Cop Killer, Killer Cop

Just then, the sounds of sirens jolted Christine back to the present. In moments, a patrol car, an ambulance and an unmarked car pulled up to the side of the road. Two uniformed deputies climbed out of the patrol car, and a youngish man in jeans and a Western-style shirt got out of the unmarked vehicle.

The two deputies looked none too happy at her, but the detective told them to go secure the scene. He wanted a chance to talk to Christine and determine what had happened.

"Ma'am, my name is Joe Brannan," the detective said. "I'm the detective for the sheriff's department.

Joe looked at her face and he made a snap decision. Whatever had happened here, this woman had taken a beating.

"Christine Reynolds," Christine said in a dull voice.

"Are you all right?" Joe asked. "Look, why don't you go over to the ambulance. You said you needed a rape kit, and the tech will look you over, then we'll talk."

Christine thanked him and trudged painfully toward the ambulance. A uniformed woman came from the ambulance and helped her in, then shut the door.

"I'm Kathy, and they tell me you shot a cop who raped you," she said, not unkindly. "And it sure looks to me like somebody put you through the wringer."

She gave Christine a quick all-over check, then asked her to remove her panties. The tech took a swab from inside her vagina, did everything that needed to be done, then told the detective he could come in to conduct an interview. But first, as she stepped out of the ambulance, he needed some vital information.

"So, is she telling the truth?" Joe asked. Kathy told Joe what Christine's condition was, that there appeared to be signs of forced entry, that her vagina had been somewhat damaged by what appeared to be a very large phallic object, and that she had definitely been hit in the face. The answer seemed to satisfy the detective. He climbed in the back of the ambulance to get Christine's statement. He advised her of her rights, that he was recording the interview, and that anything she said could be used against her should charges be filed.

"But..." Christine began, but Joe held a hand up to calm her down.

"Christine, no one's accused you of anything yet," Joe said. "I'm just advising you of your rights to protect both you and the department. Just based on what I saw at the scene, and what Kathy's told me, I'm inclined to believe you when you say Deputy Milton raped you. But we need to do this by the book. Do you understand?'

"Yes sir," she answered.

"That was some mighty fine shooting out there," he began. "Where'd you learn to shoot a pistol like that?"

"I grew up on a ranch, in Montana," she said. "That's where I'm headed. I learned to shoot when I was about 10, and I was a certified marksman in the Army."

"You're awfully composed for a woman who just killed a police officer," Joe said, trying to feel her out, to probe for any possible weakness to her story.

"Detective, I'm an ER nurse, and a good one," Christine said. "I get paid to keep cool in stressful situations, although I have to say this is about as stressful as any situation I hope I ever see. It was a nightmare."

Joe then got her to tell her story, and when she was finished, he just nodded. Christine had a sudden thought.

"Detective, do you have any unsolved murders in this county?" she asked. "Any cases where women have been found in the desert like I would have been."

"As a matter of fact, we do, several," Joe answered.

"Well, I think this officer is responsible for some of them," she said. "He kept talking about 'all the others,' like he'd done this before. He was going to kill me, and I don't think it would have been the first time."

"You could have something there," Joe said. He got up and helped Christine out of the ambulance. The coroner had arrived and he needed to complete his investigation before they carried the body off to the morgue.

The two deputies still looked at Christine like they wanted to arrest her for something, but Joe took them aside and spoke to them privately, then turned back to Christine.

"Christine, I think you're free to go," Joe said. "However, I'd like to get a number where you can be reached for the next few days, in case I have some other questions."

He looked at her evenly, then went on.

"I've got to tell you. "What you did out there took a lot of guts, and I'm not sure there are many people, male or female, who could have responded like that. You know, I've had my suspicions about Milton for awhile, and this proves it. I just wish you'd been able to keep him alive long enough to answer some questions. But, you did what you had to do, and I salute you."

After giving Joe her parents' telephone number and her own cell number, she watched as the detective walked back into the desert to complete his work. Just then, Kathy came over and told Christine that it might be a good idea to come back to town and see the emergency room doctor.

"He ripped you pretty good," Kathy said.

But Christine said no, that she just wanted to get out of this county, and start the long healing process. She turned to go, then suddenly everything hit her at once. The tech looked at her for a moment, then held out her arms as Christine dissolved in tears. She wept in relief that she was still alive, she wept in sadness for the unfortunate victims that had come before her and she wept for the loss of her hard-earned self-esteem. Kathy held her tight while Christine let her emotions run wild.

After a long cry, Christine composed herself, thanked the tech for her support, then climbed in her car and drove away. There would be many long, sleepless nights as she rebuilt her life, and it wouldn't easy. But every time she thought she couldn't go on, she reminded herself that she still had a life to rebuild, and thanked God for giving her the strength she'd needed when she'd needed it most.