Carnival Of Mayhem Part 49

"Then I suggest you wait and watch. The solution will eventually become apparent."

"That's optimistic," Aaron said.

"I have faith in G.o.d and you. Is there anything else?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good luck." She ended the call.

He put his phone in his pocket. The back of the squad car smelled of alcohol and vomit. He tried to avoid touching the hard, plastic seat with his skin.

He waited and watched. The police did nothing until a man in a crisp, blue suit arrived in a private car. After a quick conversation with Captain Robinson, he came over to speak to Aaron.

The newcomer smiled pleasantly, opened the door, and said, "Hi. Come out. Let's talk."

Aaron got out of the car. "You're the hostage negotiator?"

"That's right. I'm Johnson." He put out his hand. "The captain told me you're a federal agent?"

Aaron shook his hand. "Yes. I've been after this suspect for weeks."

"You mentioned a bomb. Where is it?"

"He must've tossed it while I was chasing him. I believe he's only carrying knives now."

"Just knives?" Johnson said.

"With poison on the blades, and he may have other surprises. Don't underestimate him. He's a skilled a.s.sa.s.sin. I really think you should let me deal with him. I'm specially trained for this type of situation."

"Do you have experience with hostage negotiation?"

"I've been in plenty of life and deaths situations," Aaron said. "I can handle this one."

"I'll think about it." Johnson looked at the bus. "Stay here. If I need you, I'll get you."

"Let me come with you as protection."

Johnson shook his head. "I can't do that."

Aaron sighed. Fool.

Johnson went into the bus.

Aaron was left standing on the street. The cops didn't seem to notice he wasn't back in the car, so he just waited quietly and avoided attracting attention. He thought about his guns locked in the trunk. He wanted them.

A sizable crowd of onlookers was gathering outside the police perimeter. Aaron spotted a reporter and expected there would be many more soon. Once the story of a terrorist trying to bomb Wrigley Field got out, it would become national news.

After a few minutes Johnson came out of the bus. With an expression of irritation, he walked straight over to Aaron.

"He claimed he doesn't know anything about a bomb," Johnson said.

Aaron shrugged. "He's lying."

"He sounded very sincere."

"Then he's a good liar."

Johnson raised his eyebrows. "He also claimed you want to kill him."

"If duty had required it," Aaron said, "I would've. I hope that won't be necessary now."

"He was very specific. You, personally, want to kill him."

"He can't know that. We just met a few minutes ago. Did he make any demands?"

"Not really," Johnson said. "It's strange. Terrorists always have a message to deliver. The first thing they want to do is make a statement to the media. Even ordinary criminals will always negotiate. This guy barely opened his mouth. What's going on here?"

"That's cla.s.sified," Aaron said. "Please, let me talk to him."

"He wants to talk to you, so I guess I don't have a choice, but I don't like it."

Both of them went back to the bus. Aaron cautiously climbed up the stairs and looked around. Not much had changed. Lucifer still sat in the middle of a protective circle made of hostages. He still held the boy and the teenage girl at knifepoint.

"What is this bulls.h.i.t about a bomb?" Lucifer said.

"I had to tell the police something," Aaron said. "Do you want me to tell them the truth instead? I can provide all the information about the Order of Eternal Night: membership lists, payments, victims. Your secrets will become a matter of public record."

"No." Lucifer frowned. "Don't."

Johnson pushed forward. "What are you talking about?"

Aaron pushed him back and said, "Have you thought about my offer?"

"What offer?" Johnson asked.

Aaron gave him a sharp look. "Be quiet, please."

"I still don't trust you," Lucifer said.

"Make a decision," Aaron said. "You can't spend the rest of your life on this bus."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Let the hostages go peacefully. Give yourself up. Prove you can be a good citizen first."

"But the cops will arrest me."

"Don't worry about that," Aaron said. "My people will get you out of jail."

Johnson leaned close to him and whispered, "What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain later," Aaron murmured.

"Who are you, really?" Lucifer said.

"I can't talk in front of all these people. You're not the only one with secrets to keep. I'm going to leave now. I'll expect you to walk off this bus and give yourself to the police. If you don't, if you screw this up, then this will be your last day on Earth."

Aaron left the bus, and Johnson chased after him. They stopped when they reached the line of police holding the crowd back.

"What the h.e.l.l was that about?" Johnson said.

Aaron sighed. "Did you ever hear the phrase 'above your pay grade?'"

"Sure."

