Nick looked at Walsh. “Did you get a good look at him?”
The junior agent nodded. “Pretty good, yeah. I went to the bar a couple of times for refills, then snagged a stool as soon as there was a vacant seat. He was in his late thirties and pretty buff, like he worked out a lot, you know?”
Lara nodded, remembering the description Cass’s neighbor gave of the guy in the cowboy hat with his broad shoulders and impressive physique. “Anything else?”
“I couldn’t tell his eye color because of the glasses. All I could see were his eyebrows, which were kind of blond like his hair. I took a photo, but it didn’t turn out too good.” He tugged out his cell phone, then called up the picture and handed it to her.
“I didn’t use the flash because I thought he’d notice. If he knew I was taking his picture, it could have tipped his hand. So it’s kind of blurry and dark.”
He was right. Between the dim lighting in the bar and the glasses obscuring his face, they could hardly make out his face. “Send it to the lab. Maybe they can improve it a bit. Be sure to send me a copy, too.”
“All right.” He started tapping his phone.
“What time did he leave the bar?” Nick asked.
Walsh hit Send and looked back up. “Just before closing. He left alone. I hung around because I wanted to try to get his beer glass. I thought we could send it to forensics for testing and see if he was in the system. But Meghan took it away before I had the chance.”
Lara raised her brows, impressed. “Good thinking, though.”
Walsh smiled. “Thanks. I’ll go back tonight in case he comes back. I’ll figure out some way to get the glass if he does.”
“I’ll try to get you some help,” Lara promised.
“What do you have in mind?” Nick asked after they thanked him and walked away.
“We need that evidence. And I don’t want to leave it up to Walsh in case the blond guy notices him swiping the glass. We can’t afford to tip him off now.” Especially if there was any chance that he’d killed Mei.
She paused in the hallway to take out her phone, then pulled up the number for the Hot Spot bar. “I’d like to speak to Mr. Alvarez,” she said when an employee answered. “The owner,” she whispered to Nick as she waited for him to come on the line.
“Mr. Alvarez?” she said.
“That’s me.”
“This is Lara Grant from the FBI. Listen, we have a favor to ask. We have information that a suspect we’ve been following has been coming into your bar. If it’s all right with you, we’d like to put an undercover agent in place as a temporary bartender, probably just for the next few nights.”
“I don’t know,” Alvarez said, sounding reluctant. “I don’t want any trouble in my bar. It could scare my regulars away.”
“There won’t be any trouble, I promise. We just want to get his fingerprints from his glass. That’s all. If he turns out to be the guy we’re looking for, we’ll make the approach outside. We won’t do anything inside your bar.”
For a moment, Alvarez didn’t answer. Then he released a sigh. “If you’re sure it won’t cause me any trouble.”
“I promise. And please, don’t tell any of your staff. We need to keep this quiet. I’ll send the bartender over this afternoon.”
“Who do you have in mind?” Nick asked when she hung up.
“Jennifer Gulden, if she’s available. She’s smart, she’s cute, and she bartended her way through college. Alvarez won’t be able to find any fault with her. In fact, we’ll be lucky if he doesn’t offer her a full time job. I just have to get Victoria to sign off.”
But she couldn’t imagine their boss would object. This was the first solid lead they’d had on the blond man. They finally had him in their sights. And now it was time to move in and get the proof they needed to arrest him before anyone else got killed.
CHAPTER NINE
Victoria not only approved of putting Jennifer Gulden undercover as a bartender, she had the entire team join her that night at the Hot Spot Bar in Union Square. Nick was inside the bar with Ty, drinking beer. Xander and Lara were in his car parked down the street, waiting impatiently for any news. Everyone had on earpieces, enabling them to listen to each other’s commentary as the hours wore on. Lara tried to use the time to rest, but found it impossible to relax. She was too keyed up by the thought that they could be close to catching the blond guy—and putting an end to his killing spree.
“He just came in,” James Walsh finally said into his microphone just as Lara was about to abandon hope. She sat bolt upright, her heart beginning to pound. “He’s the tall blond guy wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses.”
