by Mayer, Dale
She heard his startled exclamation as he raced toward the camera room. She could hear the raised voices.
Lance said, “He didn’t see anybody. He’s been sitting in front of the monitors the whole time.”
“Any chance it’s not working? Could the intruder have done something to the cameras?”
“He shouldn’t be able to,” Lance said. “Are you sure you saw someone at the house? It wasn’t just your imagination?”
If he had been in the same room with her, she would have cut him down for that comment. But even then, she had to wonder, Had she imagined it?
*
It wasn’t a good idea. Mac knew it wasn’t. He stared down at his phone, his finger itching to call her. He got her to agree to lunch. He knew he could push it to dinner. But how many times could he see her or contact her in a day before it became abnormal? Of course he always had Marsha on his mind. The woman had driven him nuts. Is that how Alex would feel if he called her? But he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
He poured himself yet another beer from the growler on the counter. He and Corey had split the first half. Now he was working his way through the second half on his own. He walked out to a small deck and slumped down into the chair, kicking his feet up over the railing.
There were a lot of good things about his life right now. And a lot that could be a whole lot better. His days were normal—training, upgrading his skills, learning. The IT seminar had been fascinating. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his mind off his problems right now. All the break-ins and Marsha’s murder had to be connected. That one of the houses had been one Bill had lived in surely was a coincidence. But Mac didn’t know how this all worked together. Trying to sort it out was a circle that didn’t seem to stop. And not having access to the information he needed was frustrating.
He let his mind freewheel as he sat here, holding his cold beer. Thoughts flowing in, flowing out. With Betty now gone from her house, he wondered if the asshole would return. If the intruder had any decent instincts, he’d avoid it like the plague. Unless he had a way to disengage the cameras or keep them on an endless loop. Macklin frowned as he considered that. If you wired the camera to do an endless loop of the last hour or so, then, in theory, the intruder could stay there all he wanted, and the police would eventually give up on that concept.
How hard would that be? Not hard if the intruder was good with electronics—or even if he was just good at research. The internet had step-by-step instructions.
Knowing it was a slim excuse, feeble at best, Macklin hit the Dial button. When Alex answered, her tone was wry. “Macklin? Pretty sure I had lunch with you already today.”
“Is there a law against calling you?” he asked, dry humor mixed with a little bit of hesitation.
She chuckled. “No. Not at all. But was there something specific or were you just checking to make sure I’m eating dinner?”
At that, he laughed out loud. “I was thinking that, just because you have the cameras up in that empty house, it doesn’t mean you’ll catch him.”
“Of course it doesn’t mean that,” she said. “Just think about what you said. He may not even return to the house. So of course there’s no guarantee we’ll catch him.”
“Or he’ll return to the house, switch the camera to an endless loop. And all your cameras will pick up is the exact same scene repeatedly in the house, and then you won’t know he’s in there.”
Dead silence was on her end. “How hard is that to do?” she asked, her tone hesitant. “I went past there today, jogging. And, I swear to God, I saw somebody in the house staring at me.”
“What?” He bounded to his feet. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. But there’s no sign of anyone on the security camera feed,” she said. “They are running a check on the system now, and two officers are doing drive-bys. The lights were off, and curtains were partially closed, so they hadn’t recognized when daylight darkened.”
“I’ve just come out of a seminar on hacking and IT fraud. And it occurred to me, while I sat here on my deck, that it’s quite possible to put that camera feed on an endless loop. You’ll never know.”
“Which means, I have to go back into the house.”
“Not alone,” he snapped.
She snapped right back at him. “I’m a cop, remember?”
“Well, I’m not a cop, but this is what I deal with often,” he said in a low tone. “You also have to go in undercover. As soon as he makes you, this operation is a bust.”
“I do know how to do my job,” she reminded him, but there was less heat in her tone.
“I don’t want any more women hurt. There is a killer out there.”
“Remember that whole thing about me being in law enforcement? I’m the one people call when there is this kind of trouble.”
“No. You’re who gets called afterward,” he reminded her. “I’m the one they call all around the world before this part happens.” He couldn’t help himself. “I’ll meet you there.”
Then he hung up without giving her a chance to respond. He slammed back the last bit of his beer, changed to his running shoes, and headed out. His phone rang before he even hit the street. He pulled it out and answered it. “I’m in my running shoes, and I’m jogging. You can drive a block away and meet me at the corner off North Wallington.”
She groaned. “You don’t take no for an answer, do you?”
“You won’t go out for a real date, will you?” Then he hung up. She was still spluttering, but it was music to his ears. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to keep her off-center. But there was something going on around this place, and, if he could help, he would.
Chapter 10
Fuming, Alex threw on her sweater to prepare for the cooler night temperature, grabbed her purse and keys, and headed out. She knew the corner Macklin spoke of. Even for a fast sprinter, it would take him a bit.
