Shawanna squeezed Sara’s hand. “Downstairs.”
Sara had to admit Shawanna was quick for her size. Her footsteps faded away with no reaction from Pate. She’d wait ten minutes, then slip off.
“No,” Pate suddenly said, and he began to sob. “You can’t leave me. Love you. Always loved you.”
Sara stood perfectly still, unsure of what to do. Obviously the wife had dropped a bomb. A bomb that could get her killed. Collateral damage, they would probably call it. Dead was dead to her way of thinking.
But as she watched, Pate bent over, racked with sobs. The gun hung limply from his left hand like he had forgotten it was there. Broken apart by love, she thought. But the dead bodies on the floor wouldn’t allow her to feel any sorrow for him. The loss of love was what you made of it, after all.
Another strangled cry of “No!” had her backing away slowly. Her heart was in her throat as she prayed he wouldn’t remember he wasn’t alone. She wasn’t so lucky. Panic crushed against her chest, held her motionless as his head turned and his eyes focused in on her.
“Stop!”
He waved the gun and released her paralysis. She took off down the hall, expecting to feel the sting of a bullet at any moment. At the first intersection, she turned left. Thank God she walked these floors regularly, knew the turns, the cut-throughs. She made a right, ran through the copy room, then into the executive office with the back entrance to the elevators.
Once in the hallway, figuring he’d go north, she went south. All she had to do was work her way to the south stairwell, find herself another floor to get lost on. Shawanna would have talked to the police by now, so surely they would realize she was in trouble. If she found a good place to hide, she could wait them out, wait for them to take care of him.
Sara hit the stairwell on a run to find the landing full of cops in riot gear. A gloved hand covered her mouth, smothered a scream. Sucking in air, she gradually gained control, gradually sloughed off the fear. She was safe now, she realized. Safe. The hand dropped away.
“Officer Katz. You hurt?”
His voice sounded strange through the helmet shield. She shook her head. “Is Shawanna Brown with you? Is she okay?”
“She’s downstairs, out of harm’s way. What can you tell me about Pate’s location?”
“He might be in Suite 800A or the north stairwell, looking for me. He has a gun and he’s already killed two people. They’re in the reception area, just lying there on the floor. You have to get them. Please, you can’t leave them there.”
“We’ll take care of it.” Katz patted her arm. “Do you know how many weapons he has?”
“I only saw the one gun.”
“Okay. Let’s see about getting you to safety.”
Sara leaned against the wall, relief coursing through her body, and listened to him bark out instructions. She wasn’t in charge anymore. No one’s life or death was in her hands. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly and waited for her escort to arrive.
Shawanna was the first person Sara saw as she walked off the elevator and into the safety of the lobby. They met halfway, hugging as best they could around Shawanna’s bulk.
“Thank you,” Shawanna said, sobbing. “You saved me. You saved little Sara Keisha Jaelynn.”
Sara opened her mouth, then closed it and settled for holding Shawanna close. She’d done it. They’d done it. “I…” She gave in to tears of release. It was over and she’d been able to keep her promise. She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, hanging on to each other, crying, living.
“Oh my God, feel.” Shawanna grabbed Sara’s hand and placed it on her belly. “She’s kicking.”
Sara couldn’t have said a word as she felt the baby’s strong kick against her hand. Her brother hadn’t made it, but this baby girl had, in part thanks to her. Full circle. She’d come full circle.
“Sorry to interrupt,” one of the numerous officers occupying the lobby said. “We need to get your statements. It would be better for all if we did it at the station.”
“Uh, yeah.” Sara released Shawanna and used her sleeve to wipe her face. “Maybe Shawanna could do this tomorrow. It’s been a stressful day, especially for someone in her condition.”
Shawanna put a hand to Sara’s cheek. “Always the protector.” She exhaled. “I want to get this over with. I have a nest to finish building before my baby girl makes her entrance.”
“We can give you a ride, ma’am.”