“I see him,” Jennifer confirmed a second later. “He just sat down at the bar at Meghan’s end. I’ll try to get closer, but they’re looking pretty cozy right now.”
Lara frowned at that, the uneasiness she’d felt over the blond man’s interest in her half sister returning full-force now. What was he trying to do? Assuming he was the person who’d stabbed Cass—and possibly murdered Mei and the woman in Central Park—what was his endgame here? Unless he was planning to kill Meghan, too.
Except that she and her half sister weren’t close. They’d never gotten along. In fact, Meghan couldn’t stand her. She certainly wouldn’t feel upset if Lara were to get killed. But maybe he wasn’t aware of that.
Regardless, she had to protect her sister, even if Meghan didn’t want her to interfere. As soon as any danger seemed imminent, her team would have to respond.
Several minutes went by. Lara drummed her fingers on the armrest, knowing their time was fast running out. The bar would be closing at any moment. If they were going to get any evidence, they needed to do it soon.
“We’re closing up now,” Jennifer said a second later. “And Meghan’s boyfriend is getting ready to leave.”
“Damn,” Xander swore into his microphone. “Tell me he drank something, at least.”
“He did. I’m going to try to get the glass.”
A moment later, Nick and Ty walked out. They each walked to their separate cars and got inside. Lara’s tension ratcheted up a notch as she waited for Meghan’s boyfriend to exit the bar.
“I’ll clean up,” Lara finally heard Jennifer say. “Go on. You can leave.”
“You don’t mind?” Meghan asked.
“Not at all. I’ll clear it with the boss. If I had a boyfriend that hot waiting for me, I’d be anxious to get out, too.”
“Thanks, Jen!”
Lara heard the clinking of glasses. A minute later, Meghan and the blond man strolled out the door. They walked arm in arm, then stopped beside a dark blue Ford.
“I’ve got the glass,” Jennifer said over the radio.
Lara let out her breath. “Good. But don’t come out yet. Meghan’s still out front. Oh, hell. She’s getting into the car with him.” She wondered where they were going.
“Go ahead and follow them,” Nick said from his vehicle. “I’ll get the glass and take it to the lab.”
“All right.” Their boss had pulled some major strings, promising the lab people the moon if they would process the evidence at the crack of dawn. With any luck, they’d have the fingerprint and DNA results before the day was done.
Meghan and the suspect took off in the Ford. Xander started his engine as Lara buckled her seat belt, and they pulled away from the curb. “Run the plates,” Xander suggested, drawing close.
Lara jotted down the plate number. “Got it.” She cued her radio as Xander slowed, letting the distance between them and their target grow.
“We need to run the plates on a blue Ford Fusion,” she told Cass. She read off the number as they followed the car down Fourteenth Street, then continued on to Third. A few minutes later they turned south on Bowery, heading toward Chinatown.
Traffic was surprisingly heavy, despite the time of night. They hung back as far as they could, not wanting to let Meghan and her date know they were being pursued.
Cass called back a moment la
ter. “It’s a rental car.”
“That figures.”
“I’ll try to find out who rented it.”
“Thanks.” She disconnected the call and caught Xander’s eye. “He probably used a fake ID.”
“Yeah, but it’s worth a try.”
“It looks like they’ve changed their minds and decided to go to Meghan’s apartment after all,” Lara said as the Ford turned left on Delancey, heading east. “You’d better slow down so we don’t go past them when they park.”
A few minutes later, the target parked in front of Meghan’s building, just as Lara thought he would. Xander got lucky and found a parking spot half a block behind.
“Do you want to get out?” Xander asked.
She frowned as Meghan and her boyfriend left their vehicle and strolled to the front door. “Not yet. Let’s wait a minute and see what they do. If he goes inside with her, I don’t think we’ll have a choice. We’ll have to call for backup and risk an approach.” If this guy really was a murderer, they couldn’t take a chance that Meghan could get killed. “I’d hate to spark a hostage situation, though.”
