by Kiel Nichols
Look, Raina began.
Kristano cut her off. They’re coming back.
“Sparrow one, Kallan is nowhere to be found. I think she might have gotten out. Over.”
A tinny voice came through the intercom. “Copy that. We don’t see her out here, but it’s starting to get hot. Time to bug out.”
“Copy. We’re dust. Are you going to have someone on the roof?”
“Negative. It’s getting too hot, and we want this to look like a school shooting.”
“Copy. Out.” The man called behind him, “We’re out of here. We’ll have to get her another time.”
“Good, this place gives me the creeps. Too many memories of college.”
The other guy laughed. “Hey, Jenson, I didn’t even know you could read.”
“Fuck you. Let’s get out of here.”
The men moved off. A few minutes later Kristano let Raina go.
“You need to go hide in the bathroom. When the police find you, tell them that you hid because you were afraid to run.” Kristano’s voice was even and steady.
Raina got up and stumbled in that direction. Kristano caught her arm and led her into the bathroom. “Go in a stall and look like you’re hiding. You don’t want them to become suspicious of you.”
“I need to know what’s going on,” Raina said as she stepped into the stall.
“I know, but they’re coming. It’s time. I’ll come to your house tonight. Make sure Gideon is there. The other one, Bryce, he can’t be involved in this.”
“You said that before, but I don’t know how to make him leave without hurting his feelings.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Voices came from outside the bathroom.
“How are you going to get out of here?” Raina asked. Then she realized that he was already gone.
* * * *
“This just in...an attack at the University of Washington library has left seven dead and three critically injured. One of the dead, a library employee, appeared to be the victim of an execution-style slaying.” The information filtering to the public over the radio tended to be sensationalized and only half accurate. Gideon was trying to remind himself of that as the report made his heart begin to pound. He reached out to feel Raina again. He just hoped that what he was feeling was her on the physical plane rather than the spiritual one.
“Unlike most school shootings, the three gunmen escaped and remain at large. Their identities are unknown at this time.”
By the time he pulled up into the lot, news vans were filling up the space. Gideon elbowed his way past gawking rubberneckers and crying students. He’d just gotten to the edge of the crowd when he saw Raina being led out of the library, a burly officer’s arm around her, supporting her.
When he tried to go around the police barrier, he was stopped by a patrolman. “Sorry, mister.”
“That’s my wife up there. Right there,” Gideon lied without hesitation. He didn’t think even that would get him through the line, but he figured it was his best chance.
“You’re going to have to wait in the auditorium.” The officer pointed to a stately building off to the side. “Families are asked to wait in there for word.”
“But I can see her,” Gideon insisted. “She’s right there.” He pointed to Raina.
All of a sudden, a disembodied voice said, “Let him through.” The officer’s eyes went blank for a moment. “Let him through, Johnny. He needs to be with his mate.”
The officer blinked twice before moving the barrier aside. “You can go be with your mate, mister, but make sure you stay away from the scene.”
All the hair on Gideon’s body was standing on end, like he had just walked past a live wire. He knew that he just got help from someone, but he chose not to think about it. He knew the voice wasn’t coming from him. He never would have used the word mate. “Thanks.”
Gideon hurried toward the ambulances. When he approached, he saw the body bags on the ground. Luckily, the man holding Raina’s arm was an old friend from his days on the force.
“Hey, Wijinicki,” Gideon greeted him.
“Hey, Gid. How the heck are ya?” He frowned. “What are you doin’ here?”
Just then Raina broke free of his hold and launched herself into Gideon’s arms. He held her tightly and closed his eyes to breathe in her scent. She smelled like flowers and tears.
“Ohh, I get it,” Wijinicki said. “We got to get her checked out, and take her statement, OK?”
Recognizing the tone, Gideon realized that Raina just went from being a suspect to being a victim. He didn’t know if she realized that, from the moment they found her alive, she would have been their number one suspect.
Chapter 6
Raina didn’t want to let go of Gideon to be checked out by the MTs.
“Miss Kallan, we have to take your vitals, OK? Just to make sure that you’re not in shock.” The MT was speaking slowly and quietly.
“She’s blind,” Gideon said. “All this is very confusing for her.”
Raina didn’t let go of Gideon, but she did say, Don’t talk about me as though I’m not here.
Hey, do you want me to be able to stay with you through this or not?
Good point. “It was so scary.” It wasn’t hard to make her voice shake.
“Would you like...” The woman paused so that Gideon could fill in his name. “Would you like Gideon to stay with you?”
“Yes, please.” Raina unwrapped her arms from around his neck. When she did, she realized that she could once again see. The unexpected vision made her stagger.
Aren’t you laying it on a bit thick? Gideon asked.
I was just surprised by being able to see, she answered, feeling a wave of tenderness from him.
Can you shut it off? he asked.
Raina tried to concentrate on breaking that connection while maintaining their link. Everything went dark again.
It worked, Gideon said.
Yes, how do you know?
Everything looks different for me when you look through me.
Raina hadn’t realized that using him as a conduit changed his own perception of the world. Before she could answer him, Detective Wijinicki spoke.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I can try.” Raina took a deep breath and held fast to Gideon’s hand while the MT put a pressure cuff on her.
