‘Those that surrendered were disturbingly professional about how they conducted themselves, which makes me wonder what’s to come. I don’t like it when suspects go along with us as though things were carefully rehearsed. Gives me a bad feeling.’
Lorne almost spoke but held his tongue, though with difficulty. He knew all too well the necessity of catching the suspects in the act. Had Security not done so, charges against the gunmen would have been far less serious.
‘What happens now? A life spent in hiding in the Witness Protection Program?’
‘Hardly,’ Garth smiled. ‘Their little show didn’t come off as planned so the chance of a repeat performance is virtually nil.’
‘Don’t be too sure,’ Lorne admonished. ‘If, as you say, the gunmen conducted themselves as though things were carefully rehearsed, then obviously their failure was planned.’
Garth shook his head dismissively. ‘If that were true, then none of the gunmen would have resisted-’
‘I think you should explore the possibility, to my mind the probability, that the two that died were not informed as were the others.’
Garth considered this in silence for several moments. At last he said slowly, ‘You know, you may be right about that. Upon consideration, it simply doesn’t make sense for any of the gunmen not to have had the same poise as the others, not unless, as you say, the two were chosen for their lack of poise, in which case . . .’