Constant Fear

CHAPTER 40

Ellie had just hung up with Jake when Haggar whistled to her from behind. She blanched when she saw him. She had shared sensitive tactical information with a possible threat. Although Jake had obtained the same intel on his own, Ellie’s actions were quite possibly criminal. Not that she regretted her choice. She believed Jake, and her goal was to convince Haggar of the same.

Haggar bounded down the trailer’s front steps with purposeful strides. “Who was that?” he asked.

“Jake,” Ellie said. She had no reason to lie, and Jake had every reason to call her.

“Is he leaving?” Haggar said. “We need him out of there, and that’s that.”

“I can’t tell you what he’s going to do,” Ellie said. That wasn’t a lie, either.

“No offense, but you two have a history, and I’m not comfortable with you talking to him without one of my agents present. Understood?”

“Understood.”

“That’s an order, Sergeant Banks.”

Haggar was a sharp-eyed leader, Ellie thought. “Yes, sir,” Ellie said.

“Look, I appreciate all your help here. We’re going to get out of this just fine. It’s going to take time, that’s all.”

“Sir, do you really believe this is terrorism?” Ellie asked.

“Who else uses dirty bombs?”

At first, Ellie wasn’t sure what to share, but she erred on the side of openness. “Jake thinks it’s about money. That’s what he said to me just now.”

“Yeah? Jake also thinks the world is coming to an end any day now. Maybe he thinks Bigfoot somehow got his hands on all that cobalt-60.”

Ellie strained to smile. “I know you’re putting extra surveillance on the Academy Building,” she said. “So you must not think he’s completely crazy.”

Haggar looked annoyed. “I take every opportunity I’m given and exploit it to my advantage,” he said. “So we’re looking at that building a little extra hard. Big deal. Doesn’t mean Jake’s on the Red Unit now. It means we have heat-detection equipment in place and it’ll help us validate his claim.”

“If you use every opportunity to your advantage, why not work with Jake? He’s on the inside. He can help.”

“He can get himself or those kids killed. That’s what I’m thinking.”

“What if he’s right?” Ellie asked. “What if there’s no bomb and we have less than an hour? We could lose the kids.”

“If that’s the case, I’m going to have a hard time sleeping at night for the rest of my life.”

“Then believe him,” Ellie said.

Haggar glanced at the trailer. For a moment, Ellie thought he was going to change his mind. “We’re working on making contact with the terrorists,” he said. “That’s the protocol and that’s the plan. I’m not about to enlist the help of a civilian under any circumstance.”

Ellie backed off. She had more that Haggar needed to know. “During our call, Jake mentioned somone named Javier,” she said. “He’s convinced this whole thing has to do with money.”

“Money?”

“That’s what he said. I mean, what terrorists do anything in the name of money?”

Haggar took a breath. He looked to the sky as if the answers would come from there. “Hell, this whole damn situation is a gigantic Charlie Foxtrot, if you ask me. Look, Ellie, if you’re hot on this Javier lead, then go figure out who he is and let me know what you learn.”

It was as much as Haggar would budge. Ellie raced her cruiser home to get Kibo before her fishing expedition began. Where she lived was en route to her destination. Hours ago, Ellie’s other two shepherds had gone to a neighbor’s, but Kibo stayed behind. He didn’t transition to new environments like the other dogs. Even though he wasn’t a trained police dog, Ellie still wanted to take him along for the ride. At that moment, she needed the comfort of his companionship. It would help to ease her unremitting worry for Jake.

Ellie arrived home a little after sunset. The clouds were gone, and a bright crescent moon shone down like a mischievous grin against a darkening sky. It didn’t take much light from town to block out the stars, but a few were twinkling off to the west. More would appear, once night settled in.

Off in the distance, SWAT helicopters, spotlights illuminated, circled over The Pep in a tight pattern. Her home was built on top of a high hill, which offered tremendous views of the valley. Far below, Ellie observed pockets of strobe light activity, patches of blue and red that appeared to burn the forest in a multicolored flame. Many of the deployed units, Ellie knew, had taken advantage of the encroaching darkness to keep well hidden. She also had a clear view of the campus buildings. Most of them still had their lights on.

From her cruiser, Ellie retrieved her binoculars and used them to pinpoint what she believed was the Academy Building, where Jake said the hostages were being held. She ignored the cold, even though the wind packed a chilly punch. Lowering the binoculars, Ellie kept her eyes locked on the Academy Building.

What are you going to do, Jake?

Her mind flooded with thoughts of the terrible things that could happen inside that school. The images went away, but the ache lingered. Ellie knew one thing for certain: Jake was Haggar’s best hope for avoiding a lifetime of sleepless nights.

Kibo sensed someone coming up the driveway and barked noisily from inside the house. Soon as Ellie opened the front door, Kibo, his tongue lolling to one side of his mouth, leapt up on hind legs and slammed his front paws against Ellie’s chest hard enough to knock her off balance. Then he gave her face a good licking.

“I missed you too, sweetie,” Ellie said, roughing up his fur.

