7
Mistaken Identity
Rating: K+ for implied violence
Disclaimer: Sob! Sue Thomas characters not mine!
Author's note: Just to answer a question, this story takes place a few months after "Troy Story Take Two." And thanks for the wonderful reviews—wow!
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Chapter 2
"FBI," barked D as he jumped out of the car holding out his badge. "Who's in charge here?"
"Lt. Donaldson, sir," replied a police officer holding back the curious on-lookers. "He's in the building."
D hurried inside trailed by the others.
"How many hurt?" asked Jack spotting the ambulances.
"I don't know," was the shaky reply. "There's blood everywhere."
Turning to the officer, Jack noticed the man was very young and unnaturally pale. Probably his first shooting, he thought. You never get used to it, but fortunately—or unfortunately--the shock did lessen over time. "You okay?"
The officer nodded. "I will be."
"Good," Jack smiled sympathetically. "You need to talk, there are people that can help. This is not the time to suck it up and be super-cop."
"Thanks for the advice."
Jack hurried after the others. The paramedics were just leaving with a stretcher.
"How many more?"
"Four. Three dead."
Nodding his thanks for the information, Jack paused at the doorway. It was bloody. He didn't blame the young officer for feeling sick. He noted Sue's pale face and Bobby's concerned one as he spoke to her. She was shaking her head. He could see her sign I'm okay, stay.
"Total of eight shot," said D as he came up to Jack. "Three dead and five alive. The paramedics aren't sure one of them is going to make it."
"Do we know who did it?"
"That's the one we're not sure about," answered D. "Tried to kill himself before the police got here. Myles is riding in the ambulance in case the suspect says anything."
A man in his mid-forties came up to them. "Special Agent Gans, here's the list of the victims and the suspect." Handing D a small sheet of paper, he added, "My people are interviewing the witnesses but a lot of them are in shock right now. I don't know how much information we're gonna get from them."
"I understand," replied D.
As the three men talked, Bobby and Sue were participating in the police interviews of the witnesses.
"Did the suspect say anything before he started shooting?" asked Bobby
Sue's attention was diverted from the witness by a little girl hovering around a woman the paramedics were working on. Attempts by the police officer to console her were futile.
"Then what happened?" Bobby questioned. His eyes followed Sue for a moment as she left his side and headed towards the little girl.
"Can I help officer?" she asked gently.
His face registered relief at her offer. "She won't stop crying. I keep telling her her mom's gonna to be fine but she doesn't seem to understand," he said in frustration.
"Let me try."
She knelt down so she was eye level with the sobbing little girl. One look at her sympathetic face and the little girl threw her arms around Sue's neck.
"Shhh, shhh," soothed Sue as she rubbed the little girl's back. "Everything will be okay." She looked up at the officer for confirmation. He nodded. "They're taking good care of your mom. Shhh." She looked back at the officer. "I'm with the FBI. I'll take care of her."
"Thanks," he said appreciatively, glad to be released from that responsibility.
In a few minutes, the little girl's sobs lessened.
"My name's Sue. What's yours?" She gently pushed the child away so she could see her lips.
"Ashley," sniffed the tearful girl.
Sue handed her a tissue.
"Ashley," she repeated. "I like it. It's a pretty name." She looked in the direction of the girl's mother. "Your mom's hurt but the police officer said she's going to be okay. See? They're going to take her to the hospital now to make her all better."
The unconscious woman's eyes fluttered open as she whispered, "Ashley? Where's my daughter?"
The paramedics stopped and looked at each other. "What did you say, ma'am?" asked one of them as he bent over her.
She struggled feebly to sit up. "My daughter?" The words were barely audible.
"Whoa! Take it easy, ma'am," ordered the paramedic as he pressed one hand on the uninjured shoulder.
"Her daughter," Sue interjected, coming froward with the little girl. "She's asking about her daughter." She turned to the injured woman and soothingly added, "She's right here."
"Mommy?" asked Ashley in a tremulous voice.
"Sweetheart, you okay?"
Ashley nodded.
"Thank God!" the mom sighed. Her eyes closed.
"Mommy?" said Ashley in a frightened voice.
Her eyes opened briefly. "I'm okay, baby. Mommy just needs to rest a little. Call Daddy." Her eyes closed again.
"It's the pain medication," explained the paramedic. "We need to transport her now."
"Can I go?" asked Ashley looking up at Sue.
She looked at the paramedics. They shook their heads. "It's not going to be pretty in there. Better you call her dad like the mom wants." He rattled off the name of the hospital and left.
Bobby watched as the paramedics wheeled away the injured woman. He headed towards Sue and the little girl. "Who do we have here?" he asked pleasantly. He knelt down. "Hi. I'm Bobby. What's your name?"
