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“I need a backup unit to 325 Cannery Row.” The radio squawked when he released the button.
I looked at Aiden in alarm. If he was calling for backup, it meant that the situation had escalated from a talking situation to a possibly dangerous one.
“We should move away from the shop. If things get out of hand, we don’t want to get in the crossfire,” Aiden said as he held my hand and gently tugged it.
“You mean, there could be gunfire?” Julia’s eyes grew round in fear.
“I don’t know, but we need to give the officers space. Let’s move toward the beach. We can still see what’s going on at the shop, but we’ll be out of the way.”
Officer Shin was returning to the front as the backup unit arrived. Two officers jumped out of the car, which they parked directly in front of the shop. Another police car arrived, but those officers stepped out to control the situation outside. By this time, people had stopped to see what was going on because it wasn’t every day that police cruisers blocked the two-way street.
From the beach, we remained motionless. I was afraid to breathe and miss what was going on. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement at the back of the building. Sully’s shop was at the far end of Cannery Row, which was a long block of tourist shops. While the front of the stores faced the street, the back of the shop faced the bay.
“What’s that over there?” I pointed at a figure who was crouching behind a garbage can. The figure turned out to be a man, and he stood up and started to shuffle away from the scuba diving store toward the other end of Cannery Row.
Aiden moved closer and said, “I think it’s Sully.”
When I reached Aiden, I could see a man with a bushy beard. It looked like Sully, but I wasn’t sure, so I yelled, “Sully!”
The startled man looked in my direction. When he saw the four of us coming toward him, he darted inside a door.
“Claire, tell the officers that Sully went into another storefront,” Aiden called out.
As I ran around the other side, I heard Aiden tell Julia and Tristan to wait outside while he was going in after Sully.
Even though I was nervous about Aiden following Sully, I kept going.
“Officer Shin!” I called out and waved my arms to get his attention.
“Ms. O’Keefe, what is it?” The officers were now standing outside Sully’s store.
“We saw Sully go into another store in this building.” I panted, trying to catch my breath.
“Where?” Officer Shin asked.
“Follow me.” I motioned to the officers to follow me back from where I came from.
Officer Shin sprinted off, and I heard Officer Frankel tell the other two police officers to wait there while he chased after us.
By the time I rounded the building, Officer Shin was already talking to Julia and Tristan. Julia was pointing at the door, and when I got to them, I heard her say, “And Aiden followed him inside.”
Without another word, the officer stormed into the building. I felt someone brush past me, and I saw Officer Frankel’s burly figure go in after his partner.
The door clanged a few times before it shut. We stared at the closed door. “Should I go after them?” Tristan asked.
I wanted to go in as well, but Julia said, “We better not. We might get in the way.”
“What about Aiden?” I asked.
“I’m sure the officers won’t let anything happen to him, and we can keep guard on the exit if Sully tries to come out this way.”
I nodded, but I really wanted to go in and see what was happening. My throat constricted at the thought of Aiden being in the same room with Sully.
Chapter Forty-One
It was torture waiting, so I said, “I’m going in.” I was about to turn the knob when the door flew open, revealing the dive shop owner.
Glancing left and right, Sully looked like a caged animal. In the split second that he was deciding on which direction to go, Julia went over to him and reached for his shirt.
