“No,” Sophie Conrad interjected over the open communication channel to stop
Nace Bilby,
“No killing.”
Glancing around, she found Lee Jordan peering out of the backseat window, making a face at the felled suspect.
“We’re good here in Vehicle Three,” she continued, addressing Jason West.
Thereafter passing the communicator to Chase, she returned her attention to the firearm she had picked up off the floor of the driver’s seat--the firearm their assailant had dropped. Methodically, she ejected the magazine from the Ruger SR9 and unloaded its chamber.
“They’re fleeing. Something’s more important than their friend,” Chase nodded to Sophie, then spoke into the communicator:
“Nace, give us directions. We might be able to cut them off somewhere,” his arm stung from the altercation and he rolled his shoulder to shrug it off.
“Take the car,” with a quick and critical glance at Chase’s arm, the young doctor grabbed her bag and hopped out of the SUV,
“If Jason brings his around the corner, you might be able to box them in from--”
The voice of Ivy Monaghan piped up from the communicator, interrupting, and Sophie lifted her head to give the Lead Instructor a frown of concern. The suspects were armed and, though she remained silent, she shook her head firmly to indicate that she did not approve of sending a Junior Detective--only first time out in the field--in pursuit.
"Permission granted, Ivy. Stay safe--
“Hold, Ivy,” the command from Chase punctuated through the open channel,
“use indirect pursuit and report to us. Do not engage. I repeat, do not engage.”
“Go,” Sophie urged and stepped aside to allow Chase reentry into the vehicle, even as she pulled out her own communicator from the side-pocket of her bag.
“Have her come around the junction and look for me. I’ll need someone to watch him--” she nodded at the unconscious perpetrator,
“--while I go to the man down in the front.”
Just then, the backseat window of the SUV descended with incongruous languidity and Lee popped his head out to chime:
“I found it!” In his hands, he held a bundle of plastic cuffs.
Thus, with Chase Devineaux back at the wheel, the SUV grinded onto the tarmac and sped east on 2nd Street. Sophie turned away from the ensuing dust cloud, still watching the unmoving assailant--now bound at wrists and ankles--from the corner of her gaze. She opened a private channel to the Lead Instructor:
“This is about more than Kokeshi, yes?” her words were low and grave as she deposited the disassembled Ruger SR9 into a transparent evidence bag.
“I will call in the Albatross.”
[fieldset=Co-written With:][with]1[/with][/fieldset]
[fieldset=Approved Character Mention:][with]22[/with][/fieldset]