Rojas’s attention focused and he kept his limbs loose, his joints relaxed to maximize his range of motion if he needed to counter an aggressive move on their part.
“Are you the owner of this school?” the one who’d flashed the badge asked as he leaned in and placed his own hand on the edge of the door at about eye level. Not tugging it open, but definitely making sure to get a modicum of control on the door. He tapped his chest. “I’m Officer Wegner and this is Patterson. We’re looking for an Elisa Hall. She’s needed for questioning back at our division headquarters.”
Rojas tightened his jaw a fraction. The guy’s demeanor was meant to intimidate and it was scraping at Rojas’s temper. The issue here wasn’t whether or not the man made a move. Rojas was more concerned about the children in the other room and not giving these two creeps an excuse to remove Rojas from the premises.
Wegner leaned in a fraction more. “Do I need to repeat myself?”
Well. They were all in relatively defensive positions in the entryway. Hopefully things could be resolved with conversation, but they were all prepared to take action. This was a clear threat and Rojas settled into a cold analysis of the situation.
Souze was completely silent.
Which was a sign in and of itself. In relaxed situations, Souze gave the brief bark or warning growl. This was a serious encounter, and the dog had gone completely quiet. It was a personality quirk and a dangerous one. Souze was watching these men with potentially deadly intent.
“I’m actually not the owner.” Rojas opted to answer the first question as pleasantly as possible. His dog was taking cues from his attitude, his voice, his body language. As long as he was in control, he was in control of Souze. Having the backup also reminded him to keep his reaction in check. This wasn’t overseas or a combat situation. Response with deadly force would not be called for. Especially not with children nearby. He needed to restrict himself to the minimum force required to maintain control of the situation and that was it. “But they should be back in less than half an hour. We’ve got a special children’s event going on here at the school this evening. We’d like to keep the kids feeling as positive as possible. The presence of anyone they don’t know can be stressful.”
There, he’d been completely reasonable. The next couple of minutes were going to be telling. Could be easily diffused or things could get ugly, fast.
Wegner bared his teeth in a smile, not a friendly one. “No problem. Send Miss Hall out here and she can come with us directly back to division headquarters.”
Rojas allowed his features to twist into a grimace of disappointment. “We’d like to cooperate, officer, but there’s reason to believe Elisa Hall is being pursued by a stalker. I’d rather not have her out anywhere without someone she knows. If you’d be willing to wait until after this event is over and all the parents have come to take their children home, I’d be happy to accompany you all back to your division headquarters. Where is that, by the way?”
It was Wegner’s turn to disregard a question. “We’re not waiting. You’re not going. Just send out Elisa Hall or we will come inside and take her into custody.”
All of them were being so careful with their words. Rojas hated word games. Souze’s hip brushed his on his left. The big dog was watching him, ready for the slightest cue.
Time for a direct question. “Is Elisa Hall under arrest?”
Wegner scowled and Patterson shifted uncomfortably a step or two back and to the side. Rojas resisted the urge to grin. No, Elisa wasn’t. This was unofficial business, as far as Rojas could tell, maybe as shady as some off-duty extracurricular activity.
“Last chance,” Wegner growled, dropping any semblance of pleasantry. “Send her out or we come in and take her.”
Rojas raised his right hand up with the kali stick and brought it down smartly on the other man’s fingers. Wegner withdrew his hand from the door immediately, cursing, and Rojas immediately yanked the door closed and locked it.
Wegner took a step back and drew his weapon, shouting through the closed doors, “Open the door or I will fire!”
Rojas dodged to the right of the doors for limited cover behind one of the counters. Was this guy crazy? Even with the kids in the back changing room, the walls were only sheetrock. There was no telling what could happen when he opened fire.
Souze was a reassuring presence at Rojas’s hip. The situation still didn’t require deadly force. Rojas struggled to consciously plan his next moves while he still had time to keep things at the appropriate level of response.
“Stop!” another, familiar voice called out. Even muffled through the glass doors, Rojas recognized the local policeman whose child was currently hiding in the back with the rest of the kids. “Hold your fire. Upper Makefield Township Police.”
Silence.