Four days later
I slammed the accelerator down and drove full speed along the dirt track leading to the farmlands, I had been out on a regular visit while coming back from a deposition at the courthouse and a cruiser had called for SRU back up; I called Winnie and told her that I could be there within ten minutes and had full gear with me since I was on duty. I had hit the satnav and followed the directions to where the cruiser was and cut the siren as I parked up beside him, I grabbed my weapon from the back of the SUV and switched my radio on to all channels so I could update as required. The officer was injured and lying behind his car, he signalled where the subjects had run too and I nodded as I grabbed the mini first aid kit and headed over to him to start triage. I strapped on the tourniquet and called for EMS and back up from whatever team was available to my location ASAP.
"Copy that Mac, Team five will be arriving in ten; they just left the last call."
"Copy that Winnie, track me through GPS tracker, the injured officer has just told me that there is two children hostage by armed man. Weapon is a tactical shotgun and we already have two dead in the house, looks like a murder kidnapping!" I responded as I checked the house.
I put on my backpack and grabbed my map of the area and headed off into the fields to try and catch the subject, I knew it was risky but protocol was to follow but not engage until back up arrived. I hit the fields at full speed and saw the three people at the edge of the forest to the east; I checked my map and found that we were less than a mile away from a waterfall and cliff that was a known suicide hotspot.
"Winnie, subject is headed in direction of Elise Falls, I need immediate back up!" I shouted climbing over a fence.
"Copy, Team Five and Team One are on route, GPS locators are active."
I scrambled through the heavy woods and bushes and knelt down to check the footsteps of the three people, they were laboured with scuff marks – he was dragging the kids to the falls as I thought; I picked up the pace again and five minutes later I could hear the sirens come along the inner fence beside the forest, the two teams had arrived at the same time. I picked up speed again and stopped to listen for anything, any talking, screaming or crying – all I heard was two gunshots.
'Please god! No!' I whispered standing stock still.
"Mac – status?" a voice ordered.
I ran in the direction of the shots, I knew I could get there to help them if I could get there in a few moments time, I heard the Comms channels go nuts with clear orders to follow my tracker; I could hear Parker and Ed call for me to get my position. I ran until I saw the clearing and saw three bodies lying on the ground. I checked the area with a quick sweep and went over to them. The young boys had been shot with a shotgun, there was nothing I could do for them; the adult subject had blown his head off. I lowered my weapon and took a deep breath. This wasn't the first time I had dealt with dead children killed by guns, but I had hoped never to see it here. I knelt beside them both and checked their signs, both silent. I looked at the adult; he didn't even have a neck for me to check.
"YOU SON OF A FUCKING BITCH – WHY?" I screamed at him.
"Mac – speak to me Mac!" shouted Wordy.
"Fraser – respond!" Ed yelled over the radio.
I kicked the crap out of the subject's chest and walked away for a moment to calm down my thoughts, I put my bag down and opened it up to get the thermal blankets out and cover the children's bodies; I chucked the other one across the adult and gave it another kick as I knelt beside the kids and said the last rites in my head, trying to focus on something else.
"Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit? May the Lord, who frees you from sin, save you and raise you up."
"I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
I blessed myself and sat on the ground to watch over them until both teams arrived on site, the horror on their faces was apparent and I got up to meet them as Parker came over to me and led me to the side. He looked me straight in the eyes and I stared back at them coldly.
"Not here! Do not let it out here!" he whispered harshly.
I nodded and Wordy took over my arm and led me back towards the SUV.
We walked in complete silence but could hear everything that was going on, I wanted to turn back but Wordy just gripped tighter and whispered for me to keep moving forward; a few minutes later we were back at the SUV and I sat in the driver's seat that I refused to give to him; he was putting his weapons away and had removed my radio so I couldn't hear what was going on.
"You should not be driving, give me the keys!" he called opening the door.
I shook my head and started up the engine, I knew it was safer for Wordy to be in the SUV if I drove as there was no way in hell I was going to cause an accident when he was with me, I got about halfway down the highway before I had to pull into the side of the road and rush out the vehicle; Wordy slipped out and kept an eye on me as I threw up. I took a few deep breaths and sucked it back up, turning to him I let him drive us back to the SRU and I disappeared into the building after putting away my weapons and gear bag. Spike arrived back with the bomb truck a while later and rushed in to find me, the GPS tracker was still on and he found me at the top of the diving board on the third level crying. He simply knelt beside me and pulled me close as I got the stress out of my system and cried my frustrations out.
