FLUORESCENT LIGHTS flickered on in the dilapidated warehouse. Finally, Reuben thought. He had been making good time, considering his department issue flashlight was his only weapon against the shadows. But now that the Calvary had gotten through to Electric Light & Power, he could pick up the pace.
And pick up the pace he’d better, before that same Calvary rumbled in, wanting to know how he managed to get there thirty minutes ahead of them. Thank the investigative gods he was able to wiggle through a gap in the boarded plywood, in the rear of the building. If not, he might still be out there with them.
Reuben completed the third floor as thoroughly as he could in haste, and exited the fire door. Powerful, determined legs hopped two steps at a time up to the fourth floor landing. He stopped abruptly.
A blood trail?
The path of red crumbs led both up to the fifth floor, and back down to the one he’d just completed searching. He didn’t cloud his mind with the thought of whose blood it might be, but rather, where it originated.
Had to start from above. They came in through the roof.
Reuben reversed course, taking the steps down three at a time. He followed the trail to the first floor. If his instincts were worth anything, the gathering of droplets uncovered behind the landing door, had to be two to three hours old.
He spotted a larger patch of blood fifteen feet away, and bounded over to investigate. It looked to him more like an impact splotch, rather than drippings from a wound.
If Reg was chasing Fare, and Fare was bleeding, he could have followed the trail into an ambush.
Detective Reuben Garcia balked at what the evidence was telling him. His partner was six feet, two hundred fifteen pounds, could bench press a lot, and was one of the fastest men on the force. He had seen Reg take out a wrestler-built security guard, with one punch, when the guy was stupid enough to provoke him.
I wouldn’t even want a part of Reg if he was riled up. No way could Fare have …
Reuben whipped his glock in the direction of a peripheral flash. The item he saw lying under a rusted industrial cutter, returned him to his depressing theory. He darted over, saw the blood on Reg’s badge, and stormed back to the droplets to see if there was more trail to follow.