Not by Sight A Novel

CHAPTER 37

Virgil stood leaning on the hood of his squad car, where he had set up his command post for the operation to free Ella Tutt from her misguided uncle—hopefully without anyone getting hurt.

Virgil looked up just as Kevin Mann and Foggy Ridge Police Chief Reggie Mitchell walked over and stood next to him.

“Sheriff, the perimeter’s sealed tight as a tick,” Kevin said. “No way Tutt’s getting through it. What’s our next move?”

Virgil cleared his throat. “I’ve wrestled with each of the approaches we discussed. And since we really don’t think Walter’s intention is to harm the girl, and his mother may be in the home, I keep coming back to the simple ruse: I call Walter and tell him that we are intensifying our search for the missing girl and have some follow-up questions we want to ask him. I make it clear it’ll be at least an hour before we get there. It’s possible he’d buy the ruse and see that as an opportunity to flee. And if he does, we can catch him off guard and get the girl to safety, whether she’s with him or still in the house.” Virgil glanced over at Reggie, whose dark skin glistened with perspiration. “Thoughts?”

Reggie pursed his lips. “That could work if everything goes perfectly. But if your phone call makes him suspicious, he might decide to stay right where he is and devise a plan to keep us from getting Ella. That would give him the advantage. We both know he’s far more dangerous in that house than away from it.”

“Which is why if he doesn’t flee within twenty minutes,” Virgil said, “I’ll use the bullhorn and try to talk him out while the SWAT team gets positioned. To buy us time, I can pass Walter off to Deputy Martinez. She can negotiate as well as the best of them. If she can’t get him to surrender, the SWAT team will be ready to go.”

“Sir, Tutt has several guns registered,” Kevin said. “I think we have to presume he’s armed and dangerous—and possibly unstable like his brother.”

“I agree.” Virgil looked from Kevin to Reggie and back to Kevin. “But I don’t want us getting ahead of ourselves. Otha has never known him to be violent.”

“Well, he sure had Maria Diaz convinced he was,” Reggie said.

Virgil scratched the sandpaper on his chin. “I haven’t forgotten, Chief. Could’ve been all for show. We just don’t know. But believe me, the last thing I want is a dead body. All I’m saying is let’s show restraint until we have cause not to. But protecting Ella Tutt is priority one, is that clear?”

“Crystal clear,” Kevin said. “I’ll inform the teams so we’re all on the same page.”

Reggie looked at the computer monitor, where Tutt’s house was pictured, nestled in the trees about a mile from the command post. “This is your show, Sheriff. My officers are here to assist. Just tell us what you need.”

Kevin heard voices and turned around. Buck Winters and Kate, Hawk, and Abby Cummings were approaching the command post.

“I could do without this right now,” Kevin mumbled.

“Me, too,” Virgil said. “But can you really blame them? After what they’ve been through, I’m not sending them home. Find Deputy Freed. Have her stay with them and give them updates when it’s appropriate. Make sure they stay back far enough so they can’t hear the decisions being made. And caution them about talking to the media.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Kevin turned and left.

“Excuse me, Reggie,” Virgil said. “I really should go say something. I’ve known the Cummings a long time, and we’ve been through a lot together.”

“I understand.” Reggie glanced over at the family. “I was fixin’ to go check in with my officers. How long before you plan to make that call to Tutt?”

“Just as soon as I’m sure all teams are on the same page.”

“My people will be. Don’t you worry about that.”

“I never have to worry about your officers.” Virgil patted Reggie on the shoulder and then walked in the direction of Kate, Abby, Hawk, and Buck.

“There you are.” Kate hurried over to Virgil. “Before you decide to try and turn us around, I—”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to send you away.”

“You’re not?”

Virgil shook his head. “You’re welcome to wait here at the command post. All I ask is that you stay back and let us do our job. Deputy Roberta Freed will be here in a minute. She’ll be giving you updates as we proceed.”

“Do you know where my daughter is?” Kate said.

“We believe Walter has her inside his house. The perimeter’s been secured. He’s not going anywhere.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I can’t get into detail, but I have a plan. If it works, this thing will be over in a matter of minutes.”



“What’s taking so long?” Kate glanced at her watch again, as if that would somehow move things along. “Why can’t you tell us something?”

Deputy Roberta Freed put her hand on Kate’s shoulder. “Try not to worry, Mrs. Cummings. The sheriff’s chosen a conservative first approach, hoping to end this quickly and with minimal danger to the child. If we can catch Tutt off guard, we’ll have the girl before he knows what happened.”

“Are they going to kill him?”