“Agreed.”
She shot Xander an approving look. She and her teammate didn’t always get along. In fact, he was her least favorite person on the squad, his bluntness often rifling her nerves. But at least this time, they seemed in sync.
Meghan and her boyfriend stopped at the front entrance. A second later, they began to kiss. Lara waited impatiently for them to stop, feeling like a voyeur. The last thing she wanted to do was spy on her sister. Meghan would despise her if she interfered.
But just when she became convinced that things were going to heat up, the blond guy broke it off. He walked back toward his car while Meghan went inside. She waved from the lobby window as he drove away.
Lara expelled a breath. At least Meghan was safe. And they hadn’t had to cause a scene. “Let’s see where he goes. I’d like to find out where he lives in case the forensic evidence turns up something interesting.”
A car drove by. Xander waited for it to pass, then pulled out into the street. He drove down the block, staying behind the other vehicle so the suspect wouldn’t realize he had a tail. “Why don’t you see if the locals can get an ID on him?”
“Good idea.” She keyed up her radio again. “Hey, Cass. The target just dropped Meghan off. We’re following his car. We’d like to get assistance from the NYPD. Tell them we have a blue Ford Fusion heading east on Grand.” She peered out the windshield. “We just passed Ludlow. There’s one male driver, no passengers. We’d like a marked unit to pull him over and run an ID on him.”
“I’ll put in the request.”
“Thanks. Tell them to be careful not to spook him, though. We don’t want him to bolt before we move in.”
“Will do.”
The request was a common one. The police would arrive on scene and pull him over on some excuse. Instead of ticketing him, they’d use the opportunity to look at his driver’s license and make a possible ID. Then, once they had the information, they’d send him on his way.
The car in front of them turned off. Xander maintained his distance, not wanting to cause the suspect to notice them. But then the Ford breezed through a yellow light. Xander sped up to beat the red and followed him for another block. A moment later, a marked unit swung in between them and put on his flashing lights.
“Stay back,” Lara warned Xander.
“I know.” He reduced his speed, dropping back several more yards.
The Ford finally pulled over by a bagel shop. The patrol car stopped behind him, his rotating lights still on. “There’s a parking space,” Lara said, and Xander tucked into the spot. They both leaned forward to watch.
The cop got out of his patrol car. Lara’s anticipation rose, the possibility that they might finally identify this guy making her heart beat fast. Of course, his driver’s license could be fake—which would work out even better for them. It would give the police an excuse to haul him in.
The police officer approached the car. But suddenly, the Ford took off, peeling away from the curb with a screech and leaving behind a cloud of exhaust.
“Damn!” Xander said, ramming his car into gear just as the cop raced back to his car. The cop went in pursuit, his siren on.
Xander quickly fell in behind him. He slammed down the accelerator, trying to keep up with the fleeing Ford. The Fusion blew through a red light on Clinton, the patrol car close behind. Xander did the same, struggling to gain some ground.
The Ford hung a left and sped up Pitt. Lara clung to the door handle as they careened around the corner behind the cop. The target’s car picked up speed under the bridge, then swerved around a slow-moving car, nearly hitting an oncoming truck head-on.
“Jesus,” Xander swore as he flattened his foot on the gas pedal and did the same.
Lara’s pulse went berserk. She kept her eyes glued on the two vehicles speeding ahead, barely able to breathe. The guy was nuts. He drove like a total madman who had nothing to lose, endangering everyone on the road.
Suddenly the Ford made another turn, skidding around the corner on to Rivington—and heading the wrong way on the one-way street. “Oh, my God,” Lara cried as he nearly plowed into an oncoming vehicle. Xander persevered, hugging the bumper of the squad car as they roared up the narrow street. The oncoming traffic honked and veered out of the way.
The three cars sped toward Columbia. Another siren arose, signaling that help was on its way. Lara could hardly see as the street passed by in a blur. But then she realized the traffic light ahead was red.
