“I have enough C-4 to blast his car to the moon.”
“Nothing subtle about you, is there?”
He’d cursed. “I know how to get the job done. Why do you think I’m here?” He’d stormed away from her to his room, but later Kelsey heard him go out again. She could only guess where. And that was when it dawned on her the answer to his rhetorical question. She knew why he was there. He was going to kill her as well. It was foolish to think that her employer sent him along for any other reason. Like Jerry and the computer guy, she was a loose end. The only question was, when would he strike and would she be ready?
Quinn had asked her exactly what Murphy was doing here, and she’d played stupid, wondering if having that information gave her any advantage at all. Kelsey already knew what Murphy was doing, of course, but it behooved her to make Quinn believe she was as incompetent and blind as he thought she was. He’d make his move when he didn’t need her anymore. Maybe he’d even kill Murphy and then make certain she was blamed for it. Thinking out possible scenarios had kept her up all night.
She swallowed an energy drink and changed her clothes, struggling to make herself presentable. There was no way to get rid of the bloodshot eyes.
It was dawn and the sun was brightening everything now. They’d stayed at a different hotel. Kelsey wondered if Quinn would want to do a drive-by of the La Quinta to be certain Murphy was still there. She double-checked her weapon, a habit from work she’d never tried to break. A knock on the door made her jump.
“Yes?”
“Just me.” Quinn. “You ready to go?”
“Be right with you.”
When she stepped out of her room, Quinn was leaning against the wall across the way like a male model. He looked like a GQ secret service agent, and the smirk on his face troubled her.
“Let’s saddle up.” He headed for the door, Kelsey on his heels. “I spoke to the chief,” he said as he walked, without turning toward her. “There’s been a change in plans.”
Kelsey’s hand was on her gun. Quinn called their boss chief simply to grate on her nerves. Kelsey herself had retired as a deputy chief, and for some reason Quinn thought that was a failed career. Their boss had never been chief of anything. And that their plans would change without Kelsey’s input was troublesome.
“What do you mean?” she asked as they stepped out into the parking lot.
“The chief likes my solution for Murphy. So I’m taking the lead here.” He stopped at the car and turned to face her. “You got a problem with that?”
Would it matter if I did? Kelsey thought. What she said was, “No, just as long as you get the job done and don’t screw it up.”
“Ha-ha. Like that would happen. I’m not you.” He opened the car door, laughing at his dig while all Kelsey could do was hurry around to the passenger side.
CHAPTER
-58-
GIL DIDN’T KNOW what time it was when he killed Bart. After they’d been home for a bit last night, Gil tried to explain to his friend who he was and told him the big secret of his life: that he used to rape and murder stupid girls and dump their bodies in the desert. He thought Bart would understand, that he’d want to join him in designing a big exit strategy. He did need Bart’s help with some things. But after hearing everything, Bart freaked out, practically wet his pants, and couldn’t accept what Gil was saying. There was nothing Gil could do but shoot the moron and shut him up.
There was no turning back now. He’d wanted more time to plan, more time to make his departure spectacular. He admired those guys who could hijack a plane and then fly it into a building. That was showmanship, making a statement. But nothing like that was available to him. Still, he’d do his best to cook up something. He needed a few things from his shop. And he kept thinking about the one that got away, Molly.
He thought about her as he trussed up Bart. It was an effort to drag him behind the chair and get him outside, but it was worth it. The guy was stinking up the man cave. Once that task was over, he showered, trimmed his beard, and dressed. He put on a new company polo shirt and made sure every hair was in place. He wanted to look good when his picture was plastered all over the news.
He drove to the shop as the sun began spreading a ripple of bright across the sky. There were just a few things he needed, and then he had to get into position for the most important part of his plan. He filled a bag with his needs, then wheeled back, turning his clock sign around. It read Be back at and pointed to the time on a clock. Gil set the hands to read twelve, then remembered the cocky British guy. He reset the hands to say eight, grinning at the thought of the stupid Brit stopping by and being frustrated by his absence. He took one last look around the shop and briefly wondered if maybe there was another way. Remembering Bart in his backyard put his mind right, so he locked the door and got back into his van.
He parked at the corner, pleased that morning traffic wasn’t heavy yet. He knew she’d have to ride her bike by here on the way to the deli. He’d just opened the side door and made the transfer from the driver’s seat to the wheelchair when he saw her, pedaling down the street on her way to work.
When she got within earshot, he called out. “Callie?”
She stood up on the pedals and looked his way. He smiled and waved. Her frown disappeared and she smiled back, directing her bike to come to a stop next to his van.
“Hi, Mr. Barone! What brings you here?”
“I’m having a little problem. Bart is sick today and I dropped the keys to the shop in the van. I think they rolled to the back and I can’t get them. It’s a good thing I saw you. Do you think you can get them for me?”
“Oh, you bet. No problem.” She climbed off her bike, took her backpack from her shoulder, and hung it on the handlebars. “Can I lean the bike against the van?”
“Sure, sure.”
Once the bike was stable, Callie stepped up into the van and turned her back to Barone. “Where do you think—?”