She thought she saw him ahead. His was not a physique to miss. He waved at her. She parked and walked toward him. She didn’t want to look at the house in any obvious way, but, at the same time, she needed to know. Her quick glance in that direction showed no face at all. But then what did she expect? It was not like he would sit there and stare out the window forever.
When he was close enough, Macklin opened his arms, picked her up, swung her around, gave her a great big hug, and dropped her gently back on her feet.
She gasped as she tried to stabilize herself. “Don’t do that,” she scolded.
He chuckled. “I figured we needed a nice greeting to show we were long-lost friends.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “And the truth of the matter is, you really just wanted to pick me up.”
“Anything to get my hands on you,” he said with a big smirk.
She sighed. “Did you see anything?”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t. That means absolutely nothing though.”
She stood there, undecided. “I’d like to go in,” she said suddenly.
“Good idea. But not from here. Let’s go to the far side, coming over the back fence.”
She shook her head. “No. The back fence is visible from that entire wall of windows. We have to go in from the side.” And she thought about it for a little longer, adding, “From the left side.”
“Why the left?”
He wasn’t questioning her judgment, she realized. He was interested in knowing her reasoning. “Because only one window is on that side, on the second floor. I think it’s a bathroom window, and it’s frosted.”
He nodded. “Then let’s continue down the direction I’m traveling. We’ll go past your car, come around the far block, come up that side, and whip in.”
She grinned. “That’s a plan.”
“Unless you’ll get into trouble having a civilian with you?”
“We’re just going for a walk. If we see something, of course I’ll check it out. Nobody would have anything to say about it.”
He nodded. He jutted
out his elbow slightly and said, “Then tuck your hand into my arm, and let’s just go for a nice walk as if we were meant to be together.”
“You really like to push that, don’t you?”
“I’m just acting out what I’d really like to be doing. I was sitting at home, wondering if it was too early to call you.”
That startled a laugh out of her. “Are there rules to this stuff?”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Marsha made me very leery. I was just figuring out if a phone call tonight put me in stalker category.”
“No, you’re not in stalker category.” Then in a mock-threatening tone she added, “At least not yet.”
They continued to talk, getting to know each other as they walked around the block and back up the other side. As they approached, she could feel her body tensing with awareness.
“Stay calm,” he said in a low voice. “Act natural. We’re two people, out spending time enjoying each other’s company.”
“I thought that’s what I was doing.”
“Well, you were. Then you tensed as we got closer. If he’s watching, he’s watching. There’s no help for it. Like you said, there’s got to be a reason for him to be looking.”
“He’s probably looking,” she said. “And he might see us from the front and then wonder where we went.”
“No, he won’t. The neighbors on the left just got into their vehicle and drove away. Two kids, two adults. So I suggest we go up their sidewalk and then step around the back. Think of us as having been out for the evening.”
“Which, in a way, we have,” she said drily. But she kept her arm crooked against his as they detoured to the house.
Flattened against the wall, she said, “It’s hardly dark enough for this.”
“It’s just about perfect actually. In this half-light, everybody mistakes objects. Most of the time, their gaze just glances right over them.”
She followed his lead around the house and crept up the porch steps to the kitchen door; he slipped back so they were hidden against the wall. From there, he could peer into the kitchen.
“There’s a light on.” He turned to look at her. “Did you guys leave it on?”
She frowned. “There shouldn’t be a light on.”
He held up a finger, warning her to be quiet as he tilted his head.
She watched him go into full predator mode as he peered forward, considering the kitchen. Even from where she was, she could hear his jaw click in anger.
He slipped back down, shot her a hard look, and said, “You need to call in your men. There’s a dish towel on the table and a dishrag, wet on the tap. He may not be in residence now, but there’s a very good chance he’s living here again.”
In a low whisper, she said, “Then I’m going to back out of here so I can get the team together.”
He looked at her hard for a moment and then gave her a quick nod.
Good. He would let her take over. As he crept back to the other house, she realized he was in control always, and that was damn good to see. It also made a mockery of thinking he might have killed Marsha. It didn’t suit who she was coming to realize Macklin was.
Several houses down, leaning against a tree, she called up her men and said, “I’ve just checked in on the house. There are signs of someone having been in the house. There’s something wrong with your feed.”
Lance gave a startled exclamation. “Really?”
“Yes, really. We need the team, and we need them down here fast.” Then she hung up. Macklin joined her. “It’ll be a few minutes.”
He gave her a grin. “Deputize me. I’d be happy to do this job for the cause.”
She shook her head. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. You’re still part of an active investigation. What I can’t do is compromise the case.”
His jaw tensed in frustration, but he nodded. “I’m not leaving,” he said. “I’m staying right here and keeping watch.”
She tossed that concept over and then shrugged. “Fine. But you stay out of the way. And don’t make it look like you’re my date for the night,” she warned. “That’ll just muddy the waters even worse.”
