"Do it," snapped Rivera. "And get me somebody from the bomb squad to advise me."
"I'm trying. They're spread all over the city chasing the other bombs. A bunch are on their way to East High School. Some are still at Elitch's and Coors Field. And some are still searching for secondary devices at the train station."
"Damn it," Rivera cursed. "Screw Elitch's and Coors Field. Screw the train station. Get everybody who's not at the high school back down here. I want the containment vehicle here, everything." Rivera lifted binoculars to his eyes. "It's a kid. Just a kid. The truck is from a company called JT Welding Supplies. Somebody call them. The kid's wired from head to toe. He has something taped to his wrist. Looks like a garage-door opener. And some other switch-type thing at his waist. We have to take him out while we have a chance."
Sam said, "You can't. You shoot him and a cop gets blown to bits. You can't do that, Rivera."
"The alternative? He kills half the justices of the Colorado Supreme Court? It's a tough call, Purdy, but I'm not afraid to make it. Sorry. Columbine taught us all the consequences of waiting too long to go after the bad guys."
Ramp leaned over and briefly disappeared from view. The rack of gas cylinders on the back of the truck slowly pivoted forty-five degrees so that the bottoms of the tanks were directed toward the entrance doors of the Supreme Court Building. I was still wondering why the tanks were upside down.
Sam said, "What the…? What's he doing with that thing? How many tanks are on that rack?"
I counted the blunt ends that were pointing toward the plaza. I said, "Nine."
"What's in them? Anything toxic? Explosive?"
I said, "If they're for welders, they could be a lot of things. Oxygen, acetylene, helium. I don't know. What's weird is that the tanks are loaded into the rack upside down, Sam. Does that mean they're empty?"
"I don't know anything about welding. What's he doing? I need some binoculars."
Rivera handed his field glasses to Sam. Sam stared at the truck. "What the hell is that kid up to?"
"Can you see Lucy?" I asked.
"No. I bet she's in the cab."
Rivera was busy listening to a report on the readiness of his sharpshooters. It sounded to me as though the snipers were ready.
My phone rang.
Sam had the binoculars glued to his eyes. I could tell he was staring at Ramp. Loud enough for everyone to hear, Sam told me, "Answer it, Alan. It's him."
CHAPTER 58
Dr. Gregory," Ramp said to me. I recognized his voice from our conversation the night before.
"Yes. You want to talk to one of the police officers?"
"No, I want you. They'll lie to me without hesitation. You'll hesitate."
Ramp and I were appraising each other over a distance that I guessed was about fifty yards. His body was mostly blocked by the equipment box and the rack of gas cylinders, but I could see him clearly from the chest up. He was holding a phone to his left ear.
The Denver Police helicopter hovered high above him. The thwack, thwack, thwack reverberated like the muted pulse of the city's racing heart.
"How's Lucy?" I asked.
"So far, fine. You ready to relay my demands?"
"If that's what you want me to do."
"It is."
"I'm ready."
"Tell them this. If they shoot me, Lucy dies. I'm not kidding about the switch on my boot. In case that's not enough deterrence, have them try this on instead. See this button?" He raised his free hand.
Sam continued to stare through the binoculars. He said, "He's showing us a red box with a button on it."
"Yes," I said. "I can see your hand. And it does appear that there is something in it."
"Every time I touch this button, it resets a time switch for the explosives inside the building. If I don't hit the button, the switch isn't reset, and the explosives go off in ten seconds. Therefore I have to hit the button every ten seconds. If I hold it down for three seconds continuously, the devices in the building will go off instantly. Do you get it?"
"Yes."
"Explain it to those cops. Talk loudly so I can hear what you say. I want to make sure they get it."
I tried to repeat what Ramp had explained to me. It didn't help my concentration to note that Sam was breathing heavily through his nose and that Rivera's dark brow was dotted with sweat, like old macadam after a gentle rain.
When I was through with the explanation, Ramp said, "You did good. I'm going to be sitting down now between the tanks and the equipment box. In about a minute, I'll give the okay to start the evacuation from the building. I want to remind everyone that the justices come out last, wearing their robes. Remind the cops."
I did.
"Now tell them to get the chopper out of here. It's bothering me."
I said, "Rivera? He wants the chopper out of here."
Rivera stared at me malevolently, as though moving the helicopter had been my idea. Within ten seconds, the helicopter departed in the direction of the state capitol building.
Rivera said, "I want a guarantee he's not going to harm the evacuees."
My mouth was as dry as insulation. "The police are concerned that you're planning to hurt the evacuees as they come out of the building. They want your word that you won't."
"They're assholes. Have I spent my day trying to kill innocent people? Let me talk to the cop, the one you keep talking to."
I handed the phone to Rivera. "He wants to talk to you."
Sam asked me, "How does he sound?"
"Less nervous than me."
"Did he say anything about Lucy?"
"No."
Sam said, "He's smart. Where he's sitting now, the sharpshooters would have a hard time hitting him."
"Could they risk it? The way he has the explosives wired it seems too risky to shoot him."
"Rivera thinks he's bluffing."
I tried to swallow that news and ended up almost choking with the effort. "Rivera thinks the kid is bluffing? After all that's happened this morning?"
"I don't envy him; he's in a tough spot. He doesn't want to be accused of waiting to act, the way the sheriff in Jefferson County did during Columbine."
I asked, "What do you think?"
"Lucy's in that truck. That's what I think."
Rivera handed me back the phone. "He wants you again."
"Yes?"
Ramp's voice was harder now. "Change in plans. Let's see if you guys were planning to play fair. I want the justices outside on the plaza within thirty seconds. In their robes. I'm counting, starting now."
I snapped at Rivera: "He's changed his mind. He wants the justices outside on the plaza in their robes within thirty seconds."
"Shit!" Rivera barked a command into his radio. "We can't do it. We can't do it in time. We have state cops in their robes. Buy some time." He began running down the sidewalk to some of his colleagues who were hidden behind patrol cars in front of the library.
Sam and I followed Rivera as I said, "Ramp! Ramp!" into the phone. I was wondering how the hell I was going to buy some time, but when I looked back over to the truck, Ramp was holding the cell phone high in the air, far from his ear. He wasn't prepared to listen to Rivera's excuses.
Sam broke the news. "Rivera, look. He's got the phone in the air. He's not even listening."
The seconds ticked away. I stared at my watch as three became two became one and then… a sharp craaack filled the air and glass and stone flew out onto the Broadway sidewalk as at least three windows blew out from the third floor.