Silent Justice: A Ben Kincaid Novel of Suspense

Six Months Before

WHO LET HIM IN here? Ben Kincaid wondered.

He peered across the study quad at the scruffy-looking older man hovering near the front double doors to the University of Tulsa College of Law. Ben’s attention was drawn by the fact that the man was wearing a long overcoat; it was ill-fitting, wrinkled, and stained. The man’s chin was covered with salt-and-pepper stubble. His eyes were red and ringed, as if he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks. He was looking for something, or someone.

Ben couldn’t imagine who or what that might be. The man did not look as if he belonged here. Even the lawyers-to-be with the most rudimentary grasp of personal hygiene did not rise to this level of dishevelment. Ben wondered if maybe the man had gotten lost on his way to …

To what? The homeless shelter? Come to think of it, there wasn’t anyone or anything anywhere on the TU campus that was likely to welcome this visitor. Ben wondered if he should ask the man what he wanted. Or perhaps whisper a word into the ear of Stanley Robinson, the security guard he’d just seen outside the dean’s office.

Ben was distracted by a petite, attractive woman making her way toward him. She had a creamy complexion perfectly accented by two tiny patches of freckles on either side of her aquiline nose. Her engaging gait not only spoke of extreme self-confidence but, as an added bonus, did remarkable things to the curly strawberry-blond hair dancing just above her shoulders. As she sidled up to Ben, he admired her crazy-quilt miniskirt, which had more colors than a jumbo box of Crayolas.

Ben arched an eyebrow. “Is that a dress or a cry for help?”

Christina McCall didn’t bridle. “It’s ethnic chic. I’ll have you know this pattern is all the rage in Mozambique.”

“Is that a fact?”

“It is.”

“I haven’t kept up with Mozambique fashion trends the way I used to.”

“More’s the pity.” Christina tilted her head back, sending her hair bouncing behind her shoulders. “I hear you’re teaching The Tiger’s class this afternoon.”

“True.” Although Ben had been practicing law for years, only recently had he begun teaching classes at the local law school as an adjunct professor. As he had quickly learned, The Tiger was Professor Joseph Canino, a curmudgeonly Ichabod Crane who’d been teaching Civil Procedure since the dawn of time. “Apparently he was called away at the last moment. Some kind of emergency.”

“Probably heard of a law student somewhere he hadn’t publicly humiliated and rushed off to remedy the omission.”

“Quite possible.”

“I don’t know where such a student might be, though. Mozambique, perhaps.”

Ben smiled. Professor Canino was of the old school; he used the Socratic method like a dagger to slit the throats of the unwary or unwitting. “I gather you’re in this class?”

Christina had worked as Ben’s legal assistant for as long as he’d been in solo practice in Tulsa. Two years before, she’d decided to expand her horizons and start law school. Since they worked together and knew each other personally, they both agreed it was best that she not be in any of Ben’s regular classes. But it looked like this morning they were going to be in the same classroom whether they liked it or not.

“I am,” she replied. “So don’t be cruel.”

“I’ll try to restrain myself.”

Christina scampered off toward class, leaving Ben to admire once again her seemingly inexhaustible high spirits. It had been almost ten years since Ben finished law school, but it hadn’t been so long that he’d forgotten how much he’d hated it. Egomaniacal professors, arbitrary subjective grading, unrelenting pressure to succeed, unrestrained favoritism—a hideous gauntlet one was required to run in order to practice the world’s least respected profession. What a deal.

As Ben crossed the study quad, he observed that most of the students" sentiments were aligned with his own, not Christina’s. The sweaty brows and twisted grimaces of those purporting to study told him that law school had not changed much over the past decade.

In a carrel just off the main hallway, Ben spotted the grizzled man in the overcoat he’d seen near the front doors. What was he doing? Certainly not studying; he wasn’t even carrying a book. His eyes were still roaming about. Who was he expecting to see?