The Ford increased its speed, accelerating as it approached the light. Lara instinctively braced herself, watching with horror as it hurtled into the intersection, fishtailing as he took the turn. Horns blared. The surrounding vehicles slammed on their brakes. A small truck lost control and sideswiped a row of parked cars. The patrol car barely missed them as he navigated the turn.
“Hold on,” Xander warned as he laid on his horn and somehow managed to make the turn.
Lara clutched the door handle with a death grip. They raced up Columbia, parallel with the river, going faster than she could believe. They whipped through several blocks, the sounds of sirens getting closer as they sped along.
All of a sudden, a pedestrian appeared in the road ahead. Lara gasped as the Fusion barreled toward him, apparently not intending to slow. But the man dove out of the way, barely escaping with his life as the car flew past.
The Ford zoomed around another car. An oncoming van swerved to avoid him and went into a skid. The van spun around, and the slower-moving vehicle smashed into its side. The police car squeaked past without getting tangled up, but Xander was forced to brake.
Lara grabbed her radio as the vehicles around them stopped. “There’s been a crash. On Columbia headed toward Houston.”
“Is it serious?” Cass asked.
Lara peered out her windshield. “I don’t think so. The drivers are getting out.”
“Hold on. I’m talking to the NYPD now.”
“Damn, I can’t get through,” Xander said. He glanced in his mirror and swore again. “I’ll turn around.”
But Lara’s radio crackled again. This time Victoria was on the line. “They want you to back off.”
“What? Now?” Her incredulity rang in her voice.
“It’s too risky. They’re calling off the chase before anyone else gets hurt.”
“But we’re so close. We’ve almost got him.”
“It doesn’t matter. The local watch commander called it off.”
“But—”
“That’s an order, Lara. We don’t have precedence in this.”
“All right,” she agreed, but she was pissed. Beside her, Xander looked just as upset. He slammed the heel of his hand on the wheel, then muttered under his breath. A patrol car arrived on the scene, and another was quickly approaching, judging by the sirens heading their way. Still looking frustrated, he made a U-turn and s
tarted back toward town.
For several minutes they didn’t speak. Lara tried to calm herself and mitigate the adrenaline still streaming through her blood.
Then Xander sighed. “They’re right, you know. It’s not worth getting someone killed.”
“I know.” Still, it rankled to let him get away.
“Besides,” Xander continued. “He and Meghan looked pretty tight. The next time he goes to the bar we’ll pick him up. The main thing is that we got that glass.”
“It would have been nice to find out more about him, though.”
“We will. We just have to wait for a few more hours.”
Xander turned right at the following corner and started back toward 26 Federal Plaza. As the blocks went by, Lara’s thoughts drifted from her sister and the blond guy to the night ahead. She’d managed to distract herself all day, using her work to keep her fear at bay. But now that the workday was winding down, the feeling of paranoia began creeping back, along with the worry that she’d be watched.
“Are you still staying with Nick?” Xander asked when he braked for a stoplight.
“No, Victoria got me a room in a hotel near the office. I’ll stay there until I find another apartment.”
“You’ve decided to move?”
“Yes.” She met his eyes, which looked dark in the dashboard’s light. “I was never that attached to my apartment, anyway. It was always just a place to sleep. And now...” She shrugged. “I don’t want to think about Moretti every time I make a cup of coffee. I’d rather leave.”
“I don’t blame you. I’ll drop you off at the hotel.” Lara gave him directions as the traffic light changed to green. Xander put his car into gear and resumed driving, and for a long time he didn’t speak. But when they pulled up to the hotel entrance, he turned her way. “Say, Lara?”
She stopped with her hand on the door. “Yeah?”
“I want to apologize. For saying that Mei’s murder was your fault.”
“That’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I was wrong. I’ve just had...some things going on with my daughter lately.”
“Maddy? Is she okay?”
“Yeah. It’s nothing serious. At least I don’t think so.” His eyes looked troubled now. “But I’ve been a little tense. And I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m sorry about that.”
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