The words died in her throat as Barone grabbed her from behind, encircling her neck with his powerful arm, putting her in a choke hold, something he’d learned from his father years ago. Stupid girl didn’t even ask what he was doing there. Flexing the muscles in his biceps and forearm, he cut off the blood flow in her carotid arteries, keeping the grip tight until she went limp in his grasp. He then released her to fall to the floor of the van and made sure she was still breathing. He didn’t want her dead . . . yet.
He peeked out the door and saw no one around. As quick as he could, he duct-taped her mouth and hands. Her bike was a problem. Glancing down at her, hoping she didn’t wake up, he rolled to the van’s chair platform and lowered it so he could grab the bike. When he did, the backpack fell off and slid under the van, out of his reach. Cursing because there was no time to get it, he raised the platform and laid the bike on top of Callie, who was just starting to stir.
He pushed the button to close the side door and transferred back to the driver’s seat. He planned to be home before the girl was fully awake and felt the tires of the van roll over the backpack as he accelerated away from the curb. That couldn’t be helped, and in the big scheme of things he didn’t think it mattered much anyway.
CHAPTER
-59-
LUKE SAW ABBY WITH WOODY in front of the restaurant and his heart raced. His arrival at the hotel following his meeting with Lucy Harper’s daughter must have coincided with their finishing breakfast. They stood at the edge of the parking lot between the restaurant and the hotel. Though he had not read what Harper had given him, he felt in his soul that it would be important to Abby, that it would help her, help both of them clarify the horrific losses in their past. He hurried toward them. When Woody faced him, the expression on his face made Luke slow. When his gaze came to Abby and he saw the frown, the body language tight and angry, he almost stopped.
“I just told Abby where you were—all of it,” Woody said as Luke reached them, and the air bled out of Luke’s sails.
“How co
uld you?” Abby asked.
“I—” He looked from Abby to Woody, suddenly at a loss.
Abby turned to Woody, her tone softer as she said, “It’s okay. I know that you want to go see about the dog.”
Woody looked unsure and, for the first time since Luke had known him, old and tired. Luke tossed him the car keys, and Woody took off for the car, leaving Luke to face Abby. Luke squared up, struggling for the right words.
“What do you mean this person Lucy Harper might have seen my dad after the fire?” She stared at Luke, and he ached at the pain he saw in her eyes. Abby’s anger seemed to burn through him. “How could you keep this from me?” she asked. “The two of you just said in plain English that you don’t trust me.” Her hurt, smoldering green eyes held him in place.
“That’s not it at all—”
“So what’s your excuse?”
“Her name was in the papers we got from Asa’s safe—”
“You’ve known about her for weeks and you never told me?”
Luke felt the wind pushing him, and Abby kept moving hair out of her face.
“We didn’t know if it was a legitimate lead. We—I wanted to be sure we had something solid before I told you.”
He could see the pain of perceived betrayal all over her face, and it pierced him to the center of his soul.
“You didn’t consider that I should know this bit of information pertaining to the murders of my parents?”
“It’s not like that. It’s just that you were having a tough time with the shooting. Lucy Harper may have been a wild-goose chase. We didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
“You didn’t want me to lose my mind. You didn’t want me to wind up the crazy person.”
“Abby, that wasn’t it at all. I’m sorry you see it that way.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry too.” She turned to leave.
“Here, please take this.” He pulled what Lucy had given him out of his pocket. “I haven’t read it. But she thought it was something your father wrote.”
Abby looked at him. For the first time since he’d met her, Luke didn’t like what he saw in her beautiful eyes. Mistrust, anger, and hurt. Luke felt his heart break apart in his chest.
She took the envelope from him.
“I’m really sorry. I—”
Just then a car squealed into the lot. By reflex Luke put a hand on Abby’s elbow to move her out of the way.
Then Luke recognized Molly Cavanaugh behind the wheel.
“Detective Hart! Detective Hart!” The distraught girl leaned out the driver’s window.
“What is it?” Abby started toward her and Luke stepped up as well.
“It’s Callie; she’s been kidnapped. My sister—she’s gone.”
The stricken look on the girl’s face hit Luke like a sledgehammer.
“It’s Barone,” he said, and both women turned toward him.
“The computer guy?” Molly asked, going stone still.
“Yes. I was going to tell you, warn you. We sent the information to the county sheriff. I think he’s the rapist. Do you know where he lives?”
A look of horror crossed Molly’s face. “You mean . . .” Her voice trailed off, and Luke feared he’d hit her too hard, that she’d retreat back into her PTSD.
They had to find Barone.
CHAPTER
-60-
“WHERE IS THIS GUY?” Quinn looked at his watch. “Sign says eight, and he told me nine. He was supposed to be here half an hour ago.” He turned to Kelsey. “Where does he live? Did Jerry send you that information?”
They’d been sitting in front of the computer shop since quarter to nine. Smug and pleased with himself, Quinn had been talkative this morning and told her over breakfast that he needed some electronics. He had the C-4 to make the bomb, but he needed something to set it off and explained that he’d talked to the guy the night before and been promised the supplies.
