| 3B3 Victoria |
| Nash slid behind the wheel of the Cuda. "Get in." Confused, Michelle quickly climbed into the passenger side seat. "Where are we going Nash? I thought for sure that the second view off the tape was from this area." "It was." Nash gunned the motor and pulled into mid-day traffic. Roadblocks and police barricades were already being set up throughout the downtown core. Ronnie and the rest of the SIU team were working frantically to clear people out of the area. "I have this sneaking suspicion, however, that whoever this guy is, there's more here than we think." "I see." Nash smiled. "Don't worry sister. We'll get this guy." ~~~~~~~~ Joe peered through Nash's patio doors at the ticking bomb sitting innocently on the balcony in front of him. One, two...buckle my shoe, three, four...open the door. Taking a deep breath, Joe slid the glass door open and stepped outside. "Joe. You there?" Joe spun around to see who was calling him. He had visions of being blown into a thousand little pieces if anyone else stepped inside Nash's apartment. No one was behind him. Sighing with relief, Joe realized the sound had come from his radio. "Joe?" Evan's voice barely pierced the static. "Is everything ok? "Cortez! What are you doing man? You scared me half to death." "Sorry Joe. Nash is on the line." Joe paced back and forth in the tiny space. "What does he want? I'm kinda busy at the moment." "He wants to know if you've disarmed the bomb yet." "What do you think?" "Um...no?" Joe smirked. "Bingo. Now tell him to leave me alone." "Right." Joe shook his head and studied the bomb carefully. The shopping cart was strapped down so it wouldn't move. Thankfully. Nitro filled glass tubes lined up along one side of the device like a group of tin soldiers. Joe whistled. "Ok Bubba. Breathe. This doesn't look too hard." Who was he trying to convince? Fortunately there was no one nearby to hear him talking out loud. Just the wind whipping off the bay. Pulling out his tools, Joe took one step closer to the bomb. The display read thirty-nine minutes. Plenty of time. He hoped. Joe jumped as he felt something move past his leg. He looked down at the orange and white tabby sitting happily at his feet. "Go! Shoo..." Joe bent over to pick up the cat. It purred contentedly. Joe moved over the balcony's edge and peered over the side. How did it get all the way up here? Joe weighed his options carefully, but in the end had no choice. He took a few steps into Nash's apartment and dropped the cat inside. "Now behave yourself in here or Nash'll have my hide." Stepping out onto the balcony and closing the patio door behind him, Joe once more focused his attention on the bomb. Great. Now he only had thirty-two minutes. "Damn cat." ~~~~~~~~ Harvey studied the crumpled map in his hands once more. This was impossible. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "C'mon man. Think!" He stepped up onto the sidewalk and surveyed the rows and rows of houses lined up along the street. Harvey turned and crossed the park. Folding the map, he shoved it back into his jacket. Sitting down on a park bench, Harvey closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He just needed a minute to focus and think. A blurry image swam before his eyes. Harvey tried to conjure up that first image from the video tape. Why was it so familiar? Harvey sighed and opened his eyes. Leaning back, he studied his surroundings. There had to be something he was missing. "Hey mister!" He looked up. Harvey's muddled brain registered the young voices yelling at him from across the playground. A group of five or six kids jumped up and down excitedly, motioning to him. "Over here!" "Kick it please mister'" "That's our ball!" Harvey had been so wrapped up in his efforts to locate the bomb that he had failed to notice that a rubber ball had landed at his feet. He stood up and moved the ball back and forth between his feet a couple of times before kicking it across the grass. The kids waved their thanks and continued with their game of dodge ball. Harvey watched them play for a few minutes. Happy screams and childish taunts filled the air. Chuckling softly, Harvey turned his mind back to the task at hand. He stood in one spot and slowly turned three hundred and sixty degrees, each time stopping briefly to take in his surroundings bit by bit. He completed his circle, dejected. Pulling his cell phone from his jacket pocket he dialed Nash's number. "Nash." "Hey boss. It's Harvey. I'm not having any luck finding the location of this bomb. I'm beginning to think this is a wild goose chase." "Nah Harvey. This guy's out for blood. I can feel it." "Maybe you're..." "Harv?" "Oh my God. I know where it is." "Where?" Harvey's face blanched. He rushed madly across the park and proceeded down the hill. "Harv?" "Yeah Nash." Harvey stood and looked up at the building in front of him in dismay. "You'd better get somebody over here right away." Harvey clicked off his cell phone and stood looking at the front of the building. The words Elementary School were emblazoned across the front. "Son of a bitch!" The school bell rang, signaling the end of afternoon recess, and sending hordes of kids into the building. |
| If you would like to follow this post, put 3B3 Victoria in the subject heading. |