Chapter 80: Reinforcement, Sheriff, and Shootout
It was hard to tell what the stench was; it smelled like a mix of feces, rot and other things, and was evidently from this empty clearing.
Luke soon discovered that it was from a reddish black fluid on the ground.
He didnât know what it was, but it was all over the place and extended into the depths of the woods.
Luke frowned. He found a satellite phone in the most luxurious SUV, before he ran to his pickup.
After he got in, he hit the gas and rushed to the other side of the lake.
Selina was still on her own right now. Luke felt that there was something wrong with this place.
On his way, he called Thomas.
A moment later, his call went through. âWho is this?â
Luke said, âChief, this is Luke. Iâve got a situation here...â
He tried to summarize what had happened as succinctly as possible. After a brief silence, Thomas asked, âWhere are you now?â
Luke replied, âI have no idea, but they took us fifty kilometers from Wolfkyle. They also drove us half an hour into the wilderness.â
Thomas said, âKeep in touch. Iâll call for reinforcements.â
Luke said, âOkay, chief. Right, I suspect that the missing couple we were looking into is related to those people, too. It seems that theyâve done this many times before.â
Thomas said, â...Got it. Iâll inform the FBI.â
Thomas knew why Luke had brought this up.
If this was a simple case, the police of Wolfkyle would be responsible for it.
However, if it was a serial murder case that involved multiple victims, the FBIâs involvement would be justified.
Luke wanted the FBI involved because the players couldnât possibly influence a national agency, no matter how powerful they might be in Wolfkyle.
More importantly, the Houston Police Department had no authority to investigate this case. It wasnât in their jurisdiction, after all.
Thomas would have to contact the FBI via his own connections, which would be a huge help to Luke.
In any case, Luke had already disposed of half of the criminals, so it would be very easy for the FBI to handle the rest.
Thomas wasnât actually asking for help, but was doing the FBI a favor; as long as they werenât idiots, they would certainly get here quickly.
Thomas asked again, âDid you just say that someone was severely injured?â
Lukeâs mind was blank. Did he say that? It was mostly the players who were wounded. Bobbyâs injuries were mild, and his father had been killed.
But he thought quickly, and realized why Thomas had asked the question. âYes, a high school student is in dire need of treatment.â
Thomas said, âAlright, Iâll send a helicopter from Houston as soon as possible.â
Luke said, âThank you, chief.â
Thomas didnât say anything else and hung up.
Luke marveled inwardly â Thomas truly was Robertâs best buddy!
With this excuse, Thomas would be able to send police officers here by helicopter.
Luke would thus have the protection of trustworthy people.
Putting down the satellite phone, he sped up.
When the pickup passed by Aselâs hideout, Luke glanced at her and found nothing wrong, so he pressed on.
Bobby was also quiet when Luke passed by.
For Luke, it was Selinaâs safety that he was most concerned about.
He had already done enough for Bobâs family by saving two of them.
Luke got out when he reached the other side of the lake.
The woods were too thick for a pickup to pass through. He could only continue on foot.
At that moment, two police cars drove up.
Their lights and sirens werenât on, but Luke had noticed them very early on.
He could only stop and wait next to his car for the newcomers.
The two police cars stopped, and one person got out of each vehicle.
An old police officer in his forties said, âWeâre from the Wolfkyle Police Department. Donât move, or weâll shoot.â
Luke was helpless.
He couldnât kill the two police officers, and he still had a long walk ahead. Would he have to fight them when he returned with Selina?
He wasnât afraid of fighting, but killing two officers would cause a lot of trouble.
âIâm Luke Coulson from Westside Houston Police Department. I sent the Wolfkyle Police Department a notice just yesterday,â said Luke.
The police officers looked at each other and said, âPut down your gun and let us confirm your identity.â
Luke frowned. âI have to rescue my partner. Sheâs still alone in the woods.â
The old police officer said, âIâm York Brown, sheriff of Wolfkyle. This is Nicholas Crewe, deputy sheriff. You should know us if youâre here to help with a case.â
Luke eyed them for a moment, and finally dropped his M1911.
âYour other gun,â said Crewe.
Luke slowly drew the Beretta from under his armpit and threw it three meters away.
The two police officers looked at each other and approached him.
Luke asked, âWhy are you here?â
Calmly, Brown replied, âSomeone called the police and said that they heard gunshots around here.â
Luke said, âWhere are we? My partner and I were drugged before we were brought here. I still donât know what this place is.â
âItâs about fifty kilometers away from Wolfkyle,â answered Crewe casually.
Luke asked, âWell, someone is heavily wounded and needs treatment. How far is the highway from here?â
Crewe said, âItâs about twenty minutes by car.â
Luke narrowed his eyes and suddenly rolled to the side.
However, it seemed that the two police officers had anticipated this move. They shot at him when they were ten meters away.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lukeâs left arm turned numb, before he felt excruciating pain.
He couldnât help but grunt, but he didnât stop, and he grabbed the Beretta on the ground as he rolled.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two police officers fell immediately.
It was practically suicide to engage Luke in a gun fight at less than ten meters.
Even if Luke didnât have a gun, his strength and reflexes made it impossible to lock onto him.
However, he miscalculated how crap a shot Crewe was. The guyâs bullet shouldâve missed the target, but happened to hit Luke in the left arm.
Ignoring the pain, Luke picked up his gun and said darkly, âIf you donât drop your guns, someoneâs head is going to blow up in the next second.â