The Escape

by Lisa Harris

  “So are the engines.”

  Madison kept walking. Her gut told her that Barrick was going to hide out in the open. A sleeper car would leave him trapped. He would want a way out if he needed to run.

  She finished searching her section as the rest of the team continued to clear the train. Jonas came toward her after clearing his section. Every officer had radioed in, and no one had spotted Barrick.

  “We missed him, Madison.”

  Her brain spun with the implications. “What if we didn’t.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Who are we looking for?”

  “Again, what do you mean?”

  “White male, early thirties, glasses and baggy clothes, possible baseball cap, traveling alone,” she said. “He’s not going to make it easy on us. He’s probably changed again, just in case he was spotted on camera. He’s probably dressed like everyone around him. What if he’s not on the train alone? What if he changed his appearance? What if he’s with someone?”

  He nodded. “You and I need to sweep the train again. Head toward the front and I’ll take the back. We’ll have the officers on standby on the platform. We just can’t spook him.”

  She started at the back of the compartment, heading down the narrow passageway, thankful they’d studied the schematics of the train. She was careful to make sure they didn’t miss anything.

  “Jonas, do you have anything?”

  “Not yet.”

  She walked down the aisle, then stopped and turned around. Barrick was sitting next to a woman. At first glance, they appeared as a couple, making him easy to overlook, especially with the slight alterations he’d managed to make with his appearance. He’d dumped the baggy clothes and was now wearing a button-down shirt with a jean jacket and a red ball cap, and he had added a goatee.

  Madison turned around and kept walking, certain she hadn’t been made yet. “I’ve got him. Red ball cap. Left-side aisle. But he’s sitting with a woman.”

  “A hostage?”

  “I don’t think so. More of a decoy.”

  “Take a seat where you can keep an eye on him,” Jonas said. “I’ll do the same thing.”

  Madison set her backpack in a seat like she was getting ready to settle in. She pretended to check her hair in her phone’s camera while keeping an eye on his movements.

  Barrick stood up.

  “Wait,” she whispered into her radio, “he’s spooked. I think he’s going to run.”

  Barrick jumped up and grabbed a toddler who had been playing on the other side of the aisle, then backed up. The little boy squirmed as Barrick pushed a gun into his side.

  The mother screamed and Barrick told her to shut up.

  Madison spoke into her radio. “He’s got a gun and a hostage.”

  She moved closer to him. “Don’t do this, Barrick. It’s over. Walk off this train with me so no one else gets hurt.”

  “That’s not gonna happen.”

  Jonas moved forward behind him. “It’s over, Barrick.”

  The man looked back and forth between the two marshals. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to walk off this train and no one is going to try to stop me. If you don’t cooperate, this mom won’t see her kid again.”

  “Please don’t hurt my baby, please—”

  “I said shut up.” Barrick caught Madison’s gaze. “You know I will. Don’t test me.”

  “Get the platform cleared now,” she yelled, as the kid hollered louder. “He’s coming off the train. Give him space.”

  Barrick backed off the train slowly. Madison was less than a dozen feet behind him as he jumped onto the platform, still holding the boy.

  He fired a shot into the air. The situation was quickly spiraling out of control. Which was exactly what they’d wanted to avoid.

  Barrick shoved into a group of tourists, let go of the boy, then took off running.

  Jonas shouted from behind her. “Where’s he going?”

  “He’s heading away from the tracks.”

  She frowned as Barrick headed around the train station. What was he thinking? There were two dozen cops surrounding the station.

  “Where is he?” Jonas asked.

  Madison caught a glimpse of him in the distance as she worked to bridge the gap. “Twenty yards ahead of me, heading west.”

  “Someone cut him off, now.”

  “He’s headed for one of the bridges.”

  “I want backup on the other side so we can block off his exit now.”

  “Copy that,” an officer radioed in.

  “Keep all pedestrians off the bridge and surrounding areas.” Lungs burning, she ran after him. “We have to avoid another hostage situation.”

  Twenty-Two

  Jonas sprinted across the bridge, the Colorado River rushing beneath him, while he yelled at people to get out of his way. This time of year, there were plenty of locals and tourists filling up the popular town. They had to stop Barrick now, before someone else got hurt. He started shouting out orders to block off the bridge to ensure no other civilians got involved.

  A man in his late fifties rushed up to him. “That’s my wife. He’s got my wife.” The man pointed to where Barrick stood with a woman by his side, their backs to the bridge’s railing.

  “Sir, I need you to stop right there.”

  “I said he’s got my wife.”

  Jonas held up his badge. “I know, and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure your wife’s safety. What’s her name?”

  “Karen. Karen Sutherland.”

  Jonas signaled to one of the officers who had been sealing off the perimeter. “I want you to wait back here with him.” He turned to the man. “I promise we will do everything in our power to make sure your wife is okay, but I need you to stay back for me right now.”

  Jonas pivoted to face Barrick, then headed back toward the center of the bridge, where Madison was directing pedestrians out of the way.

  “What do you propose?” The local police chief stepped up beside Jonas, matching his pace.