It was a couple of hours later that the rest of the team arrived back from the crime scenes, they had to wait for the CIU to arrive and process everything they found before they could leave the scene to the patrols; I was in the lab doing some paperwork for training materials and a school event we had been asked to attend and explain our jobs. Ed and I have been chosen to show the various roles we could have within the SRU and what was required for even getting a referral. The door opened and looked up to see Ed come in, his face was blank as he closed the door behind himself and came across to the table where I was working; he sat down and handed me the folder from the CIU.
"Just arrived by courier," he whispered.
I nodded and put it on the other table beside me so I could deal with it later, Ed was looking at me and I glanced back as he leaned against the chair.
"What's up?" I inquired dropping my pen.
"I'm waiting for the ball to drop, for some sign of emotional breakdown to happen and you to go off the rails again," he replied.
"Ah you mean you are waiting for 'crazy Mac' to come out and play? Sorry to tell you but she has been permanently grounded and can't see anyone right now." I replied.
He leaned forward and glared at me, I leaned back and stared coldly back at him – trying to give him the 'death stare' back.
"This is not funny Fraser. You answered a call today and came across two murdered children who you knew were alive moments earlier, that puts a serious amount of emotional stress of any one of us and I need to know if you need advanced support?" he hissed.
I glared at him and got off my seat, last thing he needed was a knuckle sandwich and my blood was still slightly boiling from earlier.
"I am well aware it is not funny, but I am also aware of the eggshells you have put around me since this morning that is making it very difficult for me to do my job professionally, I am a fully trained combat medic with advanced training in bio-terrorism and pathological analysis; I have worked in some of the worst hell holes in the world and seen things that would make the devil scream. Today wasn't my first time I have come across murdered children, and I doubt it will be my last. I said my prayers at the scene and dealt with the stress, right now all I want to do is finish this presentation and go to mass in the morning!" I hissed back.
I had stood up and tried to head to the door before being pinned to the wall by a very pissed off Ed, I stood completely still and just breathed through the adrenaline rush.
"Wordy said that you were sick, that is a known trigger reaction – can you tell me that you are going to be 100% alright for the next few days? That you're not going to be distracted or overly emotional while on shift?" he demanded.
"I was sick and I don't deny it; you would be as well if you saw not only those two kids, but every dead kid you had to deal with. That's the worst my memories get, the worst my triggers can be now as they have to have an emotional trigger to them – I think we can both agree that dead children are an emotional rollercoaster!" I replied.
The door burst open and Spike came in and pulled Ed off me, pushing him back against the counter as I straightened myself out, the men were looking at each other with venom, neither knowing how to deal with the situation. I walked over and laid hands on them both and separated them before they came to blows – I was always the touchy subject during hard call outs and that was going to change before they made me leave to keep the team together.
"Are you trying to push her over the edge?" Spike hissed.
"Spike todays call hits close to home for the parents in the team, take a deep breath and take a seat." I asked gently.
Both of them sat down but were giving glares to each other, I rolled my eyes at them both and smacked the back of their heads, both glared at me and I rolled my eyes again at their actions.
"If you don't calm down and get rid of the extra testosterone, I'm going to give you the mini pill in your drinks! I am working through my own problems with the love and support of everyone here, but I don't need people to go over protective on my ass! Remember my training, remember what I have survived and accomplished over the last few months! I am stronger because of you guys, my team, my family – and you guys are breaking my stride but treating me like I need wrapped up in bubble wrap and stored away!"
"Sometimes we should do that!" they both said.
"And some days I want to kick your arses and send you naked through the bracken – but you don't see me doing that do you? You have to stop treating me like a porcelain doll or i will be treated like one and forced off the SRU because no-one will want to work with me. You do more damage to me by going all Rambo, talk to me instead, spar with me – hell bake me a cake! ANYTHING BUT TREAT ME LIKE AN EMOTIONAL LUNATIC!"
Both men flinched.
I rarely went nuts at them now and they learned the hard way that I had a temper on me after having to chase a subject three miles through the streets and save him from drowning after jumping offs the pier. I wasn't loud when I had a temper, but I could be vicious in at least two languages and got heavy handed while doing restraints which were one reason I was good at hard tactical entry with Wordy, the door opened and Sam walked in, I looked at him and he rolled his eyes at them both.
"Did he think you were going to need your jacket again Mac?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, getting a little tired of it so I made him aware of my feelings on the matter and Spike intervened. Just finished telling them off!" I replied.
Both Spike and Ed were looking rather sheepish now and staring at the floor, it was actually quite cute to see but I took a deep sigh and chuckled, I moved out the way and let them head out of the room, they both stopped and Ed asked a question.
"When was the first dead child you saw – Iraq?"
"No, it was 1996 in Dunblane School – her cousin was murdered with 16 other children and teachers," replied Spike.
Ed and Sam turned to him and then to me.
