Rocked To The Core - 7. The Manhunt Begins

Sunday June 11

What did the Chief say? Come to One Police something? No. He's sending a car. Huh?

"Sorry, Jeremy, I missed that."

"I said calm down. Don't get all upset about what may or may not have happened."

"No. I was trying to remember what the Chief said. I kind of lost focus after he said my dad was abducted and maybe mom and Frank too."

"I know you've been worried about me. I'm coming back, so you have to believe you're in a 'good things are happening' streak right now. They'll be alright. You focus on them. I'm not going anywhere for at least a couple more days. Your family will be back home by then."

"You think?"

"Yes. Your father's a smart man, he won't do anything to jeopardize his family. The Chief couldn't have gotten to where he is if he wasn't smart too."

"Oh, God. Oh, no."

"What?"

"It's starting to sink in. Some gangster has my family."

"Did the Chief say why they were abducted?"

"He thinks this gangster, Sam Springs, is having his people use them as leverage to get Sam released."

"So killing your family doesn't get them what the want."

"Killing them? Noooo. No. No, that can't happen."

"It won't. This guy Sam needs them alive to negotiate his release."

"Are you Derek Arriens?"

"Yes officer."

"Your friend here, what's your relationship like?"

Shit, if I hold back... Wait, why is he asking?

"Why?"

"Well, if he's important enough to you or your family, he may not be safe."

"Oh, God. I'm just getting him back. Um, I don't... Yes, he's my boyfriend, but he had a head injury, so he doesn't remember much."

"It's not what he knows or doesn't know, but if he's important to your father in any way, we'll need to protect him."

"I guess he would be. My dad knows about our relationship. Not many others do though."

"OK, we'll get him protection... (keying his shoulder mic) C2 to dispatch."

"Go ahead C2."

"We need another car here at St. Francis, room 209 to protect a friend of Captain Arriens."

"Using any and all necessary resources has been approved. Will dispatch a car forthwith, C2."

"Thanks dispatch. C2 out."

"I'll wait here until the protection detail arrives. Go ahead and sit down Derek, it should only be a few minutes. All the cars are out looking for your dad, one is probably just a couple blocks from here."

"OK. Thanks."

"Derek?"

"Yeah, Jeremy?"

"Come sit here."

I go sit next to Jeremy, and Jeremy grabs my hand. I don't know why, but that calms me more than anything the cop said.

"And Derek?"

"Yes, officer?"

"I appreciate your honesty about your friend. I'm sure telling me that wasn't easy."

"Thanks."

Another cop arrives so I leave with the first one. Apparently, he's not just a street cop, but a Corporal. He arranged for around the clock protection for Jeremy while on our way to see the Chief. We get to one police place, plaza, whatever, and we head up to the 5th and top floor.

"Thank you, Corporal Kent. Check with Captain Madison downstairs for your next assignment."

"Yes, sir."

"Sit, Derek, please."

"Can I ask what's happening, Chief Arnold?"

"Of course. And you can call me Jenson, I think we're almost family at this moment. We're covertly checking all of Sam Springs' properties to see if we can determine where he's keeping your father. We tried calling your mother's phone, but there was no answer, we pretty much expected the captors wouldn't let them keep their phones. I can't be sure, but I think it was Cassidy Parker who called me before, he's Sam's second in command. He told me he'd call back to begin negotiations. That should be about 15 minutes from now. With any luck they're holding them all together. Tactically, that's better for us."

"What have they asked for, um, Jensen?"

"So far just releasing Sam. I hope to know more shortly."

The Chief's aide knocks and sticks his head into the office.

"Excuse me, sir. No activity at any of Springs' holdings west of Kennedy Blvd."

"Thank you, Adam. Keep me informed as we progress east."

"I don't expect you all would know this, but my brother, Frank, has an Apple watch. We all have the Find My app on our phones. I didn't think of it until you looked at your watch."

"Awesome. Hopefully they haven't taken it from him... Adam, come in here, please."

Two seconds later...

"Yes, sir?"

"Take Derek here. If we're lucky, Frank still has his watch, Derek can locate it. If he can, we need constant surveillance that the watch hasn't moved."

"Yes, sir. I'll add the app to my PC so we can share that information."

