“Get going. I’ll be right behind you. GO. NOW.”
She looked at her phone. Two minutes.
Holding the door open, she yelled out, “Schultz.” This was the last level she’d heard Schultz mention on the radio. He must be here somewhere, unless he was already outside and clear of the building.
Level two appeared very much like level six. A long corridor with doors on either side and a common area at the end. A few shadows moving at the other end caught her attention.
She tried her radio again. “Schultz.”
There was static then his familiar voice appeared. “Lee?”
“Where are you?”
“Level two.”
“What are you still doing up here? You’ve now got two minutes. Get out of there. NOW.”
“We’re coming.”
“You’re wasting time. I’ve got Harry and Sharon. They’re already on their way down.”
Schultz appeared at the end of the corridor.
“We’re just clearing the last of this floor,” he relayed over the radio.
“I see you’re leaving it to the last minute again.”
He stayed where he was and waved everyone through while Emily held the door open and gestured for them to hurry towards her.
“Quick, quick,” she told them as they run past.
“You need to come, too.” One of them grabbed her arm.
She held her ground and pulled her arm back. “I’ll be right behind you. I promise.”
He let go and joined his team. Schultz followed soon behind and pushed her through the door.
They took the steps a few at a time. In between leaps, Schultz asked, “Your uncle up to his old tricks again?”
“Funny way of putting it.”
Emily’s phone beeped.
As she ran down the stairs, she pulled it out of her back pocket. Schultz tried to look over his shoulder at her phone, where bright red double-digit numbers flashed.
“How long?”
“We’re down to seconds.” She slipped her phone back into her pocket. “Unless you want this building to be your tomb, I’d get moving. NOW.”
Chapter 55
The ground level door was within reach. Emily was now a few steps in front of Schultz. She grabbed the door as the last of the men ran through it.
Her phone beeped, and Emily ignored it. A second later it beeped again. This time she pulled it out.
The numbers on the screen flashed 0:14.
“Schultz, ten seconds.”
“Seriously?”
Just the width of the building to go. The first of the uniforms were clearing the front doors. Clenching her jaws tight, Emily pushed her legs to a new level of pain and sprinted across the ground level floor. She felt like she was running a one-mile dash, and the shiny tiled floor wasn’t helping her get there any quicker.
Reaching the rotating doors, she pushed the one closest to her. The door remained shut.
“Come on,” she pushed it again.
“This way.” Schultz pushed the door in the opposite direction and the door began to roll around.
She was monitoring the automatic moving doors, waiting for the perfect time to step in between the glass doors, when she was shoved in. Hobbling on her right foot, she quickly rebalanced herself and looked back to where she had been standing only a moment before. Schultz winked at her before he stepped in the door space behind hers.
The beeps on her phone were one solid tone now.
Stepping outside onto the steps of the building, Emily felt the ground rumble. Without looking back to ensure Schultz was following, she sprinted across the tiled platform.
Boom.
Emily felt her body lift and fly through the air. The ground hurtled towards her. Unable to hear anything, she closed her eyes and braced her arms over her face and head. Debris belted into her back.
She landed with a thud and lost count of the number of times she rolled down the road. Debris rained around her as she lay there too stunned to move, the ringing in her ears throbbing through her head.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a shadow pass over her. Had Fu’s men caught up with her, finally, just as she’d gotten away? Closing her eyes, she held her breath, waiting for the pain to end.
She counted down from ten to zero, expecting to feel the barrel of a gun on her temple. She slowly lifted one eyelid. There was no one in front of her.
Closing her eye again, she lay still, her breathing slowed right down. She counted three heartbeats before she took another breath.
She jumped when she felt a blanket being placed over her. A hand appeared and tucked the blanket around her front and under her chin. The warmth gave her a sense of security and comfort despite her world being silent.
A paramedic knelt in front of her. His lips moved. Emily frowned, trying helplessly to lip-read but failing. She shrugged her shoulders and grimaced from the excruciating pain shooting down her arm. She tried to move her other arm over and hold her sore shoulder but it was pinned under her body.
The paramedic held a green plastic stick in front of him and pretended to suck on it. He gestured it towards her. Emily looked between him and the plastic stick. He nodded at her and moved it in front of her. With her pinned hand she grabbed it and moved her fingers along to the end of the stick until it reached her mouth. The paramedic demonstrated a deep inhale and Emily followed suit.
She exhaled and inhaled again, and felt the pain slowly dulling.
Schultz, her thoughts screamed.
Emily looked up at the paramedic, pressing her thumb and index finger together, like she was holding a pencil. She pretended to scribble.
The paramedic pulled a notepad and pencil out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Emily. With her good arm, she scrawled “Schultz?” onto the notepad and turned it around to show the paramedic.
The paramedic gestured for her to hand the pencil back to him. Emily handed it over and he turned to the next page and scribbled something down before handing it back to her.
She read it. His writing was much neater than hers. “We’re still attending to everyone. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”
Her heart ached. She’d never felt so alone before.