"I did tell you I am working through my emotional triggers – no secrets anymore. Now do you believe me?" I questioned them both.
"I'm sorry Mac; I know what it's like…" Ed started.
I held up my hand and shook my head.
"Never apologise to me about what you have had to deal with in life and in the line of duty – I am no judge and I won't press for details – but I will give and expect honesty at all times, even if it's in private. Now, before this scene gets all mushy, how about you take me to the range and we go through a couple more lessons?" I replied.
Sam looked at me with a small frown; he wasn't fully up to date with the news.
"She's doing her Marksman course after the take down a couple of weeks ago," Spike whispered to Sam.
"Oh jeez, Scottish sniper alert!" he chuckled to himself as they walked out.
Spike turned to Ed and growled at him, I burst out laughing at them both and headed outside towards the weapons locker to get organised; I would deal with Spike later tonight, Ed needed a chat while on the range.
An hour later I was in the swing of the lesson and taking aim at the new target that had been put up, I was doing well, I could hit the bulls-eye with most tries and now with the rifle I had been practicing with for the fortnight with ease. I lined up for another shot and heard Ed whisper behind me.
"Slow your breath down, lower your heart rate and focus on your target. Between heartbeats, count to three and then fire."
I drew in a breath through my nose and repeated until I could feel my heartbeat in my ears, I focused down the scope and touched the trigger – a small puff of chalk exploded at the other end of the range and I unloaded and looked up.
"Jesus!"
We looked round to find Sam and Jules watching from the gallery, I made the rifle safe and sat up and waved; they came in once the light went to green and looked at the targets on the table.
"How's the training going guys?" Jules asked.
"Think we have a possible back up, how long have you been training Mac?" Sam asked.
"Three weeks, seems I am a natural at the logistics of the role and its delivery," I replied shrugging my shoulders.
The held up the targets and found most of the shots within the kill zone areas marked out on the sheets; I wasn't as good as the rest of them, but I was gaining skill quickly and progressing through the lessons confidently. Ed triggered the target and it moved forward on the platform for solid objects, he picked it up and chucked it to me.
"That was your best shot ever – centre target, simulated cross wind and complete focus on the subject. Well done!"
I looked at the apple in my hand; it had a small hole smack in the centre that went right through.
"Yeah, I would say you're getting the hang of it, three weeks to progress to shots like that is some serious hidden talent!" Jules replied.
"Yeah seems I am surprising everyone these days," I replied.
We had just finished debrief at the end of another 19 hour shift and we were all leaving the meeting room to go and get changed; the other teams had swapped places with us and I was busy talking to Troy when an almighty scream came from the guys changing room. I grabbed the first aid bag behind the desk and ran in with Troy to find Wordy sitting on the bench clutching a folder, I shouted that I was in the room and headed over to Wordy.
'How the hell did…..' I thought to myself.
He was clutching the photos of Lou's autopsy and other photos of his family lying dead.
I ripped the photos out of his hand and shook his shoulders as I knelt in front of him and ordered someone to phone his house and get a hold of Shelley – there was only one way to prove to him that his family were fine and I wasn't going to mess around with this.
"Wordy…..these aren't real!"
He was sitting there hyperventilating and shaking, I grabbed the photos and shoved them into my bag and got everyone to make sure no other team member came into the room unless it was Parker; I took his hands and looked into his eyes and ordered him to look at me, he managed and I squeezed his hands and talked him through the breathing. The door flew open and it was the rest of the team, I stopped them and saw that they had overpowered Troy and barged in to find out what was wrong.
"Guys, get out NOW!" I ordered.
I turned back to Wordy who was back into the cycle of rapid then slow breathing, he had slid onto his knees and I put my hand over his t-shirt and tapped out the breathing exercise I was taught by Ed. My phone rang and I saw it was Shelley – thank god for that!
"Wordy – this is not real, your family is safe and I have Shelley on the phone – she needs to speak to you, your daughters want to say hello!"
He just looked at me through his tears and I showed him the caller ID – he grabbed the phone and put it up to his ear.
"Shell?" he whispered.
His face crumpled and he cried as soon as he heard her voice and the kids playing in the background; I got everyone to leave us for a few moments and got him calmed down as he spoke to his kids. A few minutes later he hung up the phone and I pulled him in for a compression hug to calm his nervous system down, he would need a lift home and I knew Shelley was on her way in.
"I will get these guys who did this, it was a psychological tactic used to break your spirit and confidence – these are the guys I am fighting from and they will try everything to break you. These are just photos – when Shelley is here, get her home and be with your family – I'll check up on you this afternoon!"
