What the others in the group didn’t know was that McKinley had become disillusioned. Even though he had founded the group, he no longer believed it was possible to change society. So he decided to use Liberty Makers for his own purposes. He had learned about a shipment of gold and silver bars that would be aboard a tractor-trailer traveling from Boise, Idaho, to a processing plant in Vancouver, Washington. He wanted to rob the truck but needed a distraction so that he could get away clean.

The attack at Fairgate Mall provided that distraction. He persuaded the group that a blitz attack on the mall, followed by the holding of hostages, would bring needed attention to their cause.

McKinley’s plan worked. By the time the theft of the precious metals was reported, all law enforcement within a hundred miles was busy responding to the unfolding tragedy at Fairgate Mall. A robbery, even one of such high-value items, had to be put on the back burner.

In the intervening weeks, authorities have not been able to locate McKinley or any associates he may have had and they fear that he may have fled the country. The two surviving attackers—Skinner and Gabriel Bond—claim to have had no knowledge of McKinley’s secondary plan and not to know his current whereabouts.

Together, We Can Make a Difference

TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

3:53 P.M.

FIVE MONTHS LATER

Carrying the cardboard tray from Perk Me Up, Miranda takes a deep breath and steps into the food court. Fairgate Mall looks like it did just before the shooting started five months ago. Then as now, people are eating, chatting, checking their phones, carrying shopping bags, bustling in and out of stores. The Christmas music has been replaced with something more generic. In a flash of memory, Miranda sees that bell ringer again, with the slogan on her red bucket. “Together, we can make a difference.”

In her mind’s eye, she can also still see the bodies, the blood, the broken glass and overturned chairs. See Gabriel Bond gliding down the escalator, unhurriedly raising his automatic rifle to shoot the wounded woman lying at its foot. Smell the smoke, the fire extinguisher’s chemicals, and the stench of her own fear. Hear the gunshots, the fire alarm, the screams, the explosions.

This is the first time Miranda has been back since the night the paramedics carried her out. Now it takes all her willpower to keep moving toward the table where Javier, Amina, Parker, and Grace are waiting.