impatiently waved him forward. Behind him the whole line of cars got stopped and as he crossed the intersection they let cars start from the other direction. He neared three police cars parked in a line and another cop car swung in behind him. As soon as he saw that he knew something was wrong, but it was too late. Just like that they boxed him in and stopped their cars.
He went for his cell phone. He had Raveneau in there on speed dial and called him as he jumped the van up on to the sidewalk and started driving. He hit a light pole and the van rocked sideways but kept moving.
‘Get them to back the fuck off or I’ll kill her,’ he said as Raveneau answered.
‘You don’t want to do—’
‘Goddamn you, I’m going to fucking shoot her right now.’
‘I’m walking up to talk to you. Let me talk to you, Stoltz, you don’t have to get yourself killed.’
He saw the SWAT fuckers and Raveneau rushing through ahead of them. A bullhorn voice ordered him out of the van and he was blocked. He couldn’t drive any farther without ramming one of them. He saw Raveneau break from someone trying to hold him and then start down the sidewalk. Stoltz opened the van door, laid the gun on his seat, showed his hands, and put one foot out on the sidewalk with all the guns pointed at him and people yelling. He ignored the order to get down and just before they rushed him he turned, grabbed the gun, and in a quick motion aimed through the mesh at Erin.
But his legs gave away. He heard a sharp crack and another sharp pain flowed up his side as he fell, bouncing off the van and sliding to the ground. He heard Raveneau’s voice close to him, saying, ‘Try to keep him alive,’ and then, ‘Hang in there, Stoltz, we’re going to get you to a hospital.’
Then the sidewalk turned gray and the voices moved far away. He heard Erin. He wanted Erin. He tried to say her name.
SIXTY
Quinn was ghostly pale but oddly composed for someone who’d just been abducted and lived through a violent rescue. At first she didn’t seem to want to come out of the van and told Raveneau, ‘He was taking me to a house where we were going to live together.’
‘That’s over, give me your hand and I’ll help you get out.’
‘Is he dead?’
‘No, but he’s in bad shape.’
She refused a ride to the hospital to get checked out, said it was ridiculous, that all she’d done was ride in the back of a van. He hadn’t hurt her.
‘Why did you get into the van at Lake Merced?’
‘He had a gun.’
‘Did he pull it out of his pack?’
‘Yes. So you saw?’
‘I was there.’
Quinn paused on that, probably quickly realizing they’d followed her after la Rosa dropped her near her car. Whatever she thought about that she hid.
‘I drove there because I remembered the lake was pretty and I couldn’t think very well after I talked with you and your partner. He came up to me on a bike when I was standing looking at the water. He must have been following me. He must have had the bike in the van.’ Her voice wavered. ‘He said he was taking me to a house in the mountains, where for five years I wouldn’t be allowed to leave so that I would be even with him for his prison sentence.’
‘That’s over with.’ He waited a beat. ‘How did he know you’d be at Lake Merced?’
‘Maybe because he was following you he saw me today. He’s been stalking homicide inspectors. He told me he killed Inspector Whitacre.’
‘He told you that today?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did he say anything about following me or Inspector la Rosa?’
‘I don’t know. I’m so cloudy right now I don’t remember. He talked a lot but I don’t think he said anything about you. Will you take me to my car?’
‘Are you sure you’re good to drive?’
‘I feel nothing but relief. I’m fine to drive.’
‘We’re going to need you to come in. I can have someone pick your car up.’
‘No, I need my car. I’ll come in tomorrow.’
‘You’re very brave and tough. I think most of us would be shaking like a leaf after what you just went through. There are counselors who can help you with it. I can get someone who’ll talk it through with you this afternoon.’
‘I don’t need to talk to anybody and