I don't own the Sentinel.
Edited: 18 April 19
Chapter 16
Jim looked over the edge at the twisted body of Dr. Hedrick. It wasn't that far of a fall, not really, maybe twenty feet. People fell from greater heights and survived. The rocks at the bottom, however, destroyed any chance of landing safely. Jim could tell even without his heightened sight that the man's neck was broken.
Jim had never been a man to revel in death. Out of necessity and duty he'd killed men while in the army and again while in service of the police force. He didn't like it, but he understood it. This time, however, while staring down at the twisted and crooked neck, the wide staring eyes, and surprise etched face, Jim felt only an immense wave of relief sweep through him. Hedrick was gone without anyone having to commit murder. Depending on what and who the doctor spoke with between the apartment and now, the main danger to both him and Blair might be gone, or they could face murder charges.
Jim ran a hand down his face. He was still hurting from the taser. A headache was throbbing across his forehead and his muscles still twitched minutely beneath his skin. He would be sore later. The taser was stronger than the regulation ones they trained and used for the PD. Hopefully, the shocks wouldn't result in any backlash from his senses. If the growing headache was an indication, though, he was probably heading toward a nasty spike.
No matter what Jim was going through physically, Blair was going to go through worse emotionally.
Jim glanced down at the man kneeling at the edge of the drop, hands propping him up and looking down over the ledge. Blair was motionless, with the look of a man who couldn't believe what he was seeing. Shock, Jim thought. He could hazard a guess that Blair probably hadn't been in a fight that went anywhere past the use of words much less resulted in the death of someone he knew, a colleague if not a friend. He reached down and took Blair by the shoulder and pulled him away from the edge. He drew the Guide back closer to the edge of the woods. The wolf followed them, taking up a position next to Blair when they had finally stopped.
Jim looked at the dog and pointed a finger to Blair, "Stay and watch him."
The wolf just sniffed then sneezed as if to say, "You had to ask?"
Jim scooped up his pistol and settled it back in the holster. Turning back to the edge, Jim moved to join the panther which was still peering over the edge looking at the body. It looked up to Jim, a glint in its bright blue eyes as it licked its chops.
Jim rolled his eyes and said in a low voice so Blair couldn't hear, "You're a spirit, you don't even eat."
The panther growled a bit but cocked his head to one side. Jim looked up toward the way they'd come, there were footsteps heading their way as well as voices. The sounds wavered in and out, probably courtesy of the after effects of the blasted taser. It was difficult to tell how close the sounds really were. He had to come up with an explanation and fast.
They couldn't hide the body, there was no time. There were clear signs of a struggle so a straight accident was out of the question. Night was quickly descending and the day light was nearly gone. There was no way anyone would be able to effectively search the area in the night. "Carjacker…" Jim trailed off thinking quickly. He glanced over at the panther hovering at the edge of the clearing, barely visible against the shadows. Maybe Blair's amateur auto-theft would help them out.
The sounds grew louder, enough that even Blair could hear them, drawing the other man out of his shock. "Jim…" Blair said the worry plain in his voice.
Jim just shook his head and added in a low voice, "Let me do the talking. Follow my lead."
Not a moment after he had spoken the two guards from the GSC burst from the trees, closely followed by Trooper Helming. They had flashlights to cut through the gloom of the forest, though the lights would soon be needed for the clearing, as well. Helming swept the scene with the profession eye of a trained cop, staying out of the center of everything until he knew what was happening. The other two security guards didn't have the same reserve and immediately moved into the clearing, one going near Blair and the other to the cliff where Jim was standing. The man looked over and his light fell on the doctor's broken and lifeless body where it lay in the shadow of the cliff. He looked from the body to Jim, suspicion thick in the brown eyes.
"He's dead!" the guard said, half surprise and half accusation.
"I'll go down and check on him," the other guard said, heading along the edge to find a way down.
Helming moved swiftly to their side and shone his own light at the doctor. He looked up to Jim with a stern question, waiting for an explanation. "What happened here?" Helming asked, his voice back in the business tone of a cop on duty.
"He fell," Jim said, shook his head. Time to put on an award-winning performance. "I saw a man down at the parking lot, behind the building, and thought he looked suspicious, maybe your carjacker. When I tried to get the man's attention he bolted so I chased after him. My partner and the doctor here followed me. I almost lost track of him but when I got into this clearing he jumped me. There was a fight, Blair and the doctor came in a moment later. The doctor tried to shoot him with a taser he had but hit me instead. The suspect turned on him and Blair and during the scuffle the doctor went over the cliff. Unfortunately, the suspect got away in the confusion and with me on the ground from the shock. He ran off into the trees, probably long gone by now."