  “We need to think before we rush in there. He’s already killed at least four people. He’s got a weapon. If he thinks using it will give him a way out, he’ll do it again. But for the moment he needs her alive, so let’s keep the advantage in our favor.”

  “You need to be the one in charge of the negotiations.” Madison came running up beside them.

  “I’ve seen you in the interrogation room.”

  “Not this time.” She shook her head. “We know enough about Barrick to know that you can relate to him better than I will. He had the advantage over me once already, and we don’t want him to think he has it again.”

  “Fair enough.”

  He knew the risks of a negotiation, especially in a situation like this. It was too easy to let emotions lead, but the bottom line was he was never going to convince Barrick to simply walk away. They were way past that. Their goal for the moment had to be saving the hostage’s life.

  “Get us a perimeter set up,” Madison said to the police chief. “But give the guy some space.”

  The officer nodded. “I’ll get my best man on it.”

  “What about a sniper?” Jonas asked.

  He glanced at Madison and knew they were thinking the same thing. They always wanted to take felons alive, but this time they might not have a choice.

  “Taking him out will be our last resort,” Jonas reminded the police chief. “But I want to be ready.”

  “Yes, sir,” the police chief said before being pulled away by another officer.

  “And, Madison, signal me when the sniper’s ready, in case it comes to that. I’ll keep him talking in the meantime.”

  She brushed her hand down his arm. “Just be careful. He has nothing to lose. If he has to take down a hostage or any law enforcement standing in his way, he won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes.”

  “I know. I will.”

  With his hands up, Jonas started across the bridge to wher
e Barrick stood with his back to the rail and his hostage standing in front of him.

  “That’s close enough.” Barrick pressed the gun against the woman’s head.

  “Okay. I’m stopping now. We need to talk, Barrick. I know you want this to be over as much as we do.” He took a half step forward.

  “Just let me go,” Karen said. “Please . . . let me go.”

  “Shut up!”

  “Karen, I’m US Marshal Jonas Quinn. I know you’re scared, but we’re doing everything we can to keep both of you safe and put an end to this as soon as possible.” Jonas took another step forward and kept his hands up in the air. “I know you’ve had a rough few days, Barrick, but we need to find a solution to this without anyone else getting hurt.”

  “This is far from over,” Barrick said.

  “Then tell me what you’re thinking. How can we compromise?”

  “What am I thinking? I’ll tell you what I’m thinking. For starters, I’m not going back to prison. I don’t belong in prison.”

  Jonas tried to put himself in the other man’s shoes. Tried to imagine what it was like for him. He’d been facing life in prison and the plane crash had suddenly become his winning lottery ticket. A chance to run and disappear. But even if he shot his hostage, Barrick had to know he’d be taken down. But the desperation in the man’s eyes had him worried.

  “I know this has to be overwhelming, but I’m here to help,” Jonas said.

  “Don’t act like you care about what happens. Besides, what do you know about my case beyond maybe what you read in some file?”

  “You’re right. I read your file, and that’s all I know.” Jonas paused for a moment. “Why don’t you tell me your side? What brought you here?”

  Barrick let out a low laugh. “Like you care. Your job is to track down people like me.”

  “Yes, but I’m listening.”

  “You really want to know what happened? What wasn’t in that report of yours? I was framed, and I’m not going back to prison.”

  “I might not be able to guarantee what a judge will say, but I can help you today. And if there are issues in your case, it’s possible to file an appeal. But hurting Karen won’t look good for you. If you surrender now, it will make things so much easier. All you have to do is put the gun down.”

  “I know how this works. You’ll say anything, do anything to get what you want. You’ll promise me things will be okay. That if I’m innocent, justice will always win, and I’ll go free. Except you know that isn’t true. You know what will happen. It doesn’t matter if I’m innocent. All I’m trying to do is get my life back, which at this point might never be possible again.”

  “What will it take to end this?”

  “You don’t get it. I have nothing to lose. That plane crash was a second chance at freedom. My way out.”

  “I understand that, but running is never the way. It will put you in a situation where there is no out. You need to understand that. You’re surrounded by people ready to ensure Karen isn’t hurt and you’re arrested. That is their one goal right now. To do that without anyone getting hurt. And if you come in, I guarantee I’ll listen to you.”

  “That’s not true and you know it.” Barrick shifted his feet so he was slightly closer to the railing. “They’ll put me away for the rest of my life, if I don’t get the death penalty. So for me there’s only one way out. And she’s my ticket.”

  Jonas knew that reaching for a quick resolution would only get someone else hurt. And he couldn’t let that happen. The man had lost every sense of control in his life.

  Barrick tightened his grip on Karen. “They wanted a fall guy. That’s what all of this has been about.”

  “I’ll be the first to admit that our system isn’t perfect, but can you tell me why you think that?”

  “Why does it even matter? No one has ever listened to me before. All the evidence against me was circumstantial, because I happened to be in the area.”

  “The report said you killed two people, then resisted arrest.”

