Hoss’s Limits (House of Lustz #2)

Hoss Chapter 20

Cady and I spent Sunday and half of today in Gatlinburg and the surrounding area. After stopping on our way back for dinner, we were finally back at the house. She’d talked to Tajah briefly while we were there and apologized. They were to have a girls’ day next weekend. Afterward, all four of us would get together, have dinner, and hang out.

While she was talking to Taj, I let Mikhail know on another line that I was rendering my resignation. I promised I’d give him time to find someone. I was surprised when he revealed he had already been looking and thought he had a replacement. It seemed he knew as soon as I got with Cady that my days were numbered. He assured me he wasn’t mad. If it were him in my shoes, he’d do the same thing. An offer would be extended to the prime candidate, and he’d start as soon as possible if he accepted. If he said no, there was a second candidate. In the meantime, Mikhail told me my shifts were covered. He knew I wouldn’t want to leave her alone.

It was nine o’clock, and we were snuggled up in bed, watching a movie together. It was almost finished. When it was, I had plans for us. There were ten minutes to go and I was counting the seconds when we had to stop due to her phone ringing. She groaned as she picked it up. She frowned and looked over at me .

“It says it’s Detective Saller.”

“How does your phone know that?” I couldn’t see him letting his name display.

“I put his name and number in my contacts the night he gave me his card when they arrested Max.”

“Well, let’s see what he wants,” I told her.

“Do you think your brother made bail or something?” she asked before she answered it. “Hello, Detective Saller. Good evening. What can I do for you? Is everything alright?”

She listened for a moment, then became rigid. I reached over and took the phone, pushing the speaker button as I did. “Saller, it’s Hoss. What’s up?”

“Oh, hello, Hoss. Sorry to call so late, but I just got a notification that someone was seen attempting to get into Dr. Anderson’s clinic again. Only this time, the culprit wasn’t so lucky. He was caught running from the scene by a concerned citizen. I figured she’d want to know.”

As he finished, my phone began to ring. “Can you hold? I have a call coming in on my phone. Just let me see who it is.”

“Sure.”

Lying down hers, I picked up mine. It was Iker. I bet I know what he wanted. I answered it. “Iker, I have Detective Saller on Cady’s phone. It seems someone broke in. How did he beat you to the punch?”

“Because an idiot who will no longer work for me didn’t call me immediately, like instructed, if there was an alarm tripped at Cady’s clinic. I’ll let you talk to Saller. Call me when you’re done, no matter the time. I’m sorry.”

“Okay, I’ll call you later. ”

I hung up without raking him over the coals. He sounded upset enough without me piling onto him.

“Okay, I’m back. In case you didn’t hear, that was Iker. He’s not happy you beat him to the punch. Someone at his company isn’t going to be happy.”

Saller snorted. “I have no doubt. Iker expects close to perfection. Anyway, we have the suspect in custody, and I thought not only would you need to know but that Dr. Anderson might want to come down to the station.”

“I do. Thank you. Do you have any idea who he is?” Cady asked. She’d found her voice.

“We do. His name is Flint Reid. That doesn’t happen to mean anything to you, does it?”

We exchanged astonished looks, which quickly morphed into angry ones. “It certainly does,” I said for us.

“Oh, really, well, that makes it more interesting. You should come down then and tell us how you know him. He’s not saying a word. The only way we know his name is that he had his wallet with him. Not the brightest thief.”

“He’s an idiot. We’ll be there as fast as we can,” Cady ground out between her teeth. She was up off the bed and headed for the closet.

“Saller, we’ll be there soon. Thanks for calling.”

“Absolutely, I’ll see you there. Don’t rush. He’s not going anywhere.”

“Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

When I hung up, I had to hurry to get ready and prevent Cady from leaving without me. The whole way to the police station, she fumed silently. I didn’t try to talk to her. I knew an explosion was coming. I wasn’t sure if it would be her or me. Getting to the station at this time of night wasn’t hard. Figuring out where to go was. We finally got to the correct area, and the person at the desk told us to have a seat and he’d get Saller. Cady was too wound up to sit, so we paced together. She did hold my hand.

It was about five minutes or so before I saw Saller striding toward us. We walked over to meet him. He held out his hand. I shook it. He held it out to Cady, and she did the same. The surprise on his face told me he wasn’t expecting the strength of her grip. I hid my smirk.

“Thanks for coming. If you follow me, we can talk in one of the conference rooms. Reid is still being processed, so we have time.”