Throughout the story Helming weighed up what Jim said and the evidence immediately visible around him. He swept his light over the darkening clearing, looked over at Blair still in shock, and peered down the cliff to the body. Though Jim's eyesight was wavering, too, flitting between enhanced in the fading light and normal, he had the feeling the trooper was buying his story. The guard, on the other hand seemed to be getting angrier as the minutes passed. When Jim finally finished the guard apparently couldn't control himself any longer.
"You're not seriously believing this!" he cried waving a hand at Jim.
Helming drew his eyes off the bottom of the cliff and instead trained them on the guard. "It's none of your concern whether I believe it or not. I don't recall you having any authority here."
"You are!" the guard accused, leveling an incredulous look at the state trooper. "You're really taking this cock and bull story he's handing you!"
Helming set his face and tone in a neutral expression. "I am not taking anything at the moment, not until I have more information. Unless you have an accusation to make or something helpful to add I suggest you put a sock in it and step away from this crime scene."
The guard and Helming stared at each other a moment before the guard cursed under his breath and stomped back to the edge of the clearing.
Jim kept his face impassive, though the low light made the strict control of his features unnecessary. The security guard glanced at him with open suspicion, the narrowed eyes sizing him up. Jim turned his gaze fully on the guard, daring him to do something, say something, accuse something. The guard might well have an idea of what happened to the Doctor, but it seemed the Doctor hadn't told him about what Jim was or about Blair stealing the car. Otherwise he would have said something already. It boiled down to hearsay and accusations. Jim fought a smirk, they might just get out of this yet.
Helming nodded toward Blair, an unasked question in his eyes.
Jim nodded, leaning closer, "He'll be alright. Still new to the force. Hell, he's not even a real cop, just an observer. First time dealing with something like this."
The trooper winced and nodded in sympathy. "Right," he agreed quietly before speaking up again, "Well, you know the drill. I'll need to take your initial statements and contact information. We'll want to take photographs of any injuries you've sustained as well as any other evidence relevant to this incident. You both need to wait here till we give you the go ahead to leave. After that, stay close to a phone in case I need to contact you. If I don't call you later tonight, I'll definitely call you tomorrow or the next day for a follow up. He have someone to stay with him tonight?" Helming hitched a thumb at Blair.
Jim nodded. "He's staying with me, actually. His apartment's getting fumigated or something like that."
"Good," Helming nodded then looked back at Jim. "Sorry, weekend trip's cancelled."
"Not more sorry than me," Jim said, "The paperwork's going to be a bitch." He reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. He pulled out a business card with his name number and department from when he interviewed witnesses and handed it to Helming. "If you need help with any of this just let me know, you have my contact info. If it's alright with you, I'd like to take him back down to the parking lot."
Helming took the card and nodded. "Wait there," he said. Jim turned and moved back to Blair, gently pulling him up by the arm. The wolf whined, only audible by the two of them. He could hear the other guard from the GSC finally reaching the bottom of the drop-off and make his way toward the body before his hearing faded out to normal again.
"Wait!" the first guard from the GSC spoke up when he saw Jim and Blair start toward the parking lot, "You not just letting them go, are you?"
Helming gave the man a glance, seemed to consider ignoring the question completely before replying. "They're not going anywhere, just to the parking lot." He turned to his radio and called for assistance with removing the body and processing the scene.
"Doctor Hedrick's dead and you're letting the two primary suspects go?" the guard cried, his voice rising in anger.
Jim looked over and had to concentrate to focus in on the name pinned to the man's shirt, Charles Grunwald. When he was finished he felt more light-headed than he had before and wondered if it really had been worth the effort just to know who the man was.
Just like that, any semblance of nice trooper Helming was gone. "Look pal," Helming said, a hard edge clear in his voice as he stepped up to the guard. "As far as I can see he hasn't done anything illegal here. If the evidence shows that the Doctor's death was anything other than an accidental homicide as Detective Ellison claims we will precede accordingly. However, at this moment I can see no reason to jump to any conclusions or listen to a rent-a-cop with opinions."
Grunwald glared right back, jaw working. Jim could hear his teeth grinding even with his misfiring senses. "I need to report back to the GSC," he finally gritted.
Helming nodded his head, "You do that, after we get your statement, contact information, and release you to leave."
Grunwald looked ready to kill someone as he stared between Helming and Jim, but he kept his mouth closed. Apparently, he wasn't so sure of his position and he knew enough of his own authority that he wasn't going to make any other demands.
Jim looked up from where he was helping Blair. The man was white as a sheet and shaking like a leaf. "We'll be down at the parking lot. I'll direct backup your way when they get here."
The trooper nodded then said, "Be careful going down that trail. It's dark and I don't want to have to send out a search and rescue along with the body recovering team….or organize a man hunt. Do you need a light?"
