CHAPTER 3
Matt moved back toward the southern side of the building and got next to the pallets. Edging toward the body, he kept a wary eye out for Terry Goddard. Rosita caught sight of Matt and tried to distract her captor. The newly-sworn deputy used the opportunity to pick up the rifle by the dead man and drug him further away from the door, in hopes that Goddard would think that his accomplice had crawled away and taken the gun with him. He could still hear Rosita talking and took the chance to move into the building, hiding behind a stack of barrels. He pulled out his phone and texted Chuck. Meth lab – don't shoot.
Grabbing his phone as it vibrated, Chuck read the message and showed it to Martinez. "He must have gotten inside."
"Good." The sheriff nodded. "Let's see if we can keep Goddard distracted." Picking up a bull horn, she spoke to the carjacker. "Mr. Goddard, this is Sheriff Martinez. We want to end this peacefully. Toss away your weapon and come on out."
"Go to hell!" Goddard tightened his grip on Rosita. "I want a car with a full tank of gas. When I'm sure nobody is followin' me I'll turn her loose."
"It's going to take a little while. None of the vehicles here have a full tank."
"Well it better happen pretty damn quick or she dies – and the brat, too."
"I've got someone going for gas as we speak."
Matt had worked his way closer to Goddard while the sheriff was keeping him busy. From his place of cover he could see the baby strapped into her car seat. Other than being upset she appeared to be fine.
"Mr. Goddard, I really think it would be best if you tossed down your weapon and came on out."
"No way I'm walking out of here without a gun. There's a dead cop in here…you people aren't going to just let me walk out of…"
Goddard didn't get the last word out: Matt had put down the rifle, slipped up behind the man, and wrapped his left arm tightly around Goddard's neck, cutting off his air supply as he held the criminal's right wrist and squeezed, causing him to drop the gun. In a matter of seconds the carjacker was unconscious and the other deputies moved in to the building. Chuck cuffed him as Rosita ran to her daughter and pulled her from the car seat, tears beginning to flow down her face.
Matt knelt down next to the pair and Rosita threw her arms around his neck. "Easy now…you don't have to cry if you don't want to see me." He smiled at her.
"Oh, I was never so glad to see you!" She started laughing.
"So this is little Miss Maria, huh?" Matt tickled the baby's foot and she drew in a shaky breath and quit crying, looking at him with big brown eyes.
"Miss Rosita, why don't you let the paramedics take a look at those cuts, okay?" Chuck helped her to her feet, receiving a hug. "Houston here makes a pretty good baby sitter from what your mama says."
Matt took the baby in his arms and followed Chuck and Rosita out to an awaiting ambulance as another pulled off taking Eric Heinz to the hospital. Jill Eckhart walked down to join them carrying the baby's diaper bag. "Know how to change a diaper?" She cocked her head and smiled at Matt.
"I sure do. Come on, Maria. We'll show 'em how it's done." As Rosita was checked out, Matt changed the baby and gave her a bottle, watching as the CSU team came out to process the scene and the body of Bobby Reynolds was loaded into a van from the Coroner's office.
