Chapter 35–Wednesday, 8:55PM

The first thing Herb noticed as he rounded the corner and approached the station was VBI car parked askance on the front sidewalk near the door. The second thing he noticed pulling up to the curb was the dark windows. Herb grabbed his flashlight from the console and exited his vehicle just as Truman and Capote arrived. The two of them were by his side in seconds.

“Looks like he cut power to the building,” Capote observed.

“I doubt it was him,” Herb said. “He’d know that he’d need electricity to gain access to the lab. Unless he cut it after he’d done in Ted, I’d guess Marge flipped a switch when he entered.”

“So the question is, where is he?” Truman noted.

“Where is he and what is he doing?” Herb added. “He’s got Monica, too.”

“She’s a handful,” Capote chuckled as he said it. “I’ve been her partner in self-defense classes. Every time I’ve ended up bruised and battered on the floor.”

“He’s drugged her then,” Herb spoke emphatically. He knew there was another option, she was in cahoots with Woodstalk, but he pushed that idea from his mind. She was a hostage. Drugged up or...

Truman said it as Herb thought it, “Or killed her.”

Herb sprang into action, “You two take the front. I’ll take the back. Meet at the lab door.”

“Sir!” Herb stopped. He was already three strides away. “We need radio contact. We don’t want to shoot each other.”

“And we need to be able to call for backup if something goes wrong,” Capote added.

Herb hated to do it. Didn’t want Woodstalk to hear a thing. But he knew Tru and Cap were right. “Alright,” he agreed. “Pick a number between 10 and 20.”

“Sir?” Truman was puzzled.

“Pick a number between 10 and 20!” Herb repeated himself impatiently as he reached in the car and snatched up his radio.

“Seventeen,” Capote said.

“Channel 17 it is,” Herb said, dialing in the right frequency and shoving the unit’s earbud in place. “Emergency contact only.”

“Understood,” Truman said.

Herb was around the corner of the building and out of sight before Capote could respond.