Or maybe he had it wrong, Ben reasoned. Maybe his first impression had been correct. Perhaps the man was homeless and he was just looking for a place to lie down where security guards wouldn’t hassle him. Ben considered recommending one of the cushioned sofas in the library. It was quiet in there, and if he covered his face with his hands, the staff would take him for another student who had fallen asleep while reading the rapturous words of the distinguished Learned Hand.

“Which class did you draw this time?”

Ben turned and saw Professor John Matthews, the leading tort law expert in the state of Oklahoma. He’d written texts and hornbooks on the subject; he was the unquestioned authority.

“I’m filling in for The Tiger.”

Matthews stroked his beard and smiled. “Ah. Lucky man.”

“How do you figure?”

“If those kids are expecting to see The Tiger walk through that door, they’ll be virtually orgasmic when they see anyone else. Even you.”

“You sure know how to flatter a guy, John.”

Matthews laughed and headed down the corridor.

Ben entered the classroom. All at once, the students fell silent, shifted around, and turned their eyes front and center.

What a marvelous ego trip, Ben thought, not for the first time. This must be how judges feel when they enter the courtroom.

The classroom was designed in the Greek theater style: three tiers of elevated seats and continuous tabletops formed a semicircle around the podium, which was on the lowest level. Ben took his place in the center, opened his teacher’s edition of the textbook, and started.

“My name’s Ben Kincaid, and I’m filling in for Professor Canino this morning, as I expect most of you already know. So let’s get to it. Who can tell me what a JNOV is?” He glanced at his seating chart. “Mr. Brunner?”

A middle-sized man in his early twenties pushed himself unhappily to his feet. “Uh … what were those letters again?”

“JNOV,” Ben repeated, enunciating clearly.

“JNOV,” Brunner repeated thoughtfully. “Is that a rock band?”

There was a tittering of laughter throughout the classroom. This would never happen if The Tiger were present, Ben knew. Apparently Ben had a less imposing reputation. He wondered what his nickname was. The Titmouse, perhaps.

“No, Mr. Brunner, you must be thinking of Run-DMC. Or perhaps, ELO, if you’re as old as I am.” He turned his attention to the rest of the classroom. “Who can tell me what a JNOV is?”

The first hand up rose above a very familiar head of red hair. Ben supposed he was obliged to call on her. She shouldn’t be penalized for knowing the substitute prof. “Ms. McCall?”

Christina bounced to her feet. “A JNOV is a judgment notwithstanding the verdict.”

“Excellent.” Ben put a little check mark beneath her name on the seating chart. He had no idea what, if anything, The Tiger planned to do with these check marks, but Christina had certainly earned hers. “And what does that mean?

“It means that after the jury delivers its verdict, the judge may set it aside.”

“You’re two for two, Ms. McCall. On what grounds may the judge disregard the jury’s verdict?”

“Well … it looks to me like the judge can do it on just about any legal grounds he wants. Anything the judge believes calls the verdict into question.”

“That’s exactly right.” Ben’s eyes swept across the three raised tiers of seats. “There’s a lesson to be learned here, future advocates—one you must never forget. In the courtroom, the judge is King of the Forest. So try not to cross him or her.” He glanced down at his notes. “Ms. McCall, could you give me the facts of Conrad versus Richmond Pharmaceuticals”

To his surprise, Ben saw that she was no longer looking at him. Her eyes had diverted toward the door.

He glanced over his shoulder. It was that shabby man in the overcoat—the homeless man, or whatever he was. He was peering through the glass in the door, the expression in his eyes strange and intense.

What was his problem? Ben wondered. He was definitely beginning to regret not reporting the man to Security. Something about the sight of him lurking outside the door was unsettling.

Ben turned back around and cleared his throat. “The case, Ms. McCall?”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.” She glanced down at her textbook. “Conrad was a woman who had been advised to use a new sedative manufactured by Richmond while she was pregnant. Turned out the drug had serious side effects, although that did not become apparent for—”

Ben heard the click of the door behind him. The man in the overcoat was entering the classroom.

“Can I help you?” Ben said, not doing a very good job of masking his irritation. Somehow he knew The Tiger would never tolerate such an intrusion.

