Say Your Goodbyes

by Linda Ladd

  Once Harve and Rico disappeared into Black’s private elevator, Claire sat down on the couch beside Novak. “I told Black I wanted my cabin back, you know, exactly the way it was. So guess what he did?”

  “I did exactly what you asked me to,” Black interjected, taking a chair directly across from them. “It’s practically a duplicate of the old one.”

  “Oh yeah, except you made it about ten times its original size.”

  “That’s exaggerating it. Anyway, your place was cramped. I needed room to stretch out my legs when we stay out there.”

  These two, Claire and Black, they were quite a couple. They were happy together. Almost as happy as Novak had been with Sarah. The thought of her and the twins brought up another wave of anger, the old and ever-present and awful anguish inside his heart. At the moment, anything anybody said or did made him angry.

  “The killer’s coming here,” he told them abruptly, interrupting their teasing argument about Claire’s new cabin.

  Black and Claire went quiet. Stopped smiling, too.

  “You’re sure?” Claire asked.

  “I’m positive.”

  “How do you know?” Black asked him, frowning and leaning toward him.

  “Because that little girl in there? She’s got a GPS chip embedded inside her body. That’s the way he tracks people. I don’t know if he put it in her or somebody else did, but it’s there. I found it.”

  Claire jumped up and stared down at him. “Damn it, Novak. Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Would it have made a difference?”

  “Well, no, but Black could have taken it out before we left Belize.”

  Novak knew exactly what she was thinking. “You’re right. He could have. I could have. And I know that you and Rico and Harve are all in danger if we stay here. So are all of those people out there enjoying themselves. But the only way for me to get him is to lure him onto our turf. He’s too resourceful down there on his own playing field. He wants that little girl for some reason and he’s not going to stop until he gets her. That’s why we need to get him first.”

  Black frowned. “So you’ve got a plan to do that, I take it.”

  “That’s right. First thing, we need to move the girl out to Claire’s cabin on the cove. I’ll go with her, and I’ll protect her there. The rest of you stay here. I don’t want to worry about anybody else getting hurt because of me. No telling what this guy would do if he got hold of any of us. He’d either murder you outright or use you as a pawn to get the child back.” He paused, thinking of Jenn again—how she must have looked with her throat cut, how it must have gaped open as blood gushed out. Novak swallowed down that god-awful vision. “I will understand if you don’t want me to do this here on the lake. This guy is dangerous. Just say the word and I’ll take the girl down to my house at Bonne Terre. I probably should have taken her there in the first place. Almost did do that, in fact, but she’s still not out of the woods and I wanted Black to take care of her until she gets well.”

  Claire was still standing in front of him. Now her fists were planted on her hips. She did not look pleased. “Get real, Novak. No way are you doing this alone. Not against this guy. I’m going out there with you. Black can stay here and guard Rico and take care of the little girl.”

  “Like hell I’m staying here,” Black told her emphatically, but still as calm and reasonable as always. “I’ve got bodyguards on staff who protect Rico around the clock. He likes them. Doesn’t know their job is to watch him. Nobody can get through my hotel security and get to either one of those kids.”

  “Looks like it’s two against one, Novak.” Claire again.

  “Yeah, it does. Okay, I guess I’m glad to have your help. If you mean it.”

  Claire gave Novak a look. “Do I ever say things I don’t mean, Novak?”

  “No. Okay, thank you. I just don’t want anything else to happen. He cannot get his hands on her again.” He paused and looked at Black. “How good is that security you put in at Claire’s cabin?”

  “Best in the world. Bar none.”

  “Infrared?”

  “That’s right, and top-of-the-line. Live and recorded video feeds into the safe room.”

  “Just inside the cabin?”

  “No. I had them put night vision cameras all around the woods Harve owns across the lake from Claire’s cabin, plus behind the cabin and all down the road and up the shoreline to where the main channel of the lake starts. Anything bigger than a mouse moves on her property, or Harve’s, we’ll know it.”