“I understand that. But another set of eyes won’t hurt.” He pulled out his phone and said, “Maybe I could even bring Corey down. We can watch the area and observe any one leaving or entering the area.”
With a hard look to make sure he stayed where he was, she then watched the vehicles coming around the corner.
“That green car is one of my men. You can bring Corey in but make sure you stay the hell out of my way.” Then she turned and walked toward the car. She waved when Lance got out.
As she approached, he said, “It’ll take another fifteen minutes to set up. We need men in uniforms coming in on all sides.”
She nodded. “We just have to make sure he doesn’t see us.”
“No way to know if he’s in the house?”
“No. I’m sure I saw him earlier, but he could be out prowling for his next victim right now.”
Lance looked down the block at the house. “It’s so frustrating. I want to walk in to see if he’s there.”
“How do you think I felt earlier?”
“True enough. I didn’t believe you, and I should have. I never thought about the feed looping so that we wouldn’t see anything.”
“It’s a good idea though. Apparently not hard to do.”
He turned to look at her. “Was that your idea?”
“No. Macklin called me and said he thought that was way-too-possible. He’s been in an IT seminar for the last couple days.”
Lance’s gaze narrowed, but he didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I presume you considered that implication?”
“I have. Believe me. I’m not getting involved with him. At least not until he’s cleared as a suspect.”
“Which you already have, haven’t you?”
She nodded. “I have. But, until we find Marsha’s killer, he’s not off the hook completely.”
“No. But as long as he’s a reasonable doubt …”
She sighed. “Relationships are never easy. And, as far as my experience goes, they’re almost always at inconvenient times.”
“True enough,” he said. He stared at a point past her head. “Don’t turn around.”
“What do you see?”
“A man approaching from the far side.”
“As in, crossing the road?” She studied the area in front of her. But of course she couldn’t take a chance of turning around to look.
“Yes. He came up the opposite side of the road. Looked like he was about to cross, but he dashed back to his side again.”
She watched as Lance tracked his movements.
“He’s going past the house now. But he’s watching it.”
Instinct kicked in. “We should nab him.”
Lance shook his head. “Nab him for what? Walking past the house?”
“Can we get a picture of him?”
“From here, no. He’s too far away.” He pulled out his phone and called one of the other men. “Is anybody in position? We have a suspect walking right past on the opposite side of the road. We’re hoping to get a photo of his face.”
She turned to look around. Macklin and Corey walked down from the far end of the block. She didn’t know how they had circled around and got here in time. She grabbed her phone and dialed Macklin. “A man is approaching you,” she said in a rush. “We need a picture of his face.”
She watched as Macklin dropped the phone in front of him, chest height, and started clicking buttons.
“Macklin and Corey are coming from the far end. I’ve asked him to try to take a photograph.”
Lance turned to look at her. “Can he do it without being caught?”
“If anybody can, he can.”
She could see Macklin’s jaw working, as if talking to Corey. It was easy to make it look like they were setting up plans. Texting was a hell of a cover these days too. Knowing the two of them, they were both do
ing something. They stopped to talk, half facing each other, and both with their phones in their hands. The man approached them, skipped around, probably apologizing as Macklin and Corey stepped back to give him space. Then Macklin laughed and said something. She watched as Corey snapped some more images.
“They got it.” She couldn’t stop the cool sense of satisfaction inside her.
“What do you want to do about the house?” Lance asked.
“I want two men to go in from the back and do a full sweep.”
Lance relayed the order as they kept an eye on the man who disappeared around the block.
Macklin texted her.
We’ve got several photos and a video.
You’re in position. Do you want to follow up?
You think he’s the one?
Can’t take the chance he’s not.
Mason is driving toward us. We’ve tagged him. He’ll pick up the tail as we keep walking.
She read that last bit, then said to Lance, “Mason’s picking up the tail.”
“Is that a smart idea to bring someone else into this?”
“It’ll be hard for anybody to prove Mason had something to do with these break-ins. The fact that we have multiple well-respected military men, sitting here, ready to help, is not an offer I’ll turn down.”
Lance thought about it for a long moment and then nodded. “That works for me.” Lance’s phone rang. He answered it on the first ring. “What did you find?”
He turned to look at Alex. “Definitely signs of somebody living in the house. It is currently empty.”
She nodded. “Have them fix a camera, the one in the least obvious place he’d check.”
Lance shook his head. “He’s checking them all.”
“Do we have another camera to put in that he won’t know about?”
Lance listened on the phone as the officer on the other side said, “Two of the cameras have been disabled, one was on a standard loop.”
“Two have been disabled?” She turned to look at him. “Were they all showing on the monitors?”
“We could never get one of them to work.”
“Then have it fixed. If you can, make it so he won’t know it’s working.”