AllFreeNovel
Share Us
'Nothing further. But assume he is.'
'I'll pass it along.' A pause as Haumann spoke to someone else in his car or ESU van. Rhyme couldn't hear the exchange. 'Okay, we're rolling up silent.'
'I'll tell Amelia you're there. She'll want to be included in any tactical op. I wouldn't take any chances. You can't wait. Go in, dynamic, ASAP.'
'Sure, Lincoln, we'll do it.'
Rhyme said, 'Tell your folks to look out for traps. That's his new game. Gloves and respirators.'
'Roger that. Hold on ... Okay, Lincoln?'
'I'm here.'
'We've got a chopper in place. You want to log in and watch?'
'Sure.'
The ESU commander gave him the code and a moment later Rhyme, Pulaski and Cooper were staring at the screen. It was a high-def image of two boxy ESU tactical trucks, designation numbers clearly visible on their roofs. Rhyme could see two dozen troops deploy through the front door of the apartment building and down the exit ramp of the garage. The parking attendant was being led away to safety by one of the officers.
The audio was up too. Rhyme could hear the ESU troops as they made their way through the facilities. '... Southwest corridor, level one, clear ... Access door here ... no, it's sealed ...'
Haumann disconnected and Rhyme called Sachs back. Told her about the conversation.
She sighed. 'I'm ETA five minutes.' He could hear the disappointment about missing the entry.
Rhyme's attention swiveled to the radio feed from the tactical operation.
'Tac Two A is going in, heading down the stairs to the lower level. Two B is heading down the garage ramp. Hold on ... So far, no resistance, no innocents. We're green. K.'
'Rhyme, I'm almost there. I--'
But he missed what she said next. An officer's voice blared out of the radio. 'Tac Two B ... we have a situation. Lower level, parking garage ... Jesus ... Call it in, call it in! ... Fire department ... Move, move, move! We need fire now! K.'
Fire? Rhyme wondered.
Another officer echoed his question. 'What's burning? I don't see anything burning. K?'
'Tac Two B. Negative on fire. The perp opened a standpipe to cover his getaway. We've got a flood. We can't get through. Already six inches of water. And it's rising. Need a fireman with a wrench to close the fucker. K.'
Rhyme heard a chuckle from the ether - apparently relief that they had to contend only with water, not an arson blaze.
He, however, was not amused. He knew exactly what their nimble unsub had done: unleashed the flood not only to slow down his pursuers, but to destroy whatever evidence he'd left behind.
CHAPTER 37
Running now, sprinting.
Billy Haven was underground, in the old train tunnel once more, heading back past the spot where Bear-man Nathan had come close to performing his straight-razor modification.
His backpack light as a leaf on his shoulder - that's what adrenaline does - he sprinted fast. The latex mask was off but not the gloves or coveralls. He carried his shoes. He was in his stocking feet. There wasn't, he'd learned in his research, any database for cloth footwear that might allow them to trace him. The booties were too slippery for sprinting.
Move, move, move ...
The warning that had precipitated his rapid escape from the Belvedere parking garage had not been the squeal of brakes from the Emergency Service trucks or the quiet footfalls of the cops. He'd known a few moments before that that he was in danger. The police dispatcher had reported the address and mentioned the name Belvedere, as Billy had heard through the earbud, connected to his police scanner.
He'd then taken some measures to make sure the location - and the victim - would be useless to the police.
Thou shalt cleanse the crime scene of all that can incriminate.
