“Suggestion that we also evacuate the rooms immediately below Hamilton. If there is gunfire, they would be the most likely to take collateral. We can do that before SWAT arrives.”

“Excellent. Let’s do it.” Matt ordered the six officers—two each—to stand guard at each of the staircases. No guests would be allowed upstairs until they cleared the building. There were some grumblings, but the hotel provided everyone with free drink coupons.

Matt and Michael went to the third floor and quietly spoke to each of the guests in the four rooms in the northern corner. Two were businessmen traveling, and another room was a young couple. The room directly below Hamilton was a family—parents and two young kids, including an infant. They had all been sleeping.

Michael said quietly to Matt, “Take those four down, I’ll help the family out. This is starting to get noisy, and we don’t want to alert him.”

Matt agreed, left Michael with the family and escorted the other guests to the southern staircase and downstairs.

He was about to go back up to assist Michael when Kara called.

“He’s here,” she said.

“When?”

“He walked in with a group at two-thirty this afternoon. Blended right in. Could have been waiting outside until he found the right way to enter. I missed him the first time. He wore a brimmed hat, but the same trench coat he had on Saturday. It’s the only way I noticed him. Went straight to the elevator and hasn’t left.”

“Excellent. Ryder is monitoring the live feeds. SWAT is here, I told them to set up in the back in case Hamilton is looking out his window. If you’re done, we can use help with the evacuation and keeping everyone calm.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Matt pocketed his phone and went back up to the third floor. Michael was still standing outside the door that housed the family. Michael held up his hand to have Matt stay where he was, then Matt got a text message from him.

These people don’t know the meaning of be quiet. I’ll get them out but be alert.

Matt was about to confirm when an explosion shook the hotel. He looked down the hall and saw dust falling on Michael as Michael ran into room 360.

Then another explosion sounded, and suddenly, one came after another, the lights went out, and the fire alarms wailed.

50

Spokane
11:35 p.m.

Kara froze when the lights went out, then a generator kicked in and emergency lighting engaged.

She ran back down the hall to the security office where Ryder was going through the video feeds. They were all black.

“They’re gone,” he told her, shouting over the piercing alarm. “Emergency power isn’t going to run the cameras.”

“That was six explosions,” she said.

“His makeshift Molotov cocktails. He could have six more, based on the receipt.”

“We have to get these people out.”

They left the security room and people were coming out of the stairs in various states of dress. SWAT rushed in through the side doors.