The man kept walking until he was far too close to Ben for comfort. His breath reeked; Ben detected traces of several diverse meals and perhaps some alcohol as well. His body was not much better; the smell rising from beneath that coat was so pronounced Ben almost winced.

The stranger spoke in a quiet, hushed voice. “You the professor?”

“I’m trying to be,” Ben said, with an edge that could cut butter. “What is it you want?”

“You know what I want.” The man stepped even closer and whispered in Ben’s ear. “Is the merchandise secure?”

“What?”

“You heard me. Is it?”

“I’m afraid I must ask you to leave.”

“Not until you tell me what I want to know.”

Ben’s irritation was augmented by the feeling that he was losing control of the classroom. “Sir, once again, I must insist that you leave.”

“Answer me!” The hush was gone; the man’s voice swelled. “Is the merchandise secure?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ben looked at Christina, then jerked his head toward the door. Intuitive as ever, she received the message and started for help.

“Is it secure?” The man’s breathing accelerated. Sweat trickled down the sides of his grimy face. “Is it?”

Out of the corner of his eye, the man saw Christina making her way toward the door. “Stop!” he shouted.

Christina did not stop. On the contrary, she picked up the pace.

In the blink of an eye, the man reached beneath his wrinkled overcoat. Less than a blink later, he was holding a sawed-off shotgun in his hands, cocked and ready to fire. “I said, stop!”

Christina froze in place, obviously unsure what to do next.

Shrieks pealed out of the gallery. Some of the students rose; some of them ducked under the desks.

“He’s got a gun!” someone cried.

“He’s crazy!” shouted someone else. Frenzied confusion followed.

Damn! Ben thought. Where had that shotgun come from? This man was crazier than he’d thought—and more dangerous, too.

Ben took a hesitant step forward. “Now, look, let’s stay calm.”

The man whipped the sawed-off around so it was pointed at Ben’s face. “Stay back! Stay away from me!”

Someone in the rear of the classroom screamed, a loud, ear-piercing cry that sent chills down Ben’s spine. The stranger faded back till he was pressed against the chalkboard. He panned back and forth with the weapon, assuring everyone present that they were within his line of sight.

Ben felt his knees beginning to tremble, but he tried to block that out of his mind. He was in charge in here—in theory, anyway. If anyone had a chance of bringing this maniac around, it was him.

He took a cautious step toward the man. “Please stay calm. I’m sure we can find out whatever it is you want—”

“Stay back, I said!” The man pressed forward, his eyes wild and crazed. “Don’t think I won’t fire. I will! I got nothing left to lose!”

Behind him, Ben saw Christina quietly roll back into action. She was trying to take advantage of the momentary diversion of the stranger’s attention to slip out the door.

No! Ben tried to send her an unspoken message with his eyes. But it was no use. Christina kept edging toward the door.

“I warned you!” the man bellowed as he whirled around with his shotgun—and fired.

Ben’s heart stopped at the report of the shotgun, like a sonic boom in the small classroom. The shot hit the wall just above Christina’s head, spewing plaster and chalky dust all over her.

Christina threw up her hands. “All right! I’m not moving! I’m not moving!”

The intruder rushed toward her, gun still at the ready. He grabbed her by the hair, wrapped it around his fist, then shoved her back against the wall, hard.

More of the students shrieked as Christina’s head slammed against the wall. Her eyes batted rapidly as she struggled to maintain consciousness.

“Don’t hurt her!” Ben shouted.

The man with the gun stepped back, bringing Ben into his line of sight. “I can hurt all of you. I will hurt all of you. If you don’t tell me what I want to know!”

He fired the gun again, this time into the ceiling. Ben ducked behind the podium. This man was insane, Ben thought grimly. He had to be. And he couldn’t count on reasoning with a man who had no reason. They were all in deadly danger.

“Fine,” Ben said, choking on the plaster dust that filled the air. “Fine. I’ll tell you anything. Anything. Just ask.”

The man’s teeth were clenched tightly together. “I already did! Is the merchandise secure?”

Ben stretched out his hands. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

The man fired the gun again, this time near Ben’s feet. “Is the merchandise secure?”

