Chapter 18 - THE LAST ATTEMPT
Ryan and Maya reached the protected apartment with police units surrounding the block.
Thomas Grant had arrived twelve minutes earlier.
The officer assigned to the lobby was unconscious.
A maintenance door had been forced open.
Ryan tried to enter the building.
Detective Torres stopped him.
“You cannot go inside.”
“My son is upstairs.”
“Tactical officers are moving.”
“He is three years old.”
“And you will not help him by getting shot.”
Maya stood beside Ryan.
Her face had gone completely still.
“Can you access the apartment cameras?”
Torres nodded to a technician.
The hallway feed appeared on a tablet.
Grant stood outside the apartment door.
He wore a maintenance uniform.
One hand remained inside his jacket.
The police nanny had locked herself inside with Oliver.
Grant knocked.
“Gas inspection.”
No answer came.
He removed a tool and began forcing the lock.
Maya leaned toward the tablet.
“There is a second exit.”
Ryan looked at her.
“The laundry chute hallway.”
“It connects to the service stairs.”
Torres relayed the information.
Two officers changed position.
On the camera, Grant broke the lock.
He entered.
Three seconds later, the hallway filled with shouting.
A gunshot cracked through the tablet speaker.
Ryan moved forward.
Torres held him back.
Another shot followed.
Then silence.
A voice came through the radio.
“Suspect down.”
“Child located.”
“Child is safe.”
Maya’s knees gave way.
Ryan caught her.
They entered after officers cleared the apartment.
Oliver sat beneath the kitchen table.
The nanny had covered him with her body.
He was crying but uninjured.
Maya dropped to the floor.
Oliver crawled into her arms.
“Mommy, the bad man came.”
“He is gone.”
“He cannot hurt you.”
Ryan wrapped himself around both of them.
Thomas Grant survived a gunshot to the shoulder.
At the hospital, he agreed to speak.
He admitted Evelyn paid him to create access codes.
He admitted letting her and Price into the house.
He admitted disabling alarms.
But he claimed the attempt at the protected apartment was not Evelyn’s order.
“Who sent you?”
Detective Torres asked.
Grant stared at the ceiling.
“Marcus.”
“Marcus Hale is in custody.”
“He has people outside.”
“What were you supposed to do?”
“Take the boy.”
“Where?”
Grant hesitated.
“To a private airfield.”
“Who would be waiting?”
“I don’t know.”
Torres leaned closer.
“You entered a protected home with a gun.”
“You nearly died.”
“Give me the name.”
Grant closed his eyes.
“The flight plan said Montreal.”
“The passenger manifest had two names.”
“Oliver Whitmore.”
“And Evelyn Whitmore.”
Ryan felt ice spread through his chest.
Evelyn was in a secured detention facility.
Unless someone intended to remove her too.
May you like
Torres called the facility.
No one answered.
