‘Good. For now, get out and down,’ Adam said, quickly bringing them up to speed when they were shielded by the SUV. ‘Deacon, you and Trip and the two other Feds check out the neighbor’s house. Make sure we have clearance to go in after Hanson if he’s the one in there. I don’t want him to slide on any procedural errors on our part. Scarlett and I will approach Linnie, and, as soon as the child and Linnie are safe, you move in on the neighbor’s house.’ He met Nash’s eyes. ‘I need to get Meredith somewhere safe. Everyone on Isenberg’s team is either in the hospital or here. She’ll be safest back in the hospital and I don’t trust any of these other cops to take her. I don’t know any of them.’
‘But you trust me?’ Nash asked quietly.
Adam nodded. ‘Yes,’ he said and meant it. ‘I do.’
Emotion flickered in Nash’s eyes. ‘Thank you. I’ll contact you when she’s safe.’
Deacon waited until Nash had crossed the street. ‘You’re sure?’ he murmured.
Adam nodded. ‘Yes. Plus, I’m sure that I can’t have her here and focus at the same time. My gut is telling me that Hanson is around, or will be. I need her somewhere else, because he’d hurt her to get to me. I need you all here, because when I get the kid and Linnie, I’m leaving too.’
‘For what it’s worth,’ Trip said, ‘Isenberg said the same thing. I was to stay, Nash was to take Meredith, and you were to leave as soon as the hostage situation was resolved.’
‘That’s worth a lot,’ Adam said. ‘Thanks.’
Then, garbed in complete tactical gear, he and Scarlett walked up the driveway, bending at the waist so that the SUVs hid them from view of the neighbor’s windows. Once on the porch, Adam knocked on the door. ‘This is Detective Kimble. Please open the door.’
It swung open, revealing Linnie holding Mikey on one bony hip. In her opposite hand, she held the gun with which she’d shot Butch Gilbert yesterday. She looked terrified.
Behind her stood Rita Hanson, hands covering her mouth in numb horror.
‘Linnie, I’m Detective Kimble. This is my partner Detective Bishop. You called me.’
‘I know,’ Linnea said, her nostrils flaring with every strained breath she took. ‘You said I’m not a suspect, but you brought a SWAT team.’
He’d considered warning her in advance, but hadn’t wanted to escalate the situation with her holding a toddler at gunpoint. Nor had he wanted to give Rita Hanson any information in the event she was in any way involved.
‘Not because of you,’ Adam assured. ‘We’re worried that Hanson will return.’
Rita made a strangled sound. ‘Adam? Why are you doing this?’
He tilted his head to the right, looking around Linnie to a devastated Rita. ‘I’m sorry, Rita. I know this is hard for you to believe. It’s been hard for me too.’ At least he hoped it was hard for her. He hoped she hadn’t been in on it. He hoped Wyatt had worked alone. ‘But the evidence points strongly to Wyatt’s guilt in this. He’s done some terrible things. Many of them to Linnie.’
‘No.’ Rita shook her head desperately. ‘It’s not true.’
‘It is,’ Adam said firmly. ‘Once we’ve got Linnie and Mikey safe, Detective Bishop will escort you to your room to collect a few things.’
‘Why?’ Rita shook her head again, wildly this time. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
‘We’re putting you into protective custody, ma’am,’ Scarlett told her, then gave Linnie a kind look. ‘I’ll take the baby now.’
Linnie’s chin came up, her arms clutching the toddler a little more tightly. ‘Where is Shane? I want to talk to him.’
‘He’s in protective custody,’ Adam told her, ‘because his life has been threatened twice now. But we can call him and let you talk to him. FaceTime, even. As soon as we get you to a safe place.’
Linnie nodded. ‘Please.’
‘Rita,’ Scarlett barked. ‘Freeze.’
Adam tensed, because Rita had crept close enough to grab the baby.
‘She has my baby!’ Rita screamed. ‘She’s going to hurt him.’
Mikey reached for his mother, and Linnie’s grip on the baby tightened even further, but the gun in her hand stayed pointed at the floor. Mikey squirmed, whimpering, and Linnie began to sway in response, murmuring, ‘It’s okay,’ into his ear.
