Chapter Seven
Search and Rescue
Wade pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure. He watched the pile of junk - that represented the once so proud two-story building - and found himself wondering if any of his officers had survived. He shook his head stubbornly. 'No,' he thought. He refused to even go there. He refused to believe that - after everything they had been through over the years; Bradford, Chen and Nolan would be killed in an explosion arranged by a dead serial killer. That was just insane.
The watch commander of the Mid-Wilshire district let his eyes roam around the immediate area. The place was a mess, the firefighters were setting up shop to his right, the LAPD bomb squad was on location too. A perimeter had been set up to safeguard the public and it was filling up with people all around. He spotted Smitty and Jan trying to keep order to chaos as several news reporters, vloggers and tv-crews readied themselves with various equipment.
They could try and keep the lid on this but in the end, it would be no use. Someone would spread the word that Rosalind Dyer had once again struck out for a kill – from her grave – and that this time she was closing the book, writing her epilogue, using his officers and playing on his emotions while doing so.
Lieutenant Pine looked like she was about to explode herself. The Metro unit prided themselves being a special operations group within the police department whom was usually called upon to manage specialized crime suppression like surveillance, counterterrorism, riot control and special dignitary protection. If it was to be commonly known they couldn't even protect one of their own then their reputation would be tarnished.
Wade found himself happy not to be in Lieutenant Pine's shoes as he watched her walk over to the men and women standing in tight group a few feet away, awaiting orders. There was nothing Metro could do at the scene. The lives of Bradford, Nolan, Chen and Juarez were in the hands of the LAFD.
However, he knew that the people in the Metro unit would stop at nothing - using all their available resources - to aid the Mid-Wilshire division with this case. No one attacked the police without retribution; not even the dead. The Feds would be pissed about this too. They hadn't been able to catch Rosalind's latest acolyte; Jeoffrey Boyle. After he'd rigged the explosion - almost trapping Garza's two agents together with Harper, Lopez and Thorsen at the dilapidated factory - he had disappeared from the face of the earth.
As Pine silently walked away Bailey came back and took her helmet off, pulling a strand of her hair back behind her ear. "We've been able to breach safely but the building is far from stable and the team doesn't want to risk hurting anyone while performing the search. So far no one has answered any calls." She ran a hand through her hair as she cast a surreptitious glance across her shoulder, clearly shaken by the whole thing and - more importantly - worried about Nolan and the others.
As she looked up at the sergeant, she saw her own fears mirrored in his dark brown eyes and it made it so much harder to try and stave off that foreboding feeling that was manifesting itself in the pit of her stomach.
"I don't understand," Bailey began. "Lucy was put in a barrel. I fell down in a tank. Why did she rig an explosion?"
"First of all, it's not her," Grey reminded her softly. "Maybe it's that Jeoffrey Boyle guy again. The man who helped her build the tank you were put in. Or maybe it's another deranged person who has been idolizing Rosalind for entirely wrong reasons. Secondly, not all her victims were put in a barrel or in a tank. She experimented a lot. I don't know how much you and Nolan have talked about this but Rosalind Dyer was convicted of tormenting and killing seven innocent people in 2015. One of which she peeled the skin away from the unfortunate victim's face."
Bailey pursed her lips into a thin line of displeasure, a chill creeping down along her spine.
"In 2018 she struck a deal with DA Sean del Monte which included a trip outside prison to lead the police to the graves of those three victims whose bodies had never been found. In exchange for that she would get her sentence reduced to life in prison. That's when all this craziness began – for me, for Nolan, for Chen."
"What about Tim?" Bailey asked.
Grey frowned, not sure where she was going with this.
"Bradford actually came into contact with Dyer's evil deeds earlier than the rest of us. He was one of the officers who found the body of Lisa Cruz; Dyer´s fourth victim. Now, Tim used to serve a Sergeant and a Squad Leader in the United States Army. He has seen a lot overseas but even he was clearly shaken by the remains of Lisa Cruz's body."
"What did she do to her?" Bailey heard herself asking yet she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.
"She attached small explosive devices to her wrists, ankles, elbows and knees before leaving her in the forest without food and water. The explosives had motion sensors with various sensitivity. Cruz actually got a few kilometers before she fell to the ground bleeding out from the explosive wounds."
"So, she's been playing around with explosive devices before," Bailey said with a sigh. "In a really sadistic way too."
The seasoned firefighter and reserve army officer glanced back upon the house, letting out a shaky breath. She was used to running into burning buildings - used to saving and losing people in her line of duty - but this was different. This time it was her fiancé and her friends who was trapped in there and there was nothing she could do to help at the moment. It was beginning to feel like her days in the army when she had been deployed overseas and her unit had been attacked by a bunch of sadistic thugs. Traveling back to the US – to a civilized country – she would never have thought she would experience something similar.
"What is it you want?" Grey muttered as he hit the play button again and Rosalind Dyer was once again brought back to life.