“Not if they can help it. We’ll do what we can to end this without violence. But Ella Tutt is our first priority.”

“Her name is Riley Jo Cummings.” Hawk threw his hands in the air. “Can’t we stop playing games?”

Kate felt sure that, if Deputy Freed’s skin wasn’t dark, they would be able to see her blushing.

“Hawk, that’s enough.” Kate shot him a scolding look. “I apologize for my son’s tactless remark, Deputy Freed. It’s just that my family has no doubt who the child is.”

Roberta nodded. “I understand, ma’am. I do. But it’s not up to the sheriff’s department to make that legal determination. A judge’ll have to sort it out.”

“I’m sorry I sounded rude.” Hawk looked sheepishly at Roberta. “It’s been a crazy few days. I just want my sister back and this whole nightmare to end.”

“Understandably,” Roberta said. “You’ve all been through a lot to this point. Now let us finish what we’re trained for. We all want the same thing.”

Abby linked arms with Kate. “Sheriff Granger won’t take any chances with Riley Jo’s safety, Mama. You know that.”

Kate did know that. But so many things could go wrong. She noticed some activity at the command post, and Virgil talking to Chief Mitchell and Deputy Mann, but she couldn’t hear what was happening. Her pulse quickened as Roberta walked away, her back to them, her walkie-talkie to her ear. What was going on?

Half a minute later, Roberta turned around and came back.

“I just got an update from the command post,” Roberta said. “The suspect has not left the house as we had hoped. Sheriff Granger is moving to a different location. He’s going to use his bullhorn and attempt to communicate with the suspect. You’re free to stay here, but once the operation begins, you need to remain perfectly still. Everybody understand?”

Four heads bobbed in unison.

“Good.”

“I can’t speak for anybody else,” Buck said, “but I think this’d be a good time to ask God for a little backup.”

Buck took Abby’s hand and held out his other hand to Hawk. “Come on, son. I’ll do the talkin’.”

Kate stood dumbfounded as Hawk joined hands with Buck and held out his other hand to her.

“Mama?” Hawk said.

Kate’s heart nearly pounded out of her chest. Despite her doubts and audible renouncements of once-held spiritual beliefs, she felt herself walk over and take hold of Hawk’s hand—and then Abby’s. How long had it been since the family prayed together?

Kate was so self-conscious that she didn’t hear much of her dad’s prayer. But she felt the power of it—something else she hadn’t experienced in a long time.



Virgil stood hidden in the trees about fifty yards from the suspect’s house. He put the bullhorn to his lips.

“Walter Tutt. This is Sheriff Virgil Granger of the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department. Your house is completely surrounded by law enforcement officers. We’re not here to harm you or your mother in any way. We came to take Ella back into foster care until a judge reviews the facts of her family history. There’s no way for you to escape, sir. We know you thought you were doing the right thing by bringing Ella home with you. We’re all on the same side here. We all want what’s best for that little girl. Come out, and let’s talk about it. Open the front door slowly, and come out unarmed with your hands in the air.”

Virgil stood quietly for perhaps a full minute, then put the bullhorn to his lips and repeated essentially the same message phrased a little differently.

“He’s not going to cooperate, Sheriff,” the SWAT captain said over the walkie-talkie. “Say the word, and we’ll go in and get the girl.”

“SWAT team, hold your position,” Virgil said. “I repeat, hold your position.”

Virgil turned to Deputy Julie Martinez. “I’m sure Tutt’s mind must be reeling about now. Let’s give him time to respond. This has to be intimidating, especially to a backwoods guy who’s had little exposure to law enforcement and probably doesn’t trust us.”

Another minute passed with no response from Walter Tutt. “Okay, Martinez. You ready to take a stab at it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Julie took the bullhorn. “Walter, this is Julie Martinez. I’m a deputy sheriff. I’m also a mother. I know how important it is that we make absolutely sure that Ella goes home to the right parents. I know you want that too, or you wouldn’t have taken such a huge risk to remove her from foster care and hide her from the authorities. We understand why you did it. But, for Ella’s sake, we need to be sure who her real parents are before we let her go home. Why don’t you come out, and we’ll talk about it. We want to hear what you have to say. I promise we’ll listen. No one will harm you or your mother if you come out with your hands in the air. You’re a smart man, Walter. You got our attention, and we’re listening. But we need you to cooperate so we can all do the right thing for Ella.”

Julie lowered the bullhorn and took a deep breath and let it out.

“You’re doing great.” Virgil patted her shoulder.

“Sheriff, he’s opening the door,” said Kevin, who was watching the monitor at the command post. “Just a crack, but it’s definitely open.”

“Copy that.”

