Jayce did trust Chomsky’s judgment, too, unhappy as she was to be on the sidelines. Emma had risked her life and career to save her, when Jayce’s undercover assignment at the psychiatric ward took an unexpected turn into danger. She needed to do more for her.
“I know what you’re thinking, but they got it covered,” Chomsky said. “Knowing that you’re here will help her more than anything, and you’ll be there for her once she gets out.”
“Of course.”
There was no question.
* * * *
“Emma. Emma, are you all right?” Keisha’s frightened voice cut through the fog, drawing her mind back to the present which wasn’t much better. Her skin felt cold and clammy. The air in the room seemed to be a lot stuffier than before, but damn it, if a sixteen-year-old and two nice older women could keep it together, so should Emma.
She had felt helpless before. She had made it through.
“Tim,” she said. “Your name is Tim.”
“So? Why do you care?”
“Do you really think this is going to work out? That they’ll give you two million dollars?”
“Emma, dear, maybe you shouldn’t ask that question,” Carol said.
“Why not? I mean, what comes after that, a life of being on the run? My ex tried to rob a store once. She got caught within the next hour.”
“She was stupid then.”
Emma didn’t think she’d ever feel the impulse to defend Maxine in any way, but his words almost did it. “Not exactly stupid, but she didn’t think it through. They caught your brother.”
She hoped that when the police called the next time, it would be true.
“You’re lying.”
Anything else would have been too easy.
“No, I’m not. Joe it is, right? I’m sure he’s worried about you. My ex didn’t care much about what happened to me, but I bet Joe’s different.”
“You robbed the place?” he asked incredulously.
“She did. I went to prison.”
There was a gasp that hadn’t come from Tim Marsden. Emma was aware of his quizzical gaze. “Believe me, it wasn’t great, but it’s better than being dead. I got a chance at turning my life around…”
“…and see what you got from it.”
“Maybe that’s not so bad after all. Maybe I can help you.”
He laughed, but sounded uncertain. “How are you going to help me?”
The cocky front of the guy who had demanded two million dollars and a getaway car, was cracking. Was that a good thing? If he felt cornered, he might snap.
“First of all, show them your goodwill by letting some of the hostages go. I’m responsible for the store. I’ll stay here with you. Let the others go.”
“No!”
“The police outside is less likely to shoot at you if they understand that you’re not going to hurt anyone. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about.”
He parted the blinds quickly to take a look outside, the small sliver of sunlight filling Emma with longing. She wanted to get out of here, now. She was almost certain that she could convince him to make that happen…but she had to think of the others first.
“All right. The old ladies can go.”
“I resemble that remark,” Carol mumbled.
Mildred painstakingly got to her feet, casting a glance towards Keisha who still lay facedown on the floor. “I don’t know if that would be right. She is so young, she has so much in front of her…”
“It’s either you two or no one,” he warned. “You,” he said to Emma. “Open the door. Don’t try anything, don’t run away, or I’ll shoot them.”
“I understand. You can trust me. No one’s going to get shot.”
She made sure not to make any sudden movements as she picked up the keys from the counter and slowly opened the door.
“I’m so sorry,” Carol said, tears glistening in her eyes. Mildred looked scared, her eyes fixed on the gun as they made their way to the door, appearing older than they had when they’d walked in searching for a charming greeting card.
“We’ll be okay,” Emma said firmly. “Keisha and I will be okay, and Tim will be too. If you see Jayce out there, please tell her. This is important. Please tell her it’s going to be fine.”
“Now go,” Marsden snapped. Then they were outside, and he shoved the door shut. “Lock again. Hurry up!”
Emma did as told. She noticed Keisha was shaking.
“Why don’t you let her get up for a while? She’s not going to try anything, I promise.”
“It’s okay,” Keisha said, her voice small. “I’m okay here.”
“You heard her.”
“That was a good decision, Tim. I’m sure the police will appreciate it. They will reconsider your demands for sure.”
“They better.” He frowned. “Hey, what’s back there?”
“The kitchen,” Emma said quickly. “There’s not much, but if you like, the coffee should still be warm, and there are cookies. Keisha, I didn’t even know if you like coffee.” Her voice wavered on the last words, as her mind went back to a moment shortly before their world turned upside down. If she had opened the store later, or not at all today…There was no point in this. She had to deal with this situation now. Emma really wanted to hear Jayce’s voice again, carry her through it for another hour maybe.
“You two, get up and go into the kitchen. Lower the blinds. If you try to get a knife, I’ll shoot you. Get me a coffee,” Tim Marsden said. The phone rang once more. With the phone in one hand, and the gun in the other, he directed them to the kitchen.
* * * *
Providing a car and pretending they’d let Marsden get away in it, wasn’t a problem. No one was going to invest two million dollars, and he had to know that. Captain Reid was now in charge, and Jayce resented him, if only for that. Rationally, she knew there was a reason why she shouldn’t be involved in any of the action that was about to go down soon. There were other hostages to consider.