She sniffed back a tear. "Ashley."
He smiled at her. "A pretty name for a pretty girl." He nodded in the direction of the departed gurney. "Your mum?"
She nodded holding tightly to Sue's hand.
"She's going to be fine but the paramedics didn't think Ashley should go to the ER with her mom," explained Sue.
Bobby silently agreed as he stood up. The emergency room was no place for a child in the best of times and definitely not in a situation like this.
"I'm taking her outside. I don't think she should be in a place like this either," said Sue pointedly.
"Good idea." He smiled at the little girl. "I'll see you outside, Ashley."
Sue held the little girl's hand putting herself between Ashley and the worst of the crime scene.
"This is my hearing dog," Bobby heard Sue tell Ashley as they walked away. "His name is Levi."
"What's up?" asked Jack as he approached Bobby.
"Mother is one of the victims. They just transported her to the hospital." explained Bobby. "We need to track down her next of kin."
"Check with the lieutenant," Jack suggested.
"Good idea, mate." Bobby headed towards Donaldson. In a few minutes, Bobby returned after jotting a name in his notepad.
"Got it." He looked around the place. "Are we done?" he asked.
D nodded. "Pretty much. The evidence people will be here for a while though. We'll share whatever info we get with Metro and vice versa. If the guy dies, then that pretty much closes the case."
The three men headed outside. Bobby scanned the area for Sue and found her by the car. Ashley was sitting in the back playing with Levi.
"Who's this?" asked D. He'd missed what had happened in that corner of the Post Office.
"Ashley. Her mom is one of the victims," Sue stated. "They just transported her to the hospital."
"I'm glad you said hospital and not morgue," commented D. "So, what is she doing here?"
Sue looked puzzled as she repeated, "Her mom went to the hospital."
"No," Jack cut in. "I think D meant why is she here in an FBI car and not with Social Services."
"Oh." She looked at D apologetically. "The officer wasn't having much success comforting her so I offered to help."
"Why am I not surprised," D remarked with a slight smile. "However, we can't keep her with us. Is there a relative we can contact?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," replied Bobby holding up his notepad. "Donaldson gave me a name. I'll just call Lucy to get the information and we can take her to her father."
"Good idea," approved D. "You two get on it. In the meantime, Jack and I will head to the hospital and check on the victims."
Bobby and Sue? Without me? thought a disconcerted Jack.
"Jack?"
"Um…right." He moved towards the driver's side of the car.
D opened the back door and bent down. "Sweetheart, I have to ask you to go with Sue to another car. She's going to take you to your Daddy. Is that okay?"
Ashley stopped playing with Levi. "Daddy? He went away."
D glanced swiftly at the other team members.
"What?" asked Sue. "Did Ashley say something?"
"Her father went away," repeated Bobby. "Perhaps on a trip, perhaps not."
Sue grimaced.
"Is he on a trip, sweetheart?" D asked. "Is he coming back?"
Ashley nodded her head.
"When?"
She shrugged.
D thought for a moment. "Does anybody else take care of you besides your Mommy?"
"Theresa."
"Who's Theresa?"
"Our housekeeper."
D had a patient smile on his face. Although it had been a while, he remembered having conversations like this when the kids where the same age. Sometimes kids gave you answers a word or two at a time and sometimes they were like a faucet you couldn't shut off. Ashley was parting with information a drip at a time.
"I'm going to call Theresa and see if maybe your Daddy can come home earlier to see you and your Mommy," said D.
"And Lucas?" Ashley repeated with interest.
"Who's Lucas?"
"My baby brother."
He held out his hand. "And Lucas, he said with a smile. "Sue and Bobby will call him"
The little girl scrambled out and stood in front of Sue. "How?" she asked in curiosity.
"How what?"
Bobby had been interpreting the conversation between D and Ashley the best he could giving Sue the gist of their exchange.
Bobby can sign? thought Jack in amazement. He considered himself the most fluent in sign, next to Lucy, but it sure looked like Bobby had been practicing. Since when? he wondered.
"I have a cell phone that when you call me, the words appear on the screen," Sue said with a smile.
"Oh, a Blackberry!" cried Ashley.
Bobby and Sue looked at each other in surprise.
"Daddy have one." She reached for Sue's hand. "I ready. Levi coming?"
"Of course." Sue turned to the car. "C'mon, boy!"
Ashley reached up to hold Bobby's hand as they headed for their car a few yards away.
Jack paused before getting into the driver's side, his attention focused on Bobby and Sue. There was more going on between his two friends than he had been aware of. The question was…how much more?
