DEAD AIM - Angie Bartoni Case File #3 (Angie Bartoni Case Files Book 1) Read online

  FROSTBITE

  Angelina Bartoni

  Case File # 2

  By

  MW HUFFMAN

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  Once again I must thank my best friend, my partner, soul mate and love. Thank you Susan for always believing in me and pushing me to be better.

  FROSTBITE© 2013 by MW Huffman

  All rights reserved. No portion of this may be reproduced without the authors expressed permission.

  WaJe Productions

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any actual person is purely coincidental. This story is not an attempt to represent any actual event.

  FROSTBITE

  By

  MW HUFFMAN

  OTHER BOOKS BY MW HUFFMAN

  THE END–BOOK I of The Event Series

  THE BEGINNING–BOOK II of The Event Series

  THE REVELATION–BOOK III of The Event Series

  The Second Civil War–BOOK I-A Nation Divided

  The Second Civil War–Book II-A Nation at War

  The Second Civil War–Book III–A Nation Healing

  Project BlueBolt – BOOK I – American Gulags

  Project BlueBolt – BOOK II - The Gulag Journal

  Project BlueBolt – BOOK III – American Uprising

  REVOLUTION

  THE BRINK

  CLOSE PROXIMITY

  BLACKSTAR

  CHIMERA

  WORLDS END

  SUN BURST

  Sins of the Fathers

  The Unfinished

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 1 - The Alphabet Murders

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 2 - Frost Bite

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 3 - Dead Aim

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 4 - What Goes Around

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 5 - Nothing to Lose

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 6 - Shadow Man

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 7 – The Club

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 8 – Shakespeare Murders

  Angie Bartoni Case File # 9 – One Too Many

  Angie Bartoni Case File #10 – Weak Link

  Angie Bartoni Case File #11 – Vanishing Act

  Angie Bartoni Case File #12 – Victim’s Advocate

  Angie Bartoni Case File #13 – Payback

  Angie Bartoni Case File #14 – Dead on Arrival

  The Logan Files - Blond Deception

  The Logan Files - Innocence and Avarice

  The Logan Files - The Deal Breaker

  The Logan Files – Pain Center

  Norris Files – Insurrection

  Norris Files - Silver2

  CHAPTER ONE

  Irritated. Mad. Angry. Royally pissed off. I was all of those and a few more words that my mother would wash my mouth out with soap for using. There I was face down on the floor while some yahoo was shouting that he was going to shoot the first person that even looked at him. Of course he used a lot of bad words that I’m leaving out in case you are the sensitive type.

  “Did you look at me,” he screamed at one poor lady who had been sniveling since the four came into the bank and demanded everyone down.

  They collected every one's cell phones right off the bat. That told me they were as stupid as they appeared.

  I mean, come on. A bank robbery? At a branch office? How much did they think they were going to get for committing a federal felony?

  So I laid there thinking about the gun in my purse and the one on my ankle. Why would I have those things you might ask? I’m a cop. A detective actually. My name is Angelina Bartoni and this was really bumming me out.

  The problem was that the one guy seemed pretty unstable, shouting and threatening everyone just for the heck of it. They were scared enough already without him prancing back and forth screaming at people.

  “Forty-five seconds,” one of the men said, glancing down at his watch.

  I sneaked a peek and saw him hold his finger on his ear. Must be an earpiece.

  “They are on their way. Thirty seconds. Everyone ready,” the guy who appeared to be in charge said.

  Two men came rushing out of the vault area carrying duffle bags. Each guy had two bags. Maybe there was more in the vault than I thought. I was looking out of the top of my eyes, watching their feet so I would know where they were all standing. I saw them all turn to look out the door of the bank.

  Well Bartoni, if you are going to do something, now is the time. I saw one guy push the door slightly open.

  “Here they come,” he told the others.

  I could tell they were getting ready to make their dash, obviously to a getaway vehicle. The guy pushed the door open further. I raised my head. None of them were looking back at us. I slid my hand in my purse and brought out my .40 Sig. I already had one round in the chamber so I didn’t have to rack it. I took aim at the middle of the back of the guy I thought was probably the big cheese.

  I was up on one knee, slightly shaking.

  “Police, freeze,” I shouted.

  The leader spun around with a gun in his hand. I fired, hitting him someplace near his ribs. I only had time for a glimpse as he was knocked back against the man with the shotgun. He shoved the other guy aside and tried to bring up the gun.

  “Stop,” I yelled but he was still spinning towards me. I pulled the trigger twice. The first shot caught him in the shoulder; the second one went through his throat. He was still turning when I fired the third shot that caught him right above his left eye.

  The other two guys had run outside and were scrambling to get into a van that came screeching to a halt at the curb. I jumped up, checking to see if the leader was going to try to move. His gun was a good five or six feet away from him. I pushed out the door.

  “Stop. Don’t move,” I screamed.

