She sent him a silent thank you that he probably wouldn’t hear and went back to reading the thoughts around her.
Kellen was outside, his cop brain grimly scrambling through procedures and logistics.
She pulled back and focused on the thoughts coming from inside the building.
“I don’t get paid enough for this shit.”
“This goddamn air vent is too tight.”
“This is for you, Jackson.”
That last thought stood out from the rest. It wasn’t colored with anxiety or annoyance. It felt proud, purposeful. She zeroed in on it. “Help me out, guys,” she whispered to her spirit guides.
The clouds pulsed then shifted. Riley found herself peering through the mists into a bedroom. A teenage boy in ripped black jeans lay on the twin bed, staring up at the ceiling as silent tears slipped down his cheeks.
A visceral pain echoed in Riley’s chest.
“Jackson?”A younger teen ventured cautiously into the room.“Are you okay?”
“Go away, Hud,”Jackson said quietly.
It was a young, non-murdery Hudson Neudorfer.
“Mom says kids won’t be mean forever. Eventually everyone grows up,”Hudson said, his voice full of hope.
“Mom’s wrong,”Jackson whispered.
The clouds closed, like curtains on a stage. And when they parted again, it was to rapid-fire images. Jackson’s bedroom. An overturned chair. A rope fashioned around a pull-up bar. Feet dangling. Hudson’s cry.“Jackson! No!”
She felt it. The snap. The pain that transformed Hudson Neudorfer from hopeful teen to broken human.
Tears pricked at her eyes as the clouds muddled together again before offering her a peek at something new. The faces of three young, lively teens laughing. No. Not laughing. Taunting. One by one, they were all snuffed out like someone extinguishing a candle.
Her blood ran cold as the realization set in. She opened her eyes and stared at Hudson Neudorfer as he calmly unzipped the backpack he’d been carrying and unpacked a few items.
He’d begun his murderous rampage years before, starting with his brother’s bullies.
The phone in the sound booth rang. Everyone froze. It continued to ring.
“It’s probably the cops,” Chris called to Hudson. “Do you want us to answer it?”
Hudson gave Griffin’s chair a slow spin, then nodded once. “Put them through on the speaker,” he said imperiously.
“This is Detective Kellen Weber with the Harrisburg Police.”
Riley blew out a sigh of relief. With Kellen and Nick on the scene, they all had a good chance of walking out of here alive.
“Detective Weber. How nice to hear your voice again,” Hudson said.
“How are the hostages? Is everyone okay?” Kellen asked, his voice calm.
“Everyone is fine. For now,” Hudson said ominously.
“Let’s talk about it. I’m happy to listen to your demands. We can work with you to make sure no one gets hurt.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to work for me,” Hudson returned. “You see, I want some of them to get hurt.”
There was an instantaneous whispering amongst the hostages as they debated which hostages Hudson wanted to hurt.
