Jake figured he and Granderson would go down the stairwell, but as he turned in that direction, his gaze happened to land on the small elevator tucked into a corner. The library was an old building that had been remodeled numerous times over the years, so he figured the elevator had been added at some point to make it ADA-compliant.

The really interesting thing about it, though, was that the downward-pointing arrow on the panel above the doors was lit. That meant the elevator was descending from an upper floor.

The implications of that burst through Jake’s brain like an explosion. He snapped, “Come on!” at Granderson and broke into a run toward the elevator.

If the campus cop wondered what was going on, he didn’t hang back to ask questions. He just charged after Jake, who lunged forward to stab a finger against the elevator button.

Just in time, too. Another second and the elevator would have been past ground level. But Jake had been able to catch it, and with a little ding, the light above the doors came on. They started to slide open.

A man inside was already desperately pushing a button to close them again. The doors came to a jerky stop when they were only half open. That gap was wide enough for Jake to look into the small, enclosed space and see two men standing there, a tall, rangy black guy and a shorter, stockier white guy with a brush of red hair and a close-cropped beard. Both were armed.

Reactions on both sides were almost instantaneous. They had to be, because the doors had started to slide closed again. Jake and Granderson crouched and poured lead into the cubicle. The men in the elevator returned the fire. The roar of shots was too loud for Jake to hear anything except that, but he felt the disturbance in the air as slugs whipped past his ears. More than once, a hot breath blew against his cheek.

Then he stuck a foot out at the last second to stop the doors from closing and prevent the elevator from continuing its descent. The echoes of the gun-thunder died away into a hollow silence. Jake kept his pistol leveled at the opening. He had kept count of his rounds and knew he had two shots left.

“Push the button again, Granderson, so the door will open,” he told the campus cop.

“I’d . . . like to,” Granderson said in a strained voice, “but I don’t think . . .”

Jake threw a quick look at his ally. Granderson had gone down to one knee. He had a forearm propped on that knee as he leaned forward. The gun was in that hand. The other hand was on the floor to help brace him. Bloodstains spread on his shirtfront in a couple of different places.

“Damn it,” Jake grated. “How bad—”

Granderson was breathing hard. He pointed his gun at the elevator doors and said, “You just . . . open ’em up. I’ll be . . . ready.”
Jake kept his foot in place and stretched to the side to push the button again. The doors began to open. As they did, he stepped back hurriedly and brought his pistol to bear, too.

There was no need for that. The two guys in the elevator were both dead, shot to pieces.

- Chapter 42