Event Horizon – The last two people who should be involved.

In a previous blog, I wrote about the four detectives who work the homicide chronicled in the next novel titled Event Horizon.

But I want to focus on a comment I made about my central character, Will Diaz. I said he really had no business being involved with this investigation. This also applies to Michael Jones, Both men were friends with the victim. And both considered the man who killed her a brother.

In a large department, Will would have been forced to stand down. Jonesy wouldn’t have even been allowed close to the case.

But this is a small department with limited resources. That means Will gets involved, like it or not. And that unintentionally drags in a couple of people who shouldn’t be there like Jonesy and Andy. He could and should have stood aside and let RJ run the investigation best he could. now, to a degree, he does just that. He hands over the investigation to RJ.

It’s apprehending Max that he takes on and it’s here that he should have stood aside.

Will doesn’t admit to this at the time, but he was letting friendships and an oath color his thinking. While the case elevates Will to almost superstar status and paves the way for his becoming sheriff (spoiler alert), he will realize later his getting involved and leading the manhunt for Max was stupid and uncalled for. Everything he did set him and those around him on a collision course with disaster.

Getting involved in a case where you have a relationship with a victim or the perp is something you want to avoid. Thefirst time that happened, another officer and I had a mutual friend who was found on the side of a road beaten, naked, and sexually assaulted. Our supervisor sent us home and had us leave our weapons at the department. We were ordered to stay home. The fear was that if we found the assailant, we’d square him away.

It might have been a good thing since the story she gave turned out not to be true (but that’s a whole other story).

Another time, I was involved. A domestic disturbance at a relative’s house had me and my partner drug out of the gym. The idea was that I’d try to talk them out. About the time we got there, and I was briefed on what was going on, they started fighting inside again. We (the police) took advantage of the situation and kicked the door open.

Since my partner and I were in workout clothes (we always carried our snub nose pistols even to the gym), that left us behind a patrol car, aiming over the hood in the event my fellow officers needed covering fire. And while I knelt there, a loaded weapon in my hand, the hammer back and needing only a little pressure to fire, I had to ask a very uncomfortable question.

Could I really open fire on ae close blood relative and maybe kill him?

The answer was equally uncomfortable. I knew I could and would.

It would turn out that wouldn’t be the last time I had to arrest a relative or a friend. The fact I had made me about as welcome at family reunions as ants at a picnic.

But when you’re the only one to carry out the mission, then you do the mission.

Perhaps that how Will looked at it. Somebody had to go after him, and he had the best chance. He still shouldn’t have done it because he and Jonesy had a relationship with both Eva and Max. And it was one of those relationships you find only among family. It’s reflected in their discussion at the crime scene.

Jonesy and I were trying to understand that this thing on the floor had once been a friend.

     It wasn’t working. 

    “We were at their wedding,” Jonesy said.

    “It was at Barton Chapel,” I said. “It was June, and the place had flowers all around it. We delivered Max to the chapel in handcuffs.”

    “And forgot the key,” Jonesy added. He chuckled at the memory. “Eva was beside herself.”

    I stared at the empty face and eyes. “I remember the chaplain reading the vows and Max promising that he’d love and cherish her forever. I handed him the ring that he placed on her finger.”

     “Eva was smiling,” Jonesy said. 

     That had been one of the best of all possible days.

     Now we knelt next to her on what was one of the worst of all possible days. The evidence of broken vows lay before us. We’d been her friends too and there were a few things left that we could do for her. 

    One was to carry her to her grave. Two was to weep over her and three was to listen as another preacher spoke words over her. 

    And fourth was to bring her killer to justice.

    We had sworn we would do such a thing.

Neither one of them should have had anything to do with the case, much less the manhunt that follows. Both these men considered Max a brother and Eva a sister. As such they take some chances they shouldn’t have. Despite several warning from Max, they just kept coming.

If asked why, they would say it was to bring him to justice. They would both be lying. They knew if anyone else stumbled across him, they would try to kill Max. And he’d have to kill them to survive.

Both men want Max to have the chance to live. And there’s the problem. They’ve allowed their emotions and friendship to get in the way. Worse, they don’t realize it.

This is evidenced by a scene where Max has them pinned down in a ravine. He then yells he wants to talk but warns them if they try to send for help, he will drop grenades into the ravine (he claims he has a grenade launcher – They already know he has hand grenades. Why not a launcher).

I had to say something, so I yelled, “And when we’re finished talking, Max?”

     “Come up here as a friend and you leave as a friend. Unharmed! I will not try to hold you or hurt you. We’re just going to talk! Like I said, it’s a parley, Will.”

     Parley.

     I looked up the meaning of the word later. Webster defines “parley” as discussions with an enemy. It was odd that Max used it. Maybe he never understood what it really meant or what he was saying.

     Or maybe, he did.

     But I wasn’t thinking of that when I asked Jonesy, “What do you think?”

     “It could be a trap,” Jonesy answered, stating the obvious. “He blew Eva away and he’s already said he’d kill you if this goes sideways.”

     There was that.

    “We owe him a debt,” I said. “He is one of us.”

     “Us?”

      “Maybe I can talk him down. Do we have anything to lose by talking?”

     Jonesy looked into my eyes. “How about one rather pathetic undersheriff?’

The relationship they have with Max has compromised them as effective Law Enforcement officers. They’ll take chances they shouldn’t.

But it just might be the relationship they had with Max that saves Will and Jonesy in the end. There are more than a few instances where he could have killed them both but refrained. Had it been anyone else except these two, he might have taken them out.

And just maybe it was the relationship among brothers that results in the ending (sorry, no spoilers).

As Will would observe. “Sometimes the world is too crazy to make sense.”