The Case Puzzle

Chapter 24

*Castiel’s perspective*

After having threatened the men in showing us the way, the hostage rescue team went ahead to survey the surroundings. We arrived a bit later and were waiting for any sign of them coming back.

I felt the micro earphone in my ear buzz, taking me by surprise. I glanced around to see similar reactions. The other team must have been trying to send a message. We waited for a few seconds. Glitching sounds resounded in my ear and then it stopped.

“Did anyone hear what they said?” Mr Ford asked as he took out his micro earphone and analysing it in a confused way.

I shook my head and took out my phone to call Mr Carter who went along with the first team but the call wouldn’t connect. As Luca said, the signal around was definitely weird. I glanced at Mr Ford and said, “If they are trying to say something instead of returning, it must be important. We should go and check.”

Mr Ford paced around, thinking about what to do. I looked to my right as I heard the cracking sound of branches. I recognised Ellen, a member of the rescue team, rushing towards us. She was breathing heavily and looked panicked. She stopped in front of us and stared at us with wide eyes.

“We need a bomb disposal team! Right now!” she breathed out.

A chorus of ‘what's’ echoed around as her announcement took us by surprise. Mr Ford, sensing the urgency in her words, regained his composure and asked her to explain the situation.

“We scouted the area and found a building deeper in. It did not seem to be protected or guarded so we could easily sneak in. But we detected some time bombs attached to the fencing and connected to each other by wires. I believe we have around thirty minutes in front of us. But whether this is enough or not depends on how soon the bomb disposal team can come,” she blurted out in one breath.

“Then let’s not waste time. Try to contact the nearest police station and explain the situation,” Mr Ford said.

Lucio walked away with his phone in hand and I looked back at Ellen. “What about the people inside? If they were the ones who planted the bombs around, they would not stay around.”

“Weirdly enough, we spotted around five men outside. And we saw some movements from inside the building. They seem almost unaware of the bombs around,” Ellen replied.

“Why would-”

A deafening noise pierced through the air, cutting through my words. It was an explosive sound which made us take some steps back.

“I thought you said we have thirty minutes,” Mr Ford asked Ellen.

“That’s what the team said. Something must have caused the bomb to detonate so soon,” Ellen explained with a concerned look.

I took out my suit jacket as I paced around worriedly. Beads of sweat trickled down my back, making me more annoyed. Footsteps echoed around and I looked up to see the group arriving.

“We’ve been spotted. A gunshot triggered one of the bombs, detonating it. Since all bombs are connected by wires, it won’t be long till the others start exploding too. How much time will it take for the bomb disposal team to arrive?” the team leader, Mr Brad, inquired while wiping sweat off his forehead.

“Soon,” Lucio said, approaching us. “I’ve managed to reach them. They’ll get here within a few minutes.”

“This bomb situation was quite unexpected. It seemed like they are planning to blow down the building and destroy everything. I’ve put some men on the lookout around the building because those inside will try to escape soon,” Mr Brad said.