"My dear Lucy, so fragile yet so fierce. And that depth of character. It's not many people I have come to respect. However, that doesn't stop me from thriving on their suffering. I loved her singing in the barrel, it was so invigorating. She fought so hard to stay alive."
Bailey grew cold and a sense of dismay came over her as she listened. "She's really something," she whispered darkly.
"I respected her so much that I decided to give her a present once. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of hearing how it played out. Her boyfriend at the time, poor little naïve, ADA Sanford never saw it coming."
Bailey shook her head. "That creepy smile of hers makes me sick," she muttered.
"You know, I rarely make mistakes reading people. That is what made me so good at what I was doing but I have to admit that Lucy fooled me. Maybe she wasn't aware of it herself at the time. I don't really know. But she's always wanted someone else - her fierce protector - no nonsense and former military officer, Sergeant Bradford."
Bailey stopped breathing without even realizing it as Rosalind's eyes hardened and grew cold for a moment. Then that chilling smile came back again and her tone of voice became smooth. "I wish I could come back to the land of the living just for this special occasion but I hope my loyal followers will enjoy it as much as I would have done."
"She lured them here, just like she lured me to that creepy boobytrapped house to get John to seek her out," Bailey said.
"Yeah," Grey said, his voice subdued. "She wanted Chen and Bradford to play with. Unfortunately, she got what she wanted and as a bonus she even got Nolan and Juarez because Nolan – being Nolan – tried to look out for his friends."
"Her acolyte had marked John and Celina with a red x too," Bailey said. "Why? If she was done with him - having given up on him - why would she do this to him and Celina?"
"Because her acolyte wanted to play with your feelings and make them collateral damage," Grey reasoned. "Remember that there is at least another person involved in this."
"At least Rosalind gets nothing out of this," Harper said coldly as she and Lopez came up to them. "The dead can't feel satisfaction. Rosalind might have felt it when she recorded this but I refuse to give her followers – whoever they may be - the satisfaction of killing Tim, Lucy, John and Celina."
"I hate to be the one voicing it but they might already be dead," Grey pointed out. "Someone buried them under a pile of rocks. No one has answered any radio calls for the last hour."
Harper crossed her arms over her chest.
"Anyway, I want the two of you to return to the station," Grey added. "Officer Mendoza was recalled to the clean water facility a while ago. A clown was caught on camera around the time you two visited. He dropped off a package for you."
"That makes no sense," Lopez stated. "We've never spoken directly to Rosalind, not even when we met her at the station."
"The fact that you are Nolan's friends seem to be enough for Rosalind," he pointed out.
"I am not backing off," Angela persisted. "None of us were caught on camera getting out of our house this morning or marked with a red x. I'm going to help nailing whoever is behind this."
They all jumped as Nune's radio came to life.
"Nune, just wanted to tell you we've cleared the way to what looks like the remains of a staircase," her commanding officer reported.
Bailey swallowed. "Understood, sir. I am on my way."
"Maybe you should sit this one out?" he suggested kindly.
"Respectfully, sir, there is no way I am going to stand on the sidelines," she countered somewhat angrily as she nodded at the police officers, heading back towards the remains of the house.
Lopez watched as Bailey purposely strode away. "Is she up for this?" she asked carefully. "I mean, if someone tried to kill Wesley-,"
Grey looked at her sadly for a moment, then nodded at the small gathering at the firetruck. "It's up to her commander to decide but she's an LAFD officer and a lieutenant in the army reserve. If anyone can keep it together, I think it's her."
Lopez frowned as a black car pulled up close by and the captain of the central districts got out of the backseat. "What is Ross doing here?" she asked curiously.
Harper frowned too. "Who's the blonde woman with the captain?"
"Sara Daniels," Grey informed them. "She is one of the most respected profilers at BAU. She likes to keep a low profile but she is one of the main reasons Detective Nick Armstrong managed to tie Dyer to her early crimes."
"BAU?" Thorsen asked curiously as he joined them.
"FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit," Harper clarified to her former rookie. "Didn't Garza pull Stensen out of there and onto his unit?"
Grey nodded at Harper and then turned to Thorsen somewhat annoyed. "Since you're constantly showing up back here instead of safeguarding the perimeter with Jan and Smitty and the others, I might as well assign you as a liaison between LAPD and LAFD. Have you heard anything from Bailey?"
"I am heading over there now, sir," he replied.
Lopez and Harper shared a smirk.
"He's a good 'gofer'," Lopez said. "Tim is right about that."
"Of course he is," Harper said with a wink. "I trained him to be a rounded police officer – complete and balanced - remember?"
Grey refrained from rolling his eyes as the captain came their way.
"Sir. What can I do for you?" the sergeant asked.
Ross nodded at Daniels. "I take it you've met FBI's profiler Sara Daniels?"
Grey nodded curtly. "Yes, sir. She attended the trial from which Rosalind escaped. I was in charge of the preparations."
"Then you would also know that Daniels was vital in profiling information that could later be applied and used to find and rope in our female serial killer with the help of Detective Armstrong."
