Chapter 14: Crisis and Conclusion

Hawk

I snapped the phone closed and looked at the crew. Gretchen had somehow come through with a description of our guy. True, he might not be the killer, but he was the best suspect or witness that I had. The connection with the Right Reverend was more than a little confusing, but once we had all the players in hand, the motives would become clear.

Right now we had to intercept this Snake Eyes character before he did anything permanent to Southland38.

"Time to roll, boys" I said. "Gretchen thinks the killer is on his way to corner someone in the conference area."

I stopped to call security. De Luca wasn't there but I got them moving and hung up.

We piled into the nearest elevator and I leaned against the back wall. I held my stomach and wished this infernal cramping would stop. I didn't have time to deal with physical discomfort. I straightened when I saw Ted give me the eye.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Fine," I lied. "I'm just tired."

He didn't look like he believed me so I put on my most innocent smile. That just deepened his frown.

I was saved from further inquisition when the elevator door opened. With only a slight limp, I made my way into the lobby. That's when things started going wrong.

The first problem was Tom Price. He was waiting to get into the elevator and puffed up like a blowfish when he saw Ted.

"You bastard!" he shouted. "You broke into my room and stole everything!"

Ted stood his ground. "I didn't. And even if I did, you've got no room to complain after breaking into our suite. Give it up, Price. You've lost. Again."

Price turned red and bristled.

I didn't have time to deal with him. I pushed past Price just as he came at Ted. As Price shoved me aside, the stairwell door opened and the man that had to be Snake Eyes came out. Followed by the Right Reverend.

They were no more than three feet from me. I'd been a cop long enough to spot trouble when I saw it. The one guy's eyes gave him away. They were cold and emotionless - a killer's eyes.

I saw a flash of recognition as he locked eyes with me. God, they were a snake's eyes. I'd been made. His hand slipped inside his jacket and came out with a silenced pistol. No one else seemed to catch on to the danger right next to us.

Everything dropped into slow motion. I swung my fist at his arm and only barely deflected his aim before the sharp "pop" of the silenced shot swept over me. It wasn't completely quiet, but it didn't sound like a gunshot either. With hardly a sound, Price fell backwards.

The pistol went spinning out of Snake Eye's hand. I tried to follow up the disarmament with a strike to his throat, but he moved like a greased pig. He punched me in the stomach and I staggered back in gripping pain.

He spun away and rushed into the confused crowd with the guys finally twigging to the danger and taking off after him in a pack. They weren't alone. Several other men in the lobby also took off in pursuit. Other's shrieked and ran around in circles, panicked. Thankfully, several people were trying to help Price.

I started after the shooter, but my legs suddenly felt like lead. I staggered and almost fell from the cramp that tied my belly into a knot. I felt someone catch me before I fell.

"Are you okay?" a woman's voice asked. A blonde woman my age was holding me up.

I started to tell her I was fine, but another wave of pain washed over me. "No," I admitted through gritted teeth. "I..."

A sudden warmth of wetness flowed down my legs. Christ, I'd wet myself. The woman stared down at my legs. This was more than embarrassing.

The woman stared at me in surprise. "Your water just broke, didn't it?"

A wave of cold washed over me. Oh God, not now. I nodded wordlessly at her.

"We need to get you sitting down," she said. Her voice sounded a lot calmer than I felt. She turned her head to the man next to us. "She's going into labor. Help me get her to a chair."

"I don't think so," a familiar voice said. I forced myself to concentrate and looked more closely at the man. It was the Right Reverend Swaggwell.

I started to say something tart when the woman holding me gasped. A glance down revealed why. The Right Reverend had picked up the fallen pistol. He had it digging into the woman's side.

"Take her into the elevator. Now." His voice was calm and conversational. His eyes, however, were completely mad.

I didn't resist as we were herded into the elevator. The woman held me upright and she turned so that her body was between me and the gun. Brave, but ultimately a futile gesture.

"She needs to see a doctor," the woman said with almost no tremor to her voice. "Which deck is the infirmary?"

I told her and she pushed it. Swaggwell just smiled at us.

"This is stupid," I told him. "There's no way you can get away. We're on a ship and God only knows how many people saw you with the gun. Give it up already."

"You have woman's work to do, Shauna. Focus on that. You're about to witness God's miracle." He sounded just as calm and gentle as he would when talking to his flock, I'm sure. His use of my name like that made me grit my teeth.

The elevator door opened and we just had time to step out before what looked like a full EMT team with a stretcher bolted into the elevator. That left the nurse at the station alone with us.

Swaggwell had the pistol dug into my helper's back as she helped me forward. Her hands barely trembled as she helped me to the desk. "Her water broke. She's in labor."

The nurse took the news more calmly than I would've in her place. "Let's get her into this first room on the right."

I was going to warn her about the gun but a contraction took my breath away. It was all I could do to stay on my feet.

The nurse and my helper got me onto the examination table. "You'll have to wait outside," the nurse told Swaggwell.

He smiled and shook his head. He also showed her the pistol. "No, I don't think so." The nurse froze. "I don't understand."

Swaggwell shook his head. "Just get her into a gown."

It's not like they had much of a choice. He sat down in a chair, leveled the gun at us, and watched them undress me with those mad eyes. When they had me in a gown and settled on the table, he gestured at the door. "You may leave and get the doctor."

The nurse bolted out the door, but the woman that had been helping me shook her head. "This is crazy. I'm not leaving her in here alone with you. Just let her go."

His smile was filled with compassion all at odds with the gun he held. "Then, by all means stay. Birthing is a woman's work, after all. In fact, that's a much better idea than a doctor coming in here. He might try something stupid."

The woman visibly swallowed. "Look, I don't know what your problem is, but she needs a doctor."

Swaggwell pointed at the phone. "When someone calls, you can find out what you need to do. This is actually a much better idea. If God chooses to allow the children to survive then it must be His will."

The woman paled. "Children?" Her eyes slid to mine. "You're carrying more than one child? How early are you?"

"Twins," I said, my mouth dry. "I'm more than a month early." I looked at Swaggwell. "This is because I'm a lesbian, isn't it? What do you hope to gain out of this? You can't scare me straight, you know."

The phone rang, startling all of us. The woman picked it up, looking at Swaggwell as she spoke quietly. I went through another contraction while they spoke. Now I knew they weren't cramps.

"The doctor wants to speak with you," she said, setting the phone on the counter. Swaggwell motioned for her to walk over to me and picked up the phone.

The woman took my hand. "He's not going to let anyone else in here, is he?"

I shook my head. "I doubt it. He's crazy. I'm afraid that he wants to kill me after I give birth."

Her eyes widened even further. "We've got to stop him. I've got to stop him."

I shook my head. My eyes bored into hers. "You need to focus on the children. Listen very carefully to me. My babies are more important than I am. Focus. Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

She visibly calmed herself. "I started pre-med in the eighties. I don't know if I can do this."

"What's your name?"

"Regan."

"I'm Hawk. Just focus on what we're doing. You can do this. I can do this."

Swaggwell set the phone down and resumed his seat, interrupting us. "Good news, Shauna. The doctor has a surprise for you. It seems your father-in-law made sure that a

specialist in premature babies took a vacation with you. And he brought all his equipment. Those children might just live after all."

Regan went to speak on the phone. I stared at Swaggwell. "What will killing me gain you?"

"Your mind is warped by your deviancy," he assured me. "This is all for the best. Focus on the children, now."

The door swung open, surprising all of us. Swaggwell tracked the gun to point at the door. Gretchen stood there and my heart sank. "No. No. No! Turn around and get out of here," I said.