters were set to elect a new sheriff. He had played his hand well.

At Rocklin County Community Hospital, Scott Lennox lay in a room on the second floor, recovering from two gunshot wounds to the shoulder. He was lucky to be alive. The CSI team determined that two rounds fired by SWAT officers had penetrated and passed through the driver’s headrest of his Lexus, just missing Lennox. Either shot would likely have been fatal. McCallister ordered a 24/7 security detail to ensure that Lennox wouldn’t attempt to somehow leave the hospital or try to harm himself. One deputy was stationed inside his room, while another stood guard outside in the hallway.

Lisa Sullivan was in a room on the fourth floor with a deputy stationed outside her door, as well. She had suffered a broken hip, wrist, and tibia and had undergone six hours of surgery overnight.

Danny Velasco was standing outside Lisa’s room when Keller and Mia arrived.

“How’s your client, counselor?” Jack asked.

“Pretty good, all things considered,” Velasco told them. “The doc says she should be ready to testify before the grand jury in a couple weeks. She may have to do it in a wheelchair, but she should be good to go. I spoke with Dave Baxter this morning, and he said they will be adding attempted murder to the charges against Scott Lennox. You can stick a fork in him, he’s done.”

Just then Jack’s cell went off and he excused himself. “Peter, thanks for calling me back,” he said, disappearing down the hallway.

“Can I talk to her?” Mia asked.

“She’s pretty doped up and not making a lot of sense right now.”

Just then, a nurse walked past and into Sullivan’s room.

“That’s Doris. She sorta runs the place. If you want to talk to my client, she has to give the okay.”

Mia walked to the doorway and poked her head in. “Excuse me, I’m Mia Serrano, and I’m an investigator with the RCSO. Any chance I can get a minute with your patient?”

“Right now I need to change some of her bandages. Can you come back later?”

“Oh, sure, that’ll be fine. Sorry to be a bother, my mom was a nurse and I know how overworked you are.”

It was a fib, but there was no harm in getting friendly with Sullivan’s nurse, Mia thought.

“How long ago was your mom in nursing?”

“Oh, quite a while ago. She’s passed now. But I know what a difference she made for her patients and how much they loved her for it.”

She was laying it on a little thick, but Doris was listening and seemed appreciative.

“Your mom was right. Although it’s even harder now with all the budget cutbacks. I don’t even have the help I need to care for this patient. I don’t know how they expect me to do this by myself. It’s a two person job.”

“Can I help?”

“Well, I need to change her bandages. Do you mind?”

“Not at all. What should I do?”

“When I roll her onto her side, if you could just hold her there while I put on a fresh dressing, that would be a huge help.”

“I can do that.”

“Wait,” she responded, surveying the bandages on the tray. “There’s no tape. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Lisa groaned and twisted in an effort to get comfortable.

With the nurse out of the room, Mia bent over the bed rail to get close to Sullivan.

“Lisa, can you hear me?” she whispered.

Sullivan mumbled, nodding her head slightly in agreement.

“Lisa, Jack’s here. Do you want to talk to him?”

A slight smile appeared on the corners of her dry, cracked lips.

“You know Jack real well, don’t you?”

Again, a smile.

Mia tried quickly to come up with the right questions. She looked back at the door.

“You love him, don’t you?”

Again, Lisa nodded slightly and shifted in the bed. “Yuh, heesh my…”

“The things you have to do to find tape around here,” announced Doris, as she returned.

Mia jumped. Lisa groaned, shifting again in her bed.

“Lisa, we’re going to change your dressing now,” the nurse said, before turning to Mia. “Just hold her right there and keep that gown up.”

“Got it,” Mia said, following the instructions.

Doris bent down and focused her attention on Lisa’s back and hip.

“So they say our patient here helped you get that Lennox fella. Who was that man he killed? Weren’t they business partners or something?”

“Yes,” Mia responded. “His name was George Lombard.”

“Laahmbahrd,” Lisa moaned. “Hhhyaad cancer. Ah didint nahw. Caancer.”

“Cancer? No, honey,” Doris said, looking at Lisa, “you’ve got some broken bones and some ugly bruises, but there’s no cancer. You’re gonna be just fine.”

The nurse finished with the dressing. “You can let her down now, hon.”

Cancer? How did Lisa Sullivan know Lombard had cancer? There was only one person who could have told her.

Keller. That bastard.

Mia let Lisa’s body roll back on the bed. As she did, Lisa cried out in pain.

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Her pain meds are wearing off,” Doris told her. “I’ll be back with a shot.”

Mia looked down on Lisa Sullivan with disdain. Her intuition had been right all along. Sullivan had killed a man with her married boyfriend and gotten away with it. Then as police closed in, she lured Keller into her web. She and Keller deserved one another and Mia was committed to bringing them both down.

Lisa’s eyes fluttered as she fought to remain conscious. Mia made sure the door was closed and then leaned in close.

“I was right about you all along. You’re nothing but a whore—first Lennox and then my partner. This is not over…”

“Hurrrrthh. Owww,” Lisa moaned.

“Now you know what George Lombard felt the moment you and your boyfriend killed him in cold blood.”

“Laaambaahrd. Canswer! Owwwww!,” Lisa bellowed. “Daaaahhhdy!,” she yelled incoherently. “Daaaaaahhhhhhhd!”

Lisa began to flail on the bed, her face contorted in pain and confusion. “Helpppp,” she whimpered. Then cried out again loudly. “Daaaaaahhhhhhd!”

Mia stepped back from the bed, shaken by the scene and unsure what to do. The beeps of the pulse monitor chimed in fast rhythm.

“Daaaaaahhhhhhd!” Lisa screamed. “Daaaahhhdddeee!”

The air rushed from the room as the door pushed open and Keller burst in.

“Lisa!” he called out, pushing past Mia and leaning over his daughter.

“It’s okay, babe. It’s okay,” he said holding her down. “Everything’s okay now.”

Jack stroked her hair and Lisa’s fit subsided. Comforted by his touch, she gazed up at him and said “Daahd.”

Lisa’s demeanor continued to calm as she looked at her father and the beep of the pulse monitor dropped to a more regular pace. The room became silent as Jack turned to Mia. His eyes were defiant.

His stare shook her to her core. Mia’s intuition, theories, and conclusions in the murder case of George Lombard were instantly shattered.

“Oh my God,” she said.