“Taking Mr. Grant and Ms. Richards to a hotel after the bail hearing.” Someone knew exactly when they were leaving, that was the only explanation for them to be able to act so quickly. “We need to check surveillance cameras in the area. A white florist van, I don’t know the name, but there was a large picture of flowers taking up the entire driver’s side panel. Two suspects, the shooter was a white or light Hispanic male, but that’s all I got. I couldn’t see the license plate, but they were parked outside the archives building in the loading zone the entire time I was here.” He paused. “The back doors were open on the van, so they pretended they were delivering something.” They could have been there for an hour. Someone had to have seen them. This was a major intersection with several government buildings and the courthouse, and there were security cameras all over the place.

The officer wrote everything down.

Sean was supposed to protect them. But clearly, someone had tipped off the shooter. Who? Someone who worked in the courthouse? Someone Stan reached out to in the hours he was waiting for release?

The van was there when you arrived ten minutes ago. They were waiting. How long?

“Marie,” Sean said as the ambulance pulled up behind Sean’s car.

“Stan. I need to go with him to the hospital.”

“They’re working on him right now. He’s alive, that’s all I know. Marie, listen to me. This is important. Did Stan talk to anyone while you were waiting for his bail and ankle monitor?”

“I … yes … but—”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. He used my phone.”

“May I take it? Someone knew when you were leaving.”

The officer said, “I don’t know about that—”

Marie ignored him and handed Sean her phone. “The passcode is four-four-two-one.”

“You go with Stan. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

He helped her stand, inspected her head. “You have a bump, you should be looked at for a possible concussion.”

Spontaneously she hugged him, tears beginning to flow. “You saved my life. You risked everything for me, I’ll never forget that. My boys—” She choked up. “My boys.” That was all she needed to say.

“Don’t leave the hospital until we talk. You shouldn’t go anywhere alone until we figure out what’s going on. But I think Stan was the primary target.” But the shooter didn’t care if they hit anyone else. And if the shooter thought Stan might have said something to Marie, she could also be in danger.

So could Max.

The shooter was good. Of the five shots, three hit Stan, one grazed Sean, and one missed completely. Sean hadn’t clearly seen the weapon, but it looked and sounded like a small-arms semi-automatic pistol. Well-trained, possible former military.