We let him lead us to a room where he offered coffee or water. We declined both. I was anxious to get on with it, and I knew Cady felt the same.

“Alright, before I ask questions, here is what we know. A man was out walking his dog. As he was passing the clinic, he stated he heard the alarm going off. Moments later, a man came running out. The citizen chased after him, and when the thief wouldn’t stop, the citizen let his dog loose. The dog is a former police dog that he took in—a German Shepherd. The dog brought Reid down, and they held him subdued until police arrived.

“The citizen claimed he wasn’t about to let sweet Cady’s clinic be robbed. He would take Walker to no other vet than her.”

“Wait, Walker, are you talking about Mr. Casey?” Cady asked in shock .

“Yeah.”

“Oh my God, the man is seventy if a day. He could’ve been hurt! Walker could’ve been hurt. What if Reid had a gun?” she asked aghast.

“He did. Luckily, he was too rattled to use it. Or by the time he remembered and pulled it, Walker grabbed a hold of that arm and bit until he dropped the gun. When we arrived, Mr. Casey had him pinned to the ground with his foot on his chest and Walker sitting on him. He gave a very concise accounting.” I heard the amusement in Saller’s voice.

“He should. He’s a former Army Ranger and police officer. Did he tell you that? He worked in Georgia and moved here after he retired. That’s how he got Walker. They usually don’t give former police dogs to just anyone. Walker’s partner was killed, and there was no family to take him, and he wouldn’t work with anyone else. Did Mr. Casey tell you that?” Cady asked.

“He did not, or if he did, I haven’t gotten that report yet. I let the patrol officers deal with the statements while I called you. Now, you said you know Reid. How?”

“He’s a former boyfriend. I broke up with over a year ago. He came back, trying to get back together, about a month and a half ago. I told him we were never getting back together,” she informed him. He was jotting down notes.

“And he accepted it? Stayed away?”

“No, he did not. He came to where I work at the House of Lustz, demanding to see her. Myself, Cady’s best friend, and the owner tried to tell him she wasn’t there, but he didn’t believe us. By pure chance, Cady showed up, and he finally left after we ran him off. He acted like they’d only taken a mutual break, although Cady reminded him they broke up,” I added.

“I bet there were a few threats if he didn’t,” Saller said with a smirk.

“I have no idea what you mean?” I said with a bland look.

“Go on,” he said, amused.

“Well, he came to my work once after that, trying to speak to me. Again, he was chased off and told to stay away.”

“And that was the last time you saw him?”

“No, he broke into her apartment once, too. She came home to find him there. I showed up, but we haven’t seen him in weeks. For the past several weeks, she’s been staying with me at my house. I have more security.”

“You didn’t call the cops?”

“No. It’s hard to prove harassment. As for him entering my place, it was most likely he’d get a slap on the wrist, community service, a fine, and be let go,” she explained.

“What if he had come back and hurt you?”

“I had her watched whenever she was at her apartment or working after hours. If she wasn’t with me, she was protected,” I confessed.

“You did what?” Cady gasped.

“I protected you. There was no way I was letting him or anyone else hurt you. We had no idea who was breaking into the clinic. So I had Iker put a guard on you, although getting in your house was a slip-up. The guard was watching you at Lustz and not watching the empty house. We corrected that.”

“That’s been weeks, Hoss. Am I still being watched?” She sounded upset.

“I had Iker pull them a couple of days before you went to Gatlinburg. That’s why it took so long to find you. You can be mad all you want, Cady, but nothing is more important than you. You know that. I won’t leave you unprotected.”

I thought for sure she’d yell and throw her brattiness at me, but she didn’t. After several heartbeats of silence, she nodded.

“Ahm, alright, so you had her guarded. There haven’t been any attempts on the clinic in weeks. I wonder why he chose to try again now?” Saller mused.

“Maybe he somehow found out we were out of town. Or he knew the clinic wasn’t being watched. Even though she’s been staying with me, I still had one of Iker’s people watching the clinic every night. I wanted to be sure whoever had tried to get in twice before wouldn’t try again. And if they did, they’d get caught. I messed up. I thought the threat was over when there were no more attempts.”

“No matter, he’s been caught,” Saller stated.

“If he’s the burglar, what if this is just a coincidence? He was breaking in because he wanted to wait for Cady to show up tomorrow. She’s always the first one in. He could’ve thought to lie in wait for her,” I suggested.

