“Forensics are on their way,” Sarah said to Malick when she got off the phone. He looked tired.
“Could have gone on to either Philadelphia or New York from there,” he mused aloud.
“Or he might have gone back on himself some and went to Washington,” Sarah said looking at a map of the area. “Either way, we’re done for the night,” she added looking at her watch. “Sorry to have kept you out so late on your first day back.” Sarah had heard Malick’s phone buzzing in his pants pocket frequently today, no doubt Tara checking that he was okay.
In the car, Malick called Tara to set her mind at ease. Sarah heard him say he was driving his own car alone so she was sure not to say anything to expose the lie. He told her he had to go back to the office and then he would be on his way home. Sarah couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation but there was a tone of pleading coming through that slowly turned to a quieter one of acceptance. She wondered if his marriage was going to be able to survive this.
“Can we pull in somewhere and grab a coffee?” Malick said when he hung up the phone. Clearly he didn’t want her to ask him anything; his mood seemed to sour by hour but she put that down to tiredness. It couldn’t be easy coming back from what he had.
Sarah pulled in to a convenience store lot and stopped the car.
“You want to both go in?” she asked and he nodded.
The parking lot had only two other cars in it and the dark had just really settled in. Someone far off was blaring music, perhaps a party going on. As Sarah slammed her car door shut, a gunshot rang out simultaneously making it seem like she had the strength of a thousand men.
Both the FBI agents dropped to the side of the car on opposite sides. Sarah drew her gun.
“It came from inside the store,” Sarah called to Malick. He didn’t answer and this scared her. Had he been hit? “Malick, you okay?” she called out. Some kind of mumbled response came back but it didn’t assuage her fears at all. “I’m coming around,” she said.
Keeping her eyes on the store, Sarah backed to the rear of the car and then using her hip as a guide moved to the other side. There was a robbery in progress inside the store, Sarah could see the terrified shopkeeper emptying the cash register contents into a bag while the criminal held a gun on him. The shot must have been a warning one; at least that was what she hoped.
Sarah glanced down at Malick; he was pressed up against the car and he hadn’t taken his gun out. His face was white and his hair was matted to the sweat on his forehead. She had never seen him like this before and it was a shock to her.
But Sarah didn’t have time to deal with it right now.
The door to the store swooshed open and the thief came running out. Sarah dropped to one knee, using the hood of the car for cover and balance she shouted out,
“FBI, drop your weapon, now!”
The thief froze and Sarah could see the fear in his eyes. He didn’t drop the gun though and it was wavering in his hand by his side. At any moment he could lift it in a flash and take a shot at her. “Put it down!” she shouted hoping his brain was trying to get him to do the same thing.
Sarah could feel Malick shifting around but she didn’t know if he was getting up or what and she couldn’t look down to check. The thief was looking back at her and his lips were beginning to tremble. This could go either way; he was either scared or desperate and both could lead him to make the snap decision to try shoot his way out of this. Sarah softened her voice,
“This doesn’t have to end badly,” she said. For a moment a look of resignation came over him and Sarah saw the glint of light from his eyes and thought tears were forming. Still it was precarious. Malick’s backup would make all the difference right now.
“I need this!” the thief shouted back and there was no doubting the tears now. He was a desperate man and though she didn’t know what he needed the money for, something told her it was not drugs.
“Put down the gun,” she said again, calmly but authoritatively. He looked down at the bag of money and then to the gun in the other hand. His eyes rose to meet Sarah’s then and never in her life had she felt so sorry for a person.
The man dropped the money bag and then bent over to put the gun down on the sidewalk.
“That’s very good, Sir,” Sarah called out, “Now walk five steps towards me with your hands where I can see them.” He stepped forward like a man who was doomed and nothing mattered anymore.
“Malick, suspect is disarmed, call for local PD to come and arrest,” Sarah said. For a moment there was nothing, but then a low voice said,
“Got it,” as the car door opened once more.
The man didn’t speak while they waited the few minutes for a squad car to arrive and take the man into custody. Sarah hadn’t spoken to him either, afraid of what terrible thing he would tell her, like his child was dying and he needed the money
