For a moment all she heard was strange static, and then a faintly metallic version of the only voice she wanted to hear.
'I'm sorry. I couldn't get away before and I just now found a scrambled line. I can only talk a minute. Are you all right?'
Suddenly, Blair didn't care where she was or how long she would have to be there. This was the one thing she needed. 'I'm fine. Are you hurt?'
'No.'
The answer came too quickly, and even with the electronic interference, Blair heard that tone in Cam's voice that she always got when she was being official and avoiding a question. If she hadn't been so relieved to hear from her, she would have been pissed. There would be time for that later. 'Cam? What's happening?'
'I'm sorry. I can't talk now, but I'll be there as soon as I can.'
'Be careful.'
Then there was only silence on the line. Nevertheless, for the first time since the explosion rocked her world, Blair was able to draw a full breath without feeling a hard ball of pain in her chest. Cam was safe - she was safe - and she had found the time in the midst of what must have been pandemonium to call her.
She replaced the receiver and looked across the room to where Stark stood next to the front door, glancing out the window. It was already close to ten p.m. 'What are Mac and Cam doing back there?'
Stark turned from the window, satisfied that the two new FBI agents who had arrived an hour earlier were well positioned outside. She welcomed the additional surveillance assistance, because she and Savard and Grant were tired and stressed, and, even rotating shifts they couldn't adequately cover both the grounds and the interior. Even with the fibbies they were still under-manned, but that would get better once the Commander and the rest of the team arrived.
Blair watched her, waiting for an answer.
Stark's automatic response was a non-response, but when she looked into Blair's face, she caught an unguardedglimpse of her worry. Then she thought about what Savard had said about the Commander and her, and answered, 'I imagine they're meeting with the ATF bomb unit, trying to get a profile on the bomb and the bomber. The first walk-through is always the most important. The Commander wouldn't leave that to anyone else.'
Blair had an uneasy feeling she knew what that meant. 'The walk-through?'
Stark hesitated. It wasn't exactly a pretty picture.
'The epicenter of the explosion was the lead vehicle,' Savard said, walking in from the kitchen with yet more coffee. 'Depending upon the nature of the accelerant, and the amount, and the exact placement of the device on the car, the blast radius could be anywhere from ten feet to a hundred yards. Anything and everything remaining in that area is potential evidence.'
'Aren't there specialists to take care of that kind of thing?' Blair asked, her throat dry. 'Everything' included people too, she supposed.
Stark nodded. 'Of course, from the ATF and the Bureau and most likely the NYPD and the State Police, too. It's probably a real jurisdictional snafu down there right now.'
Savard snorted derisively. 'That's putting it mildly.' She was quite sure that's why she hadn't heard from her own chief. Doyle was undoubtedly trying to direct the activities by claiming that Federal interests had priority.
'So Cam isn't needed there, is she?' Blair persisted. God, why couldn't Cam just let someone else do this part? She couldn't imagine the horror of sifting through the debris that had claimed the life of someone she knew.
Stark stared at her, incredulous. 'There's no way she's going to walk away until there's nothing else to find. Not when you were the target.'
Stark was so certain, and there was an unmistakable edge of pride in her tone. Blair began to see why it was so hard for Cam to relinquish her position on the team. She was so clearly the leader.
'It could be a long time before they're done, then, couldn't it?'
Stark regarded her seriously for a moment, then smiled quickly. 'If she said she'll be here, Ms. Powell, you can count on it.'
*
She wasn't sleeping, just lying quietly in the dark. The soft tap on the door brought her upright, her heart pounding and her pulse racing. She glanced at the red digits on the bedside clock. Three twenty-two a.m.
'Yes,' she called.
'Ms. Powell, it's-'
'Come in,' she said urgently, fumbling on the bed for the terrycloth robe someone had considerately thought to stock in the bathroom. She was tightening the sashes on the garment when the door opened softly and then closed again. She hadn't turned on the bedside lamp yet, but the glow from the security lights cleverly hidden in the nearby trees was enough to illuminate Cam's unmistakable form.
'Are you hurt?' Blair asked immediately.
'No,' Cam responded, her voice raspy.
They were six feet apart, each of them leaning forward slightly, and the silence hung heavily between them.
'Are you?' Cam whispered finally.
'No.'
Cam took one step forward, hesitated, and then another. When she spoke, her tone held none of its usual reserve. Softly she asked, 'Would you mind very much if I touched you - just to be sure?'
