Page 30 of Save Her Life

“Romano’s Pizzeria.”

That is only a few blocks away. The sirens that had rung through the corridors and hallways of the mall…Were they for Sam?I’m going to be sick…

“Miss?”

I hang up and run from the mall. Police have the pizza joint surrounded and cordoned off.

Hours later, my horrible premonition is proven true.

Sam, my twin brother, is dead.

He was the only casualty that day.

Her exhales became heavier, creating clouds of white in the cool air. If only she had heeded that earlier feeling, could she have done something to change his fate? It was a question she revisited repeatedly and always landed in the same spot. There was nothing that she could have done. No warning signs, rendering her powerless to prevent his death. It was too late the second that bullet had entered his chest. If only Patton had surrendered sooner, maybe her brother would be running next to her now. Though that thought made her smile. There was no way. As much as he loved sports, he’d hated running.

Her smartwatch beeped, alerting her to the fact her heart rate was too high. She slowed her pace. Her brother was long gone but always with her. Not only was he in her mind, heart, and soul, and the pendant she wore, but he was by her side every day she did her job. Every time she helped hostages walk away. And while she should take consolation from the fact the majority survived yesterday’s ordeal, the fallen weighed heavily on her.

Stanley Moody, the pharmacist, had left behind a wife and two children. That poor family would be burying their beloved husband and father. Was there something more she could have done or said that would have altered the course of events or make it so he was still alive?

The security guard had walked away unscathed, and when the final word reached her, she had the full story. When denied the medication, Gavin had instantly become agitated and started to threaten the pharmacist. He escalated to physical threats when the verbal ones were ineffective and pretended to have a gun in his pocket. At that point, the security guard showed up. Gavin grabbed a woman near him and said he’d shoot her if the guard didn’t relinquish his gun. He complied, and Gavin seized the weapon and had everyone gather in the middle of the store. He’d locked the door, and surprisingly no one got away before he shut the place down.

She’d replayed the incident in her dreams when she eventually fell into a restless sleep. She didn’t always get the complete background, but it felt like closure when she did. But none of this made her immune to feeling the loved ones’ grief. And maybe that was because she let herself get too close byseeingpeople for who they really were. But this empathy was also a strength, letting her view things from perspectives other than her own. This ability might have been sharpened by her own loss. They say there is a blessing in everything, and while it’s hard to see in the face of grief, it’s easier to discern when the clouds start to clear.

She also learned that life could change in an instant and not to take a single moment for granted. Something she was reminded of every time she was called in for crisis negotiation.

Her phone rang, and she stopped running and slowly jogged in place. It was her boss.

“Hello.” She’d save the professional greeting. He knew who he was calling.

“Good afternoon.”

“Not quite but getting closer.” She smiled. Being precise was hardwired. Another aspect of her personality that was well suited to the job.

“I meant it as sarcasm. You know what? Never mind. Are we going to see you at the office today?”

“You bet.”

“And when would that be?”

She looked at her smartwatch.Eleven thirty now, so…“In an hour.” She’d head home, shower, grab a bite to eat, and get to the field office.

“All right, well, I’m starting the stopwatch now.”

Either he was making a poor attempt at playing a micro manager, or it was a testament to her punctuality. She said an hour, it would be an hour. Not a minute more. Not one less.

“I got a call routed to me from the front desk. They were looking for you but…”

Sandra stopped jogging in place and held her breath, waiting for him to finish that sentence. The assistant director had a bad habit of starting to say something and letting it dangle out there. “Who was it? Is there a message?”

“A man named Joshua Cobb.”

“The husband of the pregnant woman.”

“That’s right.”

“What did he have to say? Is she okay? The baby?”Don’t tell me they didn’t make it…

“Both are fine.” His smile traveled over the line. “It was a girl, five pounds, three ounces. They named her Gina. The way the father announced it, I got the impression that name might mean something to you. Does it?”

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