Explosive Situation

by Terri Reed

  “Which reminds me,” Henry said. “Eden found something that she thought we might be interested in seeing.”

  As soon as they were back at the station they went to Eden’s office, but she’d left for the evening.

  “We’ll have to catch her tomorrow,” Henry said.

  “Isn’t the Colt Colton concert tomorrow night?” Olivia asked.

  Henry groaned. “Yes, it is. I can’t let Riley go to that concert. Not until I know Parker’s in custody.”

  “The venue has tight security with bag checks and wand detectors,” Olivia said slowly. “We can alert them to be extra vigilant. And if...we accompany her, she’ll be safe.”

  Henry blinked in surprise. He was pleased by the suggestion but not sure he should take her up on the offer. “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  “Riley will be thrilled. But we’ll have to clear it with the brass.” Henry wouldn’t admit it aloud but he was thrilled, as well. Though he was afraid spending more time with Olivia outside of work wasn’t the best idea. But then again, he was an innocent man being wrongly accused, just as he’d maintained from the beginning. And if they could prove his innocence, then there would be no issue of impropriety, right? Spending more time with her was a risk, not only because she was investigating him, but his feeling for her were growing. Changing. Would it be so bad if he fell in love with Olivia? Yes it would. As long as she was IA and he part of the rank and file, they could never be together.

  * * *

  The next morning when Henry informed Riley of the plan, he’d been right, she was thrilled to hear that not only would she be allowed to go, but that Olivia and Henry would be going to the concert, as well. Gavin, after discussing the situation with Olivia’s boss, had given them the green light. Apparently Olivia had made the case that she needed to be in attendance to observe how Henry reacted in a crowded, stressful situation.

  “But you’re not sitting near me?” Riley asked. “Right?”

  “No, we won’t sit near you,” Henry assured her. But he would sit where he could keep an eye on her. Because they still hadn’t found Parker, even with every patrol officer on the lookout for the bombing suspect and the silver sedan. It had been a long, worrisome night, but Parker hadn’t surfaced. Henry speculated that maybe he had skipped town.

  “After school, I’m going to get ready for the concert at Kelsey’s. You can pick us up there.” Riley put her backpack on.

  “Why can’t Kelsey come here?”

  “Because we’ve already decided we’re meeting at her house.”

  “Officer Hall will escort you to school and to Kelsey’s. You don’t leave her apartment until I get there,” Henry said. “Understand?”

  “Yes, I understand. I’m not going to do anything foolish,” Riley said. Her gaze narrowed. “Henry, I really like Olivia. I think she’s good for you.”

  Henry gathered Riley in his arms and hugged her close. “I like her, too. But I can’t do anything about it because of our jobs.”

  Hugging him back, Riley said, “Some things are more important. Don’t let her get away. She’s a good catch.”

  Riley’s words echoed through his brain. Olivia was a woman worth loving. His heart was well on its way there. And despite his assertions that he didn’t want to be a parent, he wanted to be a part of her and her child’s life. How out-there was that? Especially when there was no way it could happen while he was suspected of using excessive force.

  Mind whirling in directions he had no business going, Henry and Cody walked Riley out to the curb where Officer Hall sat in an unmarked cruiser. He’d been assigned to drive Riley to and from school until the bomber was caught.

  “Be safe,” he said before shutting door. He watched the car drive away and he lifted up a prayer to God for her protection.

  A few minutes later, Bradley McGregor arrived in his K-9 unit vehicle. “Heard you needed a ride.”

  “That I do, my friend.” Lifting Cody into his arms, Henry climbed in and they headed to work. And then tonight he’d be going to the concert with Olivia. If only this wasn’t a potentially dangerous situation.

  * * *

  Because Lani and Snapper had been called away on a pressing matter, Henry had volunteered to use one of the K9 unit’s other vehicles to drive Olivia to her late morning appointment. There was a look of consternation on his face when she told him the visit was to her ob-gyn for a checkup. She quickly apologized. “I’m sorry you’re having to accompany me here. I should have taken a taxi.”