“Yes!” Ben shouted. “Yes! It is! It’s so secure—you wouldn’t believe how secure it is.”

The man rushed toward him. He grabbed Ben’s lapel and shook him. “You’re lying to me!”

“I’m not! I don’t know anything about your …merchandise!”

There was a momentary flicker in the man’s steely gaze, as if a new thought was being processed for the first time. “Isn’t this your classroom?”

“Yes, but …” Ben’s lips parted. “Do you think I’m Professor Canino? Because I’m not.”

“You’re not? But you said—”

“I’m filling in for him. I’m a substitute teacher.”

The man stepped away from Ben, slowly and cautiously, keeping his wild eyes on the entire classroom, daring anyone to move.

His retreat was interrupted by the clattering of footsteps just outside the door. Security, Ben saw through the window. Thank God. Stanley must’ve heard the shots.

Three security officers started through the doors, including Stanley. As soon as Stanley saw the man holding the shotgun, he drew his own weapon. Ben feared there would be a shoot-out—and then he realized it was going to be something else, something far worse.

The man with the shotgun grabbed the back of Christina’s head and shoved her forward, using her as a human shield. “Stand back! I’ll shoot her! I will!”

The three security officers froze.

“Drop your guns!”

Ben could well imagine what was going through Stanley’s mind. Normally, cops were taught never to relinquish their weapons. But Stanley wasn’t a cop. What’s more, the man with the shotgun was acting crazy. They might be able to talk him down, prevent him from doing anything brutal. But if they continued to threaten the man now, he would probably explode—and Christina would be caught in the fallout.

With evident reluctance, Stanley laid his pistol on the floor. The other security officers did the same. The man with the shotgun rushed forward, pushing Christina ahead all the way, till he had recovered the weapons and shoved them into one of his outer coat pockets. “Now, get out of here! Now!”

Stanley tried to maintain a calm demeanor. “Couldn’t I stay and talk? I know you don’t really want to hurt anyone. Why don’t we—”

The gun exploded in Stanley’s face. The shot struck just over and behind him, splattering the wall. Stanley ducked, horrified, clutching the side of his face. The shot had come so close it had singed his cheek.

“Now get out of here!” the man screamed. “Now! Now! Now!”

This time the security guards left, including Stanley. After the door closed, the man with the shotgun whipped around. He shoved Christina down to the floor.

“Nobody moves! Nobody goes anywhere! We’re all staying right here until I get what I want!”

Ben rushed to Christina’s side. He took her hand and helped her up. “How are you?”

Christina shrugged. “I’m fine, damn it.” She gazed at the maniac with the shotgun. “Wish I’d moved a little faster.”

“You and me both.” Ben helped her to an empty seat in the front row. He had a sinking feeling they were both going to be here for a good long while.

Eight hours later, Ben and the rest of the captives were sweaty, hungry, and even more worried for their lives than when this siege began. Ben had hoped that in time the man with the shotgun would calm down. Instead, just the opposite seemed to be happening. He was disintegrating, becoming progressively less rational. Every few minutes he would start raving again, babbling on about the “merchandise.” No one knew what to tell him.

“I see what you’re trying to do,” the man ranted, swinging his shotgun erratically from one side to the other. “I see! You’re trying to cheat me. Cheat me out of what’s rightly mine!”

The police had managed to get a cell phone in, but so far, all attempts at negotiating had proved worthless. Ben wondered what poor soul had drawn the thankless task of acting as chief negotiator. Someone from the local Tulsa PD, he suspected, perhaps even Mike, his friend and former brother-in-law. Or by this time, perhaps the FBI had moved in, a development that would really chap Mike off. Whoever it was, they weren’t getting anywhere. The man brandishing the shotgun was simply too paranoid, too suspicious of every suggestion. He wouldn’t let them send in pizza for the students; he was afraid they might do something to it, or smuggle something in with it. They couldn’t even negotiate safe passage out of the classroom. He didn’t want it, he kept insisting. All he wanted was the “merchandise.”

