"There!" Ed called out in as excited voice as Spike had ever heard. "He's right there!" Spike leaned over toward the center of the truck's interior to get a better look and sure enough several cars ahead of them on Sheppard Avenue the Jeep was putting along as mildly as any citizen on the streets that day. Ed had long since turned out the sirens and extinguished the lights that betrayed their status as police officers. The benefit to the SRU's Suburbans was that everything onboard was low-profile allowing the team to approach a subject stealthily.
They had just passed Brimley Road and were still headed east. "So what now?" Spike questioned.
"We stay on him until we get additional support," Ed replied firmly. They were cautiously coasting several cars behind the Jeep CJ7 that Resnick allegedly drove. It was a tough choice to make given that Ed was keen on not letting the subject escape, but he and Spike would need support if they hoped to contain a heavily armed man willing to shoot at police officers. The last thing he needed was a confrontation with Resnick on the busy streets of Agincourt. It was nearly time for lunch and the streets got more crowded as citizens were on their way to lunch or an afternoon viewing at the movies.
"Boss, Raf and I are still thirty minutes out—maybe more," Sam spoke over the radio. "If Mobile can pick us up we can be in the area much faster." Sam was referring to the police helicopter currently overhead watching the CJ7.
"I don't like it, boss," Ed immediately argued. "They won't do us much good in a helicopter." That was a fair argument, but the truth of the matter was that Ed did not want Sam involved at this point. However, he had limited options. Uniformed police would not be equipped or well-trained enough to handle this situation and Jules and Greg were at the subject's home gathering amplifying information on him. That left only Sam and Raf as support so Ed's wishes were becoming increasingly unrealistic.
"Perform a pit maneuver to stop the subject's vehicle and force him to dismount, we can be on the ground in order to apprehend," Sam argued.
"And then what? He gets out of his truck and starts a gunfight in the middle of the street?" Ed shot back.
"Eddie, we need an action plan and Sam is right—they're too far away to provide support. I don't want this guy slipping free," Sergeant Parker interrupted their argument. "Mobile go ahead and break pursuit of subject's vehicle and pick up Officer Braddock and Officer Rousseau. Ed, you've got until they're on station to come up with something."
"Copy that, Air-Mobile is on route to RV with Braddock and Rousseau," chirped the helicopter pilot.
"I've got a suitable LZ northwest of the train yard in Concord—just look for our cruiser. I'll have the lights on and we'll be centered in the middle of a grass field east of Creditstone Road," Sam instructed the pilot, as if he'd already mapped the plan out.
"Roger that, see you in a few," the pilot acknowledged.
Ed shook his head ruefully, clearly defeated in his attempt to keep Sam out of the situation and yet any alternative was not an option either. His mind was racing now as he attempted to concoct a plan that would minimize the risk to the public and his team, but that would also keep their subject alive. Sam's option could hardly be considered. If Ed spun the subject out and forced him from his vehicle he could come out guns blazing forcing Spike and Ed to engage him with their own weapons. Sam and Raf could hardly be counted on to join the fight in any truly meaningful sense. The end result of such a maneuver meant they'd have a firefight in the midst of Toronto's busy streets. Countless civilians could be harmed – Ed wasn't about to sanction that sort of gambit.
"What do you think Spike?" Ed asked suddenly, turning to his fellow SRU member.
Spike was somewhat unsettled by the query. It was a rare moment when Ed Lane didn't have a well thought out direct action plan that he could rattle off without a second of hesitation. "Well," he began, unsure of how to respond. "Why don't we just stay on him and see where he goes? He's going to stop eventually and with Sam and Raf onboard Mobile they should conceivably be able to land somewhere nearby to provide immediate support."
Ed Lane cracked a smile, surprised by Spike's sudden tactically sound idea. It was good, he liked it. It minimized risk and kept Sam airborne and out of the fight. With any luck the subject would stop somewhere isolated and allow the team to regroup and either talk him out of wherever he ended up or go in and get him. Either way it would allow Ed to have a tighter grip on Sam's reins. "Solid plan, Spike," Ed praised as he continued to trail Resnick's alleged vehicle.
"Hey, I can do more than bombs and computers," Spike responded with his own smile, proud that his plan had been so readily accepted by Team One's tactical leader.
Ed was radioing the information to Air-Mobile and Sergeant Parker when he began to realize that the CJ7 was speeding up. His eyes squinted, attempting to see if the car was indeed increasing its pace. Sure enough the driver was soon well over the speed limit.
"What's he doing?" Spike asked.
"I think he might have made us," Ed answered, his attention still locked on the Jeep. There were only two cars between the SRU Suburban and the subject's alleged vehicle. Suddenly Ed realized something. "He might recognize the truck. We were parked outside the Store the whole night—he had to have gotten a good look at what we were driving."
"Uh-oh."
"Damn it!" Ed cursed as his closed fist hammered the steering wheel. Resnick's Jeep sped up even more and the question regarding whether or not he'd seen the police tail on him was confirmed when he ran a red light and narrowly avoided several cars crossing the intersection of Sheppard Avenue and Washburn Way. They were now firmly within a residential neighborhood.
Ed flipped on the lights and sirens of his Suburban and roared through the intersection in pursuit of the subject. Ed was now certain David Resnick was inside the old Jeep CJ7 and this was as close as any of them had been since his escape the previous night.
"We've been compromised," Ed announced into his radio. "Subject has accelerated and is driving dangerously east on Sheppard avenue—we're in pursuit."
"Get him isolated, Eddie," Sergeant Parker instructed him via the radio. "I don't want things escalating in that neighborhood."
