Restoration

Chapter 65

"Nolan," Harper whispers, coming around from the other side of the building. "What can you see?"

John releases a frustrated breath. "Not enough. I don't suppose you have a fiber optic camera in that Mary Poppins bag of yours?"

"Sorry, but a narcotics team should have one. They'd need it to get tactical info before a raid. I'll put out a call to see if there's a unit anywhere close. Otherwise, we'll need one from the division, and Grey's already on his way."

"Do it fast," Nolan urges. "From what I can see, the gunman's beginning to get the shakes."

"He's crashing," Harper asserts. "No wonder he's so desperate for money. He needs to make a buy, and CDS dealers aren't big on giving credit. Not long from now, he could shoot his hostage for the cash in his pocket." Harper backs away before putting in a call to dispatch. "Bradford and Chen are meeting up with Niven and Wolfson and bringing the camera," she reports, returning to where Nolan is still keeping watch. "They shouldn't be more than seven minutes, less if we're lucky."

"They'll be here before Grey and probably Russo," Nolan realizes.

"Which is good," Harper responds, "Grey will be able to use the tactical information we gather to organize a breach. The sooner we can get in there without getting someone killed, the better. Any change?"

"Only for the worse. That gunman is getting more erratic by the second."

"Hold tight, Boot. If we try to make a move before we're ready, someone will get killed."


Jessica's been monitoring the situation at Donut Central as best she can. Two gunmen, at least one of whom may be about to crack, is bad news. Even one shot could touch off a cascade of gunfire, endangering both cops and civilians. What's worse is when she gets there, she won't have a handle on who to talk to. Nothing she's heard so far gives her a decent guess about who the hostage-takers' alpha is. If she negotiates with the wrong one, any agreement could be worthless. That's if she gets a chance to negotiate. If the situation is deteriorating as fast as it sounds, talking the gunmen out may be impossible.


Chen bounds out of her shop's driver's side door even before Bradford brakes to a halt. Her slim body slips between the buildings more smoothly than Nolan's large frame, and she rapidly delivers the camera into Harper's anxious hands. Guided by Nolan, the T.O. threads the flexible tube between the ventilation slats while Chen studies the feed on her phone. With buds in her ears, Lucy holds up the screen. "We've got a view of both of them. You were right, Nolan. That gunman looks about ready to fall apart."

"Have you got sound?" Harper asks.

Chen adjusts the controls on her phone. "I do now. The manager is begging the man to let everyone go. He says that he can just put money in the safe through a slot. He can't get it out. Only the security company that picks it up has a key, and they won't be there until closing. It sounds like he's said it before because the gunman is demanding that the manager get someone over with a key, now."

Harper tilts her head toward the radio on her shoulder. "Nell, patch me through to Russo. I think we have something she can use."


Pressing on the accelerator as hard as she can without crashing into another car, Jessica turns what Harper told her over in her mind. She needs someone who can be convincing going in as a security guard, like a cop who takes his pension the first day he makes 20 years, to work a more comfortable and safer gig. She pictures roll call at Mid-Wilshire. Two cops come across with the step-back early, take-life-easy vibe, Smitty and Riggle. She'll use whoever is closest. John is the right age but way too earnest for her to send in. That realization is more comforting to her than it should be. While that goes down in the rear of the location, she needs to use Jackson West's observations to keep the hostages in the front safe. She's only a few minutes out, and she still has no idea how she'll do that.


With Harper monitoring the camera's output, Nolan's contractor's eyes study the building's exterior. As with many commercial facilities, the HVAC unit is on the roof. Its placement means there's a good chance there's a service opening that would provide access to the front of the store. A tactical team entering straight from there could take the gunman by surprise. John needs to look at the building plans. He knows one person who could goose the process of getting them. He prays that Councilman Abbot will answer his cell and can get his hands on what John needs.

Smitty's shop pulls into the tactical base as Nolan is sharing plans downloaded to an iPad, with Russo and Grey. He joins them at the closest he ever makes to a run and jams his thumb into his chest. "I stopped at the uniform store. This is the one the security companies use. I'll be getting reimbursed, won't I?"

"If you don't pay attention to what Russo's telling you, you won't live to collect," Grey retorts.

"We're going to have to coordinate this perfectly," Jessica explains. "I've already told the gunmen a security man is on his way who can open the safe. They'll be letting you walk in. West is still watching from the men's room. He'll have your back."

John uses his fingers to expand the view of the roof on his pad and points to a marking. This is the service hatch for the HVAC."

"We'll get our tactical people up there," Jessica acknowledges. "Once Smitty's in place, West will cause just enough of a distraction for them to come through. It should happen almost instantaneously. Smitty will be covering the gunman in the back. West and the tactical squad will protect the hostages and take down the gunman in the front. We're still risking lives if we don't execute perfectly."

Smitty is as earnest as Nolan's ever seen him. "It will be perfect."

"We're keeping West informed by text," Jessica continues. "We'll synchronize through beeps on the radios. Double beep, and everything goes at once. Grey will be coordinating the safe exit of the hostages. Is everyone clear?"

Heads nod. Jessica picks up a bullhorn to announce that a security officer with a key to the safe has arrived and is coming in, while the tactical squad gives a ready signal from the roof. She says a silent prayer that the manager doesn't give Smitty away on seeing an unfamiliar face. Nolan, Harper, Bradford, and Chen get into position to urge the hostages to safety.

Jackson can feel the sweat on his neck as he waits for the signal to emerge. He'll only need to draw the gunman's attention for a moment, but it will be a hell of a moment. "You're ready for this," he whispers to himself. "Your whole life has made you ready for this." At the lowest volume setting, a double beep sounds from his radio. He bursts out the men's room door. "Hey!"

From separate heads of the same monster, gunmen's eyes turn toward Smitty and Jackson. Armored cops descend on the outer room as Smitty disarms the would-be safe robber. A single shot blasts through the air of the store, but Jackson doesn't even feel the burn in his arm. He doesn't know he's bleeding until Lopez notices and signals the paramedics. As Grey and Jessica wrap up the operation, Lopez and the other Mid-Wilshire patrol units follow the ambulance to the hospital.