“It’s mine!” he screamed into the cell phone. “I earned it! I deserve it!”

About four hours into their captivity, Ben had tried to reason with him, had attempted a little negotiation of his own.

“Look,” Ben said quietly when he had the man’s attention, “you don’t need all these students for hostages. Having so many people around only increases the chances that something unfortunate will happen.”

The man glared at him with a steely eye. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. Anything. My point is, why don’t you let the kids go? Keep me. I’ll be your hostage. I’ll do whatever you want. And I won’t try to escape.”

“Why are you trying to get them out of here?”

Ben chose his words carefully. “I want to help you. One manageable hostage is better than twenty-seven unmanageable ones.”

“You don’t want to help me.” He took a step closer, his gun poised between them. “Why are you so anxious for them to leave?”

”I’m just—”

“They’ve got it, don’t they? The merchandise. You’re trying to smuggle it out with one of them.”

“No, no, I’m just trying to—”

“Or maybe they’re going to get it. They’re going to take it away and hide it so I can never find it.”

“No. I’m telling you—it’s nothing like that—”

“Nobody leaves!” the man screamed. “Nobody leaves till I say so! Nobody leaves till I have my merchandise!”

And so, eight hours after it began, the grim hostage scenario was still not resolved. And Ben was beginning to worry that it never would be. At least not without serious bloodshed.

Ben and Christina, along with the others trapped in the room, were hot, tired, and terrified. Ben’s former foil, Mr. Brunner, seemed to be in particularly bad shape. His forehead dripped with sweat; he was muttering desperate nonsense to himself. Ben was afraid he might snap at any moment. And then they’d have two irrational people in the room—except Brunner wasn’t packing a gun.

A few of the students were holding up with admirable stoicism. Some had even approached Ben about trying to wrestle the gun away from the maniac. Ben did his best to put an end to any wild notions of heroism under fire. He didn’t want anyone maimed or killed. The best plan was simply to wait it out—until the authorities were able to resolve the crisis.

He knew they were trying. A few hours before, Ben had taken a walk behind the highest rear tier of seats, just to stretch his legs. A row of narrow, rectangular windows lined the back wall, and through them, Ben had spotted men in green quickly scurrying into positions. SOT—what the world outside Tulsa called a SWAT team—unless he was very mistaken.

Maybe the man with the shotgun knew it, too, or at least suspected. He had covered the window in the front door, and he never went near the windows in the back. He was not going to give them a shot. If they wanted him, they were going to have to come in after him. In which case he could probably kill half a dozen students before they brought him down.

“I know they’re out there!” the man shouted. His arms trembled as his hands clutched the shotgun, the barrel pointing every which way at once. “I know what I know. Why doesn’t anyone believe me? All I want is what’s mine!”

“Psst!” Ben whispered, trying to get Christina’s attention. She seemed to have recovered from her manhandling earlier. She didn’t look good, but then, at the moment, no one did. “Any idea what he’s babbling about?”

Christina cautiously scooted closer. She knew the man with the gun became paranoid whenever he saw people talking, and he didn’t need to be made any more paranoid than he was already. “I haven’t understood what he was babbling about from the moment he walked into the classroom.”

“If he would just give me an opening,” Ben said quietly. “Get distracted for a moment.”

“Ben, please promise you won’t try anything stupid. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Like I do?”

She ignored him. “Has Mike still got you taking kung fu lessons?”

“Yes. Every week at the Chinese Boxing Institute. Lately we’ve been practicing dropkicks and back flips.”

“Are you any good?”

“Better than I was.”

“Fast?”

Ben frowned. “Not faster than a shotgun.” He watched as the crazed man paced the length of the classroom. “I wish I could get him to calm down and just tell us what it is he wants.”

“Don’t even try, Ben. It’s too dangerous. And you wouldn’t learn anything. He’s delusional.”

“Maybe. But if I could at least find out what he’s after, then maybe—”

Christina clamped down on his arm. “Ben, please. It would be suicide.”

“We can’t just sit here and—”

“What are you two whispering about?”

Ben leapt back—because he suddenly found the business end of the shotgun shoved between them.