“My wife is coming with me.” A thin blond with a dimple in his chin stepped up and put his arm around Shawanna. “We’ll be happy to come down to the station,” he told the officer, and then took Sara’s hand and pumped it vigorously. “Art Brown. Sure is an honor to meet you. There’s nothing I can say to express the depth of my gratitude. Anything you need. Anything.”
Sara respected the tremble in his voice, taking it as an indication of the depth of his love. He would do his best by Shawanna, by their baby, if the fierceness in his blue eyes was anything to go by. “Seeing Shawanna alive and well is gratitude enough. More than enough.”
Chapter Eighteen
It was late by the time Sara told her side of the events for the last time and made it back to the office. Most of the lights were off with the notable exception of the tenth floor. It was lit up like Christmas. She thanked the police escort and trudged to the front door. One of the night crew opened the door for her.
“Good job.” He thrust out his hand.
“Thanks, Bernie. Been quiet?”
“Except for the cops crawling all over ten. Jackson says he doesn’t want to see you tomorrow.”
“Jackson doesn’t always get what he wants.” Sara knew the events of the day—the fear on Shawanna’s face, the dead bodies and her fear of failure—would make sleep hard to come by. What she didn’t want was for that fear to control her, to keep her from being able to do her job. The sooner she came back to the scene of the crime, the sooner she could conquer that fear, get back the everyday.
She took the stairs to the basement and was surprised to find Jackson sitting at his desk, looking worse for wear. “Hey.”
“You done?”
“They may need to follow up. Depending on what he does, I’ll have to testify at the trial.” She pushed her hands into her pockets, spread her feet. “I’m coming in tomorrow.” She shifted her weight to her right leg when he remained silent. “I need to get back to it and soon. Need to assure myself this isn’t the norm. That I can do the job without fear riding my shoulders.”
He nodded. “Clock out and try to get some rest. Morning comes early. If you’re lucky, the press isn’t camped out on your doorstep with dumbass questions.”
“Already gave my comment.”
He smiled. “Wasn’t much of a comment. You know those vultures still want to feed.”
“They have to have something to fill all those hours.”
“You be careful out there. Oh, and Gordon?” He waited until she turned around. “Damn good job today.”
She nodded. “Maybe someone else should clock out and try to get some rest.”
“I will now.”
But when she walked out the door, he was still sitting at his desk, seemingly staring into nothingness. She wasn’t going to be the only one having a hard time sleeping tonight.
It wasn’t until she was safely locked in her car that the shakes took over. She couldn’t say later how long she sat in the dark as “what if” scenarios raced through her mind. But eventually she reached the conclusion that today’s outcome—Shawanna and the baby still alive—was the best she could have hoped for. It didn’t stop her from feeling the weight on her heart at the lives ruined by the acts of one man, however. She would need to deal with that, get over it at some point.
Three families would be forever changed by today’s senseless actions. One set of kids would be without a father. Two, if she included Pate’s boys. Their dad wasn’t dead, but they would probably be adults before he regained his freedom.
She took a shuddering breath and tried not to draw parallels to her life. It was hard when she knew all too well about disruption, about life changed by violence. Years later and yet the refrain played on. Innocents had once again been shot down for no reason in a place where they should have been safe, and children would suffer. And in this case, three wives as well.
Tears coursed down her face and she felt like the child she’d been—all alone and afraid of tomorrow. “But I’m not that child any more.” Saying it aloud helped her see she wasn’t alone either.
They’d taken her phone from Pate and placed it into evidence. If she’d been thinking right, she’d have called from the office, let Mikaela know she was all right. She was ashamed to admit she hadn’t thought of doing that, though she’d thought of Mikaela. Too much time spent depending only on herself couldn’t be reversed quickly. But maybe there was still time. She left the parking lot and headed east.
At the gate to the condo she hesitated, then hit the intercom instead of keying in the code. “It’s Sara,” she said in response to Casey’s hail. The gate opened right away.