“What do you want me to do, Sheriff?” Julie said.

“Keep talking.”

Julie raised the bullhorn. “Thanks for opening the door, Walter. That shows me you want to cooperate. Now, just come out unarmed with your hands in the air. No one will harm you. We’ll talk about your brother.”

“Y’all just want Ella,” he hollered through the crack in the door. “You don’t care nothin’ ’bout me or my ma. Soon as you git Ella, you’ll take us down. I know how you work.”

“If you come out with your hands in the air, I promise neither you nor your mother will be harmed. Walter, we want to hear what you have to say. We have no desire to hurt you.”

“Ella’s our kin,” Walter said. “You got no right to take her from us.”

“Your brother, Isaiah, told you Ella was his daughter and that her mother died in childbirth. But that was a lie.”

“So you say! He says it ain’t.”

“We checked the state and county records,” Julie said, “and there’s no record that matches the name and birth date Isaiah gave us.”

“Them records could be lost,” he shouted.

“They’re not lost. We have good reason to believe that Isaiah killed Ella’s real father, then took her home and pretended she was his.”

“That’s crazy talk! Why would he do that when he didn’t have no wife?”

“So he could find a wife. Think about it, Walter. Wouldn’t most women feel sorry for a man who was raising a little girl on his own? Otha admitted to us that the reason she married Isaiah is that she did feel sorry for him and wanted to take care of Ella. She believed Ella was Isaiah’s daughter until yesterday, when he threw her down a hole with the two teenagers who came to rescue her. He threatened to kill all three of them. Told them he was going to feed them to his pigs.”

“That’s poppycock, pure ’n simple,” Walter said. “My brother’d never hurt Ella. You’d spout anything to git me to surrender.”

“I understand that you don’t trust us, Walter. But there is one sure way to resolve whether Isaiah is Ella’s father. We’re awaiting the results of a DNA test—that’s a scientific test—that will prove without any doubt whether Isaiah is really Ella’s father. Even if you don’t trust law enforcement, this test does not lie.”

“I don’t know nothin’ about that.”

“I’m telling you the truth. Ella’s life is at stake here. We can’t afford to play games. If you don’t believe me, ask Ella yourself if Isaiah threatened to kill her. She told us she doesn’t ever want to go back to him.”

There was a long pause on Walter’s end. Was he doing what Julie said—asking Ella?

Julie lowered the bullhorn and wiped the perspiration from her upper lip. “How am I doing?”

“Great. Keep him talking.” Virgil put the walkie-talkie to his lips. “SWAT, hold your position.”

“Copy, Sheriff. SWAT holding.”

Julie took a slow, deep breath and exhaled, then continued. “Walter, what’s it going to be? We need your cooperation in order to get Ella home where she belongs. Work with us!”

Another minute passed. Dead silence. Virgil squinted, his gaze focused on the house. What was Tutt doing? Should he send the SWAT team in or wait him out?

“Sheriff, the door is opening more,” Kevin said. “I can see the girl. But I can’t see Tutt.”

“All teams, hold your fire!” Virgil said. “Hold your fire!”

A few seconds later, Virgil could clearly see Ella standing alone on the wooden porch.

“Tell her where to go before I change my mind!” Tutt shouted, still hidden inside.

Julie spoke into the bullhorn, her voice calm and steady. “Ella, honey, run straight ahead into the woods. Don’t be afraid. I can see you. I’ll be right here to get you.”

Ella almost tripped rushing down the wooden steps.

“Kevin, is there any sign of Tutt?” Virgil said.

“Negative. The girl is crying her heart out, but I don’t see any visible wounds.”

“Agent Martinez,” Virgil said, “be ready to get her out of harm’s way.”

“Yes, sir.”

Everyone stood speechless as the scared little girl, dressed in a long pink nightgown, ran as fast as her little legs would carry her across the open area in front of the house toward the woods.

When Ella got close to the tree line, Julie stepped out from behind a tree and called to her. “Ella, over here, sweetie.”

Julie opened her arms, and Ella ran into her embrace, clutching her tightly and sobbing. Julie pulled her behind some bushes and rocked her from side to side.

“Kevin, any sign of Tutt?” Virgil said.

“Negative.”

“Copy that. SWAT team, move in,” Virgil said. “We need Tutt and his mother alive. Go!”

“SWAT team on the move. Stand by …”

Virgil glanced at the crying girl, and relief rushed through him. Now if the SWAT team could get Tutt into custody without bloodshed … He waited patiently, knowing the team planned to enter through a rear window in the basement.

“SWAT has gained access,” Kevin said. “Repeat, SWAT has gained access.”

