I was off to the races again. I was beginning to feel panic. I didn’t want this woman to get away. I thought of Father Alonzo. I wanted to sit and comfort my daughter. And God knows what my grandfather was going through.
I came to the door, and sure enough, it was locked. I had no time to waste. I lifted my left foot and threw my whole body behind a kick. I felt the door shake and the frame crack. I hit it again, and it opened at an odd angle as one of the hinges came loose.
I burst into the bright hallway and immediately startled a woman carrying an armload of papers. She jumped back, and they fluttered to the ground in every direction.
“NYPD. Has anyone you don’t know come through here?”
The woman shook her head. “Not that I noticed.”
As I started to move past her, she said, “What’s wrong? Is it a terrorist? What should we do?”
I took a moment. “Just stay in your office. No one should bother you. Where’s the exit?”
She pointed me down the hallway that led to the lobby.
I sprinted ahead toward an astonishing view of the East River.
Chapter 91
The receptionist, a young woman with a bright smile and blond curly hair, turned to me with a questioning look.
Before she could say anything, I held up my badge and said, “NYPD. Did anyone come through the lobby?” I worked hard to keep my voice even, but I needed answers.
The young woman just stared at me for a moment, then said, “Yes. A woman I didn’t know came from—”
Facing the receptionist, I didn’t even register the sound of the gunshot behind me. And that’s how I had a view of her face virtually exploding in front of me as a bullet struck her just above the nose.
The impact cut her off midsentence and made her stumble back against the decorative wallpaper. As she tumbled to the carpet, she left a smear of blood on the wall.
I leaped to one side, looking for any cover I could find. I knew the bullet had been meant for me, and the shot gave me a general idea of where the assassin was hiding—behind a column near the front door, with the wide bay window behind her.
I rolled to a stop behind the counter where the young woman had been standing. Her blue eyes were wide open and seemed to stare at me.
Another person I’d failed to protect from this killer.
I was behind the counter and hoped it was thick enough to stop a bullet. I peeked around it once and could see the reflection of the assassin, crouched behind the column, in the window. Her long hair flowed down her back. Behind her was a tranquil view of a park with the river beyond it. A tour boat slowly passing by.
I called out, “It’s time to give it up. You’ve got nowhere to run, and I’m no longer a sitting duck.”
I waited for an answer but got none.
“Surrender now, and I can guarantee no one will hurt you.” As soon as I finished talking, there were two blasts from the gun, and bullets hit the counter just above my head. One of them punched through and came to a stop in the wall behind me. That answered my question about whether the counter would protect me.
I leaned away from the counter and returned two rounds just to keep her head down. I wanted to remind her I had a gun, too. I also realized that time was my friend. The longer I held her in place, the more likely it was that help would arrive.
She was smart and professional. It did her no good to answer me. She was trying to protect her position while I just kept giving mine away with my big mouth.
I stole a look around the counter again to make sure no one had wandered into our gunfight. I noticed a couple of people trying to hide in the corner of the room behind a table. I was quite sure everyone in the business offices was cowering in a corner or under a desk. On the bright side, there had to have been dozens of calls made to 911.
Time was on my side. The problem was the assassin realized that as well. She would have to make a move soon.
I just hoped to God I’d be ready.
Chapter 92
Alex had made it as far as the lobby without anyone questioning her. She even said hello to the pretty blond receptionist behind a tall counter. Then she heard the sound coming from the hallway to the business offices. Someone was pounding something hard. Her guess was that it was Detective Michael Bennett knocking down the door.
That gave her an idea. One last chance to salvage something from this miserable day. She eased forward as though she were headed toward the front door, then ducked behind a thick decorative column a few feet from the exit.
She was out of sight when she heard Bennett say to the young woman behind the counter, “NYPD. Did anyone come through the lobby?”
That’s when Alex leaned around the column with her pistol up and fired quickly. Too quickly. The bullet missed Bennett and struck the unsuspecting receptionist in the face. Alex couldn’t see exactly what had happened, but she knew she had killed an innocent woman. Shit.
The idea made her angry at Bennett. He had forced this. He wouldn’t let her just get away. She had to kill him. Now.
When she leaned around the column again, she saw Bennett tumble out of the way and roll behind the counter. He yelled to her to surrender, and she used his voice to approximate his position so she would know where to shoot.
After a couple of her shots missed, he returned fire.
They were in a stalemate, but she was the one who had to move. She had to get away. She wanted so desperately to end this contract and kill Bennett, but she had to consider all her options.
If she sprinted for the exit, she’d be away from cover, and it would take time to open the glass door. That would give Bennett time and a clear shot. She had no doubt he’d take it.
She leaned back against the column and looked out at the East River. No one was racing from that direction to help the detective. She could see a park and open sidewalks. That was where she needed to be. Out in the open. At least making an attempt to get away so she could head back to Colombia as soon as possible. She could picture her girls squeezing her when she came back to the ranch.
