Page 91 of Every Last One
“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. I understand. It’s best we keep some mystery about ourselves.” Brice turned to walk back to the vehicle door.
“It’s Margo, my mom.”
He pivoted back but didn’t speak, leaving the space open for her to continue.
“Something’s wrong with her.” She gave him the highlights. “I guess the doctor has some answers, but I’ll need to wait until this is all over. Apparently, it’s news best delivered face to face.”
“Oh, Sandra. I’m sorry to hear that. You should go to her. I can handle this and step up as lead.” He put the latter out there with a bit of a smirk, as if teasing with her.
“Wouldn’t you like that?” she volleyed back, trying to muster some frivolity. “No, in all seriousness, my leaving wouldn’t change things anyway. I’m seeing this through. We’re close now. We’ve got to be, and Mindy Ashmore is used to dealing with me.”
“All right, but if you change your mind…”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I won’t.”
“Ah, you might like to know something else.”
Sandra braced herself.
“A bit of Kreiger’s mystery has been unraveled. After you both left, Neal told me Kreiger’s haunted by a past incident whenhe held off from sending ERT in. The gunman killed a family of four, including a six-year-old boy.”
Sandra assimilated that. She thought back to earlier when she’d mistaken his abandoned sentence for judgment.I’m not, but…It came after Brice pointed out the innocent lives at stake in that boardroom. She’d assumed Kreiger didn’t see them that way. She was wrong and couldn’t have been further from the truth. After Kreiger’s experience, he’d always consider the innocent, the ones in danger. He wanted a peaceful resolution like she did, but life told him that came from action, not talking. “Thank you for telling me.”
FORTY-NINE
7:05 PM
There was fifteen minutes on the clock when Sandra was standing outside the hospital’s main doors with ERT at her side. They had her in a vest and armed with a hidden mic, but she refused to carry a weapon. If Mindy searched her and found a weapon it could be seen as a threat and turn things sideways in a flash. That didn’t stop Sandra from wishing for a gun in an ankle holster. Olivia’s father, like a real-life Rambo, never left home without one.
Luis provided them with override codes for the stairwells, which they were going to use instead of the elevators. It would be far easier to contain risk that way. If the elevators started operating before the perps were disarmed, then people could unload and potentially find themselves in the crossfire.
An agent from the Washington Field Office delivered the cash in a backpack and left.
Sandra had called Mindy to let her know she was coming in with the money and to have her team position themselves at the stairwell doors for apprehension. Mindy’s request came over the walkie-talkies a moment later. She received agreement from everyone, including Tom Sparling. But Luis confirmed throughsecurity video that everyone was in position but Tom Sparling. They were still going to move ahead with their plan.
The ERT officer, a man named Albert Willis, turned to her. “Just remember, do whatever you can to get the blinds open in that boardroom. If we need to, we’ll handle the rest.”
She nodded, knowing how they’dhandlethings.It would be through a sniper’s rifle. The thought of facilitating Mindy Ashmore’s execution didn’t sit well. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Just do your job, and we’ll do ours.”
The ERT unit commander made a motion with his arm, and the officers moved inside the hospital. The one in the lead swiped the keycard to unlock the main doors, and they flocked to the stairwell.
After getting there, the group made their way up. Three officers branched off on the second floor and took Carmen Feeney into custody. Three ERT officers walked out on the fourth against her judgment. From the last update before they left, Sparling was still in Phoebe Chapman’s room. Kreiger’s argument was the possibility for casualties was contained, and it was his call. While two would position themselves down the hall from Chapman’s room, the third would accompany Dr. Bell with Jordon Maddox and Nurse Mahoney to the main floor for surgery. They would use the elevator reserved for doctors to transport patients to surgery rooms. Those on it would be staff with the hospital and know the procedure during lockdown. Again, less risk.
The process repeated on the sixth, where two more ERT officers took to the hallways to bring down Shane Perkins.
This left Sandra with ERT Officers Willis and Kemp as they continued to the eighth floor.
“If you need to stop and rest, we can do that.” He glanced over his shoulder at her.
“I’m fine.” Her regular jogging gave her incredible cardio health, and it took a lot for her to get winded. The fact she was carrying two hundred and fifty K in a backpack wasn’t enough to tax her heart. And she had her mind set. Phoebe Chapman was getting her life-saving surgery.
“Suit yourself.”
Two more series of stairs, and they were at the door with8on a sign next to it.
“This is us.” Willis paused by the door and adjusted his vest, then turned to her. “You ready?”