All she could think about was Emma, trapped once more through no fault of her own. It wasn’t fair. When they first met, and during the time in the psych ward, Jayce had to be careful not to blow her cover. She had a job to do. There was no distraction for her now, nothing to stop her mind from imagining the worst. Marsden had let two of the hostages go. That could mean a lot of things, one of them that he didn’t want to be slowed down by the older ones when staging his getaway. On the other hand, maybe he was ready to give up.
“Detective Finney.”
She saw one of Reid’s men headed her way, an older woman who struggled to keep up with his long strides, with him.
“This is Carol Patton. She wants to talk to you before we get her to the hospital.”
“Ms. Patton,” she said, shaking the woman’s hand.
“Call me Carol, and I don’t know what they’re talking about. I don’t need a doctor.” Jayce saw the amused smile on the man’s face before she directed her attention back to Ms. Patton. “I have a message for you from the lovely lady who’s the manager. She said to tell you everything will be fine.”
Jayce hadn’t expected the words, or the rush of emotion they brought with them, that made her barely able to speak.
“Thank you so much, Carol. That means a lot.” It meant everything. “You should go to the hospital though, so they can make sure you’re all right.”
She got a shrug for an answer. “I guess. They’re taking Mildred too. Did we at least help a little bit?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” the SWAT team member assured her. “You’ve helped a lot, but now it’s time to leave.”
“Ma’am. Why don’t you try to make me feel older? I’ll go, under one condition. You have to let me know once this is over, and everyone’s safe.”
“I will,” Jayce promised.
Everything will be fine.
If only she could believe it. She saw a dark blue SVU pulling up in front of the store, the vehicle Marsden had requested, two men in SWAT gear getting out
. Marsden had shown himself to be willing, this was Reid’s answer. Something was going to happen, and soon.
* * * *
The building was surrounded. She had seen the flash of black in the bushes that framed the backyard.
There was no way Marsden could get outside without risking a shootout, Emma realized as she briskly pulled the curtains shut. In a bizarre twist, Marsden was still training the gun on them, but he had put cups on the table, serving them coffee. He helped himself from the plate of cookies.
“You must be hungry,” he said. “Eat. They’re actually good.”
“My boss made them,” Emma said. She was aware of Keisha’s uncertain glance. She sat at the table, afraid to move. Emma was afraid too, but she still wanted to convey the idea that their situation wasn’t helpless. If Tim could be lured into a sense of security, he might even lay the gun aside. Not that she could imagine…She’d do whatever she had to, in order to save Keisha and herself.
Her stomach rebelled at the idea of food, but she picked up one of the cookies, and took a sip of her coffee. It was still hot, and slightly bitter.
“Are you going to tell me what went wrong? I don’t think you were planning to come here for coffee and cookies.”
“No.” He laughed. “Maybe Joe was as stupid as your ex. I mean—robbing a store that has a few hundred in cash lying around? How far can you get with that?”
“Not very far, I imagine. They brought your car.”
“I won’t move until they show me the money. I know it—they’re going to try all kinds of tricks.”
“Yeah. They do that on TV. I’m not sure how much of that technology the local police have on their hands.”
At this point, she was desperate enough to say whatever, but surprisingly, it seemed to work on Marsden.
“Joe’s been watching these shows forever. I guess he was studying.”
“So it was his idea?”
“They can’t listen in on us, can they?” He seemed unsure.
“I don’t believe they can.”
“Then yes, it was all his stupid idea. I would have never gone with him if he didn’t need the money so bad. And now the idiot got himself caught.”
“What does he need the money for?” Keisha asked. Emma gave her a smile she hoped looked reassuring.
“He and his girlfriend were going to get evicted. She’s pregnant. When I get out of here with the money, I might be able to help them, though he certainly doesn’t deserve it.”
“Yes, family is important. I’m sure Keisha’s moms are worried about her too. What if you let her go too? Wherever you’re going after this, you don’t really need her. One hostage is enough to give you leverage.”
“You know everything, don’t you, Miss Manager? No. The girl stays here, and so do you. You really went to prison?” he asked Emma. “Tell me more about it. Maybe you can help me indeed.”
* * * *
Time was ticking by excruciatingly slowly. Kitty was no longer in the car, but Reid and Chomsky had brought her to the command center where she had provided them with as much information on the building as she could.
Jayce was listening in on another call Reid made with the hostage taker.
“Look, you made the right call letting those ladies go. You saw we have your car here, the money will take a little longer as you can imagine, but we’re working on it. Once it’s here, we need something else from you though. We’ll let you go, but you need to let the other women go first.”
He waited a moment, then shook his head in frustration. His tone, however, didn’t reflect it when he spoke again. “We’ll keep up our part of the deal if you keep up yours. Nobody gets hurt, nobody is going to follow you.”
Jayce had her doubts. If this guy had ever watched an episode of Law & Order, he knew that there were sharpshooters in position. She too, hoped desperately that any gunfire could be avoided. Emma was too close to all of it.
To stand back, to let others take charge, pained her. The only reason Jayce could do it was because she knew any interfering would put Emma in more danger. The team working the scene was experienced. They would handle the situation.
