Catherine was about to say the hell with it and hit the siren when she found a spot to get in. She could turn on the siren, and catch up to the Pontiac quickly; but she was in no big hurry to take down a murderer without backup.
She got through to Warrick as she began weaving through traffic. "Where are you?"
"On the beltway,"Warrick said. "We're headed your way."
"Better find another route," Catherine said. "She's turning north on Eastern."
"Roger that,"Warrick said. "We're getting off on Paradise."
Paradise would allow Warrick and Vega to run parallel with Rene and Catherine. If Rene turned left, the suspect would be turning right into their path. Catherine was getting nearer, and having an easier time keeping the Pontiac in sight. She wanted to pull the woman over-Warrick was closer now-but did she dare do so in the middle of all this traffic?
Though Rene was driving fast, the woman wasn't speeding any more than most of the drivers on the road-which was good, because it might mean the suspect didn't know Catherine was back here on her tail.
Maybe Catherine could afford to wait until Warrick was even closer, when they might get a chance to bust this woman without doing it in the middle of a traffic jam. Serving and protecting citizens was a concept at odds with putting them in the middle of a shoot-out or a high-speed chase….
Then Rene swung left on Sunset.
Catherine followed, three cars between them, and suddenly she had the feeling that everything was going to work out.
"Warrick," she said. "We're eastbound on Sunset, headed your way."
"I'll be waiting,"his voice replied.
But Catherine's confidence took a dive as she saw the Pontiac lunge right, cross two lanes of traffic, and disappear into a parking lot. The CSI stomped the brakes, heard tires squeal behind her, then jumped the two lanes of traffic herself…only she missed the access drive!
She didn't want to hop the sidewalk, and-realizing she was in front of a branch of the First Monument Bank-caught the next drive into the bank, going in the one-way wrong. She kept her foot on the brake, pausing there, facing the one-way drive-thru (which was customerless at the moment), as if contemplating a right turn into the parking lot in front of the bank.
The red Pontiac was nowhere in sight and Catherine figured Rene had driven behind the bank building, to come back this way and around through the drive-thru.
"Warrick," she said crisply, "we're at the First Monument Bank on Sunset. Suspect seems about to use the drive-thru. Her driving may indicate she spotted me; or this could be a cash stop. In any event, we need to bust her before she leaves the bank."
"We're onto Sunset,"Warrick's voice assured her.
Catherine saw the other Tahoe in her rearview mirror. "I see you! Sight for sore eyes…"
"We'll go in the entrance, go around, and come up behind her."
"Ten-four," Catherine said, as Rene's Pontiac drew around the corner of the building.
Rene's hand came out the driver's side window, dropped something into the slide drawer, then disappeared back into the car.
Where was Warrick?He should've been coming around the building by now…and then, finally, there was Warrick and Vega in their own beautiful SUV, easing up behind Rene.
The drive-thru drawer opened again, and Rene withdrew an envelope. Her hand disappeared back inside the car and the Pontiac didn't move for endless seconds.
Catherine started creeping forward, hoping Rene wouldn't notice the Tahoe closing the distance between itself and the Grand Prix, and not turning into the parking lot. She needed to nail Rene just after the woman pulled away from the drive-thru window, before she got back on the road.
The glass of the drive-thru window would be bulletproof, but Catherine saw no reason to take any chances at all. Warrick was in line immediately behind Rene, and they would soon have her boxed in. The only thing left was to close the trap.
The car started toward her and Catherine hit the gas to cut her off.
Rene hit the brakes, stopped the Pontiac and came barreling out of the car, on the driver's side, a large canvas bag of a purse slung over a shoulder.
The suspect had made them!
And now Rene, blonde hair flouncing, in a white blouse, dark slacks, and heels, was trying to make her escape on foot.
Catherine slammed on the brakes, threw the Tahoe in park, and leapt from the vehicle, yanking her pistol from its hip holster. She didn't point the weapon at Rene, since-right behind her-Warrick and Vega were coming out of their vehicle and were in Catherine's line of fire. If she shot and missed Rene-a distinct possibility, with the range changing every second-she could easily hit one of her own team.
Conversely, if they should fire and miss, she'd be on the target line.
Catherine resisted the urge to raise the weapon, even as Rene came rushing toward her. Then, at the last second, Rene veered away from Catherine, toward the bank.
Wheeling, the pistol finally up and ready to take aim, Catherine could see why Rene had cut to one side-an older woman…gray and frail and not so different from the Sunny Day victims of the angel of mercy…stood on the sidewalk in front of the bank. The older woman had just come out of the building and held her purse in both hands, probably waiting to be picked up.
The old gal didn't have long to wait: Rene swung around behind her, making a shield of the woman, who squawked in surprise as her assailant's left arm looped around her neck, the other hand fishing in that big purse.
Catherine kept the gun trained on the pair as a syringe rose up in Rene's right hand, stopping just short of the older woman's creped throat.
"I always wanted to say this to a cop," Rene snarled. "Freeze!"
Warrick and Vega came up alongside Catherine, and made with her a three-person line facing Rene and her hostage-the two CSIs and the detective each with a handgun poised to shoot.
"What's in the syringe, Rene?" Catherine said. "Prussic acid?"
"How'd you guess, bitch?"
Traffic had slowed, and bystanders were peering from windows of nearby buildings, and Catherine hoped 911 had been called by now-backup would be nice. Sweat trickled down Rene's face, like the tears the killer was probably incapable of shedding, and the hostage's eyes were wide, pitifully so, brimming with terror.
"Well," Catherine said, "it's what you used on your lawyer friend, isn't it? And what you gave to your husband."
Catherine had a fine line to walk, between scaring the hostage further, and keeping the attention of a serial killer.
Rene's eyes were wide now, a weird echo of her hostage's frightened countenance. "How the hell could you know about Derek?"
"He told us-his generosity did, anyway, leaving his skull to the college and his organs to the medical center…. Rene, it's over. You need to let that woman go."
"Think so? I'll need a new lawyer, won't I?"
Without a word being spoken, the trio from LVPD slowly started fanning out-Vega was at left, Warrick in the middle, Catherine on the right, nearest the street.
"You got cocky, Rene-and then sloppy. We know about all of them-not just Derek and the lawyer and Vivian Elliot, but the other victims at Sunny Day."
Rene was a beautiful woman; still, her smile over her hostage's shoulder was hideous. "Oh, you think that's all of them?"
Catherine and Vega each eased yet another step away from Warrick….
And this time, Rene spotted it. "I said freeze, damn it! All of you!" The syringe drew closer to the old woman's neck. Rene looked toward Vega. "You-! Drop the gun."