Page 39 of Condor’s Vow

Chapter 14

“Are you sure this profile is right, Rose?” Clay was in the office with his team a couple of days later. Omega was going over the background checks again. Lyric was talking to someone on the phone, and Hawk and Sandstorm were looking through the witness statements for the hundredth time. They were missing something, but nobody had a clue what it was.

Rose Sears raised a perfectly arched brow at him in irritation and he sighed in frustration. Rose was the best behavioral expert the FBI had, and he was lucky to have her working for the task force. She was tall and curvy with long chestnut hair and an angular face that made her attractive if not beautiful in a conventional way, at least until she smiled, then she was a knock-out.

“The profile is right, Condor. White male, thirty-forty, educated but lives on the outside of society in some way. Probably emotionally, and definitely single. He thinks he’s avenging those children in some way, has an emotional link to them.”

“It definitely has nothing to do with Stephanie Clark?”

“Maybe but I don’t think he’s avenging her loss, but rather his own.”

“Condor, we have a problem!”

Clay spun his chair to Omega who flicked some buttons and brought up the local news channel. “Talk to me.”

Sandstorm, Hawk, and Lyric were at his back listening intently.

“This is the local news station. They’re reporting a large fire at the hospital.”

Clay was on his feet in less than a second, his immediate thoughts moving to Hattie until he remembered she was off shift today and spending the morning with her father.

“Our killer sent a recorded message into the station claiming he started it and we had to hand over the nurse.”

Clay felt his legs give way and was glad he had the chair behind him, then adrenaline kicked in and his mind began to fly. “Hawk, get to the station and find out how the recording came in and get it back to the lab for prints. Lyric, I want every contact you have on the street talking to us. Find out if they saw or heard anything when this fire was set, any tiny thing. Omega, bring up all the CCTV around the hospital from around thirty minutes before the fire started.”

Hawk and Lyric were gone but the other two crowded in as Omega brought up cameras from every available source, both private and those on the street.

“Jesus, it’s chaos because of the civil rights protests.”

“Likely why he chose today.”

Silence filled the room as they watched for anything that might be suspicious.

“There, look. A man going into the ER. He fits the profile and is avoiding the cameras.”

Sandstorm was right but Clay wasn’t seeing that, he was watching the woman he loved head inside seconds before the suspected arsonist.

“Sandstorm, with me. Omega, keep on this and if you find anything I want to know asap.”

Clay was already dialing as he walked to his car in the car park. Hattie’s phone went straight to voicemail, so he called her brother who picked up after two rings.

“Hello?”

“Todd, it’s Clay. Where are you?”

“I’m with Dad, why?”

“I thought Hattie was with him this morning?”

Sandstorm took his keys and the driver’s seat, backing out like the hounds of hell were after them.

“She was, then she got called into work. A few people called in sick.”

“Fuck.”

Clay was furious that she hadn’t let him know but overriding that was fear for her.

“She’ll be all right, Clay.”