Meanwhile, I've been checking my phone.

"I have a signal from Frank's watch."

"Great. Go with Adam so he can get us set up. And Adam?"

"Yes sir?"

"Keep the location off the radio, use the messaging system to alert the force."

"Yes sir. Excellent idea. We have to believe Sam's men are monitoring our frequencies."

I follow Adam back into the outer office. I give him the information, and he signs into our Apple account on his PC. He sends a broadcast - '112 Lincoln St. possible general location where they're holding the captain. Proceed with caution. Consider this message Code 22. Messaging only.' At least a dozen 'roger' responses received. I watch the messaging app along with the Chief's aide.

'Unit 21 100 yards east of location. Multiple vehicles present. One is a white van matching the eyewitness description.'

"Eyewitness?"

"Yes, apparently your neighbor was about to leave her house when she saw your mother and brother being dragged out to a white van. Fortunately for her, she remained in the house and called us. She could have been the third casualty."

"Third casualty?"

"Yes. Three EMTs were... Oh, shit."

"Keep going. What about three EMTs?"

"I see you're wearing the uniform. Um, when the captors were looking to capture you, three men from your squad were shot."

"Who? Are they alive?"

"I'm sorry. Two are deceased and the third is in critical condition. A single GSW to the chest each."

"Which one is alive? That's my crew."

"That, I don't know."

I have to make a call.

"Hello. Derek, are you OK?"

"Hi Carol. Yes, I'm fine. I'm at police headquarters. I just found out our guys were shot?"

"Yes, Derek, I'm sorry. Dennis and Danny were both dead when we got back to the squad. Nate was pretty bad as well."

"Oh, fuck, no. Am I cursed or something?"

"No. I'm sure you aren't. The police Chief called me earlier asking if you were one of the victims here. What's going on?"

"My family's been abducted by Sam Springs' gang. They want to use them to get Sam freed. I'm at the Chief's office now."

"Oh, geez. No wonder you think you're cursed. First Jeremy gets hurt, then your family gets taken and also your partners get killed. I'm taking it hard, but you've worked with them a lot longer than I've shared a shift. I'm so sorry."

"Thanks. Um, I'll talk to you later."

I hang up, Adam looks at me. I'm seconds away from breaking down.

"You need a drink or something, Derek?"

I don't mean to blow up at Adam, but I can't stop myself. I get louder as my tirade continues.

"My family's been taken. I don't even know if they're alive. My two partners are dead, a third member of the squad is in critical condition, my boyfriend lost his memory, and you want to know if I need a drink?"

All he can do is hang his head and mumble he's sorry. All I can do is start bawling my head off.

"What's happening out here?"

"Derek is feeling the effects of the stress. Nothing for you to worry about, sir."

"What's the status on the watch?"

"Sorry sir, Derek had some questions, I haven't..."

"That's OK, tell me now."

"We have a location; three cars are in place near the site. More on their way. A van that fits the description from the witness is present..."

"OK, find someone to stay with Derek and get my car. I need to get there."

"Yes sir, right away sir."

"Things are looking good Derek. Keep the faith. Do you need anything before I head to the scene?"

"Yeah, a gun and to go along with you so I can kill the bastards that did this."

"I'm sorry Derek. Neither of those things are going to happen."

"Officer Littleton reporting as requested, sir."

"Yes. Officer Littleton, please take Derek here, stay with him while this crisis unfolds. This is Captain Arriens' son. Do not let him leave the building alone. You are to stay at his side for the duration of your shift. You had to have heard what he just said. I can't risk him doing anything rash."

"I heard, sir. Yes, sir. He won't leave my sight."

"Derek?"

(Through sniffles) "Huh?"

"Go with officer Littleton. She'll take care of you. If you do anything to complicate this situation, she has my orders to lock you up. Do you both understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Derek?"

"I'll be good."

"And officer Littleton?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep him away from any terminals, I don't think he should see any of the interaction in messaging."

"Of course, sir."

With that the Chief leaves and I follow the officer downstairs to a lounge of some sort.

"Officer?"

"Yes?"

"I know the Chief said to not let me see what's going on, but if anything important happens, will you share it with me?"

