Cat and Mouse
By Terri D. Thomas
Part 18
"You son of a bitch! You led him to me!" Jason McCarthy shouted as he scrambled backwards until his back met with the wall preventing any further movement.
At the same time Tom reached for the gun in his holster. "Ah. . Ah, Sergeant, I wouldn't do that," came the calm words from Brad Kersey's killer. Tom focused on the revolver in the man's right hand. "I'm certain that I can pull this trigger long before you can. What do you think?"
Tom's left arm froze in mid-motion. He then lowered his hand to his side. "What are you going to do?" he finally asked.
Murdock ignored the question and instead directed his gaze at McCarthy. "So you killed my father?"
McCarthy's eyes widened in fear. "No. . .no I didn't," he lied.
Murdock smiled as he reached into his jacket pocket with his free hand and pulled out a small tape recorder. "Oh my. . .such lies." He held the tape up in the air.
Jason shook his head. "You taped it?"
"I can't have you changing your mind about what you did to my poor dear father."
"I'm taking him in for both murders," Tom interrupted.
"Oh, you are, are you?" Murdock responded nonchalantly. "Perhaps I have other plans for him. . .and you."
"We can. . .we can make a deal." McCarthy stammered.
"A deal?"
"Yeah. . .a deal. I have a. . .a rather substantial savings. I'll. . .I'll split it with you."
"In exchange for what?" Murdock tilted his head, acting intrigued, although the weapon he held never wavered.
"Let me go."
Tom couldn't believe that McCarthy was trying to bargain for his freedom. "You killed his father, do you think he's going to let you go."
Murdock cruelly laughed. "I guess now's a good time to tell you that I didn't like my father much. In fact, McCarthy probably did me a favor."
Jason McCarthy gave the detective a small look of satisfaction. "So we can deal?"
"You are willing to split your money with me and I let you go, is that correct?"
"Uh. . .yeah, yeah that sounds right," Jason nervously agreed.
"And what about Sgt. Ryan? What do we do with him?" Murdock's voice was mocking in its tone, but McCarthy seemed oblivious to it.
Tom held his breath, although he already knew what Jason's answer would be to that question.
Jason quickly thought about the alternatives. "We. . .we kill him. Yeah."
Tom closed his eyes. 'Yep, that was the answer. Not good, Ryan. Stupid, stupid, stupid', he berated himself silently. He then turned his attention back to Murdock.
"Kill him. What a novel idea," Murdock said with a large, smug grin.
"You want to get back at his partner, right? What better way to do it? His death will destroy her," Jason added, obviously encouraged by Murdock's interest in his plan. "I'll. . .I'll even do it if you let me get to his gun."
"Don't do me any favors here," Tom muttered under his breath.
Murdock, hearing Tom's words, began to chuckle. "Isn't life a bitch, Sgt. Ryan? Just when you think you have the upperhand in life, someone comes along and screws you."
Tom decided an alternate approach was needed. "If you let him kill me, you'll be hunted down for the deaths of your father and Sara. I'm the only one who knows that you didn't kill them."
Jason laughed. "You think he cares? He's already wanted for murder. What's a couple of more, right?" The man looked hopefully at his would-be accomplice. "The money I have will more than compensate him for that."
Before either man could say more, Murdock's voice cut in. "Ah. . .no. I don't think so. You see, I really don't care about your money."
"What?" Jason responded, incredulous. The man's confidence, which had been reflected in his face, suddenly disappeared.
"Why? Why do all of this?" Tom asked, confused by Murdock's attitude.
"You really don't get it, do you Sergeant?" the man responded, shaking his head. "It's about punishment, Ryan, punishment for people who refuse to accept responsibility for their behavior. People like McCarthy here. . .and that partner of yours who think they can walk all over me and not suffer any consequences. They need to be disciplined."
Before Tom could respond, Jason McCarthy threw himself sideways, plowing into the detective, taking both Murdock and Tom by surprise. Tom grunted as the weight of the man hit him full on. He collapsed backwards into the coffee table, the back of his head connecting with the corner, blinding pain flashing through his head. He rolled to the floor, semi-conscious and disoriented, struggling to regain control over his mind and body. He squeezed his eyes shut as he fought for a breath of air, but when he reopened them, his vision was fuzzy. "Damn it," he muttered.
He could feel Jason McCarthy's weight struggling on top of him, the murderer's hands on Tom's holster. He was trying to remove Tom's weapon. "No," Tom mumbled. "No. . .don't."
He could feel the gun being slid free of the holster. Tom tried to stop Jason, but his arms felt like lead weights. He couldn't control their movement. He was helpless. He made one last weak attempt to grab McCarthy's arm, but the effort was futile.
Jason, gun in hand, swung his fist at Tom's face, landing on Tom's already abused temple. His head was thrown backwards as it ricocheted from the blow and impacted with the floor.
Tom fought to remain coherent, but knew it was a losing battle. He opened his eyes, but his world was a blur. He could barely make out the shapes of two figures towering above him. Then his world began a fade to black. Before consciousness abandoned him completely, he heard Murdock's low, menacing voice. "You must learn to accept the consequences of your behavior."
The sound of a gunshot reverberated in the room. It was an explosion that consumed Tom Ryan's world. And then there was nothing.
End Part 18
To Conclusion