Cold Spite (Cold Justice: Most Wanted #5)

Chapter 64

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

S canlon opened the front door of their century old home and watched the vultures stir.

“Wait here,” he told Melody as she clutched her pink teddy bear under her arm and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Virgil stood beside her on the porch. “I’ll be back in a moment. Don’t say a word,” he warned.

“I want to make a quick statement,” he announced loudly as he walked down the front path.

Cameramen scrabbled for their equipment while reporters rushed toward him.

Once the first green light told him a camera was recording, he held up his hand for quiet and began reading a short statement he’d written as the sun had started to rise over the bayou.

“Good morning. I want to address the rumors swirling around the death of my ex-wife amongst others. I’m innocent. The Federal Government is pursuing a relentless vendetta against me, and leading the charge is the FBI. I have no knowledge of any of the murders they are suggesting I might be involved in and, indeed, haven’t left the great state of Louisiana except for one sanctioned and supervised visit to reacquaint myself with my daughter after being unable to see her during the many years of my incarceration. I know what I did in the past was wrong, but I’ve paid the price and begged God’s forgiveness. I have no desire to break one of the sacred commandments. I understand that I’m a public interest story but request, for the sake of my young daughter, to be left alone to deal with the grief associated with her momma’s untimely passing.” He held eye contact with the female reporter with the blonde hair and blood red lipstick. “Ma’am.” He nodded to her and walked back to the house then herded the three of them back inside. He tossed the piece of paper onto the side table by the door.

“Ready to go out onto the swamp and see if we can spot any alligators?” he asked the kid.

She clutched the teddy tighter but nodded.

“You put on sunscreen?”

Melody shook her head.

“Go do it. And don’t miss any spots because we aren’t coming back just because you get burned, understand?”

She nodded again and dashed away.

Virgil watched her go and shook his head. “One of us should get ourselves a woman to help raise her.”

Joseph smiled. “Maybe that pretty cop?”

Virgil grunted. “Nah, one who stays home and knows how to cook.”

Joseph nodded again. Fair point. They both liked to eat.

They met up with the others in Houma, and Delilah found herself in a convoy of black SUVs and one armored personnel carrier, sitting with Yael, Frazer, and Livingstone with Cas driving.

The Sheriff had been informed and was sending the local SWAT team to assist.

“Well, that’s irritating.” Frazer checked his cell. “Scanlon isn’t going to church this morning after all. Apparently, he and his kid got into a boat and drove away after doing a little piece for the news cameras.”

“They have a cabin, a camp, I think they call it down here.” Delilah leaned forward. “In the boonies on the lake. Location was in the case files.”

“I have it.” Yael pulled up the area on Google Maps. “Here.” She pointed to an isolated shoreline, connected to the mainland but with such thick brush and swamp it could be impossible to approach from that direction.

“What about the brother?” Delilah asked.

“Headed to the garage with the father. Apparently, it’s not uncommon for them to work on weekends.”

“Think Scanlon’s gonna make a break for it?” asked Cas.

Frazer inclined his head slowly. “He might. What are our options for an arrest?”

“We can wait for them to come back.”

Frazer shook his head. “No guarantee he’ll come back.”

“We can insert via water or air. Parachutes won’t do us a lot of good. Woods are too dense to land in, and if I’m going to have to fight an alligator, I’d rather do without a parachute holding me down.”

“Readymade sushi rolls,” Shane joked.

Delilah shuddered.

“Best bet,” Cas said, “is to set up the snipers at various points around the lake—let’s talk to Wildlife and Fisheries about the best places because they’ll know the area. Once snipers are in position, we get the Little Birds in the air, and the assaulters can fast rope on the camp.”

“Think he’ll be armed?” Delilah asked.

“The local sheriff said that the Scanlons gave up all their weapons without any fuss when Joseph was due to be released as part of the parole conditions, but there’s no way they don’t have something hidden near the camp. Even for self-defense,” said Frazer. “We need to prevent him from accessing a weapon before we have him under control. ”

“He’s a Navy SEAL,” Cas said ominously. “A pencil could be a deadly weapon.”

Shane started laughing.

“There’s a child involved,” Delilah reminded everyone.

“We are aware,” Frazer said testily. “Her safety is our priority. Scanlon’s arrest is secondary. Think you can protect her?” he asked the two operators.

“Yes.” Cas said.

“Yes,” said Shane. “Even if he picks up a pencil.”

Cas punched him in the shoulder, hard, and Shane yelped.

The kid was going to be scared after losing her mother. Delilah hated the idea of her being in danger, but what choice did they have?

“Okay, let’s head to the nearest Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries building. Get the drones and helicopters in the air ASAP. We can’t sit around waiting. The local grapevine will start wondering why two dozen special operators are camped out in town, and they’re not going to believe we’re all after fishing licenses.”

“Yes, sir,” Yael murmured with big eyes.

“Please,” Frazer added. “I seem to have lost my usual assistants.”

“Well, I’m not doing anything. I might not be a whizz on the computer like Yael, but I can make phone calls as needed,” Delilah offered, wanting to be useful.

“I’ll bear that in mind.” Frazer’s icy smile landed on her. “Let’s get this done, people.”