AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He slowed outside the bank and put the van in park, turning to her about to say something.
“Thanks for the lift.” Clare shoved the door open and hopped out before he could. Like the coward she was.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, Peter jogged over. “Clare!”
“Hey, did you just get here?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Were you really inside, boss?”
“I caught them escaping on that zip line. Raced back down the stairs and tried to reach the end, but they’d gone.”
Peter frowned. “Blew right past the police cordon. I’m guessing the whole department is after them now.” He handed her his tablet. “Write down every detail while it’s fresh in your mind.”
Clare got started, finding a brick wall in front of the bank so she could sit and type on the tablet with both hands. Once she got going, she found she could recall more details than she knew about the five suspects that might point to who they were. Even the stitching on the shirts. She recounted everything from start to finish, ending with the paint transfer on that wrecked car but excluding the fact she personally knew the SWAT commander.
No one she worked with needed to be part of her personal angst. Even if she would rather they treated her like one of them, at least sometimes. In this case, that would mean telling them all the tragic details of her and Gage and what happened.
“Here.” She handed Peter the tablet and stood. “Send a copy of that to the police department.”
“Because we want them to know everything we know?”
Clare turned back to him. “In this case, that gets the suspects in cuffs faster.”
“Except if we pursue them ourselves, without the police looking over our shoulders, we could bring them in ourselves.”
“Do you want me to tell your brother-in-law that you cut out the PD on purpose?” Never mind it was knowingly putting people’s lives in danger—or it could.
Peter made a face.
“I didn’t think you’d want to tell Lucas that.”
“So we’re working with the cops?” he asked.
“I didn’t say that.”
Peter frowned.
“Giving them all the information we have doesn’t mean we’re working with them. And it doesn’t mean we can’t find the suspects first and bring them in ourselves.” Clare lifted her brows and saw him smile.
“Russ is inside,” Peter said. “Wanna tell him that?”
Clare laughed. “We didn’t sign a contract. We’re just taking a look.” She headed for the front doors of the bank. “I’ll see you back at the office.”
“I’ll hang out. Follow you.” Peter shrugged. “Just to make everyone feel better.”
She liked that they cared, even if it wasn’t necessary to cover her. Doing that tended to cost people their lives. Which was why she was the boss—so she didn’t have anyone in her line of fire.
Standing out in front meant she took the fire for them. Not the other way around.
A cop stood at the door, which had been propped open. She gave her name and was admitted into the busy room bustling with people. Russ stood in a huddle with Captain McCauley and Lieutenant Deluca—which was how she was going to think about him.
“I just need my personal belongings,” she said. “Then I’ll get out of your hair.”
If Gage didn’t want to acknowledge her that was fine. She could be a professional.
“Clare!” Russ Franklin, the Benson PD Commissioner, strode over, spread his arms, and enveloped her in a hug. “Thank the good Lord you’re all right.”
She found her face smashed up against the collar of his wool coat. When he leaned back, she said, “There was a gunshot in the vault. Was someone shot?”