  The driver looked over at me and gave a smirk. At least it seemed like that was what he was doing. Well smirk this, I thought as I unloaded three quick shots into his front tire. I shot one into the engine compartment for good measure.

  He didn’t look quite so smug now.

  “Get your hands up. Put them out the window,” I yelled.

  Why was I yelling? It wasn’t all that noisy. Nerves. I held my gun on him. I wasn’t sure where the other two were but there was nothing I could do about it at the moment. I could hear sirens, lots of them, coming from several different directions. Oh goody, the cavalry was coming.

  I’m sure to people gawking it must have looked kind of strange. A guy with his hands out the window and a woman holding a gun on him. Probably thought it was a domestic dispute.

  Almost simultaneously, cop cars arrived from three different directions. Officers jumped out with guns drawn. This was a good thing except for the fact that about half of them had theirs aimed at me.

  “Drop your weapon,” one of the cops yelled, pointing his gun at me.

  “I’m Detective Bartoni. These guys just robbed the First Federal Bank.”

  “Drop the gun. I won’t tell you again,” he shouted back.

  “Hey Numbnuts. I’m a cop. These guys are robbers. Get it? You aim at them, not me.”

  “Lady, if you don’t drop that gun right now, I will shoot.”

  “Then shoot away. You are going to be the biggest dumbass on the force if you do. Stop and think about this for just one minute. Would I be standing here if I wasn’t trying to keep these guys here?”

  “You have a badge on you?”

  “Yep. Just stay cool. I’m going to open my coat so you can see it.”

  “Slowly.”

  “Give me a break,” I muttered and lifted
my jacket so he could see my badge.

  “Okay, I guess,” he said and lowered his weapon.

  “Now if it isn’t too much trouble, besides the driver, who was amused by your incompetency, there are two more inside the van someplace. I don’t think they are armed but I’m not sure,” I told officer duffus.

  While they were checking out the van I walked back inside the bank to check on the head honcho.

  “Damn, you shot me.”

  “No kidding? Imagine that?”

  “I wasn’t going to shoot anyone.”

  “Couldn’t prove it by me. And the squirrel with the shotgun. He was definitely a few bullets short of a clip.”

  “I need an ambulance,” he said laying his head back down on the floor.

  “Hang on. They are on the way.”

  I walked over to the employees and other patrons of the bank.

  “Look, I know you all want to just get the heck out of here but you need to wait until we can get some information from each of you. It will only be a few minutes. While you’re waiting, try to remember what you were doing when you first realized we were being held up. It will help things go faster so you can get out of here as quickly as possible,” I told them.

  “You saved our lives,” the bank manager said.

  “No, you saved your own lives by not doing anything foolish. You did the right thing by just letting them have the money. If you had resisted it might have ended a lot differently,” I assured him.

  By now half the police force was parked outside the bank and CIS, EMT and a bunch of other alphabet people were swarming all over the bank. When I walked outside Captain McGregor was just walking up the sidewalk.

  “Bartoni. I heard you stopped this all by yourself,” he said.

  “Well, I didn’t actually mean for it to happen this way. I was just a customer and when it hit the fan big time. I just waited for the right moment. They had no idea I was a cop.”

  “One hell of a job. You took all five of them down and no civilians were even slightly hurt. Remarkable.”

  “Awe shucks, just your everyday super hero stuff. I do it all the time.”

  “You can jest all you want but you did good detective.”

  “Thank you captain. I appreciate the compliment.”

  “You look a little pale. You alright?”

  “I had to kill one of the robbers. The other guy I shot is in fairly bad shape as well.”

  “EMT’s are working on him. Nothing else we can do. You did what you had to do. Look, I hate to say it but...”

  “I know. You need my gun.”

  “It sucks but that’s the rules. I will rush the shooting board so you can get back on the street when you are ready. For now, go home. Nothing you have to say can’t wait until tomorrow. I want you to take the rest of the day off and just chill,” the captain told me.

  “Normally I would argue about this but for now, I’m going to do just that,” I replied.

  “Excellent. And great work Bartoni.”

  When I got in the car I almost lost it. It isn’t like you see on those stupid television shows where the woman shoots a bunch of bad guys and acts all tough. I killed a one guy and maybe another. I know it’s part of the job but it still makes you feel like crap.

  And I did it without cute little high-heeled shoes and a second skin skirt with a blouse unbuttoned to my navel. Real cops do not dress like that.

  The traffic was horrid as I slowly made my way home. I was pretty much calmed down by the time I finally made it into garage.

  I went in the house, dropping clothes along the way to the bathroom. I needed to take a shower and let the hot water wash this all away.

  CHAPTER TWO

  I was surprised at how good I felt the next morning. I could have sworn I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I felt like I had tossed and turned the entire night. I slowly made my way to the bathroom and washed my face, brushed my teeth and peed.

  I was dreading going in today. Half the guys would be telling me how well I had done and the other half would be saying something smartassed. As the only woman detective it went with the territory. Half were for you and half pretty much against you.

