CHAPTER 2

Perhaps Maura should have drove, Jane thought to herself. She was finding it hard to concentrate on the road ahead of her. She was trying really hard not to run over any pedestrians and keep her head in the game. A little hard to do when all she could think about was that damn little red line.

The line and whatever catastrophe faced them over on Harold. Jane's worst fear was another bombing, but it could be any number of things.

"I'm afraid Jane."

"I know. Me too."

This could be the marathon all over again."

"Look, let's not jump to any conclusions until we get there. The only thing on Harold is a bunch of homes and a few buildings."

"Well whatever it is, is still big enough to call in extra personnel."

"I know." Jane said as she guided the car off Martin Luther King. She reached over and turned the headlights on; the sky was just beginning to turn to dusk making it a little harder for her to see.

"Did they tell you exactly what part of Harold we were supposed to go to?"

"I think I found it." Jane pointed at the blockade. A line of police cars and fire trucks blocked the entrance onto Harold Street.

"I am not walking half a mile in three-inch hills," said Maura.

"Hey you." Jane yelled as she pointed to a street cop blocking her path. "Move that piece of crap out of the way. I've got the Medical Examiner here." She turned to Maura, "How was that?"

Jane waited as the officer got in the cruiser and moved it just enough for her to inch the car slowly through the blockade. She drove up until she about ran smack dab into the Captain.

He looked pretty angry, and Maura was still going to have to walk about a hundred feet.

"What the hell took you so long, Rizzoli?"

"Sorry, Cap. I was at Maura's house when I got the call."

"Don't be too angry with her Captain. She was having some gastrointestinal issues."

Jane gave Maura a dirty look and then turned towards the Captain. "Look, I'm here now. So what's the hell is going on here. Looks like you've got the Seventh Cavalry."

Cavanaugh was about to say something when a shot rang out. They all ducked at once. Jane immediately removed her gun from her holster.

"That's what the hell is going on, Rizzoli. We've got two dead and six wounded. The two dead are first responders. One of us, and one firefighter. We've got two officers wounded, another firefighter, and a three civilian."

"What precipitated this Captain?" Maura asked, crouched next to Jane.

"One of our guys was sent to serve a warrant. Shitty thing was, the house we went to was empty. Next thing we know, the house is blown to smithereens. They wait until the fire department arrives and then someone starts taking shots at our guys."

"Have we established exactly the direction the shots are coming from?"

"They seem to be coming in from two different directions so its making it hard for us to get a fix on the shooters. One seems to be coming from the south end and the other directly across the street from the house."

"Do we know how many?"

"So far, we think only two. But we can't be for certain."

"How soon before the Command Center is up?"

"Mobile Unit should be here within the next fifteen minutes."

"Swat?"

"ETA is ten."

"So, in the meantime, we're just sitting ducks."

"Pretty much."