  “What would you have done? I was on a business trip in Seattle and suddenly at five in the morning, someone’s beating on my hotel door and screaming at me to get out of bed. I’m thrown onto the ground, handcuffed, then dragged out of there. I have a feeling you’d resist being arrested too.”

  “I can’t imagine what that would have felt like.”

  “That’s because you’re always the one on the other side of the arrest. They questioned me for hours, threatened me with the death penalty. Then the next thing I know my face is on every news channel across the country as some crazed killer. They say they have evidence that I’m connected to some European mob. My lawyer told me he believed me, but the evidence against me made it hard for a judge to get an acquittal. Now they’re dragging me back to Denver for my trial.”

  “If you were innocent, you shouldn’t have run.”

  “What would you suggest? I stay in my seat and wait for the two of you to send me back? Do you think that would have made a judge suddenly drop the charges? No. That was my one chance at freedom, and there’s no way I was going to waste it.”

  “Maybe you didn’t kill that couple. Maybe you were innocent, and someone messed up. But what about the guy you killed in prison? Or the man in Idaho who picked you up? You didn’t have to kill him.”

  “The guy I killed in prison had been harassing me for weeks. It was him or me. The same with the guy I caught a ride with. He must have seen my gun and panicked. He pulled a gun on me. I thought he was going to kill me. I can’t prove it, but it’s the truth.”

  Jonas inched forward. “I can’t change what a judge or jury says, but there are appeals that can be made. I can also help keep you from making things worse from this point on.”

  “Like things could get worse than this? My life is already ruined. I’ve lost my job, my home—everything that ever mattered to me is gone. And you can tell me that if I’m innocent I’ll eventually be fine. But you’re wrong.”

  “Here’s the thing. Everything you’ve done—including this right now—is only making things worse for you. If you’d just put your gun down—”

  “And then what? You arrest me again?” Barrick kept his weapon pressed against Karen’s head. “Sorry, but that’s not going to happen. I’m not going back.”

  “Jonas.” Madison’s voice came through his earpiece. “We’ve got a sniper in place.”

  Jonas spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “Give me a second.” He turned back to Barrick. “I might have a solution.”

  “What’s that?” Barrick was shifting a lot now.

  “I’m a deputy US Marshal, which gives me a bit of clout over everyone else here.”

  “So?”

  “I can get someone on the line right now. A friend who’s high up in the Department of Justice who I believe can help you. But only if you end things right now. And that means letting Karen go. You do that and it will be my sign of trust that you’re telling the truth.”

  “He’s on the line with you?”

  “He can be. What do you say? Will you let her go?”

  “Why would anyone want to help me? I think you’re just like everyone else who saw me as guilty before they even heard my story.”

  “The bottom line is that I’m your one chance out of here, Barrick.”

  “No, you’re not.” Barrick hugged Karen against him, then managed to pull her over the railing and into the Colorado River below.

  Twenty-Three

  Madison was already heading down the steep riverbank when she saw Barrick pull the woman over the edge and jump. She watched as the two hit the water and went under. Madison scrambled toward the shoreline, scanning the currents for them to emerge.

  “I need backup now!” she shouted into her earpiece. “We need to get them both out of the water.”

  She searched the fast-moving current and spotted the woman bobbing as two more officers came up behind her.

  “There she is.” Madison ran alo
ng the edge of the water another dozen yards, trying to get ahead of the woman, before stepping into the chilly river.

  Karen flailed her arms above her as she tried to get to shore. Madison grabbed for her hand and just missed. The woman slipped back into the water. Madison scurried farther down to the water’s edge, trying to keep her own balance and not get swept into the current.

  Together with the officers, they managed to help pull her out. Someone handed Madison a blanket, and she slipped it around Karen’s shoulders. She crouched beside the woman as she tried to catch her breath, then glanced out across the fast-moving water. Barrick had to be close by, but where?

  She turned her attention back to the woman. “Karen, I’m Deputy US Marshal Madison James. Your husband’s on his way down here right now. Are you okay?”

  “I think so. I just cut my leg, and I can’t . . . I can’t breathe.”

  “I want you to take some slow, deep breaths. You probably had the wind knocked out of you. You’re going to be okay.”

  Madison turned to one of the officers who helped rescue Karen. “See if you can get some paramedics down here.”

  The officer nodded and stepped away.

  “Karen, are you okay?”

  Her husband wrapped his arms around her as she broke down sobbing.

  “She has a cut on her leg, but she should be fine. Give the paramedics a few minutes to check her out. They’ll probably want to take her to a hospital just as a precaution, but you can stay with her.”

  Madison moved aside in order to let the paramedics treat her, then had one of the officers take down the woman’s contact information.

  She climbed back up the embankment, then ran across the bridge to the other side where officers had spread out in a search for Barrick. She found Jonas barking out orders at someone on the phone. “Where is he?” she asked after he hung up.

  “We don’t know. He disappeared.”

  “How is that possible? We all saw him jump. He has to be down here.”

  “We need to get everyone over here now.” Jonas called over the incident officer. “I want him found. Set up a fifty-mile perimeter with roadblocks. I want his photo up on local news stations across the state.”