“I was in the stacks helping a student when I heard a scream and a popping sound from the main reference area of the library. It didn’t sound like a gunshot, so I was headed that way to check it out. When the second shot rang out, I recognized the sound. I ducked into the stack near me. I didn’t run because I was afraid I would trip.” Raina paused for a moment, her voice began to hitch. “There was a girl in the stack in front of me. I heard them kill her. She was so scared.”
“What happened next?” the detective asked.
“I think they went into the bathroom to see if anyone was in there. When I heard them come out, I went in there to hide. I figured they wouldn’t check it again.”
Why are you lying? Gideon asked suddenly.
The guy who was in my room showed up. He held me so that I would be invisible. Do you really think I should admit that to the cop?
“What?” Gideon shouted without thinking.
“Excuse me?” Detective Wijinicki asked.
“Uh, I mean I’m glad you kept your head together. It couldn’t have been easy.” Gideon responded.
Good cover, she said to Gideon privately. “It was weird,” she continued out loud, “but as I was hiding, I could hear shots and they sounded louder but not closer. I don’t get why that would be. The tone of the sound was the same.” Raina found it easier to deal with details one at a time rather than to think about what happened overall.
Shit, Gideon said in her head. He echoed the word out loud.
“Yeah,” Wijinicki confirmed. “Are you sure, Miss Kallan?”
“Raina,” she corrected automatically. “Yes, I’m sure. Wh
en you can’t see, your other senses get stronger. The fact that the shooting was louder was strange enough to remember it. What is it?”
“Nothing,” Wijinicki said.
It means they used silencers. Silencers lose their effectiveness the more they’re used. My guess is that even the shot in the next aisle was not as loud as it would have been without a silencer, Gideon informed her.
Not in the next aisle. The guy was standing in me when he shot her. Raina shuddered again.
“Did they say anything to each other? Did you hear the sound of their voices?” Wijinicki didn’t explain about the silencer, and Raina didn’t expect him to.
“I heard two of them talk to each other and to someone else on a walkie-talkie,” Raina told him.
“Did you hear what they said? Did they call each other by name?”
Don’t tell him any more details, Gideon ordered sharply.
Raina obeyed without question. She could feel the urgency in the request and knew something was going on that he didn’t want his old friend from the police force to know about. “No, I couldn’t really hear what they said. They didn’t sound upset or agitated though. I would have picked up nerves in their voices. Also, I didn’t get the impression that they were kids.”
Wijinicki was walking her through the entire thing again when Raina suddenly stiffened. “Where’s Betsy? Is another officer talking to her?”
“Betsy?” Wijinicki asked, looking at the list someone had handed him. “We don’t have Betsy on the list.”
“Her name is Elizabeth Miesner.”
“I’m sorry,” Wijinicki said softly. “She didn’t make it out.”
Raina began to cry. She couldn’t help it. When the sobs began to overtake her, one of the MTs came back.
Raina heard Gideon ask the detective, “Can I take her home now? I know you have a lot of questions for her, and I can bring her down to the station in the morning, but right now, I think she’s been through enough.”
“You know we have to question her, Gid. Something strange is going on here,” Wijinicki answered.
“It certainly doesn’t sound like a standard school shooting,” Gideon conceded.
Raina knew it was way more than that. Gideon’s thoughts were coming through clearly. He didn’t want to put her in more danger. If these people were in the government, she could be an easy target. He was worried about what she was going to tell the police. At the same time, part of him was horrified that he told her to lie to them. Raina could feel his internal conflict about lying, his overwhelming urge to protect her, and the comfort he was trying to send her. She figured that he could feel grief pumping off her, but she was unable to control it. This was all her fault.
The MT interrupted them, “Want that we should give her a sedative? She’s getting really upset.”
Wijinicki hesitated.
“It’s up to you, but I don’t think she’s much good to you now for questioning,” Gideon addressed Wijinicki.
“I can give you a few hours, but I need to see her tonight. There was only one other survivor to interview. The rest that tried to run got tagged as they headed out of the building. It was like they didn’t want anyone escaping.”
Raina heard that through her tears and started sobbing uncontrollably. They all died because of me. They all died because of me. She kept chanting it.
Gideon tried to reassure her. No, it wasn’t your fault. When she just kept crying, he said, “Give it to her.”
“OK, Raina,” the MT said, speaking soothingly. “I’m just going to give you a little something to relax, OK?”
“I don’t ne-ne-ne-need anything,” Raina answered. All she could do was to hold onto Gideon and cry out her grief.
“Give it to her,” Gideon reiterated.
“I can’t without her permission,” the MT answered. “She’s still coherent enough to say she doesn’t want it.”
Gideon grabbed her arms. “Take it, for God’s sake, Raina.” Then he continued in his head, Please take it, baby. You’re killing me.
Raina just nodded. There was a pinch in her arm then she began to feel sleepy.
“We’d like to take her to the hospital for observation,” the MT said.
