Frank quickly made his way across the lobby and towards the sign that
pointed to the garage. He had a gut feeling that somehow Paul had escaped
the police and would be heading this way as means of escaping. But Frank
wasn't going to allow that to happen.
There were only a handful of cars in the parking garage. It was going to make his job a lot easier. Frank took note of the stairwell entrance that ran through the middle of the level. He cautiously made his way towards the entrance and slowly opened the door. He heard footsteps on the stairs that sounded as if they were only a few floors away. Frank shut the door just as quietly and assumed a position next to the door. He planned to attack Paul as soon as he stepped foot into the garage.
Frank withdrew his sidearm from the holster and gripped it in his right hand. His fingers coiled around the piece and he slowly released a breath. This guy had taken him down once, he wasn't about to let it happen again. Frank's ear perked as he heard the echoing of the footsteps that were growing closer. He steeled himself for the battle to come.
Suddenly, the door flew open and Paul stepped out into the garage. "Freeze!" Frank yelled as he pointed the gun at Paul's back.
"Excuse me," Joe said as he walked up to an attractive female police detective. He grinned his famous smile and reached into his pocket and fished out his identification. "Joe Hardy, FBI. Also a friend of one of the victims. Could you give me any information on the injured girl upstairs?"
The tall and leggy brunette looked Joe up and down. She offered her hand to Joe as her eyes came to rest back on his handsome face. "Detective Sarah Kinnan. Nice to meet you Mr. Hardy." She sighed as she related the information to Joe. "The EMT's are treating her head wound as blunt trauma. She hasn't yet regained consciousness. They're preparing to transport her to St. Joseph's."
Joe ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Thanks for the information, detective."
"I thought this was a CPD matter, when did the FBI get a phone call?" Sarah asked curiously.
"It's not an FBI matter, not yet anyway. One of the victims," Joe pointed across the lobby to Nancy, who was still giving her statement, "is an old friend of mine. She called my brother, her boyfriend, when she was being attacked. We made the 9-1-1 call and got here as soon as we could. Your guys were nice enough to let us come in and wait for information."
Sarah opened her mouth to say something, when her radio crackled to life. "Detective Kinnan?"
"Excuse me," Sarah told Joe as she put the walkie-talkie up to her mouth. "Go ahead, Johnson."
"Detective, we've searched all of the hallways and the stairwells from 20 on down. There's no sign of the perp," the voice on the radio said.
"Dammit," the detective replied. "Okay, Johnson. Take your men and work up the next 10 flights. We knew he was on his way down when we got here, maybe he decided to take a detour. I'll send someone up to the roof, to block that exit. The other perimeters are being covered."
"10-4 Detective," officer Johnson replied.
"Keep me informed, Johnson," Sarah warned. "Kinnan, over and out." She snapped the radio back into it's place on her waistband. She pulled a business card out of her suit jacket and handed it to Joe. "Sorry to cut this short. Call me if there is anything else I can help you with," Sarah said, almost flirtatiously.
Joe grinned back at the detective as he accepted the card. Old habits died hard, and Joe found himself flirting back. "Count on it. Nice meeting you detective." he said.
"You too, Mr. Hardy," she smiled over her shoulder as she walked towards another officer by the elevators.
Joe glanced briefly at the card in his hand before stuffing it in his pants pocket. The flirting was harmless, he reasoned to himself. He wasn't cheating on Vanessa. If anything, making friends with the detective could possibly help them out later down the line. His introspection was broken by Nancy's voice from behind him.
"Joe," she questioned.
"Where's Frank?"
Joe turned around and attempted to look as innocent as possible. He shrugged his shoulders and replied with a straight face. "Bathroom?"
"Joe Hardy, don't lie to me!" Nancy exclaimed in frustration. She knew that Joe was covering up for his brother. "Where is he?"
Joe sighed and said, "I told him that you'd yell at me."
Nancy looked confused at Joe's comment. "He went looking for Paul, Nan," he informed her.
"He what?" Nancy practically yelled. "And you let him?"
"You two are just alike, you know that?" Joe responded. "Neither of you wants the other one to be worried when you take off to do something rash, and you both end up leaving me in the middle to referee!"
Nancy's face turned red at Joe's comment. As calmly as she could muster, she grabbed the lapels of Joe's coat and pulled him towards her. "Tell me which way he went," she demanded.
Joe's eyes bulged in shock. He had never seen Nancy like this at all. "He went that way," Joe squeaked as he pointed to a door in the corner of the lobby.