  He frowned as he pulled the vehicle to the curb. “No, it’s fine. I want you to be fine. I’m happy to do this for you.”

  “After all the stress and drama of the past few days, I want to be sure all is well with the pregnancy.”

  “Of course,” Henry said as he tugged at the collar of his uniform. “Is it okay if I wait here?”

  She laughed. “Yes. You don’t have to come inside. That would be awkward.”

  Relief swept over his face. “Okay. If you need anything, call me. I’ll come running.”

  Touched by his words, she nodded and hurried inside the building. She didn’t have to wait long to be seen.

  “You and the baby are both healthy and strong,” Doctor Smooter said as she moved the ultrasound probe over Olivia’s belly. “Are you still wanting to be surprised by the gender?”

  Olivia nodded. “Yes. I think I’ll need that to look forward to when the time to have this baby comes.” The delivery part of being pregnant was overwhelming to think about, though her mother and sister-in-law had assured her she’d get through it just fine.

  “All right.” Doctor Smooter pressed a button and an image printed. After cleaning the ultrasound gel off of her abdomen and allowing Olivia to get dressed, the doctor handed her the sonogram print of her baby. “We’ll see you next month.”

  Taking the image with her, Olivia’s heart swelled with love for the tiny person inside of her.

  “Everything okay?” Henry asked once Olivia was seated in the passenger seat of the SUV.

  “All good.” She held up the square sheet showing the shadowy image outlining her baby’s form. “It’s so amazing to think soon I’ll be a mother.”

  “You already are,” Henry commented.

  Right. Excitement revved through her system and her mind jumped ahead to what she would do once the baby came. Would she stay with the force? The question was one Olivia had asked herself multiple times. As single mother, she’d need an income. And her family had offered to help with childcare.

  She still had several months to decide what she wanted for her and her baby’s future. She prayed that God would reveal to her the right decision to make.

  However, at the moment, she needed to concentrate on proving Henry was innocent of the charges leveled against him. She needed to crack Davey Carrell’s story. For Henry’s sake. She wanted to repay him for all his kindness to her. And her heart whispered there were other reasons, like she was falling for him, was something she had to ignore.

  * * *

  Later that afternoon, Henry sat in Gavin’s office going over the particulars of what he and Olivia had gathered so far about Davey Carrell and Parker Wilton. Cody sat at his feet while Gavin’s dog, Tommy, a brown and white springer spaniel, lay curled on the bed in the corner.

  After seeing the sonogram image of Olivia’s baby, Henry couldn’t help but be excited for her. The image made the baby real. And stirred in him a yearning he hadn’t expected. What would it be like to be a father from the beginning?

  The familiar chime of the incoming text sounded, cutting off his thoughts as dread gripped Henry’s insides.

  Roses are red, violets are blue, concerts are the perfect place for kaaaaboom! LOLZ

  Jumping to his feet, Henry read the text to Gavin. There were still two hours before the concert started. The doors would be ope
ning soon. “It has to be Parker. We have to go to the concert hall now and secure the bomb before they let people in.”

  “Agreed.” Gavin rose and retrieved his sidearm from the bottom desk drawer. “You ride with me and Tommy.”

  The sergeant made calls as they hustled to Gavin’s vehicle.

  On the way to the Barclays Center, Henry called Olivia. “We just got a bomb threat at the concert arena. We are on our way there now,” he told her. “Can you go and secure my sister? I know Officer Hall is there, but I just want to be sure that she’s okay.”

  Olivia promised she and Lani would go directly to Kelsey’s apartment, giving Henry a measure of peace. The concert wasn’t for several more hours and Henry was grateful Parker was giving him notice. But the arena was massive. Home to the Brooklyn Nets basketball team and the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Barclays Center had over nineteen thousand seats and a hundred and one suites, not to mention the many eateries within its glass and metal structure. It would take hours for them to find an explosive device even with their highly trained dogs.