She raised the pistol and fired three rounds into the wide glass window. She knew the sound of the gunshots would keep Bennett behind cover. This was not safety glass. It was more decorative and cracked uniformly between the three bullet holes.
She stood up and risked it all by throwing her body against the crack in the window.
She braced for a brutal impact, not knowing what the shattered glass might do to her skin. But it gave way, and she tumbled onto the sidewalk, virtually unharmed.
Alex considered running to the river, but then it might be easy to cut her off. She decided to stay on the studio property and come out in a place where no one expected her. She wasted no time jumping to her feet and racing along the sidewalk that led to the other side of the building.
She didn’t see Bennett in pursuit, so she kept her remaining bullet in case she ran into other trouble.
Chapter 93
I needed something to happen. I know that sounds crazy, but lying on a carpet next to a dead woman can screw with your head. Then I got my wish. From my cover position behind the receptionist’s desk, I heard gunshots and braced for the impact on my thin wall of protection. Then I realized the shots weren’t directed at me.
I heard another noise and glass breaking. That made me pop around the edge of the desk with my gun up. I didn’t have a clear view of anything, but it looked like the assassin had fled through a broken window.
Then I heard other people in the lobby. Women sobbing and someone calling out for help.
I crawled back and checked the receptionist for a pulse, but I could tell before I even put my finger to her throat that she was dead. I had to check.
I stood up behind the counter and saw a woman helping an older man from the office area. Other people were starting to stand, too. I didn’t notice them in my tunnel vision as I ran into the room.
Just as I was about to bolt for the door, the woman with the older man said, “Thank
God. The police are here.”
I couldn’t ignore them no matter how much I wanted to chase the assassin. I could hear sirens in the distance and knew help was on the way. The arriving cops just needed to seal the area before she could escape.
When I stepped around the counter, the woman with the older man was right next to me, and the man almost tumbled over.
I grabbed him before he hit the floor and said, “Were you shot? Are you injured?”
He shook his head feebly and pointed to his chest. I eased him onto a bench, but before I could loosen his collar and really make an assessment, a man who had been hiding in the corner of the lobby ran up to me and said, “The woman who shot Tia ran that way on the outside walk.”
I peered out the window in the direction he pointed but didn’t see anyone.
A middle-aged woman hustled toward me and said, “Don’t let her hurt us. Please—you have to protect us.”
“You’re safe now. Let me help this man.” I had already holstered my pistol, and I could see this man was starting to go into serious distress. But I couldn’t help thinking about the killer who was running away without anyone chasing her.
Just then the door opened, and a young patrol officer, in a fresh uniform and with shoulders almost as wide as the door, stepped inside.
He called out, “Are you folks all right? We’ve had reports of a gunfight going on somewhere on the property.”
I yelled over my shoulder, “Michael Bennett, Manhattan North Homicide. Get over here. We need help.”
The earnest young man raced to me, never asking for identification.
I even felt a little guilty pawning this whole set of scared people off on him. I said, “Get fire rescue rolling for this man. We’re looking for a female with long dark hair about thirty years old. She’s armed and has already shot at least two people. Get on your radio and put it out to everyone right now.”
I didn’t wait for a response. I was up and running out the door before anyone had anything else to say.
I thought about what Father Alonzo had told me. Use my advantage. Understand the city.
Then I had an idea.
Chapter 94
As much as Alex didn’t want to admit it, she was scared. Fear is a killer in this business. It saps your strength and keeps you from thinking straight. She didn’t know anyone who wouldn’t be a little shaken after what she had just been through.
All she wanted to do now was to put some distance between herself and the shooting scene. When she turned the corner of the long building, she noticed people pouring out into the parking lot. There was no order or supervision.
The idea of someone with a gun spooked everyone. That meant no one was using common sense or paying attention to the surroundings. That was exactly what she needed: chaos.
Alex slowed to a walk and pulled her blouse straight. She spent a few seconds making her hair neat and professional. She mingled with the crowd but continued to walk in the same direction, to the opposite side of the complex. There had to be a street with taxis near there.
She heard sirens, but so far she had only seen one police car, racing directly to the main office she had just come from.
Now all she could focus on was escape. She could have no regrets about what had happened or who had been hurt. She just needed to find a way off this property, then out of Brooklyn.
She eased away from the crowd and started walking along the sidewalk at the far end of the parking lot.
Just as she thought she was clear of any interference, a man in a uniform stepped out from between two small buildings close to the river. He had a radio, and as he approached her, she heard someone giving a description. “The suspect is a female with long hair and may be posing as someone in the entertainment business.”
The man looked up when he was right in front of Alex. He was young, black, perhaps in his early twenties, and very skinny. And he immediately realized he had stumbled onto the armed woman everyone was looking for.
She drew her pistol from her purse and casually pointed it at his chest.
