The Escape (US Marshals #1) - Lisa Harris Page 0,60
of a decoy.”
“Take a seat where you can keep an eye on him,” Jonas said. “I’ll do the same thing.”
Madison set her backpack in a seat like she was getting ready to settle in. She pretended to check her hair in her phone’s camera while keeping an eye on his movements.
Barrick stood up.
“Wait,” she whispered into her radio, “he’s spooked. I think he’s going to run.”
Barrick jumped up and grabbed a toddler who had been playing on the other side of the aisle, then backed up. The little boy squirmed as Barrick pushed a gun into his side.
The mother screamed and Barrick told her to shut up.
Madison spoke into her radio. “He’s got a gun and a hostage.”
She moved closer to him. “Don’t do this, Barrick. It’s over. Walk off this train with me so no one else gets hurt.”
“That’s not gonna happen.”
Jonas moved forward behind him. “It’s over, Barrick.”
The man looked back and forth between the two marshals. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to walk off this train and no one is going to try to stop me. If you don’t cooperate, this mom won’t see her kid again.”
“Please don’t hurt my baby, please—”
“I said shut up.” Barrick caught Madison’s gaze. “You know I will. Don’t test me.”
“Get the platform cleared now,” she yelled, as the kid hollered louder. “He’s coming off the train. Give him space.”
Barrick backed off the train slowly. Madison was less than a dozen feet behind him as he jumped onto the platform, still holding the boy.
He fired a shot into the air. The situation was quickly spiraling out of control. Which was exactly what they’d wanted to avoid.
Barrick shoved into a group of tourists, let go of the boy, then took off running.
Jonas shouted from behind her. “Where’s he going?”
“He’s heading away from the tracks.”
She frowned as Barrick headed around the train station. What was he thinking? There were two dozen cops surrounding the station.
“Where is he?” Jonas asked.
Madison caught a glimpse of him in the distance as she worked to bridge the gap. “Twenty yards ahead of me, heading west.”
“Someone cut him off, now.”
“He’s headed for one of the bridges.”
“I want backup on the other side so we can block off his exit now.”
“Copy that,” an officer radioed in.
“Keep all pedestrians off the bridge and surrounding areas.” Lungs burning, she ran after him. “We have to avoid another hostage situation.”
Twenty-Two
Jonas sprinted across the bridge, the Colorado River rushing beneath him, while he yelled at people to get out of his way. This time of year, there were plenty of locals and tourists filling up the popular town. They had to stop Barrick now, before someone else got hurt. He started shouting out orders to block off the bridge to ensure no other civilians got involved.
A man in his late fifties rushed up to him. “That’s my wife. He’s got my wife.” The man pointed to where Barrick stood with a woman by his side, their backs to the bridge’s railing.
“Sir, I need you to stop right there.”
“I said he’s got my wife.”
Jonas held up his badge. “I know, and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure your wife’s safety. What’s her name?”
“Karen. Karen Sutherland.”
Jonas signaled to one of the officers who had been sealing off the perimeter. “I want you to wait back here with him.” He turned to the man. “I promise we will do everything in our power to make sure your wife is okay, but I need you to stay back for me right now.”
Jonas pivoted to face Barrick, then headed back toward the center of the bridge, where Madison was directing pedestrians out of the way.
“What do you propose?” The local police chief stepped up beside Jonas, matching his pace.
“We need to think before we rush in there. He’s already killed at least four people. He’s got a weapon. If he thinks using it will give him a way out, he’ll do it again. But for the moment he needs her alive, so let’s keep the advantage in our favor.”
“You need to be the one in charge of the negotiations.” Madison came running up beside them.
“I’ve seen you in the interrogation room.”
“Not this time.” She shook her head. “We know enough about Barrick to know that you can relate to him better than I will. He had the advantage over me once already, and we don’t want him to think he has it again.”
“Fair enough.”
He knew the risks of a negotiation, especially in a situation