SUV windows, as if she wanted to make sure her son couldn’t burst in and overhear. “I can’t even imagine what this will be like for the families.”
Nick operated by getting through life step by step, prioritizing and keeping focused on what needed to be done immediately. He couldn’t think about the victims right now or their families. As heartless as that sounded, he needed to stay focused on his job. For his old job as a Boston prosecutor that meant finding the bad guys and putting them away. This job would be a little trickier. The premise remained the same—find out who did this. Find who cracked their firewall of security. No, not cracked. More like ravaged.
“I’ll take you to the airport,” Christine said, startling Nick back.
“Looks like there’s room on a Delta flight in two hours from now.”
“Can you pack and be ready that fast?”
“Sure, why not. If I forget something I’ll be at the mall.”
She rolled her eyes at him and he thought he saw the beginning of a smile. But just as quickly it disappeared. Her fingers gripped the steering wheel and Nick watched her face transform from sister to mom while Timmy and Gibson opened their doors and piled into the backseat.
“You’re gonna miss the Nebraska Colorado game, Uncle Nick.”
“You can TiVo it for me, okay?” he told the boys.
Nick caught Christine’s eyes and just in that moment they seemed to exchange the same thought: Oh but to be fifteen again and have the world revolve around only you.
CHAPTER
14
Mall of America
P atrick saw Rebecca just as he heard the first shouts from down below, “Police, put up your hands.” She looked crumpled against the railing that separated the open expanse of the atrium and what used to be the food court. Tables and chairs were tossed and broken, splintered into pieces like a tornado had blown through. She was conscious though hugging her left arm to her body. And there was a man standing over her. Someone trying to help.
But why had he chosen Rebecca?
He remembered trying to help the mother get her baby out of the stroller and wanted to kick himself for being paranoid. Of course, people helped each other.
As Patrick got closer he could see the white type on the man’s baseball cap. Paramedic? Strange, he didn’t think there was a rescue squad here yet. He looked down over the railing. Two uniformed police officers scrimmaged the mall entrance two floors down. They were the first responders that Patrick had heard or seen though he guessed it was certainly possible for more to be here without him noticing.
Blue jeans, hiking boots, a duffel bag.
Patrick still wasn’t satisfied. And there was something in the guy’s hand that looked like… damn, it looked like a needle and syringe . None of the volunteer rescue and fire units Patrick had ever worked with would approach an injured person with a syringe.
“Hey,” Patrick shouted, but his voice was drowned out in the whirl of noises.
“Rebecca,” he yelled and saw her body jerk up. But it wasn’t in response to his call.
In one swift move she jumped to her feet, kicking at a table leg and sending it into the man’s path before sprinting off in the other direction. The man stumbled but only for a second. He pocketed the syringe and bolted after Rebecca, shoving a pair of teenaged girls out of his way. In the chaos no one else noticed.
Patrick took off after both of them.
What the hell was going on?
CHAPTER
15
Washington, D.C.
A ndrews Air Force Base disappeared below and Maggie forced herself to not look for it, to stop watching out the airplane window. Killers, she could handle. Being at 38,000 feet and not in control still required conscious effort.
Conscious effort or a Scotch, neat.
It didn’t even matter that it was a private jet with comfortable leather lounge chairs. To make matters worse, Assistant Director Ray Kunze sat across from her alongside Allan Foster, the silver-haired senior United States
Nick operated by getting through life step by step, prioritizing and keeping focused on what needed to be done immediately. He couldn’t think about the victims right now or their families. As heartless as that sounded, he needed to stay focused on his job. For his old job as a Boston prosecutor that meant finding the bad guys and putting them away. This job would be a little trickier. The premise remained the same—find out who did this. Find who cracked their firewall of security. No, not cracked. More like ravaged.
“I’ll take you to the airport,” Christine said, startling Nick back.
“Looks like there’s room on a Delta flight in two hours from now.”
“Can you pack and be ready that fast?”
“Sure, why not. If I forget something I’ll be at the mall.”
She rolled her eyes at him and he thought he saw the beginning of a smile. But just as quickly it disappeared. Her fingers gripped the steering wheel and Nick watched her face transform from sister to mom while Timmy and Gibson opened their doors and piled into the backseat.
“You’re gonna miss the Nebraska Colorado game, Uncle Nick.”
“You can TiVo it for me, okay?” he told the boys.
Nick caught Christine’s eyes and just in that moment they seemed to exchange the same thought: Oh but to be fifteen again and have the world revolve around only you.
CHAPTER
14
Mall of America
P atrick saw Rebecca just as he heard the first shouts from down below, “Police, put up your hands.” She looked crumpled against the railing that separated the open expanse of the atrium and what used to be the food court. Tables and chairs were tossed and broken, splintered into pieces like a tornado had blown through. She was conscious though hugging her left arm to her body. And there was a man standing over her. Someone trying to help.
But why had he chosen Rebecca?
He remembered trying to help the mother get her baby out of the stroller and wanted to kick himself for being paranoid. Of course, people helped each other.
As Patrick got closer he could see the white type on the man’s baseball cap. Paramedic? Strange, he didn’t think there was a rescue squad here yet. He looked down over the railing. Two uniformed police officers scrimmaged the mall entrance two floors down. They were the first responders that Patrick had heard or seen though he guessed it was certainly possible for more to be here without him noticing.
Blue jeans, hiking boots, a duffel bag.
Patrick still wasn’t satisfied. And there was something in the guy’s hand that looked like… damn, it looked like a needle and syringe . None of the volunteer rescue and fire units Patrick had ever worked with would approach an injured person with a syringe.
“Hey,” Patrick shouted, but his voice was drowned out in the whirl of noises.
“Rebecca,” he yelled and saw her body jerk up. But it wasn’t in response to his call.
In one swift move she jumped to her feet, kicking at a table leg and sending it into the man’s path before sprinting off in the other direction. The man stumbled but only for a second. He pocketed the syringe and bolted after Rebecca, shoving a pair of teenaged girls out of his way. In the chaos no one else noticed.
Patrick took off after both of them.
What the hell was going on?
CHAPTER
15
Washington, D.C.
A ndrews Air Force Base disappeared below and Maggie forced herself to not look for it, to stop watching out the airplane window. Killers, she could handle. Being at 38,000 feet and not in control still required conscious effort.
Conscious effort or a Scotch, neat.
It didn’t even matter that it was a private jet with comfortable leather lounge chairs. To make matters worse, Assistant Director Ray Kunze sat across from her alongside Allan Foster, the silver-haired senior United States
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