element of surprise.”
“Do you have authorization to breach?”
“Yes. A neighbor spotted a black male inside.”
“Have you ruled out that it might be the owner or a repair-man?”
“Definitely,” said Miller. “The house has been completely vacant. The owner moved to Plant City. I spoke to her by phone myself.Whoever is inside doesn’t belong there.”
56
James Grippando
“Is the subject alone?”
“We don’t know yet. But now that you’re here, any handoff from tactical assault to hostage negotiation will be as seamless as possible.”
Andie was one of several trained negotiators in the Miami field office, but the Salazar kidnapping case—where she’d met Jack Swyteck—had firmly established her as the top dog. “I don’t want to negotiate for a dead hostage.We need to verify whether he’s alone before you breach.”
“Techies are snaking listening devices through the attic vents as we speak.We’re doing infrared scan, too. Should have the results by the time you suit up.”
Andie retrieved her Kevlar vest from her car and put it on.
Another SWAT member brought her a helmet, thigh guards, and a bone mike that would link her to the tactical team. She wouldn’t be part of the SWAT breach, but preparing for all hell to break loose was part of Negotiation Training 101.
The task force leader was speaking into his bone mike as Andie approached the SWAT van. Miller said to her, “Infrared shows a warm one in the bathroom. No movement.Appears to be sleeping.
Good time for a breach.”
“Infrared isn’t infallible,” said Andie.That was experience talking—the Salazar kidnapping case again. Would all these little Swyteck reminders just go away, please?
Miller said, “SWAT’s going in. If I’m wrong about him being alone in there and a hostage standoff develops, you’re here to nor-malize the situation.”
“Pick up the pieces” might have been a better way to put it.
Even so,Andie couldn’t disagree with the decision.“Let’s do it.”
The moment Theo returned from the Keys and his “personal business”—it was about the Prince Albert for Trina—Cy had that LAST CALL
57
unmistakable Uncle Cyrus look on his face.Theo knew he was in big trouble.
“In here.” Cy grabbed him by the elbow and practically dragged him into the back room. He closed the door and locked it.
Theo wanted to say something, but suddenly he felt like a ten-year-old boy again, and his uncle was ready to slap him upside the head for backtalk of any sort. Uncle Cyrus had been the Knight brothers’ one and only source of badly needed discipline.
“What the hell you been doin’ with that Isaac Reems?”
“I ain’t been doin’ nothin’ with him.” A grown man with balls the size of globes, and out pops the voice of a scared child.
Cy opened the cabinet and threw the orange jumpsuit on the desk.“What do you call this ?”
Theo knew immediately what it was. “Where’d you find that?”
“Shoved in the corner, behind your big stack of beer kegs.”
Theo drew a deep breath, trying not to take the anger he felt toward Isaac and misdirect it toward his uncle. “I know what you must be thinkin’.”
“Oh, you got no idea what I’m thinkin’.Why on God’s green earth would you help that loser?”
“I ain’t helpin’ him. Isaac broke into the stockroom, stole my gun and my money.Tried to make me help him. I told him to get lost.Then I called the cops.”
Cy grimaced, as if wanting to believe but not quite able. “I ain’t an old fool. The man didn’t leave here naked.You gave clothes to a fugitive.”
“No way. He came here wearing old rags. We got migrants around here who work the tomato fields. I’m runnin’ the homeless out of my parking lot every night. He probably hit one, changed clothes after he broke in, and shoved the jumpsuit into a corner.”
“You told all this to the cops?”
58
James Grippando
“You know cops and me don’t mix. Four years on death row for
“Do you have authorization to breach?”
“Yes. A neighbor spotted a black male inside.”
“Have you ruled out that it might be the owner or a repair-man?”
“Definitely,” said Miller. “The house has been completely vacant. The owner moved to Plant City. I spoke to her by phone myself.Whoever is inside doesn’t belong there.”
56
James Grippando
“Is the subject alone?”
“We don’t know yet. But now that you’re here, any handoff from tactical assault to hostage negotiation will be as seamless as possible.”
Andie was one of several trained negotiators in the Miami field office, but the Salazar kidnapping case—where she’d met Jack Swyteck—had firmly established her as the top dog. “I don’t want to negotiate for a dead hostage.We need to verify whether he’s alone before you breach.”
“Techies are snaking listening devices through the attic vents as we speak.We’re doing infrared scan, too. Should have the results by the time you suit up.”
Andie retrieved her Kevlar vest from her car and put it on.
Another SWAT member brought her a helmet, thigh guards, and a bone mike that would link her to the tactical team. She wouldn’t be part of the SWAT breach, but preparing for all hell to break loose was part of Negotiation Training 101.
The task force leader was speaking into his bone mike as Andie approached the SWAT van. Miller said to her, “Infrared shows a warm one in the bathroom. No movement.Appears to be sleeping.
Good time for a breach.”
“Infrared isn’t infallible,” said Andie.That was experience talking—the Salazar kidnapping case again. Would all these little Swyteck reminders just go away, please?
Miller said, “SWAT’s going in. If I’m wrong about him being alone in there and a hostage standoff develops, you’re here to nor-malize the situation.”
“Pick up the pieces” might have been a better way to put it.
Even so,Andie couldn’t disagree with the decision.“Let’s do it.”
The moment Theo returned from the Keys and his “personal business”—it was about the Prince Albert for Trina—Cy had that LAST CALL
57
unmistakable Uncle Cyrus look on his face.Theo knew he was in big trouble.
“In here.” Cy grabbed him by the elbow and practically dragged him into the back room. He closed the door and locked it.
Theo wanted to say something, but suddenly he felt like a ten-year-old boy again, and his uncle was ready to slap him upside the head for backtalk of any sort. Uncle Cyrus had been the Knight brothers’ one and only source of badly needed discipline.
“What the hell you been doin’ with that Isaac Reems?”
“I ain’t been doin’ nothin’ with him.” A grown man with balls the size of globes, and out pops the voice of a scared child.
Cy opened the cabinet and threw the orange jumpsuit on the desk.“What do you call this ?”
Theo knew immediately what it was. “Where’d you find that?”
“Shoved in the corner, behind your big stack of beer kegs.”
Theo drew a deep breath, trying not to take the anger he felt toward Isaac and misdirect it toward his uncle. “I know what you must be thinkin’.”
“Oh, you got no idea what I’m thinkin’.Why on God’s green earth would you help that loser?”
“I ain’t helpin’ him. Isaac broke into the stockroom, stole my gun and my money.Tried to make me help him. I told him to get lost.Then I called the cops.”
Cy grimaced, as if wanting to believe but not quite able. “I ain’t an old fool. The man didn’t leave here naked.You gave clothes to a fugitive.”
“No way. He came here wearing old rags. We got migrants around here who work the tomato fields. I’m runnin’ the homeless out of my parking lot every night. He probably hit one, changed clothes after he broke in, and shoved the jumpsuit into a corner.”
“You told all this to the cops?”
58
James Grippando
“You know cops and me don’t mix. Four years on death row for
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