  For the first time in days, Novak felt good about the state of affairs. “Okay, then. Let’s get going. We have a very small slice of time to set up. This guy cannot best us this time. And we all know now what that bastard’s capable of.”

  Encouraged, Novak sat down with them to plan it out. They had the element of surprise this time. But the Mayan thought he did. He thought they didn’t know he was coming. He didn’t know they knew about the child’s chip and had removed it. So they would be waiting, and he was in for one hell of a nasty surprise.

  Two nights later, Novak sat in Claire’s brand-new living room in front of her brand-new gigantic A-framed window. The drapes were wide open, every light in the house switched on. On the wall to the left of Novak’s big leather recliner, a giant flat-screen TV was tuned in to Scooby-Doo. Novak was not watching it, and the sound was turned off. Instead, he was staring down at the cell phone he held in his lap. It displayed live feeds from the impressive infrared security system that Black had set up for Claire’s safety. Novak had never seen such a home protection system in his life, nothing even close. Fort Knox would probably envy this system. It must have cost Black a pretty penny. The guy definitely wanted to keep his wife safe. And good luck with that. Not with her track record with the bad guys she pursued, first as a homicide detective and now in private work. She seemed to attract murderous serial killers. The security system fully illuminated any movement on any property edging Claire’s cove, and that meant from the beach to the outer perimeter roads. Anything moved out there, Novak saw it. A control center with large monitors had been set up in the safe room upstairs, right beside their master bedroom. It was, of course, the most secure place in the house, with steel-enforced doors and fortified locks—impenetrable, unless the intruder had a hunk of C-4 and a death wish. Black was protective, all right. But he had reason to be, considering Claire’s past. Not to mention Black’s own background.

  Since they had formulated the plan on the day they’d arrived at the lake, they had been carrying out surveillance religiously, twenty-four hours a day. They took turns with Black’s team of hotel security guards, but Novak pretty much stayed on duty and grabbed a few hours whenever he could. He was always in that chair when darkness descended on the lake, because that’s when Novak expected the Mayan to strike. Claire was now upstairs in the safe room, heavily armed. Harve Lester was at his house with a couple of other guys, watching the entrance road and his end of the lake, all of them equipped with night vision goggles. More security guards were stationed around the perimeter, some up in tree stands, others concealed on the ground, all watching for the Mayan to show up. Because he was coming.

  Novak estimated the time and figured he would strike soon, maybe even tonight, tomorrow night at the latest. He would not have wasted time getting to the lake; he wanted the little girl too much. Well, that was just fine and dandy, because the killer was walking into a trap this time. The child was conscious most of the time now, but not saying a single word, not telling them her name or anything else. She was safe in her bedroom at Cedar Bend tonight, with Claire’s former police partner here at the lake, Bud Davis, and her friend Joe McKay on duty inside and outside her room. None of them were taking the Mayan’s skills lightly. Novak had told them how deadly he was. Novak was pretty sure the killer would be approaching Claire’s cabin sometime tonight. He’d come in the dark, and he’d come in over the water. The cove was an isolated place, private and quiet and dark, and a
ll that lined up with the Mayan’s past preferences. He’d infiltrate the cabin and kill its occupants, and then he’d either take the girl or kill her, Novak was sure of it.

  To the right of Novak’s chair, which faced the window, lying on the big dark-gray sectional was a police homicide dummy approximating a child’s size and weight, the kind used to determine how a victim would land if thrown off a cliff or out of a building. Claire had gotten it from the Canton County sheriff’s department, where she’d once worked as a homicide detective. The dummy’s head was lying on a pillow facing the television, where it would be hard for anyone to see it. The rest of it was covered with blankets. It looked real. It would’ve fooled Novak if he had been outside watching with binoculars, the way the Mayan would have to do. It looked like a beaten and slashed-up little girl watching cartoons before going to bed. At first, Novak had not been sure the dummy would work, but after Claire had arranged it on the couch, he felt a lot more comfortable with the ruse.