Kelsey knew enough about bombs to know he could probably find something at the Home Depot, but for some reason he didn’t want to go there. A sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach told her why. He planned to kill the computer guy and eliminate any possible connection being made to him. Now he wanted to go to the guy’s house, which she was fairly certain would be ugly, but she’d roll with it.
“I’ve got it on my phone,” Kelsey said as she found the text message. She was happy to give him the address. She wanted to move this thing forward and wondered if she’d be able to save herself when Quinn made his move on her. She plugged the address into the GPS.
“I’ll get this dude out of bed and into the shop, where he belongs,” Quinn muttered as he left the lot and followed the directions on the screen.
Kelsey kept her hand on her gun, feeling surprisingly calm. Her only hope was that she wouldn’t make anything easy for the big oaf, Quinn.
The drive to the computer guy’s house didn’t take very long. He lived at the top of a hill. The street ended with a jog to the left but nothing off to the right and nothing behind. The house had an unobstructed view of the whole valley, but the dead-end, private nature of the location probably appealed to Quinn.
“I’ll be right back,” he said as he pulled into the driveway. He left the car running and strode to the front door.
Still not certain what he was up to, Kelsey kept an eye on him but took her hand off her gun. The hand was cramping because of the tight grip she had on the butt of her weapon. She was looking down at her hand when a huge explosion rent the air, and debris rained down on the car.
Kelsey was thrown back against the passenger seat, and the passenger window spiderwebbed as it shattered, but the safety glass stayed in place. A loud thud sounded, and the car shook when something large hit the front fender and then slid off.
Ears ringing, in shock and not really processing what had just happened, Kelsey tried to open her car door, but it wouldn’t open. She shoved hard and the obstruction moved. She slipped out of the car.
In horror she looked down and realized the obstruction—the object that had hit the car—was Quinn’s bloody body.
CHAPTER
-61-
“KIDNAPPED?” Abby forgot her anger with Luke and Woody and stared at Molly.
“Yes, she didn’t show up for work.” The girl’s wide, frightened eyes went back and forth from Luke to Abby. “They found her backpack in the street. You really think he’s got her?”
“I do,” Luke said.
Abby saw the certainty in his face and remembered all the circumstantial evidence Woody had shared with her. Yeah, he was probably right, and she hated to think of what that might mean for Callie.
“We need to go by his shop. Do you know where he lives if he’s not there?”
Molly nodded. “Everybody does. It’s not far from the shop. I’ll show you.” She opened the car door and slid out, standing on her good leg. Luke moved close to steady her.
“No, you need to call the police.”
“They won’t believe me. Everybody loves the computer guy. Please, if he has her, every minute counts.”
Abby looked from Luke to the girl.
“She’s right,” Luke said. “We’re wasting time. Woody has the car.”
“Then let’s go in mine.” Abby gripped Molly by the shoulders. “Just tell us where he lives. I’m not putting you in danger.”
“I’ll get back in my car and follow you if you don’t let me come. I can show you where he lives. I’m not staying out of this to sit and wait.” There was a stubborn set to her jaw.
Shaking her head in frustration, Abby hit her key fob to unlock the car doors, not wanting to take Molly but realizing what a waste of time it was to argue.
“We need to hurry. Direct me to the shop, and if he’s not there, his house.” Luke helped Molly into the backseat. Abby noted she put some weight on her casted leg.
“I’ll call the locals and tell them why I’m so sure he’s the bad guy,” Luke said as they climbed into Abby’s car. “I’ll persuade
them to meet us there.”
“I pray that you can make them understand,” Abby said as she started the car and burned rubber out of the lot.
Kelsey shifted into survival mode immediately. Not bothering to waste time going around the car, she slid back into the passenger seat, continuing over to the driver’s seat. Throwing the car in gear, she pressed the gas and reversed out of the driveway, then shoved the lever into drive and lurched away, not truly comprehending what just happened but knowing she should not be here when the local authorities arrived.
She took the left road jog and drove, not even sure of where she was going. After descending and making several turns, feeling safe in a residential area, she stopped and pulled to the curb, heart pounding.
What did she and Quinn step into?
There was no way to know. As Kelsey inventoried her situation, she realized Quinn’s body might present quite a problem for the boss, the “chief.” He’d be identified quickly, and there would be questions—lots of them, no doubt. The boss’s wrath would rain down for certain. She realized at that moment that she no longer cared.
She typed the freeway into the GPS, and directions popped up. The sooner she got out of Tehachapi, the better. As she followed the line on the screen, she heard sirens in the distance, behind her, no doubt headed to the computer guy’s house.
Accelerating, she let her mind drift to what story she would tell the rental car company about the broken window and the dent and the blood from Quinn.
CHAPTER
-62-
BARONE JUMPED when he heard the front door booby trap go off, then cursed.
They’re early.
He wasn’t ready yet.
In his mind’s eye he saw an army of SWAT team officers scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to get to the smartest guy they’d ever encountered. He’d wanted to wire the entire house to blow and kill the whole stupid macho team. He was only halfway done.
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