She scribbled “Please” underneath his message and showed him.
After reading it, he nodded, and a small smile appeared on his face. Although nice and somewhat comforting, it still wasn’t the same. It wasn’t Schultz’s smile warming her, ensuring she was safe and comfortable.
Calm and sleep began to sweep over her. She smiled thinking about whatever was in that green stick; it was doing something wonderful for her.
She was startled out of her doze when she felt her body being moved. Her eyes shot open. She was being placed on a white linen bed.
She scrambled around for the notebook and found it tucked under her arm, together with the pencil. Flipping through to the first page, she held it up to the paramedic standing alongside her.
His grin spread from one ear to the other.
Emily flicked through the notepad to the next empty page and scribbled down, “Safe?”
The paramedic nodded, and she relaxed.
Emily felt every bump as they wheeled her away. She turned towards the building but another paramedic was blocking her view. He held the side of the bed with one hand, and in the other hand he had an intravenous bag with a tube. Following the clear tube, she saw it running into her hand.
She raised her head a little, resting on her good arm. Ahead of her at least four ambulances lined up along the intersection.
Emily was wheeled past the first ambulance, where she glimpsed Sharon being checked over by a paramedic. From the way she was moving, Emily could tell she appeared to have fared well. Only a few scratches were visible on her upper body. Sharon caught her eye, returned her thumbs-up, and mouthed “Thank you,” with her fist tapping her chest.
As they wheeled her past the second ambulance, Emily held up her opened hand. The
paramedics kept pushing her gurney. She frantically wrote down, “STOP. PLEASE,” and held it up for them to see.
They stopped.
She scribbled in the book, “It’ll be okay,” and held it up. Harry went to take a step towards her but was held back. He pulled his arm again. It wasn’t moving. Emily looked down and saw he was handcuffed to the ambulance.
“Don’t fight it. We’ll be in touch. OK?” she wrote and held it up for him to read.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed to her before sitting on the back of the ambulance.
She was on the move again.
The paramedics stopped outside the third ambulance without her needing to ask them. Emily scanned its interior but didn’t see anyone sitting on its end or lying down in it. Perhaps this one was hers. She waited for the paramedics to turn her gurney and wheel her in. But she didn’t move. Instead, the paramedics walked to the rear of the ambulance and a moment later they were helping someone out.
They were staggering, trying to keep their balance as the occupant struggled to step out. Standing on firm ground, he looked up at her.
Fighting through the pain, Emily sat upright and extended her uninjured arm. Schultz tried to run but grimaced and blanched when he stood on his left leg. The paramedics braced him as he hobbled over to her.
Two steps away from her, he spoke to the paramedic and he stepped aside. Schultz took the last two shaky steps by himself, then fell into her open arms and held her tight. Emily felt her pain dissolve as he held her.
Eventually, Schultz pulled away. His eyes were watering up. She smiled and used the side of her good thumb to wipe his tears away. He held her hand tight before placing a kiss on it.
Remembering her notebook, Emily pulled her hand away, pointed one finger in the air and mouthed, “One minute.”
She turned the page and scribbled, “You’re alive!”
Schultz read it, and she saw him lean back and laugh.
She realized at that point how silly that would’ve looked. Of course he was alive. She drew a heavy line through it and thought for a couple of seconds, trying to find the perfect words.
But Schultz grabbed the book and wrote something down. He closed the book and handed it back to her. Before Emily had a chance to do anything, he patted the paramedic near him on the back and she was on the move again.
Emily tilted her head, keeping Schultz in her sight for as long as possible. He stood there, hobbling on his leg. Their eyes locked.
Her bed was rolled around and she was loaded into the next ambulance. A tear rolled down her face as Schultz disappeared from view.
A few jerky movements later as the paramedics lined the bed up with the rollers inside the ambulance, she was secured inside. The paramedic who’d been with her all along sat on the bed opposite her and placed a cuff over her bicep. The doors closed and she felt the faint sway as the van began to move.
Pulling the notebook out, she flicked through the pages until she came across the message Schultz had just written.
It read, “You’ll be in my arms again soon.”
Closing the notebook and holding it tight, Emily felt a smile creep across her face. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
Chapter 56
Two days later Emily knocked on Schultz’s office door, her hospital bracelet still dangling from her left wrist.
She was feeling a lot better now, after a couple of days’ rest and back in her own clothes. Schultz’s office had been her first stop after being given her discharge papers and proper wound care.
“Come in,” his muffled voice sounded through the closed door.
Emily peered in and saw he was on the phone. She mouthed “Sorry” and backed out of the room.
Schultz clicked his fingers and Emily peered back around the edge of the door. He gestured to her it was okay and to sit down on one of the vacant chairs opposite him.
Hobbling over, she noticed how fresh he looked, like he hadn’t been caught up in the attack. She pulled the chair back, making it scrape along the tiled floor.
“So sorry,” she whispered.
“Thank you, Commissioner. Yes, I’ll pass on the information.” Schultz hung up the phone.