“Answer me! What were you saying? Were you plotting against me?” Sweat flew from the man’s brow as he whipped his head back and forth. “Is that what it was?”

“N-no, of course not,” Ben answered, trying to remain as calm as possible. “We’re just … hungry, that’s all.”

“You’ve got the merchandise, don’t you? You’re the one keeping what’s mine.”

“That’s not true. I just—”

The man shoved the shotgun barrel directly under Ben’s nose. “Don’t lie to me! Don’t you lie to me!”

Ben threw up his hands. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t.”

“Don’t you ever lie to me!”

“I won’t. I promise.”

The man’s face flushed with crazed desperation. “All I want is what’s coming to me.”

“I know that. I know it.”

His voice boomed. “All I want is what’s mine!”

“Stop it!” This shout came from behind the man with the gun. Mr. Brunner. “Stop shouting at him! Just stop!”

My God, Ben thought, Brunner’s expression is almost as demented as the gunman’s. He’s cracked. He’s gone over the edge.

“I’m tired of this!” Brunner shouted. “I want out of here! I want out now!” He turned his back to the shotgun and started toward the door.

“Stop!” the man with the gun warned. “Don’t do it!”

“I can’t take this anymore!” Brunner bellowed. “Don’t you understand? I can’t take it!”

“I’m warning you.” The man drew the shotgun up to his eye, sighting carefully. “Come back.”

“Well … if you insist.” Brunner turned, seemingly resigned, and then, all at once, he sprang forward. Moving like quicksilver, he flew across the classroom on a line drive toward the man with the gun.

He was fast … but not fast enough. The shotgun blast hit Brunner in the chest, knocking him to the ground. He cried out in pain, then curled up like a fetus, clutching his abdomen.

Screams and shouts pierced the air. A new level of panic swept through the classroom. Most of the students ran in terror to the opposite corner.

Christina knelt down beside Brunner, oblivious to the shotgun tracking her every move.

“How is he?” Ben asked.

She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. The gaping hole and the blood-soaked shirt said more than enough.

Brunner was still breathing, but just barely. He was still bleeding, too.

The hostage negotiators had been working the cell phone doubletime, trying to get the man with the gun to allow a medic in to treat Brunner. No luck. Ben remembered attending a seminar with Mike Morelli where he had learned about the FBI’s four touchstones for successful hostage negotiation: honesty, conciliation, containment, and resolution. Unfortunately, even after ten hours, these negotiators couldn’t get past honesty. Their standard scripts weren’t working. They were trained to deal with men who were desperate—but still fundamentally rational. With this crazed paranoid, the standard operating procedures were useless.

More than once, Ben had managed to take a slow stroll behind the third tier of seats, glancing out the windows. He no longer saw the fleeting figures in green. But he was certain they were there. He thought he had heard a muffled drilling sound earlier; possibly they were poking a hole through one of the walls, making an opening for a fiber-optic camera, or even a high-powered rifle. Meanwhile, there were probably half a dozen sights trained on those rear windows, just waiting for the man to show himself. But the man with the shotgun stayed out of sight, safely tucked away on the lowest level of the classroom.

The students" spirits were dwindling. The attack on Brunner had sucked the life out of the best of them. Several simply lay prostrate, not moving, waiting for the end they feared was inevitable. Others were praying, had been praying nonstop for hours. And a few still managed to maintain a stiff upper lip. But Ben knew that was just for show. They couldn’t last forever. None of them.

Ben wiped his brow, then stared at the profuse sweat that dampened his hand. None of us, that is.

“Damn you! Damn you all! You will give me what I want!”

Ben watched in horror as their captor threw the cell phone across the room. It hit the wall, shattering into pieces. Apparently that wasn’t enough for him. He fired a shot after it, breaking the phone into still more pieces and leaving a sizable indentation in the wall.

“I know what you think!” the man shouted, to no one in particular. “You think you can cheat me and get away with it. But you can’t. You can’t!”

Another blast went into the ceiling, knocking out several panels and shattering a fluorescent light. Bits of glass and neon tubing flew across the room.

