Hostage

She opened the cabinet again without waiting for him to answer, found a cloth, then went to the freezer for ice. It was a huge black Sub-Zero, the kind with a freezer drawer on the bottom. She pulled it open, then scooped ice into the washcloth. Most of it spilled onto the floor.

'I need a bowl.'

'So get one.'

Mars walked away as she got the bowl. He went into the family room, and asked if Kevin had seen anything. She couldn't hear Kevin's answer.

Jennifer chose a green plastic Tupperware bowl, then saw the paring knife on the counter, left from when she diced a slice of onion for the tuna. She glanced at Mars, but Mars was still with Kevin. She was terrified that if she reached for the knife they would see her, and then she thought that even if she had the knife what would she do with it? They were older and stronger. She glanced up again. Mars was staring at her. She averted her eyes, but saw from the corner of her eye that he stayed with Kevin. Her shorts didn't have pockets and her suit top didn't have enough material to cover the knife. Even if she took it, what would she do with it? Attack them? Puh-lease. Mars came back to the kitchen. Without thinking about it, she pushed the knife behind the Cuisinart mixer her mom kept on the counter.

Mars said, 'What's taking so long?'

'I'm ready.'

'Hang on.'

Mars went to the refrigerator and pulled it open. He took out a beer, twisted off the cap, and drank. He took a second bottle and tipped it toward her.

'You want one?'

'I don't drink beer.'

'Mommy won't know. You can do anything you want right now, and Mommy won't know.'

'I want to go back to my father.'

She followed him back to the office, where Mars gave the second beer to Dennis at the shutters. Jennifer joined Thomas at their father beside the desk. She scooped ice from the bowl into the washcloth, then made an ice pack and pressed it to her father's wound. She cringed when he moaned.

Thomas edged closer and spoke so softly that she could barely hear him.

'What's going to happen?'

Mars's voice cut across the room.

'Shut up!'

Mars was staring at her. Slowly, his gaze moved down along the lines of her body. She flushed again, forcing herself to concentrate on her father. She knew he was playing with her, just as he had before.

The phone rang.

Everyone in the room looked at the phone, but no one moved. The ringing grew louder and more insistent.

Dennis said, 'Jesus Christ!'

He stalked to the desk and scooped up the phone, but the ringing continued.

'What the fuck is this? Why won't it stop?'

Thomas said, 'It has more than one line. Press the blinking light.'

Dennis stabbed the blinking light, then slammed down the phone. The ringing stopped.

Dennis went back to the shutters, grumbling about rich people having more than one line.

The phone rang again.

'Fuck!'

The public address voice from the street echoed through the house.

'Answer the phone, Dennis Rooney. It's the police.'

TALLEY

Hunkered behind the front wheel of his radio car, Talley listened to the ringing in his ear as a helicopter appeared. It spiraled down for a closer look until Talley could see that it was from one of the Los Angeles television stations. They would have heard about Kim and Welch by monitoring police frequencies. If the helicopters were here, the vans and reporters would be close behind. Talley covered the phone and twisted around to see Jorgenson.

'Where are the Sheriffs?'

'Inbound, Chief.'

'Get back on the horn and request air cover. Tell them we have news choppers coming in.'

The phone inside the house was still ringing. Talley thought, Answer the phone, you sonofabitch.

'Tell Sarah to call the phone company. Get a list of all the lines to the house and have them blocked except through my cell number. I don't want these guys talking with anyone on the outside except for us.'

'Okay.'

Talley was still giving orders when the phone stopped ringing and a male voice answered.

'Hello?'

Talley waved Jorgenson quiet, then took a breath to center himself. He did not want his voice to reveal his fear.

'Is this Dennis Rooney?'

'Who are you!'

'My name is Jeff Talley. I'm with the Bristo Police Department, out here behind the car in front of you. Is this Dennis Rooney?'

Talley specifically did not identify himself as the chief of police. He wanted to appear to have a certain degree of power, but he also did not want to be seen as the final authority. The negotiator was always the man in the middle. If Rooney made demands, Talley wanted to be able to stall by telling him that he had to check with his boss. That way Talley remained the good guy. He could build a bond with Rooney through their mutual adversity.

'That cop was going for his gun. That Chinaman pulled a gun, too. No one wanted to shoot him. It was an accident.'

'Is this Dennis Rooney? I want to know with whom I'm speaking.'

'Yeah. I'm Rooney.'

Talley felt himself relaxing. Rooney wasn't a raving lunatic; he didn't start off by screaming that he was going to murder everyone in the house.

Talley made his voice firm, but relaxed.