Mikaela was standing in the doorway. Sara took in the bruising, now black and blue, the eye swollen half shut, and thought she’d never seen anyone more beautiful. When Mikaela opened her arms, she stepped into them and held on.
“Let’s get you inside.” Mikaela pulled back, then cupped Sara’s face. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you.”
“Almost as glad as I am to see you.”
“Says you.” Mikaela smiled. “Have you eaten?”
“I couldn’t.” She put a hand against her stomach. “It’s…I can’t.”
“Sit. I’ll make you some tea.”
Mikaela hurried off before Sara could object. She sank into the softness of the couch, closed her eyes and exhaled. She’d done the right thing, come to the right place. Maybe there was hope for her.
At the sound of footsteps, she opened her eyes. “I hope it was okay to come like this.”
“More than okay.” Mikaela placed the cup and saucer on the coffee table in front of Sara. “You want to talk about it?”
“I was so scared. So scared I wouldn’t be able to get Shawanna out alive. This was her last day of work before the baby. They gave her a late baby shower. Not because they didn’t care, but because there was a lot of work. And him…” She drew in a shuddering breath. “He was so upset that his wife was cheating on him, lying to him. At first I thought he was as upset for their kids as he was for himself.” She shook her head. “He only cared about himself, his feelings. But I didn’t know that at first when I got Shawanna to talk about the baby, her husband and how excited he was to be a dad. Had this idea that if he saw her as more than a hostage we might be okay.” She blinked through tears. “He shot two people, left them lying in their own blood like they were nothing. All because his wife was doing a coworker.” Sara wrapped her arms around her body, feeling the cold as numbness receded. She’d forgotten to grab her coat, and her jacket was still on ten.
“Drink your tea. It’ll help you warm up.” Mikaela took the throw off the back of the sofa and placed it over Sara’s shoulders. “This should help too.”
Sara dutifully picked up the cup and took a sip. “I…I can’t get over how senseless the whole situation was. Makes it hard to let it go. My parents were shot to death too, you know. Some assholes thought they’d stolen their boss’s drugs, money. Wrong house. Can you believe it? They went to the wrong house and my parents died for nothing.”
“Oh, Sara.” Mikaela placed a hand on Sara’s thigh. “And you had to see the bodies today.”
“I froze for a second. Thought I was back in our old kitchen. That’s where I found them. My first thought was that my mom was going to be mad because the kitchen was a mess. She didn’t like messes.” She smiled through the tears. “She was always getting on Dad and me about cleaning up our mess. And Dad, he’d wink at me, then sweet-talk her out of being mad. She was eight months pregnant. I was supposed to get a baby brother. I wanted a bike, but I wanted a baby brother more.” Sara set the cup down, pressed her fingers against her eyes. “I didn’t mean to come here and cry all over you.”
“Don’t you dare apologize for that,” Mikaela said fiercely. She pulled Sara into her arms. “That’s what I’m here for. You can say whatever needs to be said. I bet you’ve never grieved for your parents, your baby brother. It’s time.” She stroked Sara’s back, letting her cry.
“They were going to name him Jonah,” Sara said, after the tears dried up. “Because of me. My mom looked really big, so I asked if the baby was going to be as big as a whale. My dad laughed so hard he cried. God, I’d forgotten about that. Mom tried to look mad, but then she laughed too and said ‘Jonah, it is.’”
“Sounds like you had great parents.”
“They were. And they loved each other. They were always kissing and hugging and dancing.” She sighed. “I can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen to the kids now. The ones of the guy who got shot and the ones of the guy who did it. They’ll all be without fathers.”
“How sad. I hadn’t thought about them, how this affects them too. They showed the guy’s wife. She looked distraught as she apologized over and over again. Guess she’ll carry some guilt for a long time.”
“Forever, I think.”
“They also showed the husband of the woman you saved. Said you were a hero and how they were going to name the baby after you.”