"There may be things I'll need to get permission to share. We can go see Captain Madison in that case."

"Thank you."

I'm resigned to just sit and wait. At least we got a signal from Frank's watch. Hopefully it's still on or near him and they're not watching a decoy.

Outside the hideout, the Chief is arriving. His phone ringing.

"Yes?"

"Is Sam free?"

"No, and we don't plan on letting a murderer go free."

"You obviously know we have Captain Arriens and his family. You're willing to sacrifice them?"

"Obviousy not. I didn't think we were done negotiating yet."

"It's pretty black and white Chief. We get Sam, you get the Arriens family. If you haven't done so yet, call the mayor, see if he agrees with your position. We're not going anywhere. I'll give you two hours. If Sam isn't released by then, we start killing a family member every half hour. They'll all be dead in three hours."

"And you'll all be dead in three hours and one minute. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself Cassidy?"

"That's assuming you can find us by then. I'll call in two hours. You better have good news for us."

The Chief disconnects.

"Seargent Anderson. Do we have eyes on the suspects?"

"Not directly. However, through thermal imaging, we've ascertained there are approximately 12 people present. Obviously no way of knowing who any of them are. The odds are quite good that the Captain and his family are in there. Three of the signatures have not moved and appear to be sitting. One of them has two others standing adjacent. We suspect that is the Captain."

"Shit. Nine suspects. What do we know about the building?"

"We've contacted the city planner's office and are expecting blueprints momentarily. It's an abandoned restaurant, so likely at least two large spaces, plus bathrooms, possibly a coat room."

"Location of the suspects?"

"One at each exit. One at the front and another at the back. The rest are clustered near what was probably the back of the dining room."

"Message the force, see if anyone was there shortly before they closed."

"Already done. Officer Charleston, unit 21, was the first one here. He said he was in there maybe two weeks before they closed."

"Get him here."

Charleston comes to the temporary command center, two blocks away from the restaruant, and explains the layout as he remembers it. The blueprints arrive and confirm his description. The Chief points at an item on the blueprints...

"What's this here?"

The city planner responds.

"That's an intake vent. This one here in the kitchen is the exhaust."

"Let's get someone on the roof with a fiberoptic camera. We need to be sure we're not looking at decoys here."

Ten minutes later Corporal Kent is on the roof, feeding the fiberoptic cable in through the intake vent. The feed is duplicated on a monitor in the control center. Contact between the officer and the command center is via cell phone to prevent Springs' gang from overhearing.

"Give us a 360 degree sweep, Jim."

"Roger, Chief."

"Mark their current locations on the blueprints."

Derek's family is indeed present in the dining room, along with the previously indicated 8 suspects. Unfortunately, too many suspects are close enough to the Arriens' to attempt a coordinated sniper solution.

"I need ideas people. While I'd love to take them all out with sniper fire, the risk is too great. The Arriens are tied to chairs, we can't get a message through to the boy's watch. It'd be nice if we could get them out of the line of fire, but with no contact, I don't see how that's possible."

A lot of ideas were brought up and quickly disregarded. One idea that came up seemed like it might have merit. They were limited to unconventional methods, as a chemical resolution was prohibited by federal law.

"What if we took out the single suspect at the kitchen door, get in quietly, maybe get a key from the landlord. Once we're inside, release a swarm of bees and move in while they're in a panic. Nobody likes bees."

"That's fine if we can get enough officers in through the doors to the dining room fast enough to control the rest of the suspects. Some loose cannon could shoot the family. Not to mention allergies. Someone text officer Littleton and have her ask Derek if any of his family are allergic to bee stings."

None of the family has that particular allergy. The city planner called the landlord, but it would take him too long to get there with a key. He was in Tampa. As the building wasn't presently for sale, no local realtor had a key either. Fortunately, the lock on the kitchen door was quite simple and could be picked easily. A local beekeeper was located who was willing to supply the bees. Thermal imaging was used to locate the kitchen guard so the first officer through the door could incapacitate the suspect immediately. The fiberoptic camera had allowed them to determine the windows in the doors to the kitchen were partially broken, allowing a point of infusion of the bees. The risk was assessed and the plan was to be put into action.