"This situation is so far above your pay grade that I can't even tell you who is paying."

Captain Robinson hurried over. "Report!"

"This a.s.shole is s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with us." Johnson pointed at Aaron. "I think he lied about everything. The suspect is not a terrorist."

"Then why did he take hostages?" Robinson said.

"I don't know, yet."

Lucifer walked off the bus. He dropped his knives and lay down on a patch of gra.s.s with his hands behind his head.

"See?" Aaron said. "Maybe I'm not such an a.s.shole."

Robinson yelled, "Arrest him!"

The police swarmed over Lucifer.

Aaron used the momentary distraction to slip through the crowd. He had gone several paces before his absence was noticed.

"Hey!" Robinson bellowed. "Catch that guy!"

Aaron broke into a sprint. The police had to push through the civilians, so he was able to get a good head start on them.

Aaron didn't want to escape entirely. As long as Lucifer still lived, the job wasn't done.

Aaron ran into an alley. He went only a short distance before he climbed over a fence into a backyard and ducked behind a bush. A few seconds later four cops entered the alley. They stopped and looked around.

"Spread out!" one of them ordered. "He didn't get far!"

Aaron didn't move. He remained completely silent as the cops headed in four different directions. After a minute one of them entered the yard where Aaron was hiding.

He crept over to the police officer from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. The cop turned around. Aaron knocked him out with a straight punch to the jaw.

Aaron looked and listened intently. It seemed the other officers hadn't heard the commotion.

He exchanged his clothes with the unconscious cop. The uniform was too tight around the shoulders and too loose around the waist, but Aaron felt fortunate he could wear it at all. His luck was holding up. He buckled on the most important part of the uniform: the gun.

The disguise gave him confidence as he walked back to the bus. He found the police were still interviewing Lucifer. Freed hostages were coming off the bus single file, and it appeared n.o.body had suffered any injuries. Aaron smiled.

He walked to the nearest cop and asked, "Where do you think they're taking him?"

"Huh?" The officer faced Aaron. "I don't know. Probably the main office."

Aaron nodded and moved away.

The Chicago Police Main Office was far to the south. The most direct route was Clark Street, but the huge crowd around Wrigley Field would get in the way. He expected the police would transport Lucifer east on Grace Street instead, and then they would take Lake Sh.o.r.e Drive south. He would intercept them before they made that turn.

First, though, he needed something. He went to the police car where his gear was stored. He squatted down and spat at the lock on the trunk. His yellow saliva bubbled furiously, and after a minute he pushed the lock out with his finger. With a sharp yank he pulled the trunk open. He couldn't take all his stuff without attracting attention. He simply grabbed his wide spectrum radio jammer from the pile.

He ran off to get into position.

He chose the intersection of Wilton and Grace for his ambush. It was a residential neighborhood, where rows of three-story buildings made of brick and stone were broken up by the occasional single family home. Everything was pristine. A person didn't have to be rich to live here, but it helped, and so did expertise at parallel parking. Cars lined the street with only inches of separation.

Aaron stood on the corner and waited. Pedestrians hardly looked at him. He was just one cop among thousands working the streets.

After about ten minutes he spotted a police car rolling east on Grace Street. Two officers sat in the front seat, and there was a prisoner in back. Bingo, Aaron thought.

He activated the radio jammer and tossed it under a bush. It had a short range but was good enough for this purpose. He staggered along the sidewalk, clutching his ribs as if badly hurt. The police car immediately pulled over. Nothing else got the attention of a cop like the sight of an injured cop.

Both officers rushed over to him.

The first officer, a young man with short blonde hair, said, "What happened? Are you hurt?"

Aaron nodded. "I got into a fight. I don't feel right. I think I have internal bleeding."

The second officer tried to call for help on her radio. She was a woman with a prominent nose and very dark eyebrows.

"It's not working." She banged the radio against her hip. "I'm just getting static."

The man opened his cell phone. "No signal. What's going on?"

"My phone doesn't work, either," Aaron said. "We must be in some kind of radio dead zone. Could one of you find a pay phone or something? I could really use an ambulance."

"I will." The woman ran off.

Aaron leaned on the male officer for support.

"Tell me about the fight."

"A couple of punks were hara.s.sing a woman," Aaron said. "I thought I could arrest them by myself. Turns out I was wrong."

They were near an iron fence. He smoothly handcuffed the cop to the fence and s.n.a.t.c.hed his weapon. The surprising move took less than a second.