The Darkness of Evil (Karen Vail #7)(74)

35


Marcks sat in his ’64 Buick, windows closed and the Nats hat pulled down low over his forehead. With the sunglasses and beard, he hardly looked like himself. Which was the point, of course.

Once the car he had been following turned into the Lake Ridge neighborhood, he knew where Vail and company were headed. It allowed him to drop back and keep a discreet distance.

Unfortunately, because he no longer had a cell phone, he could not warn Booker and Scott who was on the way to their place. So he did the next best thing.

Blaring his horn from over a block away would be heard—but he could not be seen because of the trees and the curved angle of the streets.

There was no way for him to know for sure, but he was reasonably certain that they had gotten the message. He moved farther down the road and parked on a side street while waiting for Vail to leave—assuming his buddies did not kill her.

But when the SWAT truck rumbled past him, his shoulder muscles tensed and his level of apprehension clicked up several notches.

Almost four hours later, Vail and a couple of other cops drove by, headed away from Booker’s house. Though he wanted to double-back and check on his friends—were they in body bags or had they gotten away?—he started up the Buick and followed Vail’s vehicle, keeping as far back as he could without losing her.

Thus far, she seemed to have no idea she was being shadowed … which was exactly what he hoped.

IT WAS NEARLY 8:00 PM when Vail pulled into the driveway of a residential neighborhood. Marcks coasted down the street, several car lengths behind her, and came to a stop against a curb. Idling, observing.

He killed the engine and sat there, wondering what his next move would be … what it should be.

One thing was certain, however: he was building his book of intelligence, and now he had a key piece of information, one with potential leverage: he knew where Karen Vail lived.





36


Robby slid into bed beside Vail and touched her foot with his.

She jumped. “Oh my god, that’s cold.”

“Sorry. I’m freezing. Warm me up.”

The down comforter had trapped her body heat and banished her own chill ten minutes ago. Now toasty warm, she cuddled up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

They slept without interruption until a noise startled Vail. She sat up, the cool bedroom air snapping her mind to attention. Or the most attention it could muster at 3:00 AM.

She put a hand on Robby’s shoulder and shook him. “Hey, honey. Wake up.”

He groaned. “Tell me it’s not morning.”

“Yeah, it’s morning. Three in the morning.”

He rolled over and faced her. “What’s wrong?”

“I heard something.” She reached over to her night table and unholstered her Glock, then threw the covers back and stepped onto the cold wood floor.

Robby swung his legs over the side of the bed and likewise grabbed his handgun. In a low voice: “What did you hear?”

“Not sure, but it woke me.”

“Maybe you were dreaming.”

And then she heard it again: a thump. She glanced at Robby: he nodded.

They advanced toward the bedroom door.

“Where was it?” he whispered.

Good question. “Kind of sounded like it was behind the house or—”

“In front of it.”

Vail nodded. “Which doesn’t make sense. How could it be in both places?”

They walked down the hallway, lights off, their eyes acclimated to darkness and wanting to keep it that way. The second they turned on a lamp, their night vision would be shot.

Another thump. Vail stopped.

“Could it be your aunt?”

“She sleeps like a rock,” Vail said. “Never gets up in the middle of the night.”

“Still, we want to be absolutely sure before we pull the trigger. You know?”

“Yeah, fine.” She moved to the front window and peeked through the curtain. “I see a late model pickup halfway down the block and something behind it, looks like an old sedan.”

“Anything else? You see anyone?”

Vail swung her gaze left and right. “No.”

Again. A thump.

“This way. Definitely out back.” He led her to the rear door and they took up positions on either side.

“Ready?”

Robby tilted his head. “I guess so.”

Vail pulled on the knob and Robby pivoted into the yard—where he came face-to-face with a raccoon creeping out of the crawlspace beneath the house. It saw him and got up on its hind legs.

“Are you serious?” He stepped toward the animal. “Get out of here. Go on!”

