I raced down the stairs to the second floor, took a quick glance through the infirmary doorway, and saw that, although there was at least one officer down, five people had already come to his aid.
But that’s not where I expected to find Melice anyway. No, he had another destination in mind.
I ran to the evidence room, whipped out my SIG, and kicked the door open. “Riley?” I said. No one at the counter. “Are you here?”
No reply.
“Creighton, you’re not going to get out of the building,” I called.
“I know what you’re after.”
Amidst the wails of the intruder alert, I swept the series of tightly packed rooms just like I’d been taught at the Academy, letting my gun lead me around each corner.
Run the walls, dig the corners.
Clear.
It’s never like you see in the movies. You don’t blaze into a place waving your gun in the air.
Run the walls, dig the corners.
Clear.
Any moment someone might shoot you, rush you, attack you.
Not knowing what lies around the corner is the most frightening thing of all.
Heart beating. Heart beating. The last room. I stepped in, scanned it. Saw my computer in the corner, the duffel bag missing. No other people.
Clear.
Then a moment to breathe.
So, Melice was gone. So was Kernigan.
How did Melice know the device was here?
Shade must have told him.
Shade. Shade.
Dunn? Kernigan? Melice’s doctor? Well, whoever Shade was, if Melice did get away, the two of them would be getting a little surprise when they opened their duffel bag. After all, before I exited the evidence room earlier today, I left my card wrapped up with my lovely makeshift contraption, along with a note scribbled on the back of the card: “If this one doesn’t work, give me a call and I’ll let you play with mine.” I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before either Shade or Melice contacted me The tables were beginning to turn.
I saw the duct tape I’d used still laying on the counter. Wait. The custodian’s closet. One more door.
I steadied my gun and edged to the closet. “Creighton? Are you in there? Come out.”
No response.
My heart beating and my gun ready, I threw open the door.
Inside, I found Officer Kernigan alive but unconscious. His uniform was missing.
Melice is dressed as an officer.
Even if the clothes didn’t fit well, even with his bloodied face and hand, Melice might still be able to slip away in the confusion.
I rushed to the hallway and pulled a sergeant to the side. “Don’t let anyone leave the building. Melice has an officer’s uniform. Make the announcement over the PA system. Do it now.” She looked at me quizzically for a moment. “Go,” I said, and at last she hurried off. I ran back to help Officer Riley Kernigan and found he’d been pistol-whipped. Probably had a concussion, but he looked like he’d be all right. He was stirring, so I helped him sit up and lean against the door. “You’re going to be OK, Riley,” I told him. He nodded.
After making sure he could sit up by himself, I verified that the actual device was still hidden safely behind twenty-five years of evidence, then I located an officer who’d been trained as an EMT, and I asked him to attend to Officer Kernigan.
Before leaving the evidence room, I went to the log-in forms to see if anyone had stopped by to look at the “video camera” since I’d first visited the room. After Lien-hua’s suggestion that Dunn might be Shade, I wondered if I might find his name.
But I didn’t.
I found Margaret’s.
And the facts of the case began to spin apart once again. I retrieved my computer. I could review the video in a few minutes to see if Margaret knew more about the device than she was letting on. But first, I needed to stop by the infirmary to see the extent of the pain Melice had succeeded in causing.