Six officers without bee sting allergies would enter through the kitchen wearing protective gear to limit their exposure. One would open the door and take out the suspect. The second would release the bees, then the first and remaining four would follow the bees into the dining room, guns blazing if necessary. An additional six immune and properly equipped officers were ready at the front door to enter shortly after the bees were released.

Once thermal imaging determined the kitchen guard was walking away from the exterior door, the go was given. The first officer unlocked the door and entered the kitchen. The guard heard the door opening, but had no time to react before a silenced gunshot blew his head apart.

The next step relied on the fact that none of the suspects had been focused on the kitchen doors at any time since the fiberoptic camera was utilized. Officer number two held the bee cage up to the window that provided the most open area, released the bees, and immediately removed the cage. Some bees remained in the cage, but nearly two hundred made it through the window into the dining room. As expected, the eight suspects panicked when the bees were released. The officers entered through both doors. Cassidy Parker turned toward the Arriens to attempt to shoot at least one of them but was cut down before he was able to aim, however he did get a shot off. Two other members of the gang were killed, the remaining five all injured by gunshots. The captain was shot in the calf, and aside from a few bee stings, the rest of his family was unharmed. They all had cloth bags over their heads, so were quite surprised by the turn of events.

Back at police headquarters a little earlier, Derek was extremely agitated.

"Nothing's happening Carly?"

"The officers at the scene have determined your family is there, along with nine suspects. They're trying to determine how to proceed."

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Follow me, Derek."

"I can pee alone."

"My orders are not to leave your side."

"Fine, you can watch me piss."

"I'll stand behind you and give you privacy. I have no interest in your private parts."

"You're no fun."

I surprised myself with that bit of levity, but chatting with the officer, we have built up a rapport. She understood the banter was lighthearted.

"Well, if you insist, I would be happy to watch."

"You don't... OK, you got me."

I actually caught her trying to take a peek, so after I finished peeing, I pulled my dick inside my pants as I was turning back around. She smiled.

"I could arrest you for indecent exposure, you know?"

"Somehow, I think my being in a bathroom, at a urinal, and you standing there trying to get a glimpse would be worse for you."

"I suppose you're right. But thank you for the glimpse."

"Um, yeah. OK."

Seems we got one over on each other. We were walking out of the men's room when she got another message.

"Wow. That's odd."

"What?"

"Is anyone in your family allergic to bee stings?"

"Bee stings? No. Why?"

"I don't know, but I was requested to ask you that."

A while later she took a couple minutes looking at a message.

"What is it?"

"Um, we need to go see Captain Madison."

"Did something bad happen?"

"No. Follow me."

She knocks on the Captain's door.

"Yes, officer Littleton?"

"I need your advice on the most recent message from the scene. What should I tell Derek?"

"Considering it's mostly good news, I don't think we need to hide anything from him."

"No offense, sir. But could you stop talking like I'm not here?"

"Um, yes. Sorry. Your family has been freed. All three of them have a number of bee stings. They'll all be OK, but your father was shot in the calf during the rescue."

"But he'll be OK? Mom and Frank too?"

"Yes. A few of their captors lost their lives, but with only a gunshot wound to the calf and some bee stings, I'd say the operation was successful."

"Bee stings, sir? What's that about?"

"I'm not completely sure. A lot went on there without it going over the messaging system. I'm sure you'll be debriefed once your family is brought back here. But the bee stings are quite curious."

A half hour or so later, the Chief, Adam, Corporal Kent, and one additional officer escorted mom and Frank into the lounge. Needless to say, I ran to mom and Frank and gave them probably the tightest hug ever.

"I'm so glad you're OK. Is dad's wound really not bad, like I've been told?"

"Yes, he'll be fine. The bullet passed right through but did fracture his shin bone."

"Why don't we all take a seat and I'll fill you and your family in, Derek. They haven't heard the whole story yet. It was definitely a unique experience."

The Chief explained what went down. The third officer that came in with them was the one who thought up the bee swarm distraction, as the papers called it later. He'll be getting a commendation for his contribution. The reporter who wrote the lead story had a sense of humor. The headline read 'Police Sting Successful Due to Bee Swarm Distraction.'

Next Up - "After That, Can Anything Be Normal?"