To Have And To Hold
Chapter Ten
It was Saturday and Jess sat at her desk typing paper work over that Matt had some how filled out wrong. Both her brothers were in serious need of a spell check. The bell above the door rang and Jess turned to greet whoever was walking in. She froze. The tall man at the door looked around. Today was not going to be a good day if she had to deal with this before nine a.m.
"Can I help you?" The man chuckled.
"Maybe you can and maybe, just maybe you can make my day." Jess glared at the man.
"Not on your best day Cole." Cole Kitrick was the CHP's eqivilent to a Texas Ranger. He had brass balls and frozen piece of meat where his heart used to be. If he ever had one.
"Your brother in?"
"On a training exercise."
"They leave you in charge?" Jess took a deep breath.
"No, Cutler is." Cole shook his head.
"Must be hard up for real men around this place." Jess almost went across the counter. Putting her hand on the gun on her waist she smiled.
"Can I take a message Detective Kitrick?"
"Lieutenant Kitrick to you. I'm in town to wrap up some old business with the Coral Ridge paperwork. I need to see some of your reports."
"They're all filed with the state and the DEA."
"I'm not asking you where they're filed Ranger Hawkes. I'm asking for your copies."
"Then show me your warrant."
"Jess don't make me call Sacramento and get the states attorney involved." Jess handed him the phone.
"Do it." If men threw a hissy fit it would be what Cole Kitrick did just then. He stomped his foot and turned on his heal and walked out the door slamming it behind him. Cutler came out of Matt's office.
"Who was that?" Cutler asked. Jess dialed the phone.
"Trouble with a capital T." She looked at Cutler. "Lacy Brigington please." She said into the phone. "Kitrick is here and his riding his high horse again." He shook his head. "Lacy, it's Jess Hawkes."
"Jess, it's been a long time."
"Yeah, Cole Kitrick was just in here. He wanted some reports from Coral Ridge. Do you know why he would be coming and getting them on a local level when he has federal jurisdiction to pull the reports?"
"He's been calling around. Seems someone who was associated with Coral Ridge says some of the reports the feds got were doctored or worse yet forged."
"Why is this the first I'm hearing of this Lacy?"
"No one could find anything to back it up. Kitrick is on a witch hunt Jess and the High Mountain Rangers are on the top of his list." Jess closed her eyes.
"Okay. Thanks and if you hear anything more please call me or Matt."
"I'll do my best to keep you in the loop Jess. They have no evidence at any level so just keep doing what your doing and when he comes back make sure his warrant has all the I's dotted and the t' s crossed."
"Thanks Lacy. Talk soon." Jess hung up.
"Lacy says Cole got some information that the Coral Ridge reports were doctored before we sent them to the DEA and the state's attorney."
"You have to be kidding. Those reports are so clean they squeak. You should just let him look."
"We do that it gives him free reign to go over every case we've closed. He could second guess any one of those reports and overturn convictions."
"Why would Cole want to do that?"
"Oh I can think of one good reason." She looked at Cutler.
"Matt."
"They have been in competition since they were in high school. First sports and girls now funding and recognition."
"Somebody needs to tell this prick we're on the same side." Jess sat down.
"He only has one side and it's his."
"Should we call Matt back?" Jess looked at him. "Sorry I forgot, I'm in charge."
"No, if he comes back with a warrant before Matt and Derek get back I'll be surprised. He knew Matt was gone. He thought he could push his way past me and convince you he had the right to be here."
"So do we just wait?"
"I guess. I filed those reports myself Cutler. Nothing could be questioned other then my brothers atrocious spelling." Cutler laughed.
"Why don't I buy you and orange juice and we can wait for the other shoe to drop." Jess stood up and followed Cutler into the kitchen. Jess looked out at the snow. Thursday's storm had dropped over fourteen inches of fresh snow in Lake Tahoe and the surrounding areas. Cutler handed her a glass of juice.
"Thanks."
"You look more worried then you should be Jess."
"Cole was a bastard when he was a teenager and an even bigger one when he was my boss."
"That's right he was heading up the Secret Service back then. "Maybe I should call Matt."
