Chapter 7
"Was that my phone I heard earlier? I'm on duty so I can't ignore it." Maura asked as she walked out of the fitting room to look at the dress she was trying on. She turned around then grabbed her purse as she headed back in to take the dress off.
"I didn't hear it, it must have been someone else's." Jill talked to Maura through the door. She knew Maura was going to kill her when she found out about her lie but she wanted this time with her.
Maura was zipping up her dress when her phone rang and she answered it as she left the fitting rooms. "Isles."
"Maura where the hell are you?" She recognized Korsak's voice but couldn't understand why he sounded so angry.
"I'm at lunch at the mall why?"
"So while we have a multiple shooting at the bank around the corner from the precinct you turn your phone off and go shopping with Jill?"
"What bank Century?" At Korsak's yes she continued. "I'm on my way now. How did you know I was with Jill?" Jill looked up when she mentioned her name and Maura was curious about the guilty looked that crossed her face.
"I'll tell you when you get here, this wasn't a social call so I have to get back to work." He hung up before Maura could say anything more.
Maura was still curious about Korsak's anger. She and Jill were in her car before she thought again about the look on Jill's face. She looked down at her phone and finally noticed she had a missed call and when she checked she saw it was a call from Jane. "My phone did ring didn't it?" She said as she was dialing in to get her voicemail. She turned to Jill again. "You knew it was Jane didn't you?" She held up her hand when Jill started to say something while she listened to Jane's voicemail. She snapped her phone closed and turned to Jill. "The only reason you are still in this car is because I don't want to slow down long enough for you to get out. Do not say anything."
"But Maura…"
"I said do not say anything. Just listen to me. Jane is a hostage at a bank that was taken over by robbers. Korsak said there were multiple shootings and I hope Jane wasn't one of them although her tone of voice says otherwise. If that was her last call to me you will live to regret the fact that you lied to me. She called to say good-bye and she hoped that you and I would be happy together. Who gave her the idea that we were together? Did you say something to her?"
"Am I allowed to talk now?" Maura nodded. "I may have called her last night." Jill hung her head as she said it. "I never meant for this to happen?"
"No you just wanted her to hurt and think we we're fooling around behind her back even after I had told you there never would be anything between us. You called her after you left my house, and led her to believe there was something going on didn't you? I changed my mind." She pulled the car over to the curb and slammed on the brakes. "Get out of my car now." She reached and unhooked Jill's seatbelt then reached across her and opened the door and gave her a shove. "Get out you're wasting time." Jill didn't argue, she got out of the car and slammed the door and watched as Maura sped away.
Maura walked in the front door of the bank and couldn't believe the carnage she was seeing. She counted eight bodies on initial inspection. She made eye contact with Korsak across the room and she couldn't believe the anger in the look he gave her. She'd had a few minutes to think on the way over to the bank and she figured that Jane must have talked to Korsak so he too was under the impression that she was dating Jill. She saw Frost and was surprised to see the front of his shirt saturated in blood. "Frost are you hurt?"
Frost looked at her with a dazed expression on his face. "It's not my blood it's Jane's."
Maura looked around the bank frantically. "Where is she? How bad is she? I've got to get to her."
Korsak walked up to answer her question. "An ambulance took her out of here about 5 minutes ago. I couldn't get a hold of you so I called your backup and as you can see he's been busy." He pointed to the bodies. "So did you have a good time with Jill?" He didn't bother to disguise the venom in his voice.
"How bad is she? I have to get over to the hospital." Maura started to leave but Korsak moved in front of her to stop her from leaving.
He pointed between him and Frost indicating their clothes covered in blood. "This is what friends do for each other. They don't cheat on them with another woman. This is your fault." Korsak knew it was wrong to blame her but he was angry and he had to blame someone.
"She misunderstood everything." Maura halfheartedly defended herself and she didn't deny the cheating part because that's what she felt she had done even if nothing happened.
"If you hadn't been with Jill she wouldn't be at the hospital now. She was here because she saw the two you." He knew he was being mean but he couldn't stop himself. Jane was like a little sister and he was doing his duty as a big brother. "She saw you guys in your office.
