It didn't take long for Scola and Tiffany to find the item the shooter had left behind as it was so carelessly tossed on the ground before the shooter kept running. On a rush order the nine-millimeter handgun potentially used on the attack against OA was rushed to the lab to have fingerprints taken. It didn't take long for the forensic team to pull the prints and match them to the man whose face was now on the JOC screen.
"Michael Howard; our 43-year-old shooter, prints lifted off the gun registered to him; boy does he have a wrap sheet." Jubal knocked on the screen to a list of the man's priors, "a list that includes multiple aggravated assault and domestic assault charges." This man had a temper and his sheet showed it, Scola and Tiffany were waiting close by the exit to go scoop this trash up on Jubal's word. "Do we have a last known address?"
"According to records he lives on the east side with his wife, I can send the email to your cells," Kelly directed towards, Jubal, Scola and Tiffany.
"Great, I will work on a warrant," Isobel who had been standing next to Elise turned and walked already dialing.
"Jubal, I think something else," Elise piped in, "Forensics were able to get a serial number off the gun."
"Didn't they scratch it off,"
"Our guys are good," Elise shrugged before continuing. "It does not belong to Michael Howard but rather a Jack Sullivan of Queens and if you thought Howard was bad…" Elise hit a few key strokes before another man's face popped on the screen, a mugshot where the man was creepily smiling. "Jack Sullivan is the leader of a white nationalist group, "The White Way," they are on our terrorist watch list."
"Okay so is the attack against OA is a racial one, lets dig into any connection between OA's ranger days or FBI years and see if he can be linked to either."
"Warrant is a go, Scola and Wallace; you're good to go," Isobel chimed in. She didn't even finish the sentence and the two Agents were already halfway to the elevators. Jubal looked at the disturbing pictures of the two men wondering how OA played into their racist agenda.
FBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIBFIBFIBFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFIBFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBI
Maggie was never a fan of hospitals, but then again who was; she especially hated the room she was sitting in now. "The Family Room," she had been here before, the day that Jason was brought in, she remembered walking in and saying her name only to have a nurse immediately bring her to the room with no further explanation. It was the worst day of her life and now she was back but this time it served a dual purpose, not only to give Akila and her daughters some private time together but to also protect them should the shooter have an agenda against the Zidan family. Two officers stood watch as Maggie waited with Akila for her three daughters and son in law to arrive, things had been silent as Akila sat in her chair, clinging to the photo she had brought from home. The wait and the heaviness of OA's injuries had weighed down on her significantly and worst yet was when she made the calls to her daughters. A heavy toll on a mother who wanted nothing but safety and peace for her children.
Maggie walked the room to stretch her legs, honestly, she felt like a caged animal in here. She worried about OA; when they arrived only a half an hour ago, the hospital administrator met with them along with the hospital security team and the two officers who now stood outside. The woman, Delia Houston walked them to the room while giving what information she had. The first bullet had hit his brachial artery, one of the main ones that ran down his shoulder and arm. She told Akila and Maggie that this is where a lot of the blood loss came from, that OA was lucky a doctor had been at that coffee shop when the shooting happened as he was able to slow the bleeding until OA had arrived. She said that there was a surgery happening now to fix the artery, something called a brachial axillary graft. The second bullet hit OA in the abdomen which lacerated his liver, he was bleeding internally at this time, so another general surgeon was working on fixing this and pulling the bullet. All in all, the surgeries combined would likely take a few hours so here they sat in the small room.
"Agent Bell, if you need to go out and stretch your legs, I should be okay until my daughters get here." If Maggie could describe Akila she would say she was kind, strong, courageous, and perceptive. OA was very much like his mother in these ways although somewhat stubborn headed and impulsive when he was close to a case.
"I'm alright Akila, what about you, would you like anything, I could get you a tea, water something to eat."
"Oh, you are too kind; I don't think I could stomach anything right now." Akila looked down at the photo in her arms, with her thumb she stroked the glass, over the face of her husband and son. She smiled as she took in the memory of the day the photo was taken. "Omar reminds me so much of his father." Maggie sat silent not wanting to interrupt her thought. "He died when OA was 15 and it shattered our world, it happened so quick but through it all Omar stayed strong." Akilah handed Maggie the photo so she could see again. "He changed that day, I think that he thought he needed to be stoic, couldn't cry because he thought he was taking over the man of the house roll."
