Chapter 5 Jeff's Note
As Jeff watched the man outside the door, he realized it was a police officer. The officer held up a hastily drawn sign and Jeff squinted to read it. "How many?"
Jeff's mind went into overdrive. He crawled to the paper bag and picked up the pencil, then silently scooted back to his spot behind the filing cabinet. He peeked above the cabinet, between it and the bottom of the table and took stock of everyone in the room. He might be scared to death, but this was something he could do. He started to write on the bag. When he was done, he ripped the bag as quietly as he could, around where he'd written and balled it up. He watched both gunmen carefully, and when their eyes were pointed in the other direction, he tossed the crumpled paper through the door into the hall. The officer picked it up and moved out of site.
Tom Porter watched the kid move to where the paper bag was and could almost see the gears working in his brain. Once in awhile, you ran into a situation like this, one where you could get inside information about the situation without the hostage takers knowing. But he'd never had this type of situation with a child involved. He wondered what the kid was writing and if he was smart enough to get the message out without being spotted.
He watched the balled up scrap of paper land in the hallway close to him and reached to pick it up. Quickly, he unfolded the paper and read it.
2 gunman
Hostages -5 men, 3 alive, 2 dead, 1 woman, 1 boy about 9 yrs old
I'm very hot and thirsty - Jeff
As the officer saw the crude floor plan drawn under the writing, he smiled. It even showed where each person in the room was located. They might not be there for long, but it showed the kid wasn't panicking and made the rest of the information more credible. He passed it to his partner and motioned him to get it outside to the Captain and Hostage Negotiator.
Tom would stay put and try to ensure that the kid stayed safe.