Here and Gone(68)

Eventually, the world levelled off enough that he could lift his head away from the odor of ancient urine and excrement. Another minute or two and he could breathe almost normally. One more, and he could get back to his feet.

Whiteside dug in his pocket for his cell. He hesitated, knowing he shouldn’t use his main phone, he should use the burner, but there was no time. For the fifth time that evening, he called Collins. He listened to the dial tone, certain she wouldn’t answer.

‘Hello?’

He stifled a gasp of startlement.

‘Hello? Ronnie?’

‘Mary, listen to me. Don’t come back to the station. Don’t go home. Meet me in thirty minutes. You know where.’

‘Ronnie, what’s—’

Whiteside hung up, shoved the phone back into his pocket. He flushed the toilet, exited the stall, washed his hands. Then he strode through the office without looking at Mitchell, Showalter, or Abrahms, out to his car.





38


DANNY WOKE IN pure darkness, the nauseating sensation of falling, disoriented. a few moments passed before he remembered where he was: the upstairs storeroom of the soft-furnishings place he’d scouted earlier in the day.

Once he’d left Audra at the guesthouse, he’d gone straight to his car and driven out of Silver Water, climbed up out of the basin, into the hills. There, he’d pulled over, waited for the sky to turn from dark blue to black.

He’d watched the orange band on the horizon as it was devoured by the mountains, thought about the beauty of the country. Danny had not ventured out of San Francisco often in his life. Mya had talked about travelling when Sara was older. Explore America, maybe even Europe. That dream had turned to dust, along with his wife.

Once darkness had smothered the land, he headed back to town, switching off his headlights as he worked through the lowly houses on the outskirts, crossed the bridge, and turned into the alley at the top of Main Street. He left the car there, out of view of the street, and worked his way down the rear of the properties until he found the soft-furnishings place. He was inside within two minutes; the store wasn’t alarmed. Upstairs, he found a box full of uncovered cushions. He emptied them onto the floor, formed them into a nest, and set his phone’s alarm for three a.m.

Now awake and alert, he checked his watch: two forty-six. But what had woken him?

He listened.

There: movement, a footstep. A rustling. Leather on linoleum, fabric on fabric.

Danny reached for the small cluster of belongings he’d left by the nest, his shoes, wallet, phone. The Smith & Wesson Model 60 and the ammunition remained hidden in the rental car, in the trunk, beneath the spare wheel, along with the cable ties, wire cutters, tape, knife, and other items he’d bought at the hardware store in Phoenix.

Noise on the stairs. Two pairs of feet. One heavier than the other.

He knew then who it was, and he felt relief that he’d left the pistol behind. If he’d had it here, it would have provided all the excuse they needed to shoot him down. He got to his feet, stuffed his possessions into his pockets, backed toward the wall, put his hands up.

Shuffling and whispers on the other side of the door that led to the stairway. A sliver of light moved around the doorframe.

‘I hear you,’ Danny said. ‘Come on in. I’m not armed.’

Silence for a moment, then the door burst inward, the flashlight beam blinding him. He put his right hand out to shield his eyes.

A click, and the overhead fluorescent light stuttered into life.

Whiteside and Collins faced him, both dressed in civilian clothes. Collins aimed a Glock at his chest while Whiteside switched off the flashlight.

‘Just passing through, huh?’ Whiteside said.

‘Thought I’d stick around another day,’ Danny said, his hands still raised. ‘How’d you find me?’

‘Wasn’t hard. I knew you wouldn’t leave town like you were told, there’s plenty of empty properties, so I just checked for any sign of a B&E. And here you are.’

‘Here I am,’ Danny said.

‘You should’ve gone to the motel over in Gutteridge,’ Whiteside said. ‘It’s not much, but Jesus, it’s better than this.’

‘I’m easy to please.’

‘Yeah, and you got a smart mouth on you too. Now, this presents me with a dilemma. Do I arrest you for vagrancy, breaking-and-entering, or both?’

‘Or I could just be on my way,’ Danny said. ‘No harm done.’

‘No harm done?’ Whiteside laughed. ‘Boy, you crack me up, you really do. You done plenty of harm. You’re unarmed, you say.’

‘Yeah,’ Danny said, smiling. ‘Pity, right?’

Whiteside returned the smile. ‘Well, it might have simplified matters. You don’t mind if I check, though, do you? Just put your hands on your head and take a couple of steps forward.’

Danny did as he was told and stood quiet and still while Whiteside patted him down, went through his pockets. The sheriff examined what he found, leafing through the contents of the wallet, studying the cards, counting the cash. He pulled the driver’s license out, read the details, before slipping it back inside.

Whiteside handed the wallet and phone over. Danny lowered his hands, took them, and put them back into his pockets.

He saw Whiteside’s fist coming, but too late to block it.