get back here as soon as you can. The first thing you’re going to do after is sincerely apologize to Paul. You’re going to give him a hug and then you and Maggie aren’t going to leave his side. If you’re going to say anything to me now, choose your words carefully.”
Stan stood silent for a moment before speaking. “I am sorry,” he said with tears welling in his eyes. “I will apologize to Paul and I won’t leave his side. My child is in a coma and I just found out my only grandbaby is dead. Yes, I lashed out in the wrong direction. You can’t imagine my pain.”
It was a point Grey couldn’t argue. The elevator doors opened, revealing Abby standing alone inside.
“Let’s go, Dad. We need to get Mom to the room.”
Abby spoke to Stan without taking her eyes off of Grey. She knew he wouldn’t tolerate her dad’s outburst and wouldn’t hesitate to return the favor. In her eyes, she just saved her father from a beating. Stan stepped inside the elevator and turned around to face Grey.
“I always keep my promises, Stan.”
Brave
DARKNESS WAS CREEPING OVER THE city as two black vans stopped in front of the rundown home of Gregory Kirsk. Ten heavily armed sheriff’s deputies moving like shadows took their positions around the perimeter of the house. A third van stopped and four more deputies in full body armor exited the vehicle and snaked up the walkway to the front door. Two of the men grabbed each side of a battering ram as another announced their intent. “Sheriff’s department! Search warrant!”
Knocking the door off its hinges, the men entered, illuminating the dark house with tactical flashlights mounted on the ends of their automatic rifles. Less than twenty seconds later, every room in the home was cleared. Kirsk was nowhere to be found.
The men began a more extensive search, looking in any crevice that could hide a human being. When they confirmed no one was inside, Joel and Carol requested they remount the front door and move to a concealed position two blocks away in an abandoned apartment complex. If Kirsk was on his way home and saw all the activity, he would disappear into the night.
Using flashlights to focus their attention on small areas, they began their search for evidence related to the crimes. It didn’t take them long to find it. He had converted a small space in the back of the house into his planning room. The walls were covered with photos of the Freemans, their home in Miami, and the vacation villa on Sugarloaf Key. A table in the corner had maps of the Key and detailed notes outlining their every move over the past three months.
“I think this falls under premeditation,” said Joel. “He’s even got copies of their emails.”
“Do you see anything that looks like a map with an ‘X’ showing us where he is now?” asked Carol.
“Maybe,” replied Joel. “I do have a map showing routes in and out of Sugarloaf with some points circled.”
“We need to figure out what those points are,” said Carol. “Let’s get forensics in here to photograph everything. We can go over them back at the office. We’ll leave SWAT here in case he decides to come home.”
“This guy planned out every detail,” said Joel, staring at the maps.
“What’s your point?”
“This much planning and you leave a fingerprint on a fork and skin under the victims fingernails? Doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Figuring out what he did when he got there isn’t our priority,” said Carol. “He’s obviously our killer. We’ll let the shrinks work on what he was thinking.”
“Do you want to let Grey know we have a primary suspect?” asked Joel.
“Not yet.”
“We told him we’d keep him in the loop,” said Joel.
“And we will,” replied Carol. “But I didn’t say when. If Grey has a name, he’s going to go looking for him.”
“You really think he’d go after him?”
“Wouldn’t you?”
*****
It had been twenty four hours since Stan and
Stan stood silent for a moment before speaking. “I am sorry,” he said with tears welling in his eyes. “I will apologize to Paul and I won’t leave his side. My child is in a coma and I just found out my only grandbaby is dead. Yes, I lashed out in the wrong direction. You can’t imagine my pain.”
It was a point Grey couldn’t argue. The elevator doors opened, revealing Abby standing alone inside.
“Let’s go, Dad. We need to get Mom to the room.”
Abby spoke to Stan without taking her eyes off of Grey. She knew he wouldn’t tolerate her dad’s outburst and wouldn’t hesitate to return the favor. In her eyes, she just saved her father from a beating. Stan stepped inside the elevator and turned around to face Grey.
“I always keep my promises, Stan.”
Brave
DARKNESS WAS CREEPING OVER THE city as two black vans stopped in front of the rundown home of Gregory Kirsk. Ten heavily armed sheriff’s deputies moving like shadows took their positions around the perimeter of the house. A third van stopped and four more deputies in full body armor exited the vehicle and snaked up the walkway to the front door. Two of the men grabbed each side of a battering ram as another announced their intent. “Sheriff’s department! Search warrant!”
Knocking the door off its hinges, the men entered, illuminating the dark house with tactical flashlights mounted on the ends of their automatic rifles. Less than twenty seconds later, every room in the home was cleared. Kirsk was nowhere to be found.
The men began a more extensive search, looking in any crevice that could hide a human being. When they confirmed no one was inside, Joel and Carol requested they remount the front door and move to a concealed position two blocks away in an abandoned apartment complex. If Kirsk was on his way home and saw all the activity, he would disappear into the night.
Using flashlights to focus their attention on small areas, they began their search for evidence related to the crimes. It didn’t take them long to find it. He had converted a small space in the back of the house into his planning room. The walls were covered with photos of the Freemans, their home in Miami, and the vacation villa on Sugarloaf Key. A table in the corner had maps of the Key and detailed notes outlining their every move over the past three months.
“I think this falls under premeditation,” said Joel. “He’s even got copies of their emails.”
“Do you see anything that looks like a map with an ‘X’ showing us where he is now?” asked Carol.
“Maybe,” replied Joel. “I do have a map showing routes in and out of Sugarloaf with some points circled.”
“We need to figure out what those points are,” said Carol. “Let’s get forensics in here to photograph everything. We can go over them back at the office. We’ll leave SWAT here in case he decides to come home.”
“This guy planned out every detail,” said Joel, staring at the maps.
“What’s your point?”
“This much planning and you leave a fingerprint on a fork and skin under the victims fingernails? Doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Figuring out what he did when he got there isn’t our priority,” said Carol. “He’s obviously our killer. We’ll let the shrinks work on what he was thinking.”
“Do you want to let Grey know we have a primary suspect?” asked Joel.
“Not yet.”
“We told him we’d keep him in the loop,” said Joel.
“And we will,” replied Carol. “But I didn’t say when. If Grey has a name, he’s going to go looking for him.”
“You really think he’d go after him?”
“Wouldn’t you?”
*****
It had been twenty four hours since Stan and
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