"Copy that, boss," Ed replied through grit teeth as he deftly avoided family sedans, sports utility vehicles and station wagons littering Sheppard Avenue.
Spike was pressed into his seat as if sitting in the backseat of a jet fighter's cockpit. He clutched the handle positioned over the passenger window, hanging on for dear life.
"Rouge Park," Sam's voice could be heard over Ed's headset. The din of the chopper's rotor wash was evident; indicating to Ed that Sam and Raf had been picked up by Mobile and were now airborne. "Pit him in Rouge Park—it's not far ahead. We can isolate him there."
But it wasn't that simple. Rouge Park was forty square kilometers and one of Toronto's most famous parks. Historic farms, wetlands, ancient trees, and dozens of trails that meandered throughout it all made it a frequent location for tourists and citizens alike. The trails would likely be filled with joggers, couples on walks or hiking, or bikers. The meadows and green belts that pervaded throughout the area would have people out for a leisurely stroll, picnicking or sunbathing. It was not an option in Ed's opinion. "Absolutely not—too many civilians."
"What's the alternative? A high speed chase into Pickering? Are we going to chase him east until we're swimming in the Atlantic?" Sam challenged. "There are plenty of quiet areas in that park, even on a busy day. We'll set down ahead of him and cut off his egress."
Ed clenched his jaw tightly, willing himself to remain cool against Sam's grating attitude. It irked Ed even more because ultimately Sam was right. The pursuit, if it didn't end soon, would spill over into the small communities east of Toronto and the SRU would run into jurisdictional issues. Likewise the police agencies in the nearby towns were not equipped to handle the situation and the small thoroughfares running through the tiny towns would create a dangerous bottleneck that could lead to tragic consequences if a violent gunman were to feel he was trapped there.
"What are we doing?" Spike asked as he felt the Suburban accelerate. The distance between the SRU truck and the vehicle they were pursuing began to shrink.
"We're putting an end to this," Ed declared coolly.
Well ahead of them there was a curve along Sheppard Avenue. So far they had been travelling along a straight street with no turns or sharp curves, but that would change soon and both cars were now traveling at a high rate of speed. The curve would afford an opportunity for Ed, who was familiar enough to know of a parking lot ahead on the north side of the Avenue that would likely be empty at the moment. He hoped to force Resnick into the parking lot and isolate him—thus ending the pursuit before it went badly.
They raced through several intersections barely avoiding civilians driving leisurely in their personal vehicles. Ed could hear the sound of outraged horns blaring in their wake even over the sound of his wailing sirens. Up ahead he could see the fast approaching curve in the road. He pressed his foot down on the accelerator and sped up until he was alongside Resnick's Jeep. They raced past Meadowvale Road—they were running out of time.
Ed slackened some of his speed and took up a position on the rear right corner of the subject's vehicle. He deftly maneuvered the much heavier Suburban toward the Jeep. The front left bumper of the SRU truck struck the rear right corner of Resnick's Jeep gingerly, but the force was enough to cause Resnick's vehicle to fishtail. Its rear end slid out toward the left hand side of the road. Oncoming vehicles swerved to avoid the Jeep which was clearly out of control. The high speed coupled with the Jeep's high center of gravity caused it to flip on its side and tumble until it was sliding across the street on its rooftop. It came to a halt on the curbside amidst sparks and a cloud of dust. It was just outside the parking lot Ed had hoped to contain the subject in.
Ed slammed on the brakes and heard the tires squeal as his own truck slid along for another hundred meters or so. A cloud of white smoke swirled up from behind the Suburban. He slipped the truck into reverse and accelerated backward so that he could square up to Resnick's wrecked vehicle. By now passing traffic had come to a halt and the people simply watched in wonder at the scene that was unfolding before them. Ed stopped the SRU vehicle and whipped open his door and slung his submachine gun in a single hasty motion. Spike was not far behind, but Resnick was already out of the Jeep and fleeing north beyond a red brick building the parking lot serviced—it was a church and Ed counted himself lucky that there were no sermons in session now.
"Subject is on foot headed North past the Chinese Alliance Church," Ed reported over the radio. He could already hear the sirens of other police cruisers heading in his direction to assist the duo from Team One. His eyes strained beyond the empty parking lot which was lined with lush green grass. He could see a cluster of trees to his North and watched as Resnick disappeared into their midst. He halted his pursuit and raced back to the Suburban. "Spike!"
Officer Scarlatti also stopped, albeit confusedly and then returned to Ed's side as the senior officer yanked open the door on the Suburban. He dragged out the case for his Remington 700 and speedily opened it up. He loaded it and then slung the rifle across his back. "Get the microphone," he instructed Spike—referring the parabolic microphone that would allow them to listen to the amplified sounds of their surroundings. Besides Ed's expertly trained hawk eyes it would be the single greatest tool for them in tracking Resnick through Rouge Park.
"Got it," Spike replied and began digging into the pile of gear in the back of the SRU Suburban just as Ed stepped out of his way.
"Sam, we're pursuing the subject north into some heavily wooded areas—see if you can find a place to set down ahead of his egress route so we can hem him in," Ed ordered over the radio. His reservations about Sam's attitude and what he might do to the subject were shelved now. His more immediate concern was bottling up the subject before he had the opportunity to hurt any innocents present in the park.
"On it," Sam acknowledged.
Ed's icy blue eyes turned to Spike who adjusted the straps on his backpack and looked to the team leader expectantly. "You ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Spike affirmed. With a nod the two sprinted off to the North in pursuit of a violent gunman who was presumably still well armed.