Chapter Nine
The task force meeting had been going strong for over two hours, meticulously planning their next move. The TBI profiler agreed with Jay and Mike's two suspects, and they were put in charge of bringing them in. The military records were sent over. Both suspects had gone through sniper training and they'd both served in Iraq, although not in the same unit. Their DNA was sent to the lab to be compared to the cigarette butts. They were so close to catching these bastards but Jay still had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something told him it wasn't over yet.
His phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen. It was from Rachel. She let him know that Blake was awake and stable. The doctors were now more optimistic about his recovery. He shared the news with the people in the room and it broke the tension somewhat. He texted her back, Great news, babe. I'll call you when I can. Her reply was, Be careful. XO. The call came from the DA's office that the judge signed off on warrants to bring the two suspects, Randy Pope and Raymond Carson, in for questioning. Team one, which was led by Jay and Mike, would go after Carson and team two would go after Pope.
Adrenaline was pumping through his veins as he and Mike suited up in their tactical vests. Jay added extra ammo clips to his and rechecked his weapon. His team loaded up in the blacked-out van and headed to Carson's address. He lived just outside downtown Nashville in a small two-bedroom house surrounded by five acres of land. From the aerial pictures, there appeared to be a small shed on the property, close to the house. There was a wooded area on the right side of the house that would provide them with the cover they needed for their approach.
They did one last com check and proceeded carefully through the woods. They couldn't be too safe on this approach. This guy had sniper training and he was part of the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) unit in Iraq. Mike paused at the end of the tree line and pointed to the ground. There was a trip wire. They alerted the other team members to avoid it. The side of the house closest to them had no windows so they approached without drawing attention. Slowly, Jay stepped on the porch and ran his hand around the door frame, checking for wires. He didn't find any, so he motioned for them to ram the door.
It took two times, but the door opened, and they began to search the house. It was small and didn't take them long. It was empty and didn't look lived in. They tossed the place, looking for any clues or evidence that he was the suspect they were looking for. After they were done with the house, they searched the shed out back. So far, they'd turned up nothing. It was looking like Mr. Carson wasn't their guy. He ordered some of the team to do a perimeter search and called in the bomb squad to deactivate the trip wire they'd found. He checked in with team two, and they said Pope couldn't be the guy; he was in hospice care for cancer. He was about to leave the shed, when a streak of light caught his attention.
He knocked on the wood around the area, and one wall sounded hollow. He yelled for a hammer and hit the board until he could get his hand through. He heard a click and pulled the wall open. What he saw made his heart race. Pictures of all the Music Valley Gas stations were hung up, along with newspaper articles about the accident in the park. There was a beautiful blonde woman, holding the hand of a five-year-old browned hair little boy hanging there, as well. This must be his wife and son. But the pictures that caught his attention the most were of the fire station. Rachel's fire house.
"Mike!" He yelled.
"What's going on, man?" Mike said, coming to stand by Jay.
"Oh, shit!"
"He's going after the fire station, man. We have to go," Jay told his partner, already running out of the shed.
***
Rachel stood in the locker room at the fire station and put on her uniform. She'd been at the hospital with Blake when the chief had called her in to work. He'd told her they were short on paramedics for this shift and could really use her. She'd promised Jay she would wait at the hospital on him but she needed to help at work. She tried to call him twice but his phone went straight to voicemail. She left him a message and told him she was going to work a shift and that she caught a ride to the firehouse with Tommy. He was a firefighter who was stationed at her house and they'd worked together for years. He had stopped by to see Blake on his way in.
She secured the straps of her vest under her navy blue uniform shirt. She was still feeling queasy so she splashed her face with cold water. One last look in the mirror, and she was ready. She stopped by the kitchen and grabbed a Coke and some crackers to ease her stomach. Sipping her Coke, she walked into the garage to make sure the ambulance was stocked and ready to go. Normally, Blake beat her to it. When she approached the ambulance, she saw black boots sticking out the back.
"Step away from my ambulance," she said, setting her Coke down.
"Rachel?" came a feminine voice.
"Jaz? What are you doing here?" she said, pulling her in a tight hug.
"With everything happening, they are rotating some of us here to help out."
She and Jaz had gone through EMT training together.
"It's so good to see you. I was so sorry to hear about Blake. How's he doing?" Jaz asked, patting her hand.
"He woke up today and is doing much better. He's got a long recovery ahead of him, but he's strong."
They'd just completed the ambulance check when Rachel's phone rang. She saw it was Grace, so she stepped away to answer the call.
"Well, hello, Mrs. Raines."
"Not for long, if he keeps this shit up," was Grace's reply.
"Uh oh, what did Zach do?"
"Can you believe he made us miss our connecting flight home? Now we are stuck in Miami. Oh, and I know the only reason is because of that psycho on the loose."
"Gracie, he just wants you safe."
"I am not a fragile doll who needs protecting."
"Give him a break; he only did it because he loves you."
"I know, Rach, but I wanted to get back to be there with you. I know how much Blake means to you," her friend told her, blowing out a frustrated breath.
"And I love you for that, but I feel better knowing you are out of harm's way. It's bad enough I have to worry about Jay going after this psycho." She hesitated. Oh, I hope I didn't give too much away. She wanted to tell Grace about the two of them face to face.
"Tell me now, Rachel Elaine Webber. What are you keeping from me?"
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"If you're worried about my brother, he can take care of himself. He's great at what he does. But I do worry about him, too. Listen I need to go, but we will be home in a few days. Be careful, Rach, and we love you."
"I love you guys, too."
She missed talking to Grace so much. She was more than her best friend. She was the sister Rachel never had but always wished for. If anyone deserved a happily ever after, it was Grace. She and Zach had been through so much to be together. Smiling at the thought of her friend giving her husband a hard time, she headed back inside. Her stomach was calming down now and she was starving. Surprisingly, the shift had been quiet so far and she was grateful for that. She checked her phone again and hadn't heard back from Jay. She knew, when he was with the task force, it was hard for him to communicate with her.
Jaz put a plate of food in front of Rachel and sat down beside her.
"The way those boys were eating, I didn't think there would be anything left, so I grabbed you a plate."
"Thanks Jaz." She was touched by the sweet gesture.
Before Rachel could take a bite, the alarm sounded. Jaz stood up, and they prepared to leave. When the dispatcher made the announcement, it was for fire only, no ambulance or squad needed. She sat back down and Rachel continued to eat. She texted Jay one more time so he would come by the station to find her and not the hospital. She also texted Blake's mom to check on him. She told her his sister was with him now and they were moving him into a regular room in a few days. She felt a weight lift off her chest. Now, if she and Jay could make a go of it, things were looking pretty good for her.
With the ladder truck handling the empty warehouse fire, the station was almost empty. She and Jaz cleaned up the dishes and put the food away. They played a game of pool and caught up on each other's lives. Even though things had been fairly quiet on this shift, she still felt an uneasiness. Maybe it was because she hadn't heard from Jay or because the shooter was still out there.