Ten minutes later I escorted him out the building and grabbed Shelley, who took charge of him, I told him I would explain everything tonight but he was to spend the day with his wife and kids and relax. I got him into the car and headed back inside once they were safely on their way home, I headed back to the guys room and picked up my bag from the floor, the folder was still in it and I knew what they had tried to do.
First would come the photos and videos, next would come the personal messages and reminders – then they would come after one of the team; the families would need to be put under watch and have a system to contact us in emergencies or vice versa – this was going to cause headaches.
I headed to the front desk and logged into the system to find out who had entered the SRU to plant the file as there was no way in hell anyone knew about it being in my locker. I checked the footage and came across a motion blur, the cameras were working fine and there was no scheduled maintenance happening so I don't understand the slow effect of the video speed. I thought back to something Spike was working on during a case a few months ago, it was a similar issue and could be caused by something….LEDs! They created the motion blur in digital CCTV cameras, but even then the security features of the SRU are incredibly tight which means…..
"Inside job?" I whispered to myself.
I ran out the room and headed to the lab where I was doing all my research, it looked perfectly fine until I opened up the hidden cabinet in the wall, it was empty – all my notes and research on what was going on was missing. I slammed the door shut and paced the room – everything I was working on was missing, even the hidden back-ups I had kept hidden in other places. I got called to the main desk and saw Winnie trying to stop two men from entering the building; they barged past her and snapped their attention onto me.
"Where are Scarlatti and Fraser?" they demanded.
"Who are you?" I demanded back.
The both reached into their jackets and I raised my weapon automatically shouting for them to stop and raise their hands, five other officers had done the exact same thing and allowed me to lead as I got Winnie out of the way.
"On your knees – NOW!" I ordered.
I took point and Troy and his team went to the men and disarmed them, they also found ID's on them and Troy passed one to me.
'Oh shit!' I thought to myself.
"Put them in the holding room, I need Sam back to ID them properly," I whispered to Troy.
He nodded and I went to make two phone calls, one to the boss and the other to Sam – I was in a lot of deep crap if those IDs were authentic!
I got to the garage where Spike had been working on Babycakes for the last couple of hours after the early debrief and I shut the door and leaned against the wall; he looked up at me then sprung over worried.
"Mac, what's wrong?" he demanded.
"They hit Wordy, he's fine and away home for the night with the family but they are upping their game with their tactics." I whispered.
"How did they do it?" he asked remembering what they did to Greg.
"Photos of his family, same what they tried to do with you!" I replied.
His head snapped up at that one, I hadn't told him about what was sent in the mail and I had no intention of doing so, but I let him know it was photos and a video. He gripped my hands and pulled me to him.
"What else has happened, you're more than worried right now!"
"Two men barged past Winnie and refused to ID themselves, Troy and myself arrested them at the front desk and there being held in the third rooms – problem is they have Federal ID passes – fancy doing some hacking?"
Thirty minutes later we were in the briefing room waiting for some information to come along when the Commander and Parker arrived looking seriously pissed off; I looked up at them and mentally kicked myself – they were Federal Agents – oops!
"Care to explain the emergency call I received from Winnie about you and Troy arresting two federal agents? Or the psychological attack on one of my officers!" he demanded.
"Sir they went after Wordy, thankfully I contained the situation and his family are fine – I sent him home for support and I will call him in the morning to check up on him." I replied glancing at Parker.
"And the Federal Agents?" he demanded.
"They entered the SRU by hacking security and barging past Winnie, I ordered them to identify themselves, they refused and Troy and I arrested them along with support from Team Four. Spike was helping me check their credentials when you arrived on scene."
I was braced for it, for the almighty force of nature of the Canadian Federal government coming down over my head and the wrath of Halloran, I flinched internally and kept looking straight ahead while at attention; there was a crowd now at the main desk as the other teams met up with mine to find out what the hell was going on – I could see them all flinching under the onslaught that Halloran was giving me. Thankfully he stopped after a few minutes and headed off to the holding rooms with Parker and the other Federal Agent that had arrived a few moments ago.
"Is she standing at attention?" whispered Winnie.
"Yeah, it's a natural reflex for soldiers – give her a moment and she'll stand down." Sam replied.
I took a measured breath and then relaxed my stance, everyone was still looking at me and I headed towards the main changing rooms muttering under my breath. Spike stood there with his mouth hanging open when he heard what I said.
"What did she just say there?" Ed asked.
"Cane affronto madre cazzo stronzo!" he replied going slightly red.
"And for those who don't know Italian?" Sam asked.
Spike looked up at him and shook his head.
"My woman has a mouth on her – I need to get blessed again!"
The rest of them chuckled as they guessed it was a rather rude comment aimed at Halloran and the Feds.