Scarlett had her hand on her pistol, but hadn’t drawn. ‘Not if you don’t blow this situation up, Mrs Hanson,’ she said harshly. ‘Which will happen if you try that again. Now, walk into the living room and lie facedown on the floor.’
‘But . . . but . . .’ Rita spluttered. ‘She’s the criminal here!’
‘She hasn’t killed anyone,’ Adam said calmly. ‘Unlike your husband, I’m sorry to say. Now do as Detective Bishop asks. We want everyone here to stay safe too.’
‘I’ll have your job, Adam. I promise you,’ Rita vowed darkly, but complied. ‘And if my baby is hurt – one hair on his head – I’ll hunt you down myself.’
Linnie’s rocking had quieted the baby, who still whimpered, but no longer tried to jump from her arms. ‘Detective Bishop,’ Linnie said, as if she’d ignored all of Rita’s rant. ‘Are you related to the priest? The one whose church is above the shelter?’
‘He’s my uncle,’ Scarlett said. ‘He’s been worried about you. So have the sisters.’
‘They wouldn’t let you in,’ Linnie said, sounding small and young. ‘I saw Sister Jeanette blocking your path. Right before Butch . . . Yeah. Right before he died.’
Scarlett nodded. ‘She protected you. And for the record, we were there because we needed your help identifying your attacker. And we were afraid for you.’
‘So you always bring a SWAT team for one skinny girl?’ Linnie asked sarcastically.
‘When a mass killer is involved, then yes. He wants to kill you and we want to stop that from happening.’ Adam moved his hand toward his pocket. ‘I’m just going for my phone,’ he said. Pulling it from his pocket he dialed Parrish Colby’s untraceable cell. ‘Parrish? Can you put Shane on a FaceTime call? I want him to talk to Linnie. This minute.’
‘I’ll have him call back on FaceTime,’ Parrish promised.
Ten seconds later Adam’s phone buzzed with the incoming call. Shane’s face filled the screen, his expression full of fear. ‘Linnie?’
‘She’s here,’ Adam said, then turned the phone so that Linnie could see. It required her to come a few steps closer, steps Adam was certain she was unaware she’d taken.
Her eyes instantly filled with tears. ‘Shane,’ she whispered.
Shane’s eyes were shadowed with sorrow. ‘It’s me, Linnie. Where are you?’
‘I’m at his house.’ Her expression hardened. ‘The one who killed Andy. A cop.’
She’d tensed as she spoke and, sensing it, the baby began to cry. Immediately she relaxed, swaying again, murmuring the soothing words, but the baby was done.
‘Whose baby is that?’ Shane asked calmly, but Adam could tell that he already knew.
‘His,’ Linnie hissed.
Shane drew a breath. ‘Give him to Detective Kimble. Please. You don’t want to hurt a baby. That’s not who you are.’
Linnie started crying then. ‘You don’t know who I am now. You don’t know the things I’ve done.’
‘I know some. I know you’ve worked the streets. I know you’re sick. I know I miss you. I know I love you and I need you with me right now. I can’t bury Andy alone.’ Shane’s voice broke. ‘Don’t make me do this alone, Linnie. Please. They’ll put you in jail if anything happens to that baby and I’ll lose you forever. Please.’
Linnie had trouble speaking through her tears. ‘I’m dead either way. If I give them the baby, they’ll take me to jail.’ Tears were streaming down her face. ‘They all lie. They’ll take me away and I won’t be able to finish this. And I need to kill him before I die.’
Shane made a choking sound. ‘You’re not going to die. You can get medicine. Andy’s gone. Don’t make me live without you too.’
She shook her head. ‘He killed Andy. Shot him in the head. I saw him do it.’ Guilt lined her face. ‘Andy did it for me. He died for me.’
‘Because he loved you!’ Shane blurted out. ‘He always loved you. He . . . he broke rules for you because he wanted you to live. So if you won’t live for me, live for him.’
Linnie’s face twisted then. ‘The cop needs to die, Shane.’
‘Let Kimble deal with the cop. I trust him. I need you to trust him too.’
‘Please, Linnie,’ Adam said quietly. ‘Give me the gun.’
Thirty
Cincinnati, Ohio,
Monday 21 December, 12.10 P.M.