Err on the Side of Violence: Terribly Acronymed Detective Club Series (Book 3)

Chapter Sixty-Two: Rachel, Monday

Rachel and the figure at the edge of the woods watched each other for what seemed a very long time, as if neither of them was willing to risk making a move in case the other reacted violently.

"Pak," Rachel said low and quiet, even though she was sure the other person couldn't hear her. "Where's that constable you were sending?"

"He's not there?"

"No."

"He should have been there a long time ago."

"I don't know what to tell you. I thought there were constables all over these woods."

"They had to engage with hostile parties at the other end of the park and secure the scene so that an ambulance could make its way over there."

"Oh, shit, is someone hurt?"

"One hurt, more than one dead."

"Jesus, please tell me none of my friends are dead."

"As far as I know they're fine; your friend Joe ran into the park against my orders, so I don't know about him. Lauren is fine, but Joanie's been shot."

"Fuck! Is she okay?"

"She was still communicative last I checked, but she needs medical attention."

"What about Logan? Is he okay?"

Pak sighed. "We've lost sight of him."

"What about McTeague?"

"We haven't determined if she's among the dead or arrested."

"So... she could still be at large?"

"It's possible." He paused. "Are you not alone?"

"No. There's someone at the edge of the woods. I can't make them out."

"Don't make any sudden moves."

"I'm not. We've just been staring at each other. I need some backup here."

"We're trying to get someone to you now. I have no idea what happened to the one we sent before. Stand by."

She fully intended to do that, but then the figure crept forward, hesitantly. No time to wait for the backup. If she was going to run, she needed to drop some of the weight she was carrying. The suitcase had never felt heavier than it did now. She stepped over to the nearest picnic table and placed the suitcase on top of it.

Something about that action made the figure begin running toward her. The closer he got, the more illuminated he became in the moonlight, until she could finally see him.

"Logan!" she cried, running to meet him, slower than she might have because of the helmet and vest.

"You have sight of him?" Pak exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, it was him all along!" she squealed in excitement. The boy looked pathetically glad to see her, and tears began running freely down his cheeks, and that made her start crying too.

Then her eye caught another figure emerging from the tree line, and Rachel made an instinctual leap at the boy, knocking him to the ground just as something slammed past her helmet and another something tore past her back, making her roll after hitting the ground, Logan first on top and then underneath her, where he stayed as she covered him as much as she could with her own body, and that was when she heard the sound waves that followed the bullets travelling faster than them, as Joe could have told her from his own experience earlier. 

She saw Logan's face beneath her, panting, wide-eyed and scared. "Stay under me," she said, and he nodded.

"You fucking bitch!" yelled a voice above and ahead of her. A woman's voice. McTeague. "You double crossed me! Why didn't you just do what you were told?!"