"Yes, sir. I am well aware of that," Grey replied.
"Considering the latest turn of events, she is on loan to us by the feds and will be assisting you with this latest development."
The criminal profiler smiled as she glanced around, looking from Harper to Lopez to Grey. "Agent Garza sends his regards and regrets he can't be here in person."
Captain Ross looked directly at Sergeant Grey. "You are familiar with the case – maybe a bit too familiar – but I trust you are the best and most qualified person to run point on this case. The rest of the LAPD and the Metro unit have the Mid-Wilshire district's back. With the help of the FBI and Metro I am confident that this will be the end of Rosalind Dyer and her legacy."
"You have got that right, sir," Grey replied.
"Good, then I'll leave you to it and assure the people of Los Angeles that the LAPD have it covered."
OOOOOO
Celina Juarez groaned, it felt like her throat had been filled with sand, and her head was pounding. She thought she'd heard a voice but she couldn't place it or tie it to someone she knew. It was dark all around her and the air was stuffy and heavy, making it hard to breathe.
'What is this place?' she wondered. 'How did I end up here?'
She blinked, trying to focus on something, trying to see through the darkness that now surrounded her. She grimaced and let out a groan as dust particles found their way into her open eyes. It stung, irritated her sensitive eye sockets, and she reached up with her dirty hands to try and relieve some of the discomfort. The rookie suddenly felt a chill down her spine and she froze as a floorboard creaked behind her. She swiveled around, rubbing at her eyes with one hand as she reached down to let her other hand come to rest at the tilt of her service weapon.
"Celina?" John Nolan's soft voice called out here name, the tone soft but filled with concern. "Call out if you can hear me."
At first, she was confused. 'Did he really not see her? Had he really not heard her shuffle around?'
"Here," she called softly. "I am here."
He stopped, letting the irregular faint glow of his flashlight dance around the room.
She squeezed her eyes shut as the ray of light landed on her.
Footsteps picked up pace and within a few seconds he was kneeling next to her, a hand on her shoulder.
Nolan let out a sigh of relief. He thought he had lost his rookie for good. "I am so glad I found you. I have been looking everywhere."
Celina put on a brave face yet her eyes told him how traumatized she had been.
John didn't blame her. Someone had lured them into a trap and blown the place to pieces. It's not something that happens every day. It's not something that should happen at all – to anyone.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked softly as he gently placed a hand on her chin and tilted her head sideways to get a better look at a gash that ran an inch or two just above her left eyebrow. "That's probably going to leave a scar."
"Nah," she protested lightly. "I have faith in the handiwork of doctors nowadays."
He chuckled lightly. "Follow the light."
"Can I pass?" she asked hopefully, pouting a little.
"Not optional I am afraid. I am trying to assess your injuries," he apologized.
She squinted. "Didn't realize you had two index fingers."
"Okay," he deduced. "You most definitely have a concussion and I wish I had listened to Bailey when she wanted me to refresh my first aid knowledge."
Celina tried to give him a smile but it came out more like a twisted grimace. "What happened to your leg, sir?" she asked.
He followed her gaze to the torniquet placed just below his knee and the sliced pantleg. "I had a bad landing," he waved her concern away. "I impaled it on this little rod of steel."
She shuddered as the faint glow of the flashlight fell on the metal sticking out of her T.O's leg. Acting on autopilot she reached out for her radio and froze as she realized it was no longer there. She turned her attention to Nolan's face and saw the perspiration coating his ashen complexion. "We need to get out of here, we need to-" she trailed off as if suddenly remembering something else. "Tim and Lucy."
He looked away.
'Why was it so hard to remember,' she wondered. She knew their names, then finally it came to her. "Where is Sergeant Bradford and Officer Chen?" she asked hollowly. "Are they-,"
He shook his head resolutely. "No, they can't be dead. Those two have gone through so much together - survived against all odds - ranging from shootouts, to virus outbreaks, to serial killers. I refuse to believe it ends here. We just need to find them."
Celina put a hand to her thumping forehead, willing for the headache to go away. She couldn't focus. 'Why couldn't she focus?'
"Officer Juarez," Nolan called gently. "Are you with me?"
She nodded faintly. "Yes, sir. Just zooming out for a moment."
John assessed the situation. He really didn't like it. They both needed proper medical attention. They had no radio and only one spontaneously working flashlight. On top of that they'd gotten separated from their friends and colleagues. The death of Captain Andersson still woke him up at night from time to time and he hadn't really known her. He didn't even want to think about the possibility of another superior officer killed in the line of duty while in his company. Besides, he knew Tim Bradford in a way he had never known any CO and Lucy was his only remaining friend he had close by from the academy since Jackson had been shot at Lopez' wedding.
Nolan forced himself to focus, to get his wits together. "Celina, listen to me. We need to find a way out of here. Do you think you could stand?"
She gave him another faint nod. "What about you, sir? You can't add weight to that leg."
"I am afraid I have no other choice," he said seriously.
OOOOOO
To be continued