“No!” Raina was adamant and started struggling through her languor. “No hospital.” Her words were slurred, and her struggles were weak, but she was clearly getting hysterical again at the thought of it.
“I’ll stay with her. I was a cop. I know what signs to look for if she becomes agitated. I’ll keep an eye on her tonight.” Gideon’s answer calmed Raina’s struggles immediately.
The MT sighed. “OK, but she’s going to have to sign a release form.”
Raina was crying more softly. She heard what was said and nodded her head. A few minutes later the MT came back. She handed the form to Gideon for him to read it before having Raina sign it.
Wijinicki said to Gideon softly, “We’re going to have a patrol take passes by the house. I don’t think she was the target, but something about this seems off and I’m just not sure.”
“I’m not sure if she’s the target,” Gideon lied smoothly, “but I know we’ll both feel better having a uniform drive around the house.”
“Has she always been blind?” Wijinicki asked.
“No,” Gideon replied, knowing he’d find out quickly once back at the station. “She was attacked in her house a few months ago. Her roommate was tortured and killed.”
Wijinicki looked at Gideon sharply. “That’s a bit too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?”
Gideon said, “Yeah, I think so, too.” He knew he’d draw too much suspicion if he just accepted everything at face value. Wijinicki knew him too well. “I actually met her through my brother. He wanted me to look into what happened to her to see if she was still in danger. Unfortunately, I’ve come to the conclusion that she definitely is in danger. I’ll be glued to her side until we figure it out.”
Wijinicki must have understood and approved of what Gideon said, because all he said to it was, “You know to keep us in the loop.”
“You betcha.” Gideon gathered Raina into his arms. He was aware of the fact that she heard the entire exchange with the detective. “I’m taking her home now.” He gave Wijinicki her address and phone number and his own cell number.
“I’ll tell you what. Bring her in tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. If I need her sooner I’ll call and let you know, OK?”
Gideon was relieved by the reprieve, if for no other reason than because it showed that Wijinicki trusted him.
“Will do. Thanks, man.”
“Miss Kallan,” Wijinicki said loudly and slowly. “You can go on home now, OK? We’ll talk again tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Raina answered. Her tears had nearly run their course, and all she had left was a few hitching breaths, a stuffy nose, and weak knees. The sedative had been a low initial dose. All it managed to do was to relax her.
Gideon began walking her toward his car. When they got to the edge of the crowd by the parking lot, camera flashes started going off in their faces. He was grateful that Raina couldn’t see them. He’d had cameras in his face before, but he guessed that she hadn’t.
They worked their way through the throng of reporters who were throwing questions at them. Raina didn’t say anything. She just huddled into Gideon’s arm.
After they reached his car, he unlocked the door and helped her slide into her seat. As soon as he got into his own, his cell phone rang.
“Hey, Gid. I was trying to catch up to you, but the crowd was too thick. Is Raina all right?” Bryce’s anxious voice came over the line.
Gideon answered, “She’s as good as can be expected. We’re going to her house. Meet us there.”
No, Raina said. He’s not part of this. Kristano won’t come if Bryce is at the house.
“Raina’s going to be a little bit out of it,” Gideon said to Bryce. “They gave her a sedative and said she’d be out all night. I’m going to stay in the guest room tonight. After
what’s been happening, I think we need someone with a weapon guarding her.”
“I can stay, too,” Bryce said, almost antagonistically.
“Sure,” Gideon said. “I just wanted to let you know that you didn’t have to. Like I said, she’s going to be sleeping.”
Bryce just grunted, said, “I’ll see you there,” and hung up.
“You need to tell me everything. Who is Kristano? What do you mean the guy was standing in you? What the hell really happened?” Gideon’s voice was rough with concern.
I told you, Kristano’s the guy from my room. Raina was too tired to talk out loud. He saved my life. He protected me just like he said he would.
“Don’t romanticize this guy,” Gideon said harshly, feeling the pangs of jealously.
Raina shuddered, I’m not. I’m safe with him, but he let that girl die without even trying to help.
Gideon responded to her sadness with the intimacy of his mind. Do you think he could have saved her, too?
No, but he didn’t even try.
Gideon was quiet for a minute. Would he have put you in danger if he tried to save her?
Yes, Raina answered. He said he couldn’t keep me hidden if he helped her.
Then he did the right thing.
Raina started to cry again. My life isn’t worth more than that girl’s life. He shouldn’t have sacrificed her for me.
“Yes, he should have.” Gideon’s voice was implacable. “He did the right thing, and I feel better that the person protecting you is capable of making the hard choices.”
My life isn’t more valuable than hers, Raina repeated.
It is to me.
Raina briefly noticed that they were able to hear each other even though they weren’t touching.
* * * *
Gideon pulled directly into Raina’s driveway when he arrived at the house. He got out of the car and went around to her side to help her up the steep driveway. About halfway up, Gideon had to pause. His muscles were cramping from the climb. He cursed his weakness.
“Are you all right, Gideon?” Raina asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He forced himself to start walking again. He braced his free hand on his knee and pushed with every step to help leverage himself up. The pain in his damaged muscles was enormous. He was also trying to block her so that she couldn’t see it.