Page 8 of Save Her Life (Sandra Vos #1)
SEVEN
At Gavin’s admission, time came to a stop. “Gavin, we’ll figure this out,” Sandra told him, still the projection of calm. “I need for you to relax some, if you can. Please just tell me exactly what happened. Are they badly hurt?” There hadn’t been a gunshot, but that didn’t mean a fatal injury hadn’t occurred.
“He tried to take my gun. But I… There’s… there’s a lot of blood…” The repetition and fragmented and choppy speech indicated Gavin was panicking.
He. The victim was a man. “Just take a few deep breaths, Gavin. Can you do that for me? Everything will be all right.” She needed to bring the tension down, to a place that was easier to manage. De-escalating was crucial for a peaceful resolution.
“Okay, okay.” Deep breaths traveled the line.
“Good, good, are you feeling any better?”
“A bit, yeah.”
“Good. Is the man still breathing?”
“Yeah, and he… he won’t stop looking at me!”
“Can you tell me his name, Gavin?” She knew better than to suggest deep breaths again. A second time would be seen as patronizing and insincere. “Gavin, please, let’s just talk, and we’ll figure out our next steps together. But I’d like to know the man’s name. The man who is hurt.” Again, she intentionally left out finger pointing, almost making it sound like the hostage had injured himself.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, can you ask him?” She waited anxiously for the answer. Was Gavin downplaying what he’d done? Then she heard a man’s voice in the background, but it was slurred and garbled. A lot of blood and affected speech could suggest a head injury.
“I can’t understand what he’s saying,” Gavin said.
“Can you put him on the phone? Could I talk to him?”
“No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Asking why would put Gavin on the defensive, and he might shut down. Instead, she asked, “Is he the only one hurt, Gavin?” She put that out there gently, almost nonchalantly, as if she’d still be on his side even if he had injured someone else.
He was silent at first, which Sandra didn’t find reassuring, but then he spoke. “His name is Vern Wilcox. I got his license off him.”
“Vern Wilcox?”
“Yeah.”
The scribe was writing down the name, and Patrick was flipping through his paperwork, likely remembering that he’d pulled a background on the man.
“Okay, Gavin, that’s a good start.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt him,” Gavin pleaded.
“You and I know that, but not everyone out here will see it that way. But I’ll stand up for you if you are willing to work as a team. Are you willing to do that?”
“Yeah… ah, sure. What do I do now?”
She felt tension release. Trust had been established, and his question suggested she held influence. That meant progress. “To start, I want to make sure you realize that I’m only honest with you all the time, Gavin. Do you believe me?”
“Yes.”
Ray passed her a note that said, Ready to surrender?
She nodded but would continue to focus on the next steps, one by one. “I’m so happy to hear that, and since you know you can trust me, I think it’s fair to stress how some people out here really aren’t happy. They will make everyone’s life miserable, and we both know what that means. They will do what they can to force you out, even if it’s in a body bag. And I don’t want to see that, Gavin. I want you to leave safe and sound. Would you be willing to surrender peacefully?”
“No, no, I can’t.”
“Okay, that’s fine if you’re not ready yet. I wanted to ask you though.” She was bound to repeat that question to ensure the FBI’s ass was covered. That way if the night spiraled to hell, it wouldn’t bite them. “But there is something you could do that would be a good sign of faith, Gavin. Send Vern out so we can treat him.” She’d love to request the release of Megan Cobb, but as far as she knew the woman was uninjured, making Vern more of a priority at this moment.
“No, you’ll find a way to shoot me.”
“I’d never do that, Gavin.”
“You know what I mean. Them , the guys with the guns.”
“I talk with them, and they listen to me.” Somewhat of a lie which she hoped she’d carried off. “But a sign of good faith goes a long way. It’s time for words to be put into action.”
“What about me? Where’s my sign of good faith?”
“That’s us talking for hours, Gavin. I’m here for you as long as you need. All I ask is that you continue to work with me.”
“What do you want?” he eventually asked.
“Let Vern Wilcox go so he can get the medical attention he needs.” Flashes about her brother’s fate moved in. How the situation hadn’t been resolved in time, how the negotiator had failed to get Darrell Patton to release him for medical attention. If only he had, Sam might be alive today. But she’d learned a long time ago that entertaining what ifs was futile and destructive.
Silence hung across the line. She could have said something, but her mind was busy dredging through the past. How she had driven herself to the brink of obsession trying to unravel the timeline of events that ended with her brother in a body bag. Even at fourteen, she had been hungry for a reason, unable to fathom how her beautiful brother, with his infectious laugh, could just be gone.
Ray tapped his finger on the notepad in front of her. She’d spaced out for a second, and he must have sensed it. He’d written, Offer him something in exchange, chance to find out if he has an endgame.
She nodded her thanks to him. “Gavin, you didn’t want any of this to happen, and that tells me that you’re a good person in a bad situation. Let me help you. How about you release Vern Wilcox, and I do something for you? What do you want?”
“I just want to take the meds and leave.”
“I can only imagine that would be appealing. It’s been a long day, but it’s all up to you, Gavin. You can go home if you want to. Right now. Just say the word.”
Gavin hung up on her again.
“What are we supposed to make of that?” Ray asked her.
“We wait and see.” In her experience she found trying to read minds pointless, if not potentially dangerous. Profiling had its place, but in the real world no person fit perfectly into any one box.