“He cried when he hugged me goodbye.” She smiled as she wiped at her eyes. “Couldn’t say thank you enough. I should think of that more than the other. Think about Shawanna getting to go home and get everything ready for the baby. Sara Jaelynn Keisha Brown was the last I heard. The name will be bigger than her. I want to get her something special.”
“That’s a great idea. We could go this weekend. I know just the place.”
Sara whimpered. “Not the mall.”
Mikaela slapped her arm. “You. And don’t think I’ve forgotten you owe me a trip, but lucky for you, this place is in downtown Decatur. Found the cutest thing there for my nephew’s kid.”
“Wait. Your nephew has a kid? How old is he?”
“Fifteen. Good student and star athlete, but not smart enough to put a cover on it. Following in the footsteps of his father, but that’s a discussion for another time.”
“On that note, I should go,” Sara said, though the thought of moving from Mikaela’s embrace was the last thing she wanted to do. “Poor Casey’s been stuck in her room long enough.”
“Poor Casey is in her office working. You should stay here tonight. I promise I won’t molest you. Please? I’d feel better.”
“Not the sad puppy eyes. You do know I have to get up early, right?”
* * *
A microphone was thrust in front of Sara’s face before she could slip into the building the next morning. She murmured, “No comment,” and kept moving. They weren’t going to use her to sensationalize a tragedy.
Jackson was at his desk and she wondered if he’d spent the night there.
“Get any rest?”
She nodded. Surprisingly she’d slept undisturbed until the alarm sounded. She knew that had a lot to do with her cuddly bed partner.
“You’ll see I’ve got you starting on fifteen. Any problem with that?”
“No.” It was exactly what she needed. “They release the tenth floor yet?”
“Most of it. Tape’s got part blocked off. B & M is closed till further notice. Suite should be locked down tight. Need to check back periodically, make sure the damn press hasn’t found a way to get in there.”
“Do we need to keep them from other clients?”
“Some will want to talk to reporters. Most we can do is hold back the aggressive ones. I’ll put Roger on morning shift. If it gets bad, we’ll pull in some temps to help out.”
The thought of Roger having to be on his feet all morning made her smile. He would complain loud an
d clear, but she figured Jackson already knew that.
“You see anything, and I mean anything, you call it in and get out,” Jackson cautioned. “Haven’t had a day like yesterday. Don’t want another one if it’s all the same to you.”
“That makes two of us.”
The events from yesterday were fresh on her mind as she took the elevator to the fifteenth floor. She eased off the elevator, checking left, then right, then left again. The normal early-morning quiet unnerved her, no matter that her brain knew that was how it was supposed to be. She took one step, then another until she found her rhythm. No area was left unchecked.
Feeling more confident, she worked her way through floors fourteen to eleven. She hesitated before opening the door on ten and called herself all kinds of idiot. Pate was locked up. He couldn’t hurt her now. Couldn’t hurt anyone now.
“Just do it.” She eased the door open and couldn’t drop her guard, even when nothing happened. Her heart beat faster and faster and her breathing hitched as she walked down the hallway toward the elevators—the initial point of contact. She rounded the corner and everything was as it should be. No madman with a gun, no hostage needing to be saved. Just normal nothingness.
“I’m the only one here. It’s over.” Gradually her heart rate decreased and she moved on to the rest of the floor.
In front of the offices of B & M Associates she took a deep breath, then another. The door was secured, the crime scene tape a stark reminder of fear, of death. Sara closed her eyes, bowed her head and gave a moment of silence for the two men who hadn’t made it. Wherever they were, she wished them peace. Then she walked away, taking comfort in the fact that she had made it out, that Shawanna had made it out. And on top of that, she was going to have a baby named after her.
Checking the rest of the floors was easy. Since she’d checked every floor, it was later than usual when Sara made it back downstairs. Walking through the lobby, she noted foot traffic seemed lighter than normal. Not surprising really. She caught a few curious glances sent her way, but no one asked any questions.
Full Circle Page 22