  Now, just like they’d done for the last two nights, Novak would sit and watch the phone and wait for something to happen. Claire would scan the security screens upstairs in the safe room. So far, all they’d seen were some squirrels, raccoons, and a deer or two. Black was outside the house, well hidden and well armed and ready to do whatever was necessary. Novak was on edge tonight, his instincts telling him this was it. This time, the Mayan would get the surprise of his life.

  “There’s a breach in the woods, across the cove from the cabin. See him?” Claire’s voice said inside Novak’s earwig. She sounded excited, ready to get this thing done. All of them were ready.

  Novak stared down at the phone and watched the figure moving stealthily toward the lakeshore directly across from Claire’s place. “Yeah. That’s got to be him. You ready, Black?”

  “I’m ready. I’m coming inside now. Up through the back porches.”

  The other men hidden around the property checked in one at a time.

  “Remember, this guy is mine,” Novak told them all softly. “I take him down myself.”

  Nobody objected.

  Novak expanded the live pictures of the area in question to full-screen. He could see the outline of the small figure clearly now. He was creeping along on the ground, from tree to tree, thinking he was undetected, thinking Novak was alone in the cabin with the child he intended to kill. Looked like he wore night vision goggles. Novak could see no canoe, no sniper rifle, no equipment at all; the killer probably had just his ritualistic green obsidian dagger. Maybe a handgun, too, but more likely a garrote. Novak felt his pulse accelerate. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Showtime.

  Novak stood up and made a show of stretching and yawning. He messed around in the kitchen a minute or two as if cleaning up, put a cup in the dishwasher, and then he went around turning off most of the downstairs lights. He walked over to the couch and carefully picked up the dummy. It felt just like the little girl had felt in his arms, so small and light. He made sure the head was hidden against his shoulder, and then walked to the staircase and moved up the steps. Up top, a banister fenced off a wide hallway, open on the side that faced the gigantic front window, that led to several bedroom suites. He opened the middle door, which led to Claire and Black’s master bedroom. The lights were off, but, through an open door connecting the two rooms, he could see a dim light burning inside the adjoining safe room. He walked into the master bedroom, shut the door, and dumped the dummy on the king-size bed. Then he strode to the safe room.

  Inside, Claire sat in front of the massive control center that took up an entire wall. Black was now standing behind her. Both of them were watching the intruder. No one else was moving on any of the screens, everybody still in place. The Mayan had come alone. Novak had known he would. He always worked alone.

  “He’s still over there, but he’s stopped now and is watching the house,” Claire told Novak. “He’s got night vision goggles. I think he’s waiting for you to come back downstairs so he’ll know where you are. Just like you thought he would.”

  “Okay, let’s do this.” Novak stripped off his red-and-black plaid flannel shirt and baseball cap and handed them over to Black. Black slipped into the shirt quickly, and then snugged on the baseball cap. He had a .45 in his hand. He slid the gun down into a belt holster and arranged the shirt over it. “Okay, I’m going down. Claire, shut that door after we leave and don’t open it for anybody.”

  Claire laughed at him. “Yes, dear. But do remember, I am a trained police officer. I know what to do. I saved you, remember?”

  Black grinned down at her, but he waited outside in the master bedroom until she shut and bolted the door to the safe room. Then he looked at Novak. “Good luck. If you need reinforcements, say the word.”

  “I won’t.”

  Black left the room, kept his face averted as he descended the stairs, and sat down in a chair in plain sight of the big window. He would wait there, pretending to watch television. No chance of him getting shot through the windows. They were bulletproof throughout the house. Black was nothing if not thorough. He and Claire had faced their share of danger since they’d met. Now that they were married, Black wasn’t about to let anything happen to her, not in their own home, anyway.

  Novak dipped his fingers in a jar of black greasepaint and smeared it over his face and hands. He watched the guy across the lake on the cell phone the whole time. The Mayan was huddled in the same spot, patiently watching the house. Novak knew what he was doing. He was waiting for the man he thought was Novak to turn off the lights and go up to bed. Maybe he planned to sneak in and kill them all in their beds. Cowardly, but efficient and effective. But he wouldn’t get that far.