  Gavin alerted the center’s security and then called for more bomb-sniffing dogs from all five boroughs and the explosive ordnance disposal specialists to convene at the center.

  When they arrived at the Barclays Center, sirens blazing, Gavin organized the search. He had the officers spread out. With worry eating at his gut, Henry and Cody worked methodically, checking row after row of seats.

  They had to find the bomb before it was too late. And he thanked God Riley and Olivia and the baby were nowhere near the center.

  * * *

  Olivia tried calling Riley’s cell phone, but it went directly to voice mail. “Riley, call me. I’m on my way to Kelsey’s now.”

  Trying not to be overly worried by the lack of response, Olivia willed the traffic to lighten up as Lani drove to the address Henry had given for Kelsey’s apartment in Brooklyn Heights.

  When they arrived and parked, Olivia noted Officer Hall’s empty car at the curb. Telling herself Riley’s phone was buried in her backpack and she couldn’t hear it ringing, Olivia and Lani and the German shepherd, Snapper, hurried into the building. The elevator had an “out of service” note taped to the door.

  “The stairs,” Olivia said as she veered to the stairwell. She made quick work of the five flights of stairs, then moved quickly to apartment 5D and knocked.

  The door was jerked open by Riley’s friend Kelsey. Olivia recognized the petite girl from Coney Island. “Hi, Kelsey. I need to speak with Riley.”

  Worry clouded Kelsey’s dark eyes. “She hasn’t shown up yet. I’ve been calling her cell, but she doesn’t answer.”

  Olivia’s heart pumped with dread. Where could Riley be? Where was Officer Hall? “If you hear from her, tell her to call Olivia.”

  “We have to find her,” Olivia said to Lani as they retraced their steps to the first floor.

  “I’ll call Eden and ask her to ping Hall’s phone,” Lani said.

  “Good idea. I have to call Henry and let him know.”

  They headed for the exit, but Olivia heard a phone ringing. “It’s coming from the elevator.”

  She hurried over to the closed elevator doors and banged on them. “Hello! Is somebody in there?”

  Snapper barked and scratched at the metal doors.

  There was a moan.

  “Somebody’s stuck inside the elevator,” Olivia said.

  Together they pried the elevator doors open and found Officer Hall lying on the floor, holding his bleeding head.

  “What happened?” Olivia asked. “Where’s Riley?”

  “Riley and I were headed into the elevator when something struck me from behind. I went down like a house of cards. I blacked out.” He grimaced. “I don’t know who took her.”

  Olivia stomach sank.

  Riley had been kidnapped!

  FOURTEEN

  Henry’s phone rang, the sound echoing across the cavernous Barclays Center and setting his already tightly strung nerves on edge. He and Cody were near the stage that had been set up for the concert. The large speakers and lighting equipment above and to the sides of the stage would make excellent hiding places for explosive devices.

  Henry hadn’t figured out exactly how Parker had managed to plant a bomb in the highly secure facility. But the priority was to find it.

  He dug his phone out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. Olivia.

  Just seeing her name on the small screen sent a burst of warmth through him. He answered with, “Hey, have you secured Riley?”

  There was a moment of hesitation that sent his senses on alert. A chill whispered across his nape.

  “No. Henry, she’s gone,” Olivia’s voice shook.

  Dread had a feral grip on his lungs. “What do you mean, ‘gone’?”

  “Kidnapped. Somebody knocked out Officer Hall, and Riley’s nowhere to be found.”

  Horror flooded Henry’s veins. His sister was in trouble. Possibly hurt. How would he survive another death of someone he loved?

  With a quick tug on Cody’s leash, he and the dog ran toward the exit doors of the Barclays Center as he spoke. “Parker did this. We have to find him before he does something to my sister!”

  “I’m going back to talk to Parker’s mother. I’ll see if she can come up with any idea where her son might have taken Riley,” Olivia said, her voice stronger.

  “His mom doesn’t have the address of where he’s been staying. But maybe those people at the Tire Mart do,” Henry said. “I’m headed there now.”