"I know. I feel bad enough as it is Korsak, I don't need you to add to the guilt I'm already feeling. And just to set you straight, there is nothing going on between Jill and I she just wanted to make Jane jealous. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't even know Jane had called because Jill was holding my purse. And I had no idea Jane cared for me in that way until Jill told me."
"Where's Jill now?" Korsak was beginning to thaw towards Maura when he saw the genuine concern and anger on her face.
"I don't know, after I listened to Jane's message I pushed her out of my car and I lefther on the sidewalk somewhere." Maura looked up at Korsak and he gave her a smile.
"Did you a least slow the car down?"
For the first time since she walked into the bank she smiled a small smile. "A little bit. How bad is Jane, I've got to get to her?"
"She'll probably be in surgery for a while so why don't I drive you over to the hospital and on the way I can tell you what we've found out so far. Hey Frost I'm going to drive Dr. Isles over to the hospital, you got it covered here?"
"Korsak there's an awful lot of blood here." Frost was barely holding his lunch down.
"Suck it up and make sure we get statements from every one. Dr. Isles is upset and I don't think she's in any condition to be driving. Put some of these cops to work and have them start taking statements. Go outside and talk to the witnesses while it's still fresh in their minds. Let's go Maura." Korsak took Maura's arm and quickly led her out of the bank.
Maura waited until they were outside before she spoke. "Vince you do know I'm fine to drive right?" She stopped at her car.
"I know you are but I needed a good reason to get out of there and go to the hospital to see Jane and you gave me the excuse I needed. Let me drive you over and I can drive you back for your car later or one of the guys can bring it by later." He then led her over to his car and helped her into the passenger seat.
Maura waited for him to start driving before she turned to him. "What happened back there?" She pointed over her shoulder back towards the bank.
"According to witnesses, Jane made a move after they had shot the guard, so they shot her. It must have been after that when she made her calls."
"How is it she was able to call both of us in the middle of a bank robbery?"
"They let people call their loved ones to say good bye. The hostages said the men didn't appear to be going for the money. They didn't take anything before the shooting started. One of the hostages grabbed the guard's gun and shot one of the men then Jane drew her weapon and took out two of them and was able to wound the last one before she passed out. The other hostage took a bullet to the chest from the 4th robber as he came from the back room then Jane wounded him. He's down at headquarters being interrogated by some of Boston's finest.
"So how bad was Jane?" Maura grabbed the dashboard as Korsak took a corner as fast as the car would allow.
"She took one bullet in the side but I don't know where else she was hit. She'd passed out before we got there but she was conscious when she left. She told me to tell you she was sorry about this morning. And all she wanted was for you to be happy. She wished that she was the one that could do that. I take it she jumped to the conclusion that Jill would make you happy."
"Apparently she did and Jill planted the seed last night after I asked her to leave my house when she kissed me." Maura couldn't believe she was opening up to Korsak.
"Well Janie and I went out for a couple of beers last night and I told her what I thought and she confirmed that I was correct."
"What is it you were correct about Vincent?" Maura turned to him with a smile.
"I told her you liked her as much as she liked you. She talked to her Mother and she told her to get you drunk and take advantage of you. But then she must have seen something in your office that pissed her off."
"Jill and I were looking at clothes on my computer and she said she knew where I could get a good deal. When I looked up Jane was standing outside my office but turned and left before I could say anything. I really do care about her Vince."
"So you do like her as much as she likes you?" He took a quick glance at Maura.
"Well that all depends on how much she likes me." Maura was afraid to hope.
"She's crazy about you and she has been for a long time."
"When you say she's crazy about me, does that me she likes me enough to want to date me? Would she go out with me if I asked her?" Maura was looking out the window afraid to let Korsak see how much the answer meant to her.
"I think you are going to have to grovel a little bit to get her to realize that you want to be with her and not with Jill. The last thing she said before she passed out was that she just wanted you to be happy.
"Well then I guess I will grovel and convince her that she is what will make me happy."
Vince pulled up to the emergency room entrance and dropped Maura off. "I'll find you once I park the car." He yelled to the retreating Dr. Isles. He shook his head and smiled as he parked the car near the entrance and placed his police placard in the window to make sure they didn't tow the car away.
