Episode 91
[Author’s Note: We’ve returned to Rin, right after the events of episode 89.]
(Washington D.C., August 7, 2019)
“What can I do for you?” Rin asked sweetly as she opened the door of Katrina’s house. A taser buzzed against her neck. Tased twice in the span of an hour? She’d have to look at investing in the company. Rin kneed the man in the groin, then discharged a bullet into his head. A hail of gunfire erupted in response, each bullet registering as a slight tapping sensation. Rin felt a firmer tap on her forehead. There it was. The other good reason to send Katrina and the kids to the basement.
She spotted two snipers on the roof of a house down the block. That was annoying. She would have to deal with them but didn’t possess any reasonable means of doing so at the moment. Ignoring the occasional sniper round, Rin finished killing the six men who had emerged from the cars. She walked over and inspected the vehicles. Nothing. She had hoped for a spare rifle, but the trunks were empty.
The stronger taps didn’t feel like 0.50 cals, but it was hard to be sure. As impacts grew in magnitude, the corresponding sensations leveled out. It was as difficult for Rin to distinguish between a 20mm anti-aircraft round and an explosive 120mm tank shell as between a grenade and a truck full of TNT. Judging from the sound, she guessed the snipers were using Lapua 0.338’s. Well, it didn’t matter. They were out of reach at any caliber.
Rin walked back inside, closed the door, and hastened to the basement. Katrina was sheltering with the kids under the cellar stairs. The boy and girl didn’t say anything, and Rin was impressed by how well-behaved they were. The two clearly were scared, but nonetheless seemed to enjoy the excitement. Maybe there was hope for Daryl’s ridiculous little family.
She quickly explained her plan to Katrina, occasionally addressing the children to make clear that they had a part to play as well. In her experience, the easiest way to get kids to cooperate was to treat them like adults.
Rin had to admit that it wasn’t a great plan, but it would suffice under the circumstances. There hadn’t been time to formulate a better one, and the fault for this was entirely her own. She could have come up with a great plan if she had thought through the whole thing instead of just traipsing up to Katrina’s front door at the first hint that Daryl was in danger. Well, there was no use crying over spilt milk. Her focus now was on keeping Katrina and her kids from becoming spilt milk.
Once everyone understood their role, Rin went outside and got into the police car that had been parked in the driveway. Fortunately, the other cars weren’t blocking it. The key was in the ignition, so at least she didn’t have to waste time scrounging for it on the dead cops. She started the car, slammed on the accelerator, and smashed through the garage door. Crap, it was meant to be in reverse. She shifted properly, backed out of the driveway, and tore down the street.
Shattering glass announced that the snipers had taken the bait. Rin took a four-block detour, long enough to seem plausible but still leaving plenty of time before backup would arrive. She made sure the route was as exposed as possible to the snipers. By the time she turned away from them, the car was a mess. To her surprise, none of the tires were flapping. What sort of snipers wouldn’t shoot out the tires? Had they only aimed at her? Rin wondered if they were overconfident or just incompetent.
She took a much wider route back, completely out of sight of the snipers, and pulled onto the street behind Daryl’s own. Rin stopped in front of the house two down and across from Daryl’s backyard. There was no clear line of sight from there. Even if the snipers suspected that she had doubled back, what came next would be hidden from them.
Katrina and the kids apparently had done their part and were waiting exactly where she had instructed. When Rin drove up, they immediately jumped into the car. She gave the kids credit for keeping their heads. Some of their old man must have rubbed off on them.
Rin drove a few more blocks, and then pulled into a dirt parking lot at the trailhead to a small local forest. Several cars were already parked there, and she used a tire iron from the trunk of her own to break into an older Subaru. Most newer models were difficult to hot-wire, but this one had a classic ignition which turned out to be a breeze.
She herded Katrina into the driver’s seat of the Subaru and the kids into the back. For some reason, the woman seemed more bothered by the idea of stealing a car than being chased by armed goons. Rin sighed. Ah, the trappings and traps of modern society. She stopped herself. Now was not the time for a general critique. She needed to instruct Katrina on the next part of the plan — and quickly. This only would work if nobody saw the Subaru leave.
If anybody showed up before then, Rin would have to deal with them. Keeping Katrina calm could then become quite the challenge. The woman no doubt had all sorts of absurd qualms about killing, and she definitely would try to shield her precious little kids from such a thing. Well, they’d have to grow up someday, and today was as good as any. At least, they wouldn’t see their mom get killed. Rin closed the car door on Katrina and leaned in through the open window.
