Takeover - Lisa Black [63]
“Unless they use an armored vehicle,” she persisted—perhaps unwisely, but she so desperately wanted them to leave. Now, so she could get to the hospital and see Paul before she was fired and possibly jailed for interfering with a police operation. “They could just push the car out of the way without exposing anyone to your fire.”
“Damn,” Bobby said. “That would screw up the transmission for sure.”
“Relax,” Lucas told him. “We see anyone or anything come near the car, we shoot one of these fine people here. That will get them to back off. No one’s going to do anything to your pearl.”
“They probably already have,” his partner grumbled. “You can’t trust them.”
The little boy gave one more convulsive shudder, lifted his head from Theresa’s shoulder, looked directly into her eyes, and screamed.
CHAPTER 18
12:36 P.M.
“I don’t know any Oliver,” Patrick said. The idea of Theresa’s trying to pass them a clue made him nervous. He wondered what the hell she was doing—first she walked into the lion’s den to save Paul Cleary, his partner, whom he should have been saving, and then she starts playing Nancy Drew? If she got out of this alive, he would kill her.
The FBI special agent in charge had been and gone, shaking his head in disbelief at Theresa’s actions. Assistant Chief of Police Viancourt had wandered back in and taken a seat at the small desk, his gaze ping-ponging between Patrick and the hostage negotiator.
“She must have said that for a reason,” Cavanaugh insisted. “Who might know what she meant? Jason, get us through to that ambulance. Maybe the wounded cop knows.”
“Or the lab,” Patrick said. “Her boss, Leo, or Don might know.”
In five minutes Jason reported that Paul had lapsed into unconsciousness and the medics didn’t think he would be coming around soon. In fact, the medics didn’t sound too enthusiastic about his overall condition, Jason added to Patrick, using a gentle tone that only grated on the older cop’s nerves.
All Patrick needed to know was that Paul was still alive. Though he wondered why…. Why hadn’t Lucas taken a second shot, finished him off? Sure, Paul had been incapacitated and was no longer a threat, but still, most guys kept shooting once they began. Maybe Lucas thought of Theresa’s idea even before she did. Bargaining over Paul had certainly gotten him what he wanted.
Or maybe the guy just wasn’t a killer. But then, what had happened to Cherise?
Cavanaugh, meanwhile, had Don on the speakerphone. “¿Qué hace allí?” the DNA analyst snapped. “¿Cómo pudo usted dejar Theresa ir—”
“La sacaremos,” Cavanaugh said. “No se preocupe.”
“You had better get her out safely! How could you let her go in there in the first place?”
Patrick leaned over the desk to interject, “Don, who’s Oliver?”
The young man paused, probably in surprise. “There’s a guy named Oliver in Toxicology.”
Cavanaugh explained what Theresa had said to him. “We’re assuming that’s some kind of clue. What is her relationship with Oliver? Are they friends?”
“Nobody’s friends with Oliver—he’s too big a pain in the ass. But Theresa can get more out of him than anyone else. She gave him some stuff from that dead guy this morning. That’s probably what she meant. You want me to transfer you?”
“No, stay with me a minute. Jason will get Oliver on another line. What can you tell me about Theresa? Have you ever seen her under pressure?”
“Pressure? We work for Leo.”
Apparently Don also had them on speakerphone, because they heard the boss’s voice in the background. “Hey!”
“This job is nothing but pressure. Theresa handles it. The bodies just keep coming in, attorneys get in her face, she just gets colder and quieter.”
“Is she likely to take action?”
Patrick wondered why the hell Cavanaugh wasn’t asking him. He had known Theresa since the day she was born—but then Cavanaugh didn’t know that. He spoke up. “No.”
“No,” Leo said.
Don sounded defensive. “She’s very tough.”
“But not assertive,” Patrick said.
“I don’t know,” Leo put