Chapter 37
THIRTY-SEVEN
Sandra was gathered with Brice, Kreiger, and Neal around Luis and his laptop. Live video from the fourth floor was playing out on the screen. Nurse Torres had just come out of the Chapman room and was hustling toward Jordon Maddox. She kept giving furtive looks over her shoulder.
“Where’s the gunman?” Brice asked. “Did you see him leave the Chapman room earlier?”
Luis shook his head. “No one has come or gone from that room since we all watched them go in there. That is, until now.”
Sandra kept her gaze on the screen.
“What does she think she’s doing?” Kreiger asked.
Sandra was wondering what had happened in that room that allowed Torres the freedom to go to Maddox’s side.
Nurse Torres sat on the floor next to him, and the two had what appeared to be a tender exchange. She then took something from his pocket. A small box?
“He’s proposing,” Sandra said, stunned.
“From the looks of it, she accepted,” Brice said.
But the engagement glow didn’t last for long. Torres got up and grabbed a wheelchair. But instead of loading up Maddox, she pushed it back into the Chapman room.
“What the… I thought she was going to move Maddox,” Neal said.
“This ought to be interesting.” Kreiger crossed his arms and leaned forward, concentrating on the screen.
Nothing happened for several minutes.
When it did, everyone pulled back. Torres was wheeling the gunman out of Chapman’s room. His head was slumped to the side, suggesting he was unconscious. The fact Torres left Maddox suggested the gunman was still alive and a potential threat.
Torres went out of sight of the camera, but Luis was quick about transitioning to another one.
“Any idea where she might be taking him?” Neal looked at Luis.
“Not a clue.”
Meanwhile on the screen, Torres stopped in front of a door and pressed in a code on a keypad. She left the gunman in place while she propped something against the door to keep it open. Then she wheeled the gunman inside and shut the door.
“What is that room?” Kreiger asked.
“A supplies storage room, some stationery, but also medical supplies such as gloves, needles, and bandages. It locks automatically when it’s shut. There is a release switch inside, though, if one knows where to look.”
“Guess the nurse just did our jobs for us and cleared the fourth floor,” Kreiger said.
Sandra feared he might be getting ahead of things. “Just one floor,” she stressed.
“We still have Feeney armed on the second,” Brice pointed out.
“And I haven’t seen her in a while,” Luis said. “She went into a restroom hours ago, and hasn’t come back out.”
“Then we have two of four taken care of,” Kreiger said. “We move in, while someone continues to monitor the live feed to alert us if she comes out. What about the guy on the sixth floor?”
Luis clicked some buttons, but the screen was blacked out.
“What’s going on? Fix it.” Kreiger thrust a pointed finger toward the screen.
Luis brought up older footage, and they discovered the origin of the problem. They watched as the gunman went around and disabled the cameras.
“Yeah, there’s nothing I can do about that,” Luis said.
“We thought this guy was a techie, given how he disabled the hospital’s phone system,” Brice said. “But there’s nothing that techie about unplugging the cameras or slicing the wires.”
On the screen, the man had acquired a ladder and was pushing up near the cameras. He was likely lifting the ceiling tiles to get to the wires. But for every two steps he took up the ladder, he stepped back one, until he got all the way up.
“Well, it seems he has a type of compulsion disorder.” Sandra shared what she observed with the others, not sure how to use it with negotiations, though. She couldn’t even get him on the phone.
Luis switched the feed to the coverage of the fourth floor.
Torres was back at Maddox’s side, and there was another doctor with them. She must have gone to get a doctor for him. Sandra hoped it would be enough to give Maddox the chance of pulling through this.
There was a knock on the door, and Sandra answered to find Eric standing there with two evidence bags in hand.
“Delivering Feeney’s laptop, as promised.”
She took the computer from him as he stepped inside, and she handed it over to Brice. He took it to his station and got to work.
“And what’s that in there?” Sandra asked, gesturing toward the other bag.
“I was just going to get to that. So a chat with Feeney’s boyfriend was enlightening.
” Eric told them the story of Feeney’s mother, and Sandra was feverish by the time he’d finished.
Feeney’s mother had checked into the hospital for standard treatment but left in a body bag.
Losing her mother that way would have been devastating.
It was so random, there would be no preparation. Heartbreaking.
Margo, I need you to be all right…
“I found this on Feeney’s dresser.” Eric handed Sandra a framed photograph. “It’s Feeney with her mother.”
Sandra’s heart pinched looking at the image of the smiling women.
Their body language confirmed they were close.
The way they had their heads resting against each other.
But there was pain in both women’s eyes.
This picture was probably taken before the unknown bacterial infection devastated her body.
“As if losing her mother wasn’t enough, Feeney was saddled with the medical debt from her mother’s treatment,” Eric said.
“That would be enough to trigger anyone,” Sandra said. “And earlier you mentioned she was being evicted from her house.”
“Lots of bad luck hitting all within a short time,” Eric said.
Neal shook his head. “Like a line of dominoes falling over.”
“I feel for the woman,” Kreiger wedged in, “but we all fall on rough times in life. Most of us don’t storm into a hospital with a gun.”
Brice said, “Desperate times call for—”
“Please don’t say it.” Kreiger leveled Brice with a hard glare.
“Well, that’s about it for now,” Eric said, turning to leave.
“Hold up. Any more on Cross? The search of his house turn up anything?” Neal asked.
“Not yet, but I’m going to pop over and see how things are coming along.” Eric shot her a look before he left the vehicle, and she debated whether she should follow and have a word with him or not. She decided she would and set the framed photograph on the table before following him.
“Eric? Hold up a minute.” Sandra hurried after him.
He turned around and closed the distance between them. “What’s going on? Are you all right?”
She uncrossed her arms, realizing she’d been hugging herself, and she pinched her St. Michael pendant. When his eyes fell to her hands, she let them fall by her sides.
“What is it?” He stepped within a few inches of her and peered into her eyes.
Sandra licked her lips and shook her head. Tears filled her vision.
He cupped her elbows with his hands. “Talk to me.”
“It’s Mom.” Just two words, but the pain they carried spliced through her. She appreciated he held the silence, letting her pace herself for when and how she continued. “She was taken to Howard University Hospital this morning.”
“Oh, Sandra, I’m sorry. I hope it’s nothing serious.”
His calm energy soothed her. He must have assumed nothing bad because she was still here. “She fainted, and the doctors are running tests. Dana assured me she’s being well looked after, but I worry that…”
He moved like he was going to hug her, but he stopped short. He was aware how she felt about public displays of affection, and this showed he respected her viewpoint. “You can leave, Sandra. Someone else could step up in your place. Heck, Brice is already here.”
“No. Besides, Dana said the doctors there are taking good care of her. I’d just be sitting there when I can be helpful here.” As she recapped this, she questioned if she was barricading behind her fears by staying put.
“I get that. Do they know what caused her to faint?”
“Not exactly. All they know is her iron levels are so low, she’s anemic.” She’d checked her phone quickly just before Eric had shown up.
“I’m sorry this is happening, Sandra.”
She scanned his eyes. “Could you go over there? Maybe just pop by and check in with Dana? I mean if you have a minute.”
“I’ve never met them before.”
He was right, but somehow, she’d forgotten about that. Making this request of him felt natural. “Maybe it’s time that changes.”
“All right. Leave it with me. I’ll head over there when I have a minute.”
She’d love to kiss him and fall into his arms, but now wasn’t the time. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.”
She stood there, watching him walk away, thinking she was lucky to have him in her life. It might be time to discuss taking their relationship to the next level. But that was a conversation for another day. Right now, she had a job to do.