Chapter 6 Bogg's Strategy

The phone rang again, and this time Ray picked it up and Lucas took over guarding the hostages. Phineas looked up at him from his position on the floor and decided to speak.

"Letting the kid go was a good thing to do," he said, making sure his body position looked relaxed and non-threatening. Even though he was in a subordinate position on the floor, he remembered the high emotions that existed in situations like this. The gunman could decide to kill or wound any of them, at any time, for any reason, especially if he thought the situation wasn't going to end well for him.

"Mm," Lucas grunted in answer, staring at Bogg.

"You could let his parents go too." Bogg said this quietly. He didn't know if one of the remaining men was the boy's father, but it was a way to get two more people out. When the gunman didn't answer, Bogg continued. "My best friend is an orphan, and you never get over it. You don't want to make him an orphan, do you?"

Lucas pointed the gun at Bogg again and Bogg turned his gaze to the floor. It was the only non-threatening thing he could think of doing. He held his breath and waited, hoping he wouldn't be shot.

"They say it'll take longer," Ray said to Lucas. Bogg had determined that Lucas was in the dominant role, and this confirmed it. "What should I tell them?" Ray continued.

Lucas frowned and lowered the gun slightly, "tell them when I see the car outside, I'll release the boy's parents," he said.

Bogg exhaled. It wasn't much, but it showed that Lucas could be reached, and maybe two more people could get out. As he looked up, he saw a quick movement near the table. He moved his eyes toward the gunman, leaving his head in the same position to verify that they hadn't seen it. A smile played on his lips when he realized that Jeff had just tossed something out into the hall. The kid was always doing something that surprised Bogg, he wondered what he was up to. He sat and pondered this, coming up with a variety of ideas. He felt the most likely was that someone from the police department had gotten into the building and was in fact just outside the door. He wished he could know what their next actions would be so he could help.

All of this passed through Phineas' mind as Ray relayed the request for the car to the hostage negotiator.