Alex admired the fact that he came right to the point, raising both hands and saying, “I don’t want any trouble.”
“Neither do I.” She didn’t wave the gun to make her point. She didn’t have to. “I just need information from you, and I need it fast.”
His whole body was shaking. A tear welled in his right eye. She wanted him scared. This was good.
Alex said, “What’s the fastest way to get to a street where I can hail a cab?”
He pointed with his right hand and kept his left hand raised. “If you go straight down this sidewalk to the corner of the property, there is a person-size door in the fence. The gate’s never locked. There’s a busy street right there.”
She smiled at the young man and nudged him back with the barrel of the pistol so he walked backward to the two buildings close to the river. Then they kept walking through the narrow park to the edge of the river.
Alex said, “That was very informative and very smart. Now I need to make sure you can’t tell anyone for a few minutes. You know how we’re going to arrange that?” She held up the pistol.
The young security guard’s voice broke as he said, “Oh, God. No, please.”
“Can you think of an alternative?” Alex had no intention of shooting him. She just needed him quiet.
The security guard said, “I’m going to promise to sit right here and not call out to anyone?”
She reached onto his belt and pulled his radio off. “First we’re going to make sure you don’t have communications.” She chucked the radio over the seawall into the East River.
“Hey!”
“Maybe you should jump in after it.”
The young man looked over her shoulder at the seawall and river behind it. “That’s okay. I think I can explain it to my boss.”
She pointed her pistol. “Jump. Now.”
He hesitated and just stared at her.
Alex said, “What’s the matter? Can’t you swim?” It wasn’t an idle question. She didn’t want to kill another innocent bystander today.
He raised his voice and said, “That’s a stereotype. Of course I can swim.”
Alex nudged him in the chest with the barrel of the small semiautomatic pistol. He stumbled back a couple of steps, then turned, crawled onto the low seawall, and hopped into the water.
Alex peeked over to make sure he was okay. He was already floating with the current and wasn’t panicking.
Now she forced herself to walk calmly back onto the studio property, then down the pathway he had pointed out. With all the people milling around, it was as good a scenario as she could hope for. Civilians always distract law enforcement. No matter what the mission, civilians just get in the way. And Alex was happy about that.
She turned to her right at the end of the walkway and followed the fence to the corner of the property, where a six-foot chain-link door was built into the fence. She lifted the handle and stepped onto the sidewalk alongside a busy street.
Sweet.
Chapter 95
Alex walked briskly along the sidewalk and noticed two more NYPD patrol cars race past, headed for the movie studio. A smile crept across her face. She felt like she was going to make it. Now that she was away from Bennett, the police response didn’t seem like a threat. In some South American countries, the authorities might even call out the army to try to seal an area. She greatly preferred this.
A block away, the traffic was light, and no one appeared concerned with what was happening at the studio. A McDonald’s looked like a good place to lay low, but Alex needed to get out of the area. She kept walking, trying to blend in. The last thing she needed was to call attention to herself.
At the corner, she saw two cabs turn onto a side street. That’s where she needed to be. She stopped for a moment to get her bearings. She could see the Freedom Tower in the distance and the Brooklyn Bridge not far away.
She would take a cab to within a
few blocks of her hotel, then walk the rest of the way. Just in case someone put some effort into finding out where she went from here.
She didn’t intend to waste any time after that. She would catch a bus south and then a flight out of Baltimore or perhaps Reagan National. It was extra work but would give her peace of mind. No one would be able to figure out who she was or where she went.
Alex kept a steady pace down the street, her right hand just outside her purse for easy access to her weapons. No one gave her a second look. Another police car flew by, followed by a paramedic truck.
She turned the corner and saw three cabs sitting along the curb near the middle of the block. As she approached, she caught the first driver’s attention and stepped directly to the rear passenger door.
Her survival instinct told her she wasn’t quite clear yet. She grabbed the stiletto from her purse and held it in her right hand.
Just as she grabbed the cab’s door handle, she heard someone from behind her say, “Police—don’t move.”
She let the stiletto rest on the cab’s roof in the crease where the door closed.
Chapter 96
As soon as I called out, “Police—don’t move,” I felt an odd mix of emotions. There was that taste of excitement any cop feels at the moment of making a big arrest, but I also felt anger. That was something strange for me. I could usually detach myself at a moment like this.
I saw her freeze, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. I aimed my service weapon at her head. The taxi driver was a veteran of the New York streets—he knew to lie down in his seat to keep out of the line of fire.
The woman didn’t move and rested her hands on the cab’s roof. I knew she carried her pistol in her purse, so I immediately said, “Drop the purse on the ground. Do it now.”
She hesitated, then tilted to her right and lowered her right arm. The purse slipped off and plopped on the ground. I could tell by the way the purse thumped on the sidewalk that it had a gun in it. The same one that killed that young receptionist. The same gun used to shoot Father Alonzo in the stomach. The same gun she had pointed at my daughter.
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