The idea made me cold inside. I didn’t go inside every time I dropped her off, though I walked her to the door. The past few times, she drove herself due to our disagreement. The things that could’ve happened to her made me sick to my stomach.

“Stop it. I know what you’re thinking, but it didn’t happen. I’m safe, and it’s not your fault,” she said forcefully as she squeezed my arm.

“It would’ve been.”

“Magnus, don’t torture yourself, please. Detective, is there anything else you need to ask?”

“When you and Reid were together, how was your relationship? Why would he be so insistent to get back with you? Do you think he would hurt you?”

She fidgeted. I knew she didn’t want to speak in front of me. “Tell him,” I insisted.

“Fine. We fought often. He’d yell and get physical with me. I finally had enough, and I broke up with him. At first, he tried a couple of times to get back together, but I refused. I thought he left town until he showed up six or seven weeks ago. And yes, he would’ve hurt me.”

“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, and if it’s easier, I can have Mr. Sacket leave, but I need to know the specifics of what he did.”

I made a protesting sound. I was relieved when she shook her head. “No, he doesn’t have to leave. He knows most of it. Flint slapped me, pulled my hair, hit me, kicked me, choked me, and wouldn’t let me go until I submitted to having sex with him.”

She’d lied to me the first time, but deep down, I still suspected he had, but to hear it confirmed enraged me. I let out a roar and hung my head to take deep breaths, so I didn’t tear up the room. Her small hand rubbed my back. I turned to her. I should be soothing her.

“Baby, I’m so fucking sorry you went through any of that, but especially the last.”

“It’s alright.”

“No, it’s not. Dr. Anderson, we can add a rape charge to his case. If any ER visits document your injuries, we can use those. It may be hard to prove, but we’ll do it,” Saller assured her. He was scowling. He didn’t like what he heard either.

“If it gets him more time in jail, then do it. If he can’t be convicted of it, I’ll live with it.”

I hugged her to me.

“Alright, I think for now, I have enough. We’re going to question him. I usually wouldn’t allow it, but do you want to watch?” he asked us.

“I do. You don’t need to see the bastard, Cady.”

“Magnus, I do. I need to know why he’s been doing this,” she insisted. I would be happier if she had no more contact with him, even through two-way glass, but if she needed this, so be it.

“Okay, when can we do this?”

“Right now. He’s done being processed, and they have him in an interrogation room. I just got the text telling me. If you’ll follow me.”

We stood and exited the room. A short walk down the hall, and we were placed in an observation room. We wouldn’t be alone, it seemed. Standing there was Iker. He gave us a sad look.

“This isn’t on you, so stop,” I warned him.

“It feels like it. Anyway, ready to watch Saller in action. He’s damn good,” Iker said with a wink.

“Damn right, I am. I’ll be back,” Saller said before leaving us. Moments later, he entered the room where Reid was cuffed to a table. As soon as he saw Saller, he began to protest.

“Listen, officer, there’s been a mistake. I tried telling the others this, but they wouldn’t listen. You seem like a smart guy, so I hope you will. I didn’t do what they said I did. That old man was wrong. He and his killer dog should be in here, not me. All I was doing was walking along, enjoying the night, and minding my own business. Suddenly, I heard an alarm sound, and out of nowhere, he began yelling at me. I saw him and that dog and I got scared. I panicked and took off running. When he sicced that beast on me, I took out my gun to protect myself. I did nothing wrong. It’s legal for me to carry a gun for protection. I have a permit.” He babbled until he ran out of steam. When he did, he gave Saller an expectant look, like he thought he’d buy his bullshit story. The detective was sitting back in his chair in a relaxed pose.

He slowly sat forward. “Mr. Reid, do you honestly think I believe your story? Do I look that stupid? After what I heard before coming in here, there’s no way you’re merely an innocent, wrongfully accused person—a victim in the wrong place at the wrong time. As for Mr. Casey, he’s a retired police officer. He recognized you were up to no good. That the alarm coming from that clinic was tripped by you. His dog isn’t vicious because if he were, you’d be in the hospital or dead. That beast, as you call him, is a former police officer, too.”

“It’s a damn dog! It can’t be a cop.” Reid scoffed.

“Yes, he can and is. Now, would you like a moment to amend your statement? It would be better for you if you told us the truth. Maybe at your trial, the jury and judge might take it into consideration. Not that you’ll get off, but your sentencing could be lighter by a year or two.”

