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“I’m working on that. I’m FBI Special Agent Sandra Vos. Who am I speaking to?” All of this was spoken calmly to soothe the hostage.
“Megan”—she howled and hissed in pain—“Cobb. Please, help me. I’m in labor.”
A month early…“Megan, I will do what I can to get you out of there. How far apart are the contractions?”
“I don’t—” She winced loudly.
More rustling on the other end, then, “This is Gina Andrews. I’m a nurse, and her baby is coming. Her contractions are strong and every five minutes. She needs urgent medical attention.”
Patrick kicked into motion, once again riffling through reports he’d pulled.
“Okay, Gina. Thank you. I’m Special Agent Sandra Vos. You’re by her side, and he’s letting you help her?”
“Best I can.”
Patrick gave her the printout on Gina Andrews. Thirty-five, resident of Woodbridge. Her photo showed a redhead with a freckly face. “Is everyone in the upstairs lunchroom, including the man holding you?”
“Yes.”
Sandra made eye contact with Garrison, and he nodded. They had a second confirmation on where the hostages were being held. “Was anyone shot when the gun was fired?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s enough.” Gavin was back on the line. “You spoke with Megan and her friend. Both are fine.”
“Megan’s not fine, Gavin. She is going into labor a month before she’s due. She needs urgent medical attention.”
“Her water just broke!” Gina yelled in the background.
“Come on, Gavin,” Sandra said. “You must be terrified, but you let her go and that will go a long way to helping me help you.”
“She’ll be fine. I just heard this woman say she’s a nurse.”
“Gina, yes. But just because she’s a nurse, it doesn’t mean she’s able to deliver the baby safely there. As I said, Megan is in premature labor. You’re a good father, Gavin, and you must see the dangers. Infection… complications?”
Silence for a few seconds. “My freedom and a hundred and fifty K for Cassie and everyone walks.”
His price went up…“I’m going to tell you right up front, Gavin, because we have this friendship now, this trust between us, but I don’t see my boss going for that.”
“Get him to go for it, or she’ll be having her baby right here!” He ended the call.
Ray swiveled his chair to face her. “Never saw that coming.”
“Makes two of us.” In fact, it was the last thing she expected, and it made her uneasy. Gavin’s emotional state was all over the place. One minute, he was caring about Megan Cobb, and the next sounded prepared to kill her. Sandra needed to find some way of making Gavin see that he needed to start cooperating with her, for everyone’s sakes. Including his own.
ELEVEN
Sandra tried calling Gavin right back, but he wasn’t answering.
“Tell me if I have this right, Vos? A woman is in labor, and he’s refusing to talk or let her go?” Bowen asked.
She didn’t say anything. He’d summed it up.
“All right, then. It’s time to move in.” Bowen shot to his feet, no doubt to wrangle SWAT into action.
“If you go in there now, there will be lives lost. Possibly Cobb’s and the baby’s,” she rushed out.
“She does have a point,” Garrison said.