If only the idiot inside realized that his best chances were in giving himself up. She didn’t want him dead. She didn’t want Emma to see him get shot and die, relive the traumatic situation that had led to her arrest and prison sentence.
“Let me talk to him,” she said. “Please.” Jayce wouldn’t take the phone from him like she had with Chomsky, but she wasn’t above playing her supervisor’s friendship with Reid.
He handed the phone to her with a warning glance.
“Mr. Marsden. It’s Jayce Finney. As Captain Reid told you, we’re working on getting the money here. We need to be sure that the women in there with you are still okay. Let me speak to Ms. Curtis, please?”
Odd, to talk to this man about Emma the way one would handle a business call, politely, no emotions. She didn’t want him to die. Jayce wouldn’t mind if he got hurt a little. A moment later, those thoughts vanished.
“Emma! How are you holding up?”
“Barely,” Emma admitted. “But it’s okay,” she added quickly. “We’re doing okay in here. Tim isn’t happy that Joe got himself caught, but he agrees that it was all a bad idea. He wanted to help—”
“Enough,” Jayce heard Marsden’s voice. “They don’t need to know that.”
“I think it would be good if they did,” Emma said softly.
“That’s not for you to decide. Give me the phone, now!”
Apparently, Emma did so without protest.
Jayce had a moment of inappropriate thoughts regarding what she would have liked to say or do to him, for snapping at Emma.
“Tim,” she said quietly, “it’s been going well for you so far, despite everything. You haven’t hurt anyone. We know that you don’t have a record, so that’s good. If you try to get away with the money, all kinds of things could happen, none of them good for you.”
She saw Reid waving at her, knowing she had to be careful. “We all want the best possible outcome here, right?”
“That’s right,” he said. “Get me my money, let me go, and everything will be fine.”
He hung up on her.
Before Reid could reprimand her for interfering with the call, Lieutenant Chomsky came heading their way.
“Finney, I’d like you to come with me. We got Joe Marsden.”
Captain Reid didn’t comment, but Jayce sensed he was glad to see her leave. She didn’t mind. She might not be able to get to Tim Marsden at the moment, but his brother would help them. She was going to convince him.
Reid obviously had the same thought.
“If he has anything sensible to say to his brother, get him in here.”
Chomsky nodded, and they headed over to the area where the older Marsden was held in a squad car, two officers with him.
He flinched when Jayce yanked the door on his side open.
“Okay, just to bring you up to speed. Tim is in that store over there with two hostages, and he says he won’t let them go unless we give him two million dollars and let him get away. I hope you have something to say to that, and it better be good.”
“Two million dollars?” He shook his head. “Man, that’s crazy!”
“Robbing the convenience store was his idea, then?”
“No…yes…we kind of came up with it together. I had to pay my rent, or we were going to be out on the street with the baby! We never talked about that kind of money!”
As if that made any difference now.
“We’re going to call him again, and you’re going to talk to him. Make sure he knows giving himself up is the best alternative.”
Joe’s eyes widened. “You’re not going to shoot my little brother? He was so nervous the whole time…”
Jayce cringed of the idea of Marsden, with the gun on him, nervous. She couldn’t afford that image in her head.
“If he lets the hostages go, it’s not goin
g to come to that. You made him help you with this really stupid idea, I hope you can convince him to do the smart thing.”
“I’m not sure he would listen to me.”
“And why is that?”
Joe Marsden sighed. “It’s my fault. I ran…I thought he would catch up with me, but instead he went into that store across the street. I let him down.”
Jayce couldn’t believe his ignorance. She was not alone. A crying woman, accompanied by an officer, came towards them as quickly as she could in her heavily pregnant state.
“Joe, you’re an idiot! What the hell did you get yourself into?”
The young officer had underestimated her anger, not reacting quickly enough as the woman leaned inside and slapped Marsden. Only then, she pulled her back gently.
“Ms. Bryant. That’s not helping.”
“That’s right,” Joe said. “I’m not the one holed up in there with hostages. He’s gone off the deep end.”
Jayce couldn’t stand it any longer. She spun around and walked away a few steps from the ridiculous scene, none of it bringing them any closer to a solution. Why hadn’t Reid sent in a team already? The brothers were not experienced at this, but Tim wasn’t helping himself either. Going in was becoming the most likely option, and the layout of the building suggested this as well.
She couldn’t wait anymore.
“Jayce, I know it’s tough,” Chomsky said behind her. “But it makes sense to try at least. He let the other women go. Let’s wear him down a little, get his brother to talk to him. This can still end peacefully.”
“It’s not peaceful for Emma in there.”
“She’s holding up.”
“Yes, but for how much longer? How much bad luck can one person have?”
Chomsky was silent. Jayce hadn’t expected an answer.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to worry about me. If Reid is as good as you say they’ll have her out of there soon.” If she said it out loud, maybe that would make it true.
* * * *
Tim Marsden had ordered them back to the front of the store. Emma wished she hadn’t talked and nervously drunk that much coffee, because she needed the restroom. Soon. He glanced out between the blinds again. There was some movement, a man shoving a suitcase onto the front passenger seat.
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