"They said they'd be back by noon." She looked at her watch. "It's almost nine thirty. It's your call Jimmy but I wouldn't bother him with this right now."
"Your right. I mean what's the worst that can happen?"
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Cole Kitrick slammed the paper down on the desk in front of Jess. She looked up. No way had he gotten a federal warrant on a Saturday in less then three hours. Looking at the clock it was not even eleven o'clock yet.
"Jesse Lynn Hawkes you're under arrest." Jess laughed.
"You're so full of crap."
"Read the warrant smart ass." She picked it up. It did indeed have her name on it. She looked up to see the two California Highway Patrol deputies standing behind Cole. She knew them both and they weren't happy about this assignment, she could tell.
"Cutler!" She called him from the office. He walked out seeing the three men.
"Now should I call Matt?" Jess looked at him and rolled her eyes.
"Now would be a great time. Tell him to swing by the courthouse and bail me out of jail." She walked out from behind the desk.
"Jail?"
"Seems college boy here couldn't get a federal warrant for my files so he's playing on the local level." She grabbed her jacket and handed Cutler her gun. Cole looked at her with a hateful glare.
"Cuff her." He said to the officer closest to him. He shook his head.
"Lieutenant, she's one of us."
"I don't care cuff her." The man took his cuffs out of his belt and Jess gave him her wrists.
"I am so sorry Jess." She smiled at the younger man.
"It's okay Jack. He'll get his." She looked at Cutler. "Put a call into Garcia. See what she can do from her end." Jess knew once the FBI got wind of how Kitrick was abusing his power it wouldn't be long till she was free.
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Cutler picked up the headset off the desk. Matt put him in charge for eight hours and he was already calling his boss back in. Jess was going to jail. It was an emergency he wasn't sure he had the power to control.
"Flash to Flying Tiger, come in Flying Tiger."
"Flying Tiger here go ahead Flash."
"Are you close to home?"
"About an hour or so…why?"
"Give me your exact coordinates. I'll send White Eagle to get you."
"What's happened?"
"Cole Kitrick is what happened. He took Jess to jail."
"Jail?"
"The warrant is for obstructing justice. He came in looking for some files and Jess wouldn't give them up."
"Does this have anything to do with Coral Ridge?"
"Yeah, everything to do with that."
"Okay send Frank to the Bass lodge. We're only ten minutes from there."
"You got it."
"Flash?"
"Yeah."
"Keep this from Ace and my dad."
"You got it. Take care." Cutler threw the head set on the desk and went outside to tell Frank to where to pick up Matt and Derek.
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Matt turned and looked at his brother in law. He was doing well on the down hill stuff and Matt figured a few more runs he might be able to keep up to the rest of them. Now he had to tell him that his wife was in jail. Matt skied to the spot just behind Derek.
"Great view."
"Yeah, it's worth the trek out here."
"Cutler just called. Frank's picking us up at the Bass place."
"Problems?"
"Jess got arrested."
"Arrested?"
"It seems a CHP lieutenant with an ax to grind tried to get some files from her and she wouldn't do it."
"Sounds like our Jess."
"Yeah. Hopefully whatever judge signed the warrant will be in the mood to lock horns with me yet this afternoon." Matt headed toward the Bass lodge. "Let's hope Jess knows enough to keep her mouth shut and not to get into anymore trouble till we get there." Derek shook his head.
"Jess get into trouble? Never." Derek followed Matt down the hill.
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Jess sat in the small cell. El Dorado wasn't known for its comfort and fine dinning. The sheriff was on a fishing trip. The under sheriff was an unassuming man she had never met. They locked her in her own six by six cell so it wasn't too bad.
"Jess." She looked up to see deputy Kelly Rigs. He had dated a high school friend of hers and they had been friends once.
"Hey Kel."
"I talked to Tucker. He said you were here. Can I get you anything?"
"No thanks. Just waiting till whoever decided the Kitrick was sane when he requested my warrant to come to their senses."
"Good luck with that. He's a judge with something to prove to everyone."
"Great. Now I have to have a back up plan." Jess heard a helicopter landing outside on the pad.
"I think your back up just landed. Cutler called and said Matt and Derek were on their way."