"If you have an extra one," Jim said, "If not then don't worry, we'll find our way."
"Here," Helming held out a second flashlight. "Pass it off to the recovery team when they get here."
"Sure thing," Jim nodded, clicking the light on and heading back toward the parking lot. He kept one hand on Blair's elbow and one eye on Blair while the other stayed on the uneven ground. Blair was turning a delicate shade of green, probably a reaction to the adrenaline leaving his system. Jim didn't know what being near a violent death would do to an empath, but they were going to need to talk about it when they got back to the apartment.
They walked in silence for several minutes. The woods were dark and quiet except for their footfalls in the underbrush. The panther and the wolf were little more than shadows of movement on either side. A few times Blair inhaled next to him as though he was getting ready to say something, but he aborted each time. Jim squeezed his arm in support.
It was another several minutes before they could see the lights of the gas station through the trees. Jim glanced over to Blair to see how he was doing, which wasn't very well. The man was shaky, pale and green around the edges. Blair lurched a moment before pulling himself out of Jim's grip and throwing himself back to the forest floor to empty his stomach. The wolf sat next to him and whined in sympathy while Jim knelt behind, rubbing circles on Blair's back as he heaved again.
"You're going to be alright, Chief" Jim said rubbing circles on Blair's back and waited for Blair to feel up to walking again.
"I'm good, I'm fine," Blair murmured, pushing up to his feet.
Jim shook his head. "No, you're in shock so you're not fine, but you will be. C'mon, we need to be down there by the time backup arrives."
Blair stumbled along a few steps before getting his feet under him again. They moved slowly along the path thanks to the poor light. Jim didn't trust his vision to remain steady enough to go any faster and Blair simply wasn't up to it. The gas station lights shone through the trees as a beacon until they reached the edge of the woods.
Jim stepped out into the parking lot, leading Blair just in front of him. The two spirit animals followed the entire way, one on either side. When Jim reached the truck, the wolf bounded into the foot well of the front seat then set his head in Blair's lap when the Guide settled into the seat. The panther just slinked into the back seat and lay down, looking out between the driver and passenger seats.
Jim reached back and pulled out a spare blanket spreading it over Blair. Then he stood, leaning against the open door and the truck frame and let the last of the tension run out of his body. He kept his gaze on the road watching for the other first responders. They couldn't be too far out. Now that he had a moment, he took a deep breath and settled the rest of the tension. His muscles ached and the adrenaline was nearly gone leaving him shaky and tired, but for the moment they were safe.
Jim glanced over to Blair. He still hadn't said much, didn't seem to be taking in much of the world around him at all. Jim shook his head and turned back to the road. "You going to be alright," he said again then winced. He remember the first time he was involved with the death of another person. It didn't feel like things were going to be alright then. He didn't know if Blair felt like that now.
Blair slowly turned to look at him, some of the green was gone, but he was still pale and shaky. "Geeze, Jim, what he did to you. He could have killed you….and what he wanted to do. I'm not sure which is worse…why didn't you…you had your gun out."
"You're wondering why I didn't shoot him," Jim finished for Blair.
Blair nodded. "You had the gun out, why not just shoot him?"
Jim heaved a sigh. "I could say it was because I didn't want the gunshot to draw attention before my big escape, but…I was just slower to the draw. I didn't want to kill him, despite what he wanted to do to me and I hesitated. He didn't. He beat me to the draw." He shrugged again, feeling tired, "It happens if you're not fully committed to kill another person. I have enough blood on my hands. I didn't want anymore."
There was another moment of silence before he spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper and tears leaking from his eyes, "I killed him."
"Not intentionally," Jim said equally quiet. Trying to deny outright it wouldn't help in the long run, it would probably only make the hurt last longer, but diverting the guilt might help. Blair wasn't in the state to listen to the facts of the situation right then. They'd take care of that when they got back to the apartment and had a drink in their hand, preferably something strong.
Jim clapped one hand on Blair's shoulder and the wolf whined softly. The panther only looked on with the silent blue eyes, but Jim thought he could see a measure of satisfaction in its expression. He shook his head and turned back to the road.
Jim glanced over to Blair's dark figure again. They just needed to get through some questioning and maybe photographs then he'd be able to take Blair home. He'd take care of Blair like the Guide had taken care of him when he was sick after the hostage situation. Then Jim would help him through coming to terms with what happened to Hedrick. Jim wasn't the best when dealing with trauma, but he'd experienced enough in his life to know the basics.. It was what friends did for one another and he actually found he was looking forward to it. He didn't like the circumstances that brought it about, but having a friend to look after and to look after him? Jim was grateful for that. Jim didn't need or want a keeper, but he'd take a friend.
The End….for now