“Copy.” Virgil lowered his walkie-talkie and smiled at Julie. “Good job. Call Deputy Freed and tell her to alert Kate that we have Ella Tutt in custody. And that I’ll be bringing her to the designated location shortly.”

Julie’s face beamed. “I will, sir. Right away.”

Virgil paced. He really wanted this thing to end peacefully.

“Sheriff, this is SWAT. We’ve completed our search. The mother is unharmed and in custody. But we can’t locate the suspect.”

“He’s there,” Virgil said. “We’ve got a visual on the entire house. He hasn’t emerged. Doesn’t the mother know where he is?”

“Negative. She was locked in her room.”

Silence.

“Search the house again,” Virgil said.

“Conducting second search. Over.”

Virgil studied Julie as she talked on the phone, her arm still around Ella. He hadn’t been sure when he picked a female deputy to try negotiating with Walter whether the man would be receptive to a woman. Julie had proven herself once again. Ella looked dazed, but she had stopped crying.

“Sir, this is SWAT. We’ve swept every room, including the attic and basement. The suspect is not in the house.”

“He has to be,” Virgil said, trying not to show his irritation. “The command post has maintained a visual of the entire exterior of the home. He never left.”

“I’m not sure what else to tell you, Sheriff,” the SWAT captain said. “He’s not here.”

“You’ve searched closets? Trunks? Cupboards?”

“Yes, sir.”

“He didn’t just vanish!” Virgil paused and took a deep breath. This was ridiculous. “All teams, maintain the perimeter. I repeat, maintain the perimeter.” Virgil hit the speed dial on his cell phone.

“This is Mann.”

“Kevin, what happened?” Virgil said. “Did you lose the guy?”

“Absolutely not, Sheriff. I’ve been watching the house from every angle. I assure you, if he’d come out, I would’ve seen him.”

“Well, he didn’t just disappear!”

“He must still be in the house somewhere.”

“SWAT can’t find him. They’ve searched twice.”

“I heard. I have no explanation. I never took my eyes off the monitors. There’s no way he slipped by me.”

“All right. Maintain visual.” Virgil disconnected the call and hit the speed-dial number for Billy Gene Duncan.

“Hey, Sheriff. This is Duncan.”

“I want you and Hobbs to get inside Tutt’s home and go over it with a fine-tooth comb. Check every conceivable place where there could be a hidden room or compartment. Proceed as if the suspect is still inside and armed and dangerous. SWAT will have your backs.”

“Copy that,” Billy Gene said. “We’re on our way.”

“Keep me posted.”

Virgil turned to Julie. “I need you to try to talk Walter out of the house. If he keeps this up, he’s going to get himself killed. There’s no need for that.”

“What about Ella?”

“I’m going to take her to meet someone.” Virgil smiled at Ella. “A very nice lady named Miss Kate she can stay with until the social worker arrives.”

“Has the social worker been called?” Julie said.

Virgil shot Julie a knowing look. “Not yet.”

Julie rose to her feet and picked up the bullhorn. “Walter, this is Julie Martinez. Thank you for letting Ella go. You did the right thing. No one got hurt. Your mother is safe. Now, I need you to do another right thing. I need you to come out of the house with your hands in the air and come down to the station with us, where we can talk about Isaiah. I know you have questions. We want to answer them.”

Virgil’s cell phone buzzed. He heard a lot of static on the line and then a male voice.

“Sheriff, it’s Billy Gene. We’ve got the suspect in custody. I repeat, we got him.”

“That was fast,” Virgil said. “Where in the world was he?”

“Winda’ seat had a hidden door. He’d crawled inside and was holed up there.”

“How’d you discover that?”

Billy Gene chuckled. “I just hollered ‘fire,’ and Mr. Tutt come a squirmin’ outta that winda’ seat like a wild hog from a mud pit.”

Virgil felt a grin tugging at his cheeks. Leave it to Billy Gene to think of a simple solution. “Good work. Bring him in. All teams, suspect’s in custody. Operation is complete. Repeat, suspect’s in custody. It’s over.” Virgil looked at Julie. “You did great work. Thanks.”

“I’m just glad it didn’t get violent,” she said.

“Me, too.” Virgil lifted his Stetson and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. “I’ll take Ella to meet Miss Kate. I want you to call Roberta and tell her to remind Kate of everything we talked about.”

“I will.”

Virgil held out his hand. “Come on, honey. You’re safe now.”

As Virgil walked the child to his squad car, his insides felt jittery—and not because of the standoff with Walter Tutt. He had waited for this moment for five long years. He couldn’t imagine what Kate was feeling about now.