Page 16 of Dead O’Clock

“Beats me. The chime might not have even been from Jones’s bell. Could have been someone else with a late night visitor or pizza delivery.” Jude didn’t sound convinced.

Ronan was one house away from the warden’s when he heard a sharp cry. It lasted only a second. He took off running for the warden’s door. Jude was right behind him. Leaping up the stairs, Ronan was about to pound on the door, when it opened. Warden Jones spilled out into his arms.

“Help me,” Jones whispered, and fell silent.

“Fuck, he’s not breathing. Call 911.” Ronan half-carried the warden down the stairs and laid him on the sidewalk. He felt for a pulse and found it to be fast and erratic, but it quickly slowed, then stopped. Ronan began CPR. He heard a siren from far away and kept going with compressions. The warden wasn’t responding at all.

“Here, switch with me.” Jude jumped in and started compressions in Ronan’s wake.

Ronan fell back on the sidewalk, trying to catch his breath. What the fuck had happened here tonight? He stood waving as the police cars approached with their lights twirling. The ambulance was behind them. Seconds later, Jude pulled away from Jones when the EMTs arrived and took over.

Both men stood back and watched the medics work. Ten minutes later, Paul Jones was declared dead.

“Come with me,” Cisco said, suddenly behind Ronan.

Ronan and Jude followed the chief until he stopped, half a block away from the crime scene.

“What the hell happened here?” Cisco asked, with no trace of anger in his voice.

“We got here at ten,” Ronan said. “Our eyes were on the house and the street the entire night.”

Jude nodded in agreement. “A woman walked her dog past us a minute or two before midnight. She didn’t see us. Both were back in their house when we heard the doorbell chime.”

“Why the hell didn’t you catch the person ringing the bell?” Cisco asked, looking dumbfounded.

“Because there wasn’t anyone there, Cisco,” Ronan said, trying to keep his emotions out of his voice. What the fucking hell? Cisco knew damn well that he and Jude would have been out of the car and running for the house if there had been a person on Jones’s doorstep.

“You’re absolutely sure you heard the bell chime?”

“Yes,” Jude answered. “There was no one at the door. That’s when we got out of the car. We heard a cry, as if someone were in pain, and then nothing. We ran for the house. That’s when the door opened and he fell out of the house into Ronan’s arms. Ronan dragged him to the sidewalk and felt for a pulse.”

“Jones wasn’t breathing and his heartbeat was erratic and hard. It stopped quickly and I started performing CPR. After a few minutes Jude took over, then the EMTs, then you grabbed us.”

A uniformed officer approached. “Chief? You’re going to want to see this.”

Cisco went with the young officer, Ronan and Jude followed behind.

Jones’s body was where it lay when the EMTs arrived. A member of the crime scene team was taking photos of the body, while the medics stood by the ambulance.

Ronan noticed every light in the house was on as he entered Paul Jones’s house. The door had two deadbolt locks and a safety chain. None of the safety precautions had been able to stop what happened in this house. The living room led to the kitchen and the back door which stood open. Something stuck out of the lock.

“It’s from a lock pick kit,” Cisco said. “Someone picked the lock and just waltzed in through the back door. Somehow the doorbell was rung and I’m guessing the killer snuck up behind Jones while he was looking out the peephole.”

“That’s what I think as well,” one of the detectives said. “I know how the doorbell was rung.”

“Neither Jude nor I saw anyone at the door,” Ronan said, feeling sick to his stomach.

“You wouldn’t have,” the detective said. “The doorbell was rung wirelessly.”

“Wirelessly?” Cisco said, his mouth hanging open. “How is that even possible?”

“It’s on Bluetooth. If you find the right frequency, you can ring the bell from anywhere within the coverage area. It’s just like thieves who program garage door openers so they can steal the cars inside.” The detective paused for a minute. “The crime scene team will get the video from the camera, but my guess is that you’re only going to see Detectives O’Mara and Byrne running up the stairs.”

“Thanks, Doug.” Cisco turned to look at Ronan. “Two men with ties to law enforcement murdered in their homes on consecutive nights. What the hell is happening here?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with me.” Ronan felt his heartrate kick up.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Cisco asked.