go even if Bob stayed. “I’m gonna pack up and leave tonight. If you’re here by seven o’clock, then you can go with me. If not… then all I can say is good luck.”
Bob stood and nodded, his hound-dog expression making him appear much older than he was. He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder. “Marty, I don’t know if I can leave Pop. I promise I won’t say anything to him about what you’re doing. If I decide to leave but miss tonight, can I meet up with you somewhere?”
The breath rushed from Marty as he stared at the hopeful look in his brother’s eyes. Nodding, he said, “Absolutely. You send me a text when you leave, and I’ll let you know where we can meet. Then it’ll be you and me, brother.”
Hearing that promise, Bob grinned widely, heaving a great sigh before walking through Marty’s front door. It hit him right in the chest… I might never see my brother again.
Conference Room in the Hope City Police Department Headquarters
Colm looked over at Chauncey sitting nearby. The room was a hubbub of activity as the agents filed in for the morning briefing. Chauncey provided the location for the bombing investigation headquarters, but the task force was led by Colm’s former boss from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and assisted by the police department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Looking to the front as the meeting began, he settled back in his chair, knowing the details would be ever-changing as more information came to light. Considering how close his children were to the bomb detonation site, he rubbed his chest absently before catching the watchful eye of Chauncey. Dropping his hand, he gave a little shake of his head. At least he knew his oldest friend and neighbor would never tell Sharon. She’d have a fit if she thought his chest was hurting. Hell, no chance I’d go back to anything more than a consultant. Enjoy retirement too much, even if it was a heart attack that brought it on. As the first speaker stood at the podium, he focused on the rapid-fire information being reported from the variety of attendees.
“HCPD found the remnants of two pressure-cooker lids at the scenes of both explosions. Both lids appeared to blow backward away from the street when they were detonated, one over a hundred feet away…”
“Evidence collected from the blast sites include nails, screws, ball bearings, and other bits of metal…”
“Pressure cooker bomb. Homemade. Instructions can be found on the internet. ATF’s Fire Research Laboratory in Maryland is re-creating a mock-up based on evidence…”
“The first device was in a cardboard box near the nutrient station tent. There were multiple boxes there at the beginning of the race full of gel packs, bananas, and water bottles. The volunteer handing out food to the runners at the time of detonation was killed…”
“Second device was placed away from the street, nearer to an empty warehouse. No idea if this was due to the inability of the bomber to get it closer to the street…”
“Initial analysis of the injured indicate most received injuries to their lower bodies, suggesting the bomb was on the ground when it detonated. This may have contributed to the low number of deaths…”
“No intelligence of foreign reports suggesting this was a foreign terrorist attack…”
“Known domestic terrorist groups have not claimed responsibility…”
“Gathering and analyzing all street camera views plus a call out for cell phone photographs taken in the area at any time during the race…”
“Streets too crowded for a vehicle to get close… bomber may have walked… looking at camera footage for someone with a large container or backpack… looking at camera footage for vehicle activity nearby…”
“Interview witnesses… runners and spectators…”
“The Mayor and the Governor will be holding joint press conferences this afternoon… the President has issued a statement…”
“The Governor had requested a shelter-in-place for today. A few members of Congress are already denouncing this request…”
“Conspiracy theories are already hitting the internet. Everything from the bombs being a diversionary tactic by the U.S. Government or FBI recruitment training gone wrong…”
By the end of the hour, Colm realized once again he did not miss the daily grind of his former FBI career but was glad to have been asked by his former boss to be present. Of all the information presented, it was the call for cell phone photographs that stuck in his mind. Pulling out