"Amira once told me about that."
"She hated it; Omar changed, and he suddenly had to be the one to provide, I think that's why he joined the Rangers… to send something home for us."
A knock on the door sent Maggie to her feet, she held a hand up to Akila who was prepping to rush to the door. Maggie opened the door and in front of her stood a woman who looked like Akila but much younger.
"Mama," Maggie knew from the photos that Jubal sent out to everyone that his was Rana, the eldest of the four Zidan children."
"Rana," Akila wrapped her arms around her daughter, and they fell to the couch. Maggie took this as her cue to step out quietly and let them be.
FBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIBFIBFIBFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFIBFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBI
Scola nodded at Tiffany and held up a hand signaling his count down; warrant in hand, a team set in the back and another on the side exit of the house, everyone was in placed. Scola one by one put the three fingers down before pointing at the S.W.A.T. team leader who called out, "FBI," before kicking the door down and having his men storm the house.
"Michael Howard," Tiffany yelled as she cleared the living room.
"What the hell is going on," a woman appeared out of the kitchen, her voice filled with fear, in her arms was a crying baby.
"Lower your weapons," Tiffany hissed at a swat member.
"Ma'am, I need you to face the wall," Scola ordered. The woman showed no hesitance and simply obliged to the order. She hushed her baby as Tiffany did a quick pat down and cleared the woman of any danger.
"Please what is happening," The woman asked as Tiffany lead her to the dining room chair.
"We are looking for your husband, Michael Howard." The fear melted away on her face but now anger and disgust took over.
"He hasn't been here in a week, I finally had the mind to kick him out after this," with one arm cradling her child, the woman pulled down her turtleneck to show the hand shaped bruises on her neck. "He did this while I was feeding our daughter."
"I am so sorry that he did this to you, and we want him to pay for this, do you have any idea where he is Mrs. Howard."
"Please don't call me that, I am changing it soon, my name is Maria."
"Sorry, Maria," Tiffany corrected, "When was the last time you saw him."
"Last Tuesday, he came to pick up the rest of his things," Georgia spat out, "What has he done this time?"
"We believe he shot a federal agent today."
"Wouldn't surprise me, since he joined that stupid racist group, he has become so angry and violent."
"Can you elaborate?"
"He got talked into it by one of his creepy friends, Hank Anderson," The name certainly sent shivers down Maria's skin. "Before he met Hank, Mike was a great man, he was kind and caring but he had some mental health problems he handled with medicine but when he met Hank he stopped." Maria laid a now calm baby in a small bassinet in the living room. "Hank started spewing this crap about how bad white men in America had it, how everything white men did was attacked at that it wasn't freedom." Maria now became teary eyes, grabbing a tissue from the coffee table, "I am Hispanic so when Mike started to buy into all this, that's when he started to hit me and attack me, call me such filthy names."
"That must have been so difficult," Tiffany empathized.
"It was terrible; the man I loved, the father of my child became a monster and I had to come to the realization that he wasn't coming back."
"Maria, we believe your husband is part of a terrorist white supremacy group called the white way,"
"I recognize the name; Hank would say it a lot when he thought I wasn't around."
"Do you know where your husband moved when you kicked him out?"
"Probably in with Hank and his 1950s wife Scarlett, she is way to obedient with Hank, it honestly creeped me out."
"We appreciate all your help, but I must warn you, Michael probably knows we are after him, if there is somewhere safe you and your daughter could stay until we catch him that would be wise."
"I can go to my sisters in Poughkeepsie."
"We will have an officer stay with you while to pack, bring you to the train station for your safety."
"Thank you," Scola and Tiffany shook Maria's hand and turned to walk out of the house.
"So, Howard is in the wind, better call Jubal and get an address for Hank Anderson."
FBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIBFIBFIBFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFIBFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBIFBI
Thank you all for your feedback, I really appreciate everyone's opinions! Hopefully you like this chapter, I am sorry it is taking me so long in between chapters, I have been working a ton so I have been trying to find time here and there.