“Don’t turn off the engine, and pray it doesn’t stall. If it does, just get out and find a car or bus or something. Do you know a nearby mall? Ten to fifteen miles would be ideal.” Before the woman could answer, she added, “a real mall, not a strip mall.”
Katrina thought for a moment. “Flower Hill Mall is around that far.”
Rin nodded approvingly. “How much cash do you have?”
Katrina looked in her wallet and counted eighty dollars. Rin had only one hundred and thirty, which she gave to the woman.
“Drive to the mall and park your car far from the entrance but between two large vehicles, ideally vans or pickup trucks. Then, go inside and buy some clothes for yourself and the kids. Cheap shit, not the stuff you normally wear.” She smiled at Katrina. “Well, different cheap shit than you normally wear.”
The woman just stared at her. Listening was good, shock was not. Rin snapped her finger in Katrina’s face. “Are you paying attention?”
Katrina nodded.
“It will be too risky to go back to the car, so change in a locker room or bathroom. Throw out your old clothes and everything else on your persons. We don’t know what’s been bugged or worse. Push them under other trash when you do so. The harder we make it for these people, the more time we’ll have.”
“Everything?” Katrina murmured.
Rin gave her a sharp look. “Everything. Wedding ring, jewelry, phone, watch. All of it.”
“Can I at least leave the ring with you?” Katrina pleaded.
Rin smirked. Well, wouldn’t that be ironic.
“No,” she snapped, but then softened. Would she treat Katrina this way if the woman wasn’t Daryl’s wife? Well, she wouldn’t be saving her either. Rin sighed. She couldn’t put herself in Katrina’s shoes, but she at least could add some honey to the medicine. Taking the ring actually wasn’t a bad idea. If it had a tracker, the pursuers would be led to her instead of Katrina. The problem was that the woman would want it back.
Rin smiled at her. “As you know, I’m somewhat durable. Stuff that I have on me… well, it doesn’t tend to do as well.”
Katrina looked disappointed but seemed to understand.
“I’m sure he’ll get you a new one when this is over,” Rin offered. “Heck, you can renew your vows with brand-new rings to celebrate your second chance together — or whatever other delusional rubbish you want.”
She leaned in and whispered in Katrina’s ear. “Of course, that will be harder to do if you’re dead.” Rin stood and looked at her watch. “Which is precisely what will happen very soon if we don’t get moving.”
She took a piece of paper from the glove compartment of the old car, found a pen in the new one, and wrote an address and the names of two streets. She handed the sheet to Katrina, along with a key.
“Take this. It’s the key to my apartment, and that’s the address. It would be best if you memorized it, but I won’t assume you can under the circumstances. So bring it with you, but keep it folded in your pocket. Do not open it anywhere there may be a camera. Do not leave it on the dashboard. If you need to consult it, pull the car over, away from any overpasses or signs. Then unfold it and read it in your pocket. Imagine it’s your bank account PIN. Got it?”
Katrina nodded.
“Leave the big mall when you’re done changing, then walk to a nearby strip mall or store. Call a cab from a payphone or borrow somebody’s cell. Do not take the cab to my place or tell the address to the cabby. Do not consult the piece of paper in the cab. Cabs often have cameras. Memorize the intersection I wrote down before you get in the cab, then take it there. When you get out, look around. A bank will be visible. Walk toward the bank and continue down that street for two more blocks. There, you’ll find my apartment. If you have trouble, do not ask for directions. Just buy a map and use it.”
Katrina quietly took this all in. Meanwhile, the kids in the back seemed thrilled with their new adventure. Rin wondered whether they were brave or simply oblivious to the real danger. The two were often the same.
“What then?” Katrina asked.
“I’ll meet you there when it’s safe. Probably in a few hours, but maybe longer. Now get moving.”
Katrina rolled up the window and started backing up, but Rin slapped the window with her hand. “One more thing,” she explained once it had rolled down again. “Keep under the speed limit. Your instinct will be to rush, but that’s exactly the wrong thing to do. You’re just a normal family out for a normal visit to the mall.” She turned to leave, but Katrina grabbed her hand.
“Thank you.” The woman’s voice was trembling.
Rin smiled. “You’re welcome.”
Something inside her winced at being thanked. It meant she was doing something wrong.