Which would explain why one side of the building seemed to have taken the brunt of the damage. "How badly damaged were the SIU floors?"
"The parking garage and the first three SIU levels mirror what's happened above ground, but the rest seem in reasonable shape."
Stephan's office was on the third of the underground levels. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Is the building structurally sound?"
"First reports say yes, because the bomb hit the middle of the wall, rather than the core or one of the main outside supports. They're still in there checking, though."
He nodded. "Have they set up a morgue?" Not that he actually wanted to visit such a place — but with the emptiness that resided inside him, he might just have to.
Reynolds shook his head. "They're ferrying the dead to hospitals. Michael is checking for identities as they're being loaded into ambulances, though." He hesitated and handed Gabriel a sheet of paper. "These are the confirmed deaths."
He scanned the list of names. There weren't many, thank God, maybe twelve in all. Hanrahan wasn't among them. "No unidentified?"
"A couple, both woman." Reynolds grimaced. "We're lucky we got that warning. It saved a lot of lives."
He just had to hope it had saved the one life that mattered to him. "Any idea who the warning came from yet?"
Reynolds shook his head. "It went directly to Hanrahan's office, apparently. It would have been recorded, but as yet, we can't access the network."
If Sethanon was behind this bombing, why had there been a warning? There hadn't been one in any of the other SIU bombings. To give one now didn't make any sense.
A phone rang, and Reynolds answered it. After a few minutes of arguing with whoever was on the other end, Reynolds hung up and looked at Gabriel.
"They've just helped a heap of people from the Lang's Lane exits. The fool in charge won't send me the list of names until he clears it with his boss. Don't suppose you want to head over and check it out for me?"
It was a better option that waiting here for some sign of his brother. "I'll give you a call back with the names."
He made his way out of the van. The night air, despite its residue of heat, seemed crisper, cleaner. Or maybe it just seemed that way because Hanrahan wasn't yet on the confirmed dead list. There was hope yet.
He walked around to Lang's Lane. Thirty or more people huddled near the end of the lane, watched by two officers in black. He frowned, wondering why they weren't being taken straight to an ambulance. A good third of them were bleeding or looked dazed, and one of the men was supported by a woman half his size. All were wearing the SIU gray, though none were faces he recognized.
He approached the most senior looking of the two State officers and flashed his badge. "What's the problem, Officer? Why aren't these people being taken to medical help?"
"There's been a report of a gas-leak up near Spencer. They're shifting the medical teams to a new position. We've been told to wait, as this position is fairly secure."
"There's no medical unit that can come down to help these people?"
The officer shook his head. "They've called for more medical staff — I know they're sending teams over from St. Vincent's and the Freemason's. Even the Mercy is sending help. Until they get here, and until they tell us the leak is clear, we have to stay put."
"Over on King Street we have a doctor checking the identities of the wounded and dead as they're being loaded into the ambulances. Call your people and tell them you're moving there." He hesitated, and then added, "Some of these people need help urgently."
The officer looked set to argue, but he glanced at the people behind them and nodded. Gabriel moved across to the second officer. "These were the only people to come out of this exit?"
The towheaded officer nodded. "These are the last, we think, but until they give us an all-clear from the gas leak, we can't go back in to check."
He nodded. If there was a gas leak, then they had to stop it quickly, especially with the small fires still burning inside the building. "Do you have the names and badge numbers of these evacuees? I need to send a copy to our people."
The young officer hesitated. "We've been told all requests for information have to go through headquarters, but I guess these are your people..." He glanced furtively at his partner, and then quickly showed Gabriel the list.
He scanned it through to Reynolds, and then smiled his thanks at the young officer as his partner approached.
"They've given us the okay to move them. We could do with your help, sir, if you aren't too busy. As you said, a couple of them are in pretty bad shape."
He nodded. "I'll take the man being supported by the woman. You two help the others."
The woman glanced up as he approached. Her face was a mess, the entire left side raw and bleeding, her eye was shut and swollen, and her lips were split and puffy. Her body didn't look much better. Her gray suit was torn and stained black by dirt and dried blood. Even the arm that supported her companion was bloody and bruised. But for all that, there was a look of intense elation in her gray eyes. Staring death in the eye and escaping had that sort of affect on you.
"Agents Layton and Byrne, from the Director's office," she said, mellow voice cracked and edged with pain.