Chapter 15
Chin and Abby were at HQ early the next morning. The forensics report had come in. Theo had rigged an ambulance with a bomb with a timer and then parked it in the underground garage under the hospital. Then he had walked away. He had not even hidden from the video cameras, rather it seemed as if he enjoyed being filmed.
They still hadn't figured out where the next attack would take place. They had the floor plan of the building, but there was no matching match in the system. In the media, after the attack on the hospital, the video of the pier was also running up and down everywhere again. Chin was pissed, the guy was getting too much attention and was clearly enjoying it. He hadn't been home since the attack on the hospital. Chin suspected that he still had a hideout somewhere where he was preparing his next attack. But they hadn't found it yet, because nothing had been rented under his name.
For a long time last night, Steve and Catherine had sat together with Mary and Joan. After the event, they just needed a little normalcy. When they got home, they had both showered first and then prepared dinner. Joan hipped with joy when she saw that Catherine was back, too. Mary had definitely seen their new injuries, but said nothing. Only when Joan was in bed did she look questioningly at her brother.
"What happened, Steve?" In short words he told what had happened. With each word, Mary grew paler. Caring, he took her hand.
"It's all good, Mary. We're fine."
Catherine, Mary and Joan were still asleep when Steve got ready the next morning. This time he wasn't going to keep his feet still, no matter what Danny said. He left a note for the girls, took the keys to the rental car he had gotten yesterday and his new cell phone, and headed for HQ.
He arrived at the same time as Danny, who immediately eyed him, but then merely asked how he and Catherine were doing. When they entered the HQ, Abby and Chin still had the blueprint of the unknown building on the monitor and blueprints of various bombs. Briefly, they brought each other up to speed. Steve looked at the pictures closely, then asked:
"What is this building?"
"Unfortunately, we still don't know, we can't find it."
Steve tapped the Surface Table and drew the plan larger with his hands.
"Maybe it's not a building?"
Now, when the plan was larger, one could see that it was not rooms, but small houses or stalls that were arranged there. And now Abby also realized what it was.
"El Pueblo. The Olvera Street Market!"
Steve looked at Abby.
"And when is that?"
"Every day. But it's especially popular on weekends."
Abby tapped away on the Surface Table and called up the Olivera Street cameras. It was Saturday and the market was already busy. Their problem was that they had no idea when this guy would strike. Steve shared Catherine's opinion that he had only brought forward the attack on the hospital because it hadn't worked at the mall. Had Theo tasted blood and would pull off the next assassination today, or would he wait until the media interest died down again.
Maybe there was a way to find out which vehicle Theo Ginger would show up with. But when Abby called up all the stolen vans, there were over fifty. They didn't have a starting point here either, but Abby fed the computer the information anyway, so that the cameras also checked the license plates or issued a warning even for vehicles without license plates. Steve nodded appreciatively, but a steep crease still stood between his eyes.
"What's going on Steve? What are you thinking about?"
"You said Theo didn't show up at home after the attack on the hospital. But his computer, which he always used to upload the videos, was still there. I wonder why he didn't come home? Did he plan not to come home again, or did he overhear that the police were at his house and therefore avoided his house? If he overheard that you were there, then he also knows that we have his plans. Does it make sense to stick to those plans then?"
The faces of the others also became thoughtful. Steve was probably right, but where would Theo strike next?
Lost in thought, Steve stared out the window. Despite everything, they hadn't stopped watching the Olvera Street market, not knowing if Theo might have been planning not to return home in the first place. Steve rubbed his face. "Is everything okay?" Steve hadn't noticed Danny step up beside him.
"Yeah it's fine."
"Steve, you don't have to do this, you know that, right?" Steve looked at Danny and nodded.
"Yeah buddy, I know." Then his eyes wandered out the window again. He couldn't help it, he would support Chin, Danny and Abby.
Suddenly Steve grabbed Danny by the arm.
"Danno, there he is again!"
A painting company's van had parked in front of the PD and a man in a baseball cap had gotten out. Danny shook his head.
"Steve, now you're already seeing ghosts."
But Steve had already turned away and was on his way out.
"Steve!" Danny and Chin ran after him. When they got downstairs in front of the building, Steve was nowhere to be seen.
"Steve?" Searching, Danny looked around, then walked Chin over to the van and carefully opened the driver's door.
"Shit, Steve was right." Chin nodded grimly, already pulling out his cell phone and having the PD clear and the bomb disposal squad move in.
Searching, Danny looked around again. He could not see Steve anywhere. An uneasy feeling spread through his stomach.
When Steve arrived downstairs, he just saw Theo turn the corner. Steve hurried to get after him and took off running. He knew Danny would take care of the van. After he turned the corner, Steve slowed his pace again and matched it to the assassin. The assassin was moving briskly, but not conspicuously fast. Steve kept up quite well and tried not to attract attention. Again Theo disappeared around a street corner. Steve also turned the corner at a moderate pace. Damn it, where had he gone? Steve's eyes searched the entire street. Damn it, he had lost him. Just as Steve was about to turn away and turn back, he felt a gun barrel in his back and someone pulling his Sig from its holster.
"Not a peep. Didn't I see right? You and I know each other. However, I thought you were long dead, so one can be mistaken."
Inwardly, Steve cursed and fretted about his rookie mistake. But now it was too late.
"Why are you following me?"
"How, do you think I'm following you. I ..."
Harshly, Theo interrupted him, "Do you think I'm stupid? But I'm not stupid."
The pressure of the gun became stronger.
"Keep moving, but nice and slow." Steve heard in his voice how Theo began to grin.
"Actually, you're just coming in handy for me."
Steve did as he was told and slowly walked on. His mind was racing, why didn't this guy just kill him now?
"In there." Theo pushed him into a narrow alley and then through a door of a small storage unit. This had to be Theo's safe house.
"Please be kind." There was a brief flash and Steve closed his eyes, dazzled. At that moment, Theo struck with the butt of his gun. Steve went down and it went black around him.
The bomb squad had successfully defused the bomb in the painter's van and taken it to the forensics unit. Danny, Chin Abby and the other police officers had observed the action from a safe distance and were now allowed to re-enter the PD.
Restless, Danny kept looking around. Steve was still not back and his cell phone was not available. Back at HQ, Abby went straight back to the computer and pulled up the security camera footage from outside the PD. They saw the van arrive, the man get out, and then move off to the left. Shortly thereafter, Steve appeared on the video, also moving away to the left. When Abby tried to tap into the other cameras, she found that they were turned off today for maintenance.
"Maintenance work? Are they serious?"
Upset, Danny ran a hand through his hair.
"There's a new video coming up." Quickly Abby clicked on it. Theo brought his set again and this time pictures of the destroyed hospital. Then, when the obligatory final image of his video came on, the three friends' hearts stopped for a moment. It was a picture of Steve.