Emily hobbled on her good foot as she lowered herself onto the seat.
Schultz leant back in his chair and closed his eyes. A look of worry crept over his face, which he tried to hide by rubbing his hands over his face. It didn’t work.
“What’s happened?” Emily asked.
Leaning forward, Schultz looked at her, his face grim.
“Schultz, talk to me.”
The corner of his eyes crinkled upwards as a smile emerged.
“Been a crazy few days, hasn’t it?” Schultz walked to the corner kitchenette and poured hot water into pre-prepared coffee cups.
“Yeah. You could say that.” She smiled as he passed a coffee to her. “Not the phone call you were expecting?” She nodded towards the phone.
“Maybe.”
“Come on. What aren’t you tellin’ me?”
“You going to lay low for a while?” Schultz sat down, passing her a package over the desk.
Emily grabbed it and chuckled. “You know me. What's this?”
"Recovered from the boat yard. Our guys have no reason to keep it. It's yours, isn't it?"
Emily hugged her handbag to her chest and nodded, grateful.
Schultz took a sip from his coffee cup before continuing. “That was the big boss on the phone. You’ve certainly stirred up the pot this time.”
“Just doing my job.”
“Only this time it wasn’t your job, was it? Your boss didn’t assign that case to anyone.”
“Yeah, well, a little extra-curricular project hasn’t killed anyone. Well, not yet, anyway.”
Schultz coughed and spluttered on the mouthful of coffee he’d just sipped.
Grabbing a bunch of tissues from beside his monitor, he began to mop up the coffee spray. “I’ve just been informed there’s going to be a full investigation into the banking sector, which may lead to a total sector overhaul. Foreign investments in Australia are also going to be reviewed.”
“That’s a start. But it isn’t going to help the farmers right now. They’re the ones who are living through this.”
“No. No, it’s not.” He threw the coffee-soaked tissues in the trashcan under his desk. “A joint independent and government committee is being established as we speak.”
“Another one? One that’ll probably be tainted by people from the banking sector.” Emily snorted out a fake laugh, shaking her head. “What’s this whiz-bang committee going to solve?”
“At least something is being done.” His tone was dead serious. “While they’re conducting their investigations, they’ll also be overseeing all land and property transfers for Victoria. No transfer can be completed without their seal of approval.”
“Right,” Emily replied, sounding unconvinced.
“Anything is better than nothing.”
“Suppose. What about Harry?”
Schultz sipped his coffee.
“His farm will be returned to his family in the coming weeks. When they’re ready, we’re allowing them back on their property.”
“That’s good to hear. But that’s not all, is it?”
“No, it’s not.” Schultz was unable to look at her.
“Don’t tell me they’re going to press charges against him.”
“There’ll be a full investigation into everything. I suspect the events leading up to the siege will be taken into consideration.”
“Is he a suspect?”
“We won’t know until the end.”
Emily looked at him, confused.
“I’m not on the case,” Schultz continued. “With my involvement this week, I’m too close.”
“That sucks. You’re one of their leading detectives.”
“It is what it is. It’s going to be a big case. I don’t think anyone realizes just how big, yet.”
&
nbsp; Emily raised an eyebrow.
“You know the evidence you gave us?” Emily nodded and Schultz continued. “It’s massive.”
“Exactly how big are we talking?”
“Put it this way. Unless they employ more technical personnel to assist in these cases, I’ll probably be retired by the time any of it gets anywhere close to getting in front of a judge.”
Emily’s eyes widened.
“Are you saying Harry may never receive a hearing?”
Schultz shrugged a shoulder and raised an eyebrow.
“What about all the other farmers who’ve been affected?”
“They’ll take a little longer, as the transfers were already completed. But at this stage it appears they’ll get their properties back, as well. The research you’ve done, and Harry standing up for something he believed in, have caused your unc- I mean the syndicate has taken a huge hit in their investment portfolio.”
Emily blushed.
“There’s always a job here for you.” Schultz winked at her. “Words from the Commissioner.”
Laughing, Emily replied, “You know I’m no good at following orders and staying in line. I’m a free spirit.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying. So, what are you going to do? Protective custody is still on the table. With Fu out there and now one of our most wanted, you are still in danger.”
“He may be my uncle on paper, but to me he’s a nobody. I’ll take my chances out there. Anyway, what are the chances he’ll find me? It’s a big world.”
“Brian’s still on the loose, too.”
“I’ll be all right. They won’t expect me to pop up in Russia.” She smiled. “After the funeral, I’ll be jet-packing back overseas. I believe I have a couple of weeks to organize my matters before my new assignment begins. I might even get my white Christmas while I’m there.”
“You’d better pack your coats and boots.”
“Already packed. Actually, I haven’t even unpacked my suitcases yet.”
Emily watched on as Schultz shifted in his seat, his eyes on his coffee.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“No.” He waved his hand. “It’s nothing.”
“Come on. Spit it out.”
The Analyst (Emily Lee Series Book 1) Page 20