Kibo followed Ellie outside and relieved himself on the grass. At the same time, Ellie opened the trunk of her cruiser. A war was going on in Winston, and while she was far from the action, she needed to prepare. From the trunk, Ellie removed her body armor-

POLICE emblazoned on the front pouch in bright yellow lettering-and got it fitted into place. Kibo looked wistfully at Ellie until she said, “Get in!”

Kibo barked once and got his nose under the door handle. When his head came up, the door latch disengaged. Kibo put a paw into the crack, which was enough to get the door open the rest of the way. He clambered into the front seat and sat upright and alert, like he was her partner.

Ellie gave Kibo his treat. Her dad had shown her how to train a dog to do that trick; and every time Kibo opened a door, she thought of her father. “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail,” her dad used to say.

She made the drive into town with her strobes flashing but siren off. The streets were quiet, and plenty of detours directed traffic away from the prep school. Five minutes later, Ellie arrived at the local high school, where she believed Lance Dent had set up a temporary headquarters.

The school parking lot was near capacity. Inside, it was noisy and chaotic. There wasn’t a better place to house all the boarding kids from The Pep. Displaced students roamed the halls with drained looks on their faces. The excitement of the evacuation had given way to uncertainty and fear.

Kibo didn’t seem to mind all the commotion. As long as he was with Ellie, everything was right in the world. He heeled as Ellie walked him through noisy corridors. Several students stopped to pet Kibo, and Ellie let them. She could see it gave them a few minutes of comfort. Kibo, as Ellie expected, relished every bit of attention lavished upon him.

Ellie eventually made it to the auditorium, which looked like postdisaster images she had seen on the Red Cross website. Students were splayed out on floor mats, or huddled in groups on the bleachers. Lost looks, exhausted expressions, and sagging shoulders were common. Trash barrels overflowed with food wrappers and plastic drink bottles.

Kibo didn’t like the noise, or the smell, because he kept close to Ellie’s side and whimpered occasionally. Several students came up to Ellie and asked what was going on. Other uniformed police officers were inside the school, and Ellie made sure the kids knew where to find them. Television reporters from various news outlets were present, but Ellie wasn’t granting any interviews.

The Internet spread rumors faster than facts, and most of the stories Ellie heard were gruesome and unsettling. Kids had been killed, one girl was certain. Another boy said that some of the hostages had been beheaded and there was a video online that was being blocked. Most of what they said to Ellie was inaccurate or unconfirmed. Ellie validated only what was being reported on the news: a woman had been shot and there was an active hostage situation at The Pep.

In one of the crowded hallways, Ellie found a teacher who directed her to the principal’s office on the first floor. Inside the anteroom, Ellie got nervous looks from a few parents waiting to speak to Lance. Maybe it was the uniform that scared people, or maybe it was the eighty-five-pound German shepherd.

Ellie poked her head into the principal’s office and saw Lance on the phone, seated behind a large desk. Lance saw her looking at him and held up a finger to ask her to wait. Ellie thought he was puffy and pale. She had busted guys after a five-day bender who looked better. From the doorway, Ellie could hear his half of the conversation clearly.

“I want to know the same, Mrs. Eichel,” Lance said into his cell phone. “And I promise we’re doing everything possible to locate Hilary. Where are you now?” A beat, and then he said, “You’re about an hour and a half away.” Another beat. “Yes, call if you need. Anytime.”

A woman in a blue suit, her hair going in more directions than a boy band, pushed her way into the office, holding a cell phone as if it were a Fabergé egg.

Into his phone, Lance said, “If you’ll please just give us time, I’m in touch with the Winston Police Department every few minutes, and I’m doing what I can to help locate all of your children.”

“It’s William Cranston, Troy’s dad,” the woman with the phone said in a whispered voice. “He’s demanding to speak with you.”

“Yes, yes, Judy,” Lance said. “Tell him I’ll be right with him.”

“He’ll be right with you,” Judy said into the phone. She pulled the phone from her ear, and Ellie could hear some angry talk.

Lance said, “Mrs. Eichel, I’m going to call you back. The police are here now.”

He had been so focused on Mrs. Eichel, Lance hadn’t recognized Ellie standing in his doorway. He had never met Kibo before. When Lance realized who it was, a smile came over his face. His look told her she wasn’t just a cop. She was an important person to his brother.

Lance stayed in his seat. Exhaustion held him down like an anchor. “Sorry, it’s crazy here, Ellie. I was going to call you. Have you heard from Jake?”

Ellie nodded.

“You know he’s in the school.”

Ellie nodded again. “We think he’s coming out.”

Lance didn’t seem to believe it.

“What can I do for you?” he asked. “I’m sorry to rush, but I need to keep in contact with the parents of the missing kids.”

Ellie had come to ask for Lance’s help in identifying Javier. Seeing how frazzled he was, she hesitated. She could manage on her own.

“I need to see a directory with the names of every student and I need the parents’ names and addresses as well. Faculty, too, even if they’re part-time.”

Lance wasn’t bothered by the request. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll have Judy get it for you right away. Our records are all online, so it’ll be easy to access.”

“Great,” Ellie said.

“Anything I can help with?”

“Nothing I can’t handle on my own,” Ellie said.