"Well at least you can meet my husband." Jess smiled.
"There's the upside of getting thrown in jail on a Saturday." He leaned against the bars. "It's good to see you Jess."
"Do it."
"Do what?" He smiled.
"Take the picture you so want to send to all our friends." She knew him better then he thought. He aimed his phone at her and took the picture.
"I find that on your Facebook I'm so finding the one when I shaved your head."
"You'll never find it." He pushed himself away form the cell and smiled. "I'll send your back up in when they're finished with the boss." Smiling Jess sat back down. This was not looking like the week end she had planned.
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To say Matt Hawkes was angry would be a massive understatement. Frank and Derek took a step back because if he blew he would take them all with him.
"You signed a warrant for the arrest of a decorated law enforcement officer that has local and federal jurisdiction in three states. What the hell were you thinking?" Matt was going to be sitting next to Jess if he kept talking to the judge standing in front of him the way he was.
"Mr. Hawkes…"
"I want my Ranger out of that cell now."
"Lieutenant Kitrick…"
"Is a pompous ass. I have more federal judges on my speed dial then you'll ever meet in your lifetime. Now if I have to call one of them on a Saturday because some back woods, correspondence school screw up sent one of my people to jail for trumped up charges it's not going to be pretty. Your career will start and end right here." Derek had never seen Matt quite so mad. Cole Kitrick stepped in from the hall.
"Still the bully I see Hawkes." Matt turned around.
"I will take care of you later. You had no right to do this Kitrick."
"Oh believe me Hawkes I had every right." He walked in front of Matt. The man was a good three inches shorter then him but was trying hard to be the one true authority in the room. "Threaten all you want I got my warrant and your cute little sister is going to stay in that cell till you and your people hand over every one of those files."
"It's never going to happen." Matt took his phone out of his pocket. Turning to the meek judge. "It's your choice. And by the way just so you know…that Ranger you so eagerly had put behind bars will sue you and this county if anything happens to her or her unborn child while in your custody." The judge paled and turned to the deputy next to him.
"Release Ranger Hawkes." Cole went to turn in a huff and Derek stepped in his path.
"You refer to my wife in any other way the Ranger Hawkes again Lieutenant and my wife will have you up on harassment chargers so fast you'll never see your badge hitting the desk when you get fired." Derek took a step back and let the man pass. The deputy hid a grin and took the keys off the desk and headed back to the holding cells.
"You Ranger Hawkes are a free woman." Jess looked at Kel.
"I didn't here gun fire or even a raised voice."
"Remember that time your dad caught you me and Alex skinning dipping in the Carson's pool?"
"Yeah…"
"The tone of voice he used to tell us to get dressed and get home?"
"Oh yeah. It scared the…well goose bumps off Alex. Matt mastered that? That's new. "Kel unlocked the door and let her out.
"Your husband seems really fond of you too." Jess shook her head.
"He's a keeper alright." Jess followed Kel out of the back room. Matt, Derek and Frank all stood silently by the door. "Should I ask how the training went?" Matt shook his head.
"You okay?" Matt asked.
"Yeah. It's all good." Matt looked at the judge.
"Next time you sign a warrant read it first. It would have saved us a whole lot of trouble."
"What if you were wrong Hawkes?" He looked at the older man.
"When it comes to my team, I'm never wrong." He looked at the judge. "Just so you know for future reference Judge Gould, I'm not the enemy. It's men like Cole Kitrick you have to be afraid of." He put his hand on his sister's shoulder and led her out the door followed by Derek and Frank.
"Thanks."
"You owe me. I should have left you in there for not calling me sooner." Jess looked at her brother.
"It was nothing. Kitrick was spouting off that's all. I called Sacramento and checked into the investigation and it's not official and it most likely won't be. I didn't want Kitrick pawing though our files."
"Kitrick is a bully and he always has been. Just give me a heads up next time." Jess nodded. The got into the helicopter. Derek hugged her.
"I leave you alone for a few hours and you get yourself arrested."
"How was I to know desk duty would lead to jail?" Derek kisser her. He was in for a wild ride with this one and if today was any indication he better hang on tight.