Page 9 of Every Last One
“Offer accepted,” Gibson said. “Right now, I’m monitoring the scanner for radio transmissions to see if we can latch on to our perps.”
“You can help me with backgrounds,” the woman said, holding out her hand to Brice, then Sandra. “Monica Harding, scribe, though I’m stepping up to fill multiple roles right now.”
Her smile created fine lines around her mouth. Otherwise, no gray hairs or wrinkles in sight. She had brown hair and a smooth complexion. It was refreshing to be working with another woman, as it wasn’t that common in this field. “Nice to meet you,” Sandra told her.
“Likewise.”
“So who are the backgrounds on?” Brice asked, pulling his laptop from his bag and claiming the workstation next to Monica.
“Officers are gathering plate numbers from the parking garages and vehicles parked on the surrounding streets. They’re forwarding these along, and we’re pulling backgrounds on the registrations to see if anything flags.”
Sandra admired the proactive approach. “Good idea. Especially with the street parking. It could be more appealing to our perps, offering greater ease of getting away.”
“Not that anyone is getting far,” Neal said.
“True enough, but that’s not how the human mind is wired to think.” Unlike animals, people consciously planned for the future. If the people inside had any intention of walking awayfrom this, they would have thought this through. Even against logic that would tell them a clean break wasn’t likely.
There was a knock on the vehicle’s door, and Neal walked past them to answer. Sandra looked over his shoulder and spotted a uniformed officer and a male civilian next to him.
“Luis Rigby, the hospital’s director of emergency management,” the man announced.
“Welcome to the party,” Neal said, backing up.
Luis stepped into the vehicle. Dressed in pleated pants and a light jacket, he was anything but the picture of composure. His forehead was glistening, his hair poked out from behind his ears, and his glasses were sliding down his nose. He had a zipped leather portfolio tucked under his right arm.
“You’ve got a mishmash here today. The MPD and the FBI.”
The man’s eyes jabbed toward her and Brice. Sandra chalked it up to nervousness. Their presence often made people uncomfortable.
Neal quickly ran through the introductions. “Here, take a load off.” Neal gestured to the bench seating. “Coffee or anything? Would that make you more comfortable?”
“I’m fine.” Luis offered a tepid smile and pulled his portfolio from under his arm as he sat down.
“Yes, we won’t bite. I promise.” Neal was grinning and let the expression travel to Sandra.
“Though, this one might.” She jacked a thumb toward Brice, trying to lighten the tension.
Luis looked at him, and Brice was shaking his head. “She’s playing with you.”
“Oh.” Luis pushed his glasses up his nose.
Luis struck her as a touch socially awkward, but it was hard to know if that was the stress of the day having that effect. Most people, even those in emergency management, weren’temotionally prepared for situations like today. “You seem a little out of sorts,” Sandra said, showing empathy.
Luis met her gaze. “You could say that, but…” He took a deep breath, smiled, and sat back, shoulders square. “My job is to ensure that procedures are followed in cases where something like this happens.”
“Has it ever happened before?” She had asked to show interest, already knowing the answer. Helping Luis realize his nerves were perfectly normal.
“No, and now that it has, it’s nothing short of overwhelming.” He pushed up his glasses that had slid down the slope of his nose again.
“Well, you’re safe here, and we intend to resolve this peacefully before anyone inside is hurt.” Sandra was running on the presumption no one had been injured, but her softened tone appeared to soothe the man.
“Thank you for saying that.” His shoulders relaxed, and he withdrew a slim laptop from his portfolio.
Sandra didn’t miss the look shared between Neal and the other MPD cops. Monica pressed her lips and nodded.
“We understand you were working with the service provider to reactivate the hospital’s phone system remotely. What are they saying?” Neal asked.
“That itshouldbe possible, but it all depends on how it was knocked out. The good news is they can see the network, so someone didn’t just pull the plug.”
