The naked edge

34

Cavanaugh and Jamie hurried up the stairs. An office door was open, startled faces peering out.

"Close the door," Cavanaugh told them.

"Take cover," Jamie warned.

Continuing higher, they reached an open door, sky beyond it.

"Stay here," Cavanaugh said. "You don't need to do this."

"Babe, I'm not letting you do it alone."

Cavanaugh went first, aiming to the right while Jamie aimed to the left. Amid blazing sunlight, potted trees and shrubs surrounded them. Patio tables, chairs, and sun umbrellas provided a lunch area through which Cavanaugh and Jamie darted, searching for a target.

"Over there," Jamie said.

Fifty yards away, a shed-like structure had an open door. With the Mississippi spread along their right, they raced toward the exit.

"He used the roof to head east! Farther along the block!" Cavanaugh shouted into his lapel mike. "The corner!"

They entered a stairwell in time to hear footsteps rumbling below them.

"He's almost onto the street!" Cavanaugh shouted.

"We're waiting!" a voice shouted through his earpiece.

Shots made Cavanaugh pause. Even in the stairwell, he heard screaming along the street.