That’s it, Ben thought, biting down on his lower lip. What little hope we had was on the other end of that cell phone. And now even that is gone.

Ben walked down to the lowest level of the classroom, where Christina was huddled over Brunner’s agonized body. She had been nursing him since his injury, holding his hand, talking to him, trying to keep him alive.

“I know you’re in pain,” Ben heard her whisper to him. “I know it must be excruciating. But you’ve got to hold on. Please. Help is on its way.”

Ben placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “You’re worn out. Want me to spell you for a bit?”

“No. I’m fine.” She tossed her head back, trying to knock the hair out of her eyes, but the hair was wet with sweat and stuck tenaciously to her forehead and cheeks.

Ben reached down and brushed it back. “Don’t exhaust yourself.”

If she heard him, she gave no indication of it. Her eyes were focused on Brunner. “Don’t give up. Please don’t give up.”

But even as she said it, Brunner’s eyelids slowly closed.

“No!” Christina cried. “Please, no!”

Ben felt his teeth grinding together. This had gone on too long. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt—not even the man with the shotgun. But Brunner was fading fast—maybe gone already. If he didn’t get medical attention quickly, there would be no hope. And after Brunner, who would be next? One of the other students? Christina?

Ben closed his eyes, forming his resolve. If he started this, he would have to stick with it to the end—no matter what the consequences.

He made up his mind. “I’m leaving,” he said. His voice was oddly flat, but definitely audible.

The man with the shotgun looked up abruptly. “What?”

“I’m leaving.” Ben turned slowly and started toward the back of the classroom.

“Ben?” Christina said. “What are you doing?” I’m leaving.

Their captor raised his gun. “You’re not.”

“I am.” Ben continued moving, with the same slow but steady pace. “I’m leaving.”

“You’re not!” The man ran toward the first-tier table and cocked his shotgun. “I’ll stop you!”

“You can kill me,” Ben whispered eerily. “But you can’t stop me.” He reached the third level of the classroom, then stood on the tabletop, his back facing the windows.

“Don’t try to cheat me!” the man shouted. He jumped up on the first-tier table. “You can’t leave till I have what’s mine!”

“I can. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“I will! I will stop you!” The man giant-stepped to the second-tier table-top. He and Ben were now barely three feet apart. “I’ll kill you!”

“No, you won’t. You’re not a killer. You’re just a poor pathetic wretch. I don’t know what happened to you. I know you lost something you cared about very much. I don’t know what it was, but I know it was something important to you. So important you think you have to get it back. You can’t go on without it.” Ben paused. “But you won’t get it by killing me. That’s why you won’t do it.”

“I will!” the man screamed, rushing forward. Ben grabbed the man’s free hand as soon as it came within reach and, heaving with all his strength, flipped the man backward. He thudded against the back wall, his head level with the back windows.

Two seconds was all the sharpshooters outside needed to identify their target and take action. Six high-powered bullets crashed through the glass. All of them hit their mark. The man with the shotgun fell, half on a chair, half on the floor. His blood-soaked head hit the desktop with a sickening thud.

Barely a second later, people began swarming through the front door of the classroom, paramedics at the forefront. They carefully rolled Brunner onto a stretcher and carried him to an ambulance waiting outside. Other medics began talking with and helping the students, gingerly escorting them to freedom.

After a few minutes had passed, a police sergeant approached Ben. “The man who held you hostage is dead.”

Ben nodded silently. He wasn’t surprised.

“Do you have any idea what it was he wanted?”

“No. But I know who you should ask. The Tiger. Professor Canino. That’s who the man came to see.”

The sergeant’s eyes widened slightly. “Haven’t you heard?” He shook his head. “No, of course you haven’t. You’ve been trapped in here for ten hours.”

“What?” Christina appeared behind him, listening intently. “What is it?” The sergeant turned slightly toward her. “We’ve been looking for Professor Canino since that lunatic first mentioned him. We can’t find him. He’s not in his office, he’s not at home. He’s not anywhere. He’s vanished. Without a trace.”