of her hand over her mouth. “The suspect?”
“Paramedics said he’ll make it. It’ll be a couple of hours at least before we can question him.”
“Am I … will I be allowed to be in on the interrogation?”
“It’s still your case.” He took her arm to draw her away. “Ally, listen to me. I know what it feels like. Ask yourself now, right now, if you could have done anything differently.”
“I don’t know.”
“Hickman was behind you, and Carson was coming in from the left. I haven’t spoken with her as yet, but Hickman’s report is you identified yourself, ordered her to stop. She turned and fired. You ordered her to drop her weapon, and she prepared to fire again. You had no choice. That’s what I expect to hear from you during the standard inquiry tomorrow morning. Do you want me to call your father?”
“No. Please. I’ll talk to him tomorrow, after the inquiry.”
“Then go home, get some rest. I’ll let you know about Dietz.”
“Sir, unless I’m relieved of duty, I’d rather go to the hospital. Stand by for Dietz, and be on hand to question the suspect when we’re cleared to do so.”
It would be better for her, he thought, to do what came next. “You can ride with me.”
* * *
Panic was like an animal clawing at his throat. He’d never felt anything like it before. Jonah told himself it was just hospitals that did it to him. He’d always detested them. The smell of them brought back the last hideous months of his father’s life and made him all too aware that a turn here, a turn therein a different direction, might have damned him to experience the same fate his father had at fifty years old.
His source had assured him that Ally wasn’t hurt. But all he knew for certain was that something had gone very wrong at the bust and she was at the hospital. That had been enough to have him heading straight out. Just to see for himself, he thought.
He found her, slumped in a chair, in the hallway of Intensive Care. The panic digging into his throat released.
She’d taken the clip out of her hair as he knew she did when she was tense or tired. The gilt curtain of hair fanned down the side of her face, concealing it. But the tired slouch, the hands she gripped together on her knees, told him what to expect.
He stepped in front of her, crouched down and saw, as he’d known he would, pale skin and dark, bruised eyes.
“Hey.” He gave in to the need to lay his hand over hers. “Bad day?”
“Pretty bad.” It seemed like wires were crossed in her brain. She didn’t think to wonder why he was there. “One of my team’s in critical condition. They don’t know if he’ll make it till morning.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me, too. The doctors won’t let us talk to the son of a bitch who shot him. Male suspect identified as Richard Fricks. He’s sleeping comfortably under a nice haze of drugs while Dietz fights for his life, and his wife’s down in the chapel praying for it.”
She wanted to close her eyes, to go into the dark, but kept them open and on his. “And for a bonus, I killed a woman tonight. One shot through the heart. Like she was a target I aced at practice.”
Her hands trembled once under his, then fisted.
“Yeah, that’s a pretty bad day. Come on.”
“Come where?”
“Home, I’m taking you home.” When she looked at him blankly, he pulled her to her feet. She felt featherlight, her hands as fragile as glass. “There’s nothing you can do here now, Ally.”
She closed her eyes, groped for a breath. “That’s what Hickman said at the scene. There’s nothing you can do. Looks like you’re both right.”
She let him lead her to the elevator. There was no point in staying, or arguing or pretending she wanted to be alone. “I can … get a ride.”
“You’ve got one.”
No, she thought, no point in arguing, or in resisting the supporting arm he slipped around her waist. “How did you know to come here?”
“A cop came by to take
“Paramedics said he’ll make it. It’ll be a couple of hours at least before we can question him.”
“Am I … will I be allowed to be in on the interrogation?”
“It’s still your case.” He took her arm to draw her away. “Ally, listen to me. I know what it feels like. Ask yourself now, right now, if you could have done anything differently.”
“I don’t know.”
“Hickman was behind you, and Carson was coming in from the left. I haven’t spoken with her as yet, but Hickman’s report is you identified yourself, ordered her to stop. She turned and fired. You ordered her to drop her weapon, and she prepared to fire again. You had no choice. That’s what I expect to hear from you during the standard inquiry tomorrow morning. Do you want me to call your father?”
“No. Please. I’ll talk to him tomorrow, after the inquiry.”
“Then go home, get some rest. I’ll let you know about Dietz.”
“Sir, unless I’m relieved of duty, I’d rather go to the hospital. Stand by for Dietz, and be on hand to question the suspect when we’re cleared to do so.”
It would be better for her, he thought, to do what came next. “You can ride with me.”
* * *
Panic was like an animal clawing at his throat. He’d never felt anything like it before. Jonah told himself it was just hospitals that did it to him. He’d always detested them. The smell of them brought back the last hideous months of his father’s life and made him all too aware that a turn here, a turn therein a different direction, might have damned him to experience the same fate his father had at fifty years old.
His source had assured him that Ally wasn’t hurt. But all he knew for certain was that something had gone very wrong at the bust and she was at the hospital. That had been enough to have him heading straight out. Just to see for himself, he thought.
He found her, slumped in a chair, in the hallway of Intensive Care. The panic digging into his throat released.
She’d taken the clip out of her hair as he knew she did when she was tense or tired. The gilt curtain of hair fanned down the side of her face, concealing it. But the tired slouch, the hands she gripped together on her knees, told him what to expect.
He stepped in front of her, crouched down and saw, as he’d known he would, pale skin and dark, bruised eyes.
“Hey.” He gave in to the need to lay his hand over hers. “Bad day?”
“Pretty bad.” It seemed like wires were crossed in her brain. She didn’t think to wonder why he was there. “One of my team’s in critical condition. They don’t know if he’ll make it till morning.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me, too. The doctors won’t let us talk to the son of a bitch who shot him. Male suspect identified as Richard Fricks. He’s sleeping comfortably under a nice haze of drugs while Dietz fights for his life, and his wife’s down in the chapel praying for it.”
She wanted to close her eyes, to go into the dark, but kept them open and on his. “And for a bonus, I killed a woman tonight. One shot through the heart. Like she was a target I aced at practice.”
Her hands trembled once under his, then fisted.
“Yeah, that’s a pretty bad day. Come on.”
“Come where?”
“Home, I’m taking you home.” When she looked at him blankly, he pulled her to her feet. She felt featherlight, her hands as fragile as glass. “There’s nothing you can do here now, Ally.”
She closed her eyes, groped for a breath. “That’s what Hickman said at the scene. There’s nothing you can do. Looks like you’re both right.”
She let him lead her to the elevator. There was no point in staying, or arguing or pretending she wanted to be alone. “I can … get a ride.”
“You’ve got one.”
No, she thought, no point in arguing, or in resisting the supporting arm he slipped around her waist. “How did you know to come here?”
“A cop came by to take
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