Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
Sandra flinched at the sound of gunfire.
“He’s fired his weapon again!” Kreiger was shaking his head. “That’s it, Vos. I’ve had it.” He got up and left the vehicle, and Sandra followed.
“Don’t do this. Not yet.” Her petitioning fell flat, even for herself. Ryan was becoming more unpredictable with every passing minute.
Kreiger spun around. His cheeks were bright red. “And why shouldn’t I?”
“We’re close to wrapping this up and proving that his mother was murdered.”
“I’m not sure I even care anymore.”
Sandra let a few seconds pass, not buying for a minute the lieutenant was that callous. He was frustrated more than anything and still struggling with memories from his past case. “I’ll push him on moving forward with the press release outside.”
“You don’t even know what happened in there.”
“Not yet, but I can use it to get his cooperation. It’s taking place outside or not at all.” It hurt her to think what that might equate to. While she’d assured Ryan of his safety, she had no real control over it.
“There’s no room for negotiation on this. Not anymore. He comes out—unarmed—to meet with the reporter”—he added finger quotes—“or it doesn’t happen at all. Am I understood?”
“Clearly.” Her phone pinged softly in her pocket. A text… She had the volume just loud enough to hear it, but she’d check the message in a minute. “Let me call him and find out what happened in there.”
“And I’ll make sure everyone is ready.”
The dark tone to his voice left no doubt that everyone included getting snipers into position.
Kreiger continued walking, and she returned to the vehicle. “I’m calling Ryan,” she told everyone, taking her seat and putting on her headset.
The others got ready, and she made the call.
Ryan answered. “I didn’t mean to do that. It just happened.”
Sandra had heard that line before, and it hadn’t boded well in the past. “What happened, Ryan?”
“I fired the gun, but I promise no one was hurt. I swear.”
“I hear you. I even believe you, but my boss… well, he’ll want proof before we move ahead with the reporter. Could I talk to every one of the Hansons?”
“Okay.”
There was a rustling on that end.
“Get… me… out… of… here.” Edward’s speech was fragmented, and Sandra took little encouragement that he was still alive. He sounded rough.
“Trust me, I’m working on that.”
“Next,” Ryan said.
Soon after, “Hello?” It was the voice of a young girl.
“Is this Sophie?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Sandra Vos. I’m with the FBI. Is everyone in there okay?”
“Not really. My dad… He’s not looking so good.” She started crying.
“I get it, Sophie. Just hang in there, okay? Hopefully, this will all be over soon.”
“Please.”
At the girl’s earnest appeal, Sandra pinched her St. Michael pendant. Her brother didn’t need to die. And the last thing she wanted to do was fail Edward and the Hansons. “I’m doing all I can. Can you put me on with your mother?”
“Yes.”
“This is Ashley.”
“How are you, ma’am? Have you been hurt?”
“No, only my husband was earlier.”
“And the shot that was just fired?”
“That bullet went into the—”
“Enough,” Ryan cut in.
There was some more rustling, then a boy spoke.
“Hello? It’s Brayden.”
“How are you doing, Brayden?”
“I couldn’t breathe, but now I… can.”
Sandra resisted looking at the others. Brayden sounded like he was still struggling to breathe. “We are working to get you out of there. Just hang in there, okay?”
“Okay.”
“There. You spoke with all of them. They’re all alive.”
“Edward doesn’t sound so good, Ryan.”
“He’ll live.”
“We can’t know that.” She fell silent, letting it carry the load for several seconds.
“I’ve thought about your offer. To do the interview out front. Fine.”
Sandra glanced at Donny, and he nodded, as if perceiving what she was thinking. Though she highly doubted he did. She had a new strategy in mind. “Here’s the thing, Ryan, my boss really isn’t too happy out here. He’s a hair’s breadth away from calling off the news channel.”
Donny’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened in an O.
“He’s what? No, you can’t go back on our deal.” His voice felt flat. He had to know his bargaining power would diminish the second he fired his weapon again.
“It’s not me, Ryan. But I might be able to change his mind if you give me something.”
“What?”
“You release Edward Hanson for medical attention, and I’ll see what I can do. I’m sure he’ll be in a better mood to discuss it again.” If he agreed, it would still leave three Hansons inside, including two children, but with Edward’s injuries he was the priority.
The silence stretched out, but this wasn’t one that Sandra was going to break. He could even come back and say he’d already done her a favor by letting her speak to the family. She’d deal with that if it came up.
“Okay,” Ryan eventually said and clicked off.
“He’s going to surrender Edward,” Sandra told Neal.
“I’ll text Kreiger,” Neal said, getting right on that.
She nodded and took a deep breath, but his saying that reminded her she had a message of her own. She took out her phone and found it was a text from Eric.
“That woman said the bullet ‘went into the…’, but she didn’t finish her sentence,” Donny said.
“A ceiling or a wall, a piece of furniture,” Monica suggested.
Donny swiveled toward the scribe. “It sounds like it was something at least, not someone.”
Gibson didn’t weigh in but updated the markerboard.
Neal’s phone chimed. After consulting it, he shared his message with the team. “Kreiger has agreed to proceed with the undercover reporter ruse if Edward is released. Sandra? That’s good news, right?”
“Yes, it—” Her mind was distracted by Eric’s text.
Eyewitness accounts were tampered with. One just confirmed that a rental van ran Susan off the road… Not mentioned in the crash report…
She was about to update the team when there was a knock at the door.
Neal rushed to answer it. “Yes, come inside.” He backed up, and a woman in her late twenties or early thirties entered, along with a tall man in his sixties.
“Most of you probably know her, but this is Officer Moore for those who don’t.”
Sandra appreciated she probably wasn’t the only new face. The MPD was a big department. “Nice to meet you. Special Agent Sandra Vos.”
Moore shook Sandra’s hand. She was of smaller stature and had her brown hair tied back into a loose bun. Her brown eyes assessed her surroundings in a quick glance. “An honor to meet you, ma’am.”
“And you.” She meant that, because the little she’d learned about the officer, she respected.
Moore and Donny shook hands, too, then Moore turned and said, “This is Dale Kramer, Hanson’s top security guy.”
“I’m happy to help however I can,” Kramer said. “I’d do anything for the Hanson family.”
A shiver raked down Sandra’s spine. Did anything entail murder?