Nancy quickly released Joe and took off running across the lobby, Joe following right behind her. Her eyes went wide as she realized she was heading towards the garage. 'Please, not again,' Nancy prayed silently as she ran.
There were only a handful of cars in the parking garage. It was going to make his job a lot easier. Frank took note of the stairwell entrance that ran through the middle of the level. He cautiously made his way towards the entrance and slowly opened the door. He heard footsteps on the stairs that sounded as if they were only a few floors away. Frank shut the door just as quietly and assumed a position next to the door. He planned to attack Paul as soon as he stepped foot into the garage.
Frank withdrew his sidearm from the holster and gripped it in his right hand. His fingers coiled around the piece and he slowly released a breath. This guy had taken him down once, he wasn't about to let it happen again. Frank's ear perked as he heard the echoing of the footsteps that were growing closer. He steeled himself for the battle to come.
Suddenly, the door flew open and Paul stepped out into the garage. "Freeze!" Frank yelled as he pointed the gun at Paul's back.
"Excuse me," Joe said as he walked up to an attractive female police detective. He grinned his famous smile and reached into his pocket and fished out his identification. "Joe Hardy, FBI. Also a friend of one of the victims. Could you give me any information on the injured girl upstairs?"
The tall and leggy brunette looked Joe up and down. She offered her hand to Joe as her eyes came to rest back on his handsome face. "Detective Sarah Kinnan. Nice to meet you Mr. Hardy." She sighed as she related the information to Joe. "The EMT's are treating her head wound as blunt trauma. She hasn't yet regained consciousness. They're preparing to transport her to St. Joseph's."
Joe ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Thanks for the information, detective."
"I thought this was a CPD matter, when did the FBI get a phone call?" Sarah asked curiously.
"It's not an FBI matter, not yet anyway. One of the victims," Joe pointed across the lobby to Nancy, who was still giving her statement, "is an old friend of mine. She called my brother, her boyfriend, when she was being attacked. We made the 9-1-1 call and got here as soon as we could. Your guys were nice enough to let us come in and wait for information."
Sarah opened her mouth to say something, when her radio crackled to life. "Detective Kinnan?"
"Excuse me," Sarah told Joe as she put the walkie-talkie up to her mouth. "Go ahead, Johnson."
"Detective, we've searched all of the hallways and the stairwells from 20 on down. There's no sign of the perp," the voice on the radio said.
"Dammit," the detective replied. "Okay, Johnson. Take your men and work up the next 10 flights. We knew he was on his way down when we got here, maybe he decided to take a detour. I'll send someone up to the roof, to block that exit. The other perimeters are being covered."
"10-4 Detective," officer Johnson replied.
"Keep me informed, Johnson," Sarah warned. "Kinnan, over and out." She snapped the radio back into it's place on her waistband. She pulled a business card out of her suit jacket and handed it to Joe. "Sorry to cut this short. Call me if there is anything else I can help you with," Sarah said, almost flirtatiously.
Joe grinned back at the detective as he accepted the card. Old habits died hard, and Joe found himself flirting back. "Count on it. Nice meeting you detective." he said.
"You too, Mr. Hardy," she smiled over her shoulder as she walked towards another officer by the elevators.
Joe glanced briefly at the card in his hand before stuffing it in his pants pocket. The flirting was harmless, he reasoned to himself. He wasn't cheating on Vanessa. If anything, making friends with the detective could possibly help them out later down the line. His introspection was broken by Nancy's voice from behind him.
"Joe," she questioned.
"Where's Frank?"
Joe turned around and attempted to look as innocent as possible. He shrugged his shoulders and replied with a straight face. "Bathroom?"
"Joe Hardy, don't lie to me!" Nancy exclaimed in frustration. She knew that Joe was covering up for his brother. "Where is he?"
Joe sighed and said, "I told him that you'd yell at me."
Nancy looked confused at Joe's comment. "He went looking for Paul, Nan," he informed her.
"He what?" Nancy practically yelled. "And you let him?"
"You two are just alike, you know that?" Joe responded. "Neither of you wants the other one to be worried when you take off to do something rash, and you both end up leaving me in the middle to referee!"
Nancy's face turned red at Joe's comment. As calmly as she could muster, she grabbed the lapels of Joe's coat and pulled him towards her. "Tell me which way he went," she demanded.
Joe's eyes bulged in shock. He had never seen Nancy like this at all. "He went that way," Joe squeaked as he pointed to a door in the corner of the lobby.
Nancy quickly released Joe and took off running across the lobby, Joe following right behind her. Her eyes went wide as she realized she was heading towards the garage. 'Please, not again,' Nancy prayed silently as she ran.