Page 87 of Heat of Justice

“IT’S A BOMB!” A woman screamed it.

“Everybody stay calm,” Cody countered immediately.

It was too late, her voice was lost in the chaos.Everyone suddenly rushed for the doors in a mad scramble. While some kept enough of a cool head to do the right thing and assist less able people, others just gave in to panic. It turned into a massive free-for-all.

“Bloomin’ heck!” a woman yelled louder than all the rest. “Will you lot bloody calm down?”

British accent; clearly pissed off. Cody glanced over to catch the pregnant woman holding two men back to allow a couple of kids to squeeze through the doors.Good.She exchanged a look with the passenger in the wheelchair, who seemed resigned to the fact that he might be the last to leave the train. Or not at all, for that matter.

“It’s okay. I won’t leave you behind,” Cody promised.

First, though, she walked to the far end of the carriage and slowly, with the utmost care, slid the briefcase under one of the seats. Best she could do. She considered firing a bullet through the laminated safety glass and hurling the case out onto the tracks as far as she could. But another carriage was in front, and on the side, a solid brick wall. So she just focused her efforts on what she could control, and helping people out. All the kids were gone now, she noted, as well as the pregnant woman. Others were frantically shoving and pushing to get through. Fists flew between two men who really should know better. She grabbed the closest one to her by the collar of his shirt and shoved him back.

“You fucking—"

“Knock it off!” Cody snapped when he turned on her in a rage.

Passengers went on squeezing through the narrow opening. Twenty... Fifteen…Not fast enough.

“Go, go,” she encouraged.

Cody also reflected that they were lucky the train had stopped where it did, not further into the dark tunnel, and that the doors were not blocked.

“I’m Jim, by the way.” The construction worker had stayed behind to help.

“Cody,” she nodded tightly.

“It’s a bomb?” he muttered. “Really?”

“Don’t know for certain. Let’s just get out of here, eh?”

“You bet!”

This may turn out to be nothing. Maybe just a prank from Swastika man, and a stupid gesture to go with it. But this, Cody knew, was probably wishful thinking on her part. Someone must know something in order to trigger a full emergency evacuation. She clenched her teeth as she recalled her partner’s nightmares. Meanwhile, Jim slid one arm under the disabled man’s legs to lift him up. His eyes shone with resolve and determination.

“Let’s getcha out, man.”

“Thank you… Thank you,” the white-haired man said in a trembling voice.

“No problem. Detective, clear the way for us, will you?”

chapter 28

Fire trucks and the bomb disposal team had just arrived on the scene when the explosion occurred. It was clearly heard. The ground shook, and a cloud of thick black smoke immediately billowed out of the open stairway. People still kept coming up from the lower levels, at a run now. Kim cast a quick glance in Wesley’s direction. The lieutenant was delivering instructions to the fire captain and the leader of the bomb squad. Ellie stood with them, listening, ready to spring into action. Both were no longer paying attention to her… which was good, Kim reflected, because she did not want to be held back again at this point. Cody was down there, so there was no question in her mind that it was where she would be headed too. She moved quickly toward the stairs, hiding behind other people. But then it was like a giant hand landing on the back of her neck, squeezing, forcing her to stop. And take a look.Blond guy; glasses; dark.There was blackness around him, and not from any kind of smoke. Without pausing to think or doubt herself, Kim hurried back to grab Ellie by the arm.

“Him,” she hissed, pointing at the man.

“What?”

“Stop him.”

Ellie, bless her, hesitated less than a micro-second before launching into action.

“Sir?”

Kim held her breath as she watched her walk after the guy, fingers around the butt of her weapon but not drawing it yet.

“Sir!” Ellie repeated louder. “Hold it.”

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