“I’m not going to jail. I didn’t do it.”

“See, I might be inclined to give you a tiny benefit of the doubt if I didn’t know about your past relationship with the person who runs that clinic, Dr. Cadence Anderson, and if I didn’t know of your recent transgressions.”

“I don’t know what that crazy woman and her thug of a boyfriend have told you, but I haven’t touched Cady. In fact, until he came along and brainwashed her, we were getting back together. We took a break, that’s all. She asked for one, and I gave it to her. I came back as we planned to take up where we left off. While I was gone, he somehow worked his way into her life. For God’s sake, he’s a lowlife who works as a doorman at a sex club. Hardly the kind of man you believe. I work in sales. I have a respectable job.”

Saller sat there staring at him, saying nothing. Cady snorted. “Oh, he’s respectable, all right. He used to work as a used car salesman. You know, there are two types of those. The decent ones and the slimy ones. He ended up being the slimy kind after I got to know him. He’d sell his mother if it made him a buck.”

I had no trouble seeing him do that, but there was something about him that told me he was worse than we knew. What, I don’t know. The silence in the other room ended when Reid nervously began talking again.

“Why are you staring at me? I told you the truth. You have the wrong man. You need to let me go.” he was nervously bouncing his leg, and his eyes were darting around the room. It was growing worse.

“Tell me, Reid, what are you on?” Saller asked suddenly.

“On! I-I don’t know what you mean. I’m not on anything,” the octave of his voice went higher.

“Want to change that story? We’ll be taking your blood. When we do, I’ll find out.”

“Uh, okay, I might’ve taken just a tiny hit before I went for a walk. I needed a pick-me-up. That’s all.”

“This isn’t you being high. It’s you needing a fix. That means it’s more than a tiny hit. You’re an addict. That was why you’re so determined to hit that clinic. You’ve been so determined, in fact, that you’ve done it three times. Some people would learn when to give up. And I bet you’re the one who’s been burglarizing veterinarian clinics all over town.”

“That wasn’t me!”

It got kind of boring to watch Reid deny and sweat. The only thing he didn’t do was ask for a lawyer, which was a good thing, according to Iker. We were carrying on a conversation with him while listening to Saller push Reid. I was about to call it for the night. It was late, and Cady was ready for bed. She was leaning tiredly against me. I was opening my mouth to suggest it when our attention was snagged.

Saller was looking at his cell phone. It appeared that he was reading something. When he got done, he glanced up at Reid. “Let’s talk about the abuse you put Cadence Anderson through, including the times you forcibly made her have sex with you. You raped her. Do you have any idea how much time that’s going to add to your prison sentence? You’ll be lucky to ever walk as a free man. We have your fingerprint at the scene tonight. It places you there, in a place you had no reason to be. I bet once we process your DNA and prints against those found at the other robberies, we’ll be able to show you were there, too. Six counts of burglary, assault and battery on multiple counts, as well as rape. I’d hate to be you.”

“Whoa, wait a minute. I never raped her. If she said I did, she lied. Sure, we had rough sex occasionally, but she was my girlfriend. It’s not rape if it’s with your girlfriend or wife.”

“When a woman says no, it means no. It doesn’t matter if she’s in a relationship with you or not. If she said no and you did it anyway, it’s rape. We’ll subpoena the hospital for any and all records of injuries she sustained when you raped, beat, and choked her. She might’ve been too ashamed or worried to have you arrested then, but she’s not now. We’re done here.” Saller stood and took two steps before Reid cracked.

“Wait! Wait, what if I tell you who worked with me on these robberies and who the guy behind the entire operation was? If I do that, can I get a deal? One that I won’t be sent away forever. I can’t survive in prison for the rest of my life.”

“It depends. If it’s just thievery, then no,” Saller said, but he sat back down.

“What about a drug business supplying not only Tennessee but surrounding states with sedatives, narcotics, and antibiotics?”

“I’m listening. I’d have to hear what you’ve got first, and then we can see if the DA is willing to cut a deal. Also, Dr. Anderson may not be willing to let your egregious behavior with her slide. I’d have to do a lot of convincing.”

“Find out first, then I’ll talk.”

The three of us on the other side of the glass exchanged shocked looks. None of us thought it was more than petty robbery and maybe selling the meds himself. This sounded much bigger if he was telling the truth. I studied Cady as Saller got up and left. What would she want to do? And would the DA go for it?