  The biggest jerk of all was a fellow detective named Bud Farmington. He was a chauvinist pig of the worst kind. On top of that he thought he was God’s gift to women. I would have to prepare myself for him; he'd had all night to think up his snide remarks.

  After a halfassed attempt at fixing myself up so I at least looked presentable I jumped in my latest acquisition, a restored 1972 Triumph TR-6. British racing green with red line tires and triple side draft carbs. Sweet.

  It took a little over a half hour for me to get to the station. The closer I got the slower I went. I wasn’t really sure I could stand what was coming next. I finally quit stalling and parked the car. I covered the cockpit with the tonneau cover and patted it lovingly on the fender.

  “Detective Bartoni,” the desk Sargent bellowed as I stepped through the door.

  “Sargent Andrews,” I said, waving at him.

  He came charging out from behind the counter and before I could get my gun out and shoot him he swooped me up in his huge arms and about broke my ribs in a bear hug.

  “Man, my little detective is all grown up. You took down five bad guys all by yourself. That is just sooooo cool,” he said finally setting me back down on by feet.

  I would say something but I think my ribs were broken. I finally managed to gasp.

  “Thanks Sargent. Now if you can just call an EMT to tape my ribs I’ll be on my way.”

  He laughed that eerie Santa Clause laugh he has. Real funny. My ribs were poking into my heart and lungs he is laughing about it. My own fault. I should have shot him when he first charged.

  I slowly made my way up the stairs without further incident. Unfortunately Farmington and LeRoy Gates were up there. I could see it coming.

  “Well, well. Would you look who is here,” Farmington said.

  “It’s…It’s…It’s super cop,” LeRoy said and for some reason thought that was the funniest thing they had ever heard.

  What a couple of blockheads. I was just about ready to unload on them when McGregor stepped out of his office and came over.

  “Farmington, Gates. Shut your pie-holes. You two dolts would have pissed your pants in the same situation. I’m going to tell you both this just one more time. Bartoni is five times the cop that both of you are put together. I hear any more trash out of either of your mouths and you will be wearing meter maid outfits and riding around on one of those cute little three wheelers. Got it?”

  Neither said a word.

  “Got it?” he said louder.

  “Yeah, we got it,” Farmington said at last.

  The captain stood there glaring at them for a few more seconds until they finally acted like they were busy.

  “I need to see you in my office when you get a chance.”

  “I’ll be right there. I need to grab a Diet Coke and return a couple of calls if that’s okay with you.”

  “Just come over when you’re ready,” he replied.

  I have to admit, this was a little unnerving. I mean the captain is a good guy but he has never come to my rescue when I was having it out with the boys. I think he didn’t want it to seem like he was protecting me or whatever was going through his mind. He had never dressed Farmington and Gates down like that before. Sure, he gets after them, just like he does all of us but that was different.

  I went to the break room and grabbed a Diet Coke and Honey Bunn from the vending machine and went back to my desk. I could see Farmington and LeRoy huddled together like two elementary school kids. I just wish they would grow up. Nah, not going to happen.

  I made three phone calls and then headed to the captain's office. Farmington and LeRoy watched as I walked over and knocked on the door.

  “Come.”

  I swear he sounds just like the ball headed booger Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek, the next generation.
>
  “You wanted to see me.”

  “I know you don’t want to hear this but you are being given a service accommodation.”

  “Oh for heaven’s sakes. It was no big deal,” I insisted. I would rather have a root canal done with no pain killers than go through one of those ceremonies. Not only that but it would just give Farmington and Gates more ammunition. No matter what the captain said, they would find a way to work it in.

  “No choice. The Mayor wants it so now you do too.”

  “Why can’t he keep his nose out of things?” I fumed.

  “You already know the answer to that. Two words. Election year.”

  “So I have to suffer along with half of the force so he can stand up and spout off about how great we are. Oh, then cut the budget to the department and downsize us.”

  “It’s what politicians do, you know that by now. Get over it. It happens next Monday at 2:00 p.m here at the station.”

  “Dress uniform no doubt.”

  He didn’t even bother to answer.

  “Any other good news?”

  “Yes. The shooting board will put your case at the top and will review it tomorrow. You will need to testify. They have already notified the witnesses. Only three will be there but it will be enough. You didn’t leave anything out of your report did you? You know they use it as a guide.”

  “It’s all there, just like I remember it happening.”

  “Then you should be back and ready to go by Monday.”

  “So I’m stuck on the desk until then.”

  “See, and Farmington said you weren’t very smart,” he said smiling.

  “Now that’s low, even for a pencil pusher like you,” I shot back.

  “You are dismissed if you’re going to get nasty,” he replied.

  “Said the man that quoted Farmington.”

  “Out. And I want you out of the squad room at 5:00 p.m. No hanging around while you are on the desk. You’re just going to have to get a life for the next few days at least.”

  Man, he was full of vinegar today.