Neptune Police in Florida. We need to pin down her ex’s whereabouts last Friday night.”
“Next up is Jora Stein,” Louie said, making notes next to Sara’s name.
Stein’s phone continued to ring until an answering machine picked up. Louie left a message and stressed the importance of a return call. They got the same response, and left a similar message when they tried to call the victim’s friend, Julie Cahns.
* * * *
Jake returned to the station and placed a call to Neptune, Florida. A receptionist with a thick southern accent that was too southern for the area answered. He figured her for a transplant.
“This is Lieutenant Carrington, from the Wilkesbury, Connecticut, Police Department. May I speak with one of your detectives?”
“Hi, Lieutenant.” She stretched out the second part of lieutenant, adding a few n’s along the way.
“I didn’t catch your name.”
“Because I didn’t throw it—it’s Samantha, but most people call me Sammy.” Sammy’s infectious laugh lifted his spirits.
“Sammy, who would I speak with to get a follow-up on someone’s whereabouts last Friday?”
“I’ll give you to the chief. He can direct you to the right person.”
“What’s his name?”
“Beau Taylor. Hold please while I get him.” Sammy put him on hold.
He wasn’t kept waiting long. “Well hello, Connecticut, what can I do for you?”
“Chief, I have a homicide here. If it’s possible I need you to check on the whereabouts of the ex-husband,” Jake asked.
“It’s Beau, please, we’re not formal here. I’d be happy to. Give me the pertinent info on him and the times and dates you want checked out. I’ll do that today.”
Jake supplied the information.
“Do you also want to know the whereabouts of the new wife?” Chief Taylor asked.
“Yes, I hear she wasn’t happy with the alimony settlement.”
Jake’s radio crackled to life. “Any units in the vicinity of Highland Avenue and Chase Parkway respond to a two-one-one. Shots have been reported, along with hostages.” The next code put the fear of God into every cop. It was a ten-one-o-eight.
“Chief, I have to go. I’ll get you back later.” Jake ended the call without waiting for an answer.
He grabbed his jacket. Louie was already up and running as he slipped into his jacket. Jake caught up to him. The bullpen also emptied as every available officer rushed to the scene. A ten-one-o-eight or one-o-eight meant officer down. No matter what department they belonged to, the wall of blue would be there to protect their own.
The drive to the bank located on Highland Avenue took Jake a little over ten minutes with traffic. Not everyone bothered to pull over at the sound of his sirens. Louie checked his gun while Jake navigated traffic. Armed bank robberies had increased across the nation along with the violence used by the suspects in desperate attempts to secure the cash.
“When was the last time you checked your gun, Jake?”
He appreciated Louie’s concern though sometimes it baffled him when Louie asked an obvious question. He shrugged his shoulders. No matter what, Louie had his back. “This morning.”
“Loaded?”
“Yes.” Jake turned to Louie. “I load it every day. You?”
“Loaded.”
They both knew some cops who didn’t bother. Utter stupidity. Jake and Louie drove the rest of the way in silence, each putting his mind where it needed to be as they listened to the radio for updates.
* * * *
Chase Park, situated on five acres along the interstate, offered basketball courts, a sprinkler for kids in the summer, and a clubhouse for neighborhood meetings and gatherings. The lot looked as if it could accommodate up to fifty cars. Jake parked, and then he and Louie shrugged into their Kevlar vests. “Ready?” Jake asked.
“Ready.”
Jake checked in with Lieutenant Nick Longo from Robbery who was in charge of the scene. Longo had blocked off Highland Avenue from both directions. He’d set up his control post behind a parked cruiser at the edge of the intersection. It looked like the whole force had turned out.
“Hey, Longo, what’ve you got?” Jake asked.
“Our intel tells us there are two gunmen, three tellers, one manager, and several customers, including a police officer. It’s Tommy Sullivan,” Longo replied.
“Oh shit! Tommy? Didn’t his wife recently have a baby?” Louie said.
“Yep, two days ago. There were shots fired but we don’t know if anyone’s been hit. The ambulance is here and waiting. We’ve tried to contact the suspects, but they’re not responding or giving any demands yet. I’m going to try again.” Longo placed another call to the bank—it went unanswered.
Worse, Jake thought, when they don’t respond. You couldn’t get a bead on them.
Longo’s division, tension etched in each officer’s face, was equipped with long-range rifles. They were spread out around the building. The negotiator arrived.
Jake nodded to Jim Noones, an experienced negotiator, as he watched Noones slip on his vest. They both turned toward the bank to assess the situation. At five-nine, Noones had the stereotypical appearance of a jolly Irishman: a rounded belly, red nose, ruddy complexion, wheat-colored hair, and sky-blue eyes in a round, wide face. Always a joke on his lips, he went from casual to serious in less than a second when a situation called for it. Anyone who failed to take him seriously paid a dear price. Noones handled all his negotiations with a calm manner, trusting face, and a storyteller’s smooth voice and timing.
“Hey, Jake, I hear congratulations are in order,” Noones said as he tugged on the bottom of his vest.
“Thanks, Jim.”
He turned to Longo. “How do you want to handle this?”
“Whichever way ends this fast and with no injuries, if possible,” Longo said.
Noones grabbed the bullhorn and flipped the switch and started speaking to the suspects.
“This is Captain Noones of the Wilkesbury Police Department. I’d like to open communications with you. Please use the number on the display from your last call. It will come to my phone.”
Jake waited beside Noones and Longo. The rest of the department scattered around the block, circling the bank. Taking in the whole scene without moving an inch, Jake tensed for action. He nodded to Louie to protect his flank. He spotted the reporters from Channels Eight, Three, and Sixty-One with their live cams. Helicopters hovered overhead, and would be offering a dramatic televised view of the incident. If the suspects