  Novak had the Ruger strapped in a shoulder holster. He had a bowie knife in a sheath at his waist. He was ready. He stood alone in the bedroom and waited for the assassin to make his move. The guy was cautious, prepared, and maybe smart enough to fear a possible trap. He would come in across the cove, using the water as cover. Thirty minutes later, Novak was proved correct.

  The Mayan must have decided not to wait longer, because the glowing green figure on Novak’s screen got down on his belly and crawled down to the edge of the lake. Then he eased into the water and started an easy breaststroke approach toward the cabin on the opposite bank. Novak smiled, adrenaline racing like crazy, and moved quickly out through the French doors that opened onto an upstairs back porch. The wait was over; the time was at hand. There were no steps from the porch down to the ground, another example of Black’s overprotective zeal. Novak swung a leg over the rail, got on the other side, and then dropped to the ground, into the deep shadows under the porch.

  It was dark outside, and all the security lights were turned off. The night was quiet and the lake looked like a piece of black glass. Squatting down, Novak glanced at the woods behind him and listened for sounds. The Mayan could have brought backup, but Novak didn’t think so. They would have been seen on the security cameras by now, and the Mayan liked to work alone. Aware of the killer’s night vision goggles, Novak got down on his belly and crawled around the side of the house until he was down close to the big boat dock. He had on night vision goggles, too. Surprise, surprise. He detected the Mayan’s head in the water, coming slowly, leaving a gentle chevron wake. He was about halfway across the cove now. Only his face was above the surface. He was like a giant anaconda writhing its way toward unsuspecting prey. Not this time, buddy.

  Novak inched his way down toward the lake, keeping out of sight. He crawled across the rocky beach and entered the water behind Black’s big Cobalt 360 cruiser. But he kept his eyes trained on the Mayan’s progress and angled his way into a good position to intercept him. Slowly, he submerged himself into the cold water until only his eyes and nose were above the surface. Then he waited.

  The moon had risen, slipping in and out of rain clouds that had been building up all night, and suddenly the night won that battle of dominance. The moon disappeared, and thunder growled somewhere far aw
ay. Light drizzle began to fall, cold and steady, gradually increasing to a steady downpour that clattered the surface of the water and tore down dead leaves in the big oak tree above the dock. Novak welcomed the extra noise and distraction, thinking it a stroke of good luck, a good omen that gave him the edge. Maybe it would conceal his movements and muffle his sounds.

  The rain also impeded Novak’s night vision, and he lost sight of the Mayan coming at him in the water. He yanked the blurry goggles off and searched the surface frantically, not moving at all, but ready to panic if he didn’t spot the assassin soon. If the guy evaded him, he might make it into the house. Novak was not going to let that happen. He went rigid when the Mayan suddenly broke through the surface, not a yard in front of him. The killer came out of the water ready to fight, lunging at Novak with a blade already in his hand. Novak was quick enough to evade his attack, and he grabbed the Mayan’s shirt and jerked him down under the water. He went with him, trying to hold him under, but the Mayan slashed at him frantically and too quickly for Novak to get out of the way. He felt the blade cut through his shirt and then felt pain as it sliced across the top of his shoulder. But that was the intruder’s last free move, because Novak had both his hands locked around the Mayan’s wrist, twisting it brutally until the knife dropped into the water. After he was disarmed, Novak used his superior strength and got the smaller man turned around and in a blood choke hold that Novak applied so hard against both sides of his throat that he never had a chance. One-on-one, the fabled serial killer was no match for Novak’s size and strength. Once he lost his edge of stealth and surprise, he was just a little guy shit out of luck. Rain pelted their heads, and Novak flexed his forearm harder against the guy’s neck. He went limp in a matter of seconds. Then Novak dragged him out of the water by the back of his shirt and dropped him facedown on the muddy bank. Rain poured down on them as Novak stood above him and waited, until he watched the dazed assassin revive and struggle weakly up onto his knees.