  “What about the bomb threat at Barclays?”

  “I trust the others will find it,” he told her. “Be careful. Parker may have returned to his mother’s. If so, call for back up.”

  “I will,” she assured him. “You do the same. Don’t be a hero. Riley can’t lose you.”

  He needed to find Riley. To save his sister.

  He and Cody ran outside and skidded to a halt. He didn’t have a vehicle here. He’d come with Gavin. He whirled around and raced back inside. He found his boss talking with the center’s management.

  “Excuse me,” Henry said as he interrupted. “I need the keys to the SUV. Riley is missing. I need to go find her.”

  “We’ll go with you,” Gavin said without hesitation.

  They ran out the door to the K-9 vehicle parked at an angle at the curb. Instead of just calling to see if Parker was at the garage, Henry gave Gavin the address of the Tire Mart. He needed to make sure Parker didn’t have Riley hidden in a room there. Sirens blaring, they raced toward the Gowanus neighborhood, weaving in and out of the evening traffic.

  Leaning forward with a hand on the dashboard, Henry willed the vehicle to go faster and lifted fervent prayers to God to keep his sister safe. It was late in the day and traffic was heavy. By the time they reached the Tire Mart, anxiety had a stranglehold on his insides.

  Everything hurt, but mostly his heart. Gavin had barely stopped the SUV when Henry leapt out and raced inside the garage, Cody at his heels. While Gavin and his K-9 did a search of the premises for Riley and Parker, Henry found the owner, Morton Daniels, in the vehicle bay. “We need an address for Parker Wilton now.”

  Raising his bushy white eyebrows, Morton said, “This way. I think I might have one.” He led them to his office. He flipped through some files and pulled out an address. “This is the only address I have for Parker.”

  It was for Parker’s mother’s apartment. Frustration tightened the knots in Henry’s shoulder muscles. “No, he’s staying somewhere else. Maybe with some of the guys here. I need to question them.”

  Gavin came up behind them. “We checked the entire garage. Parker doesn’t have her here.” He looked at Henry. “Slow down. You’re not going to help your sister by charging all over the place. Be methodical and go by the book.�
��

  Forcing himself to take measured breaths, Henry nodded. He walked at a fast clip to the garage bay where several men worked on the lift-raised cars. Henry gave a sharp whistle to gain their attention. “I need to find Parker Wilton, now. If anybody has any information about where he’s staying or where he’d go, I need you to come forward. This is a matter of life and death.”

  Back in the far corner an argument broke out between a couple of guys. One pushed the other into a stack of tires, causing the tires to fall and bounce all over, drawing everyone’s attention.

  Henry hurried over to the two young men. “What do you know?” Cody sniffed both of the kids and then turned his attention to the tires but soon lost interest there, as well.

  The two young men, both in their early twenties, looked at each other.

  “You’re not in trouble,” Henry assured them.

  One shrugged and said, “Parker’s been staying with us. We needed more roommates to make the rent.”

  “We need the address,” Gavin said.

  One of them rattled off a street address in Red Hook.

  “Thank you.” Leading Cody back to the SUV, Henry called Olivia as Gavin climbed behind the wheel. He gave her the address of where Riley might be.

  “That’s not far from where we are,” Olivia told him.

  The last thing he wanted was for Olivia and her baby to be in danger, too. He would never forgive himself if something happened to either of them. “Promise me you’ll wait for me to get there.”

  “We don’t have time to wait,” she said. “Lani and I are on it.”

  He had no say in her actions but he couldn’t help the ache in his chest. “Please, be careful.”

  After securing Cody in the back beside Tommy, Henry urged Gavin to drive faster through the commuter traffic.

  Please, Lord, please, let me get there in time to help Lani and Olivia save my sister.

  * * *

  Before Lani had brought the SUV to a full stop at the curb in front of the apartment building, Olivia jumped out. Her heart beat in her throat and dread made her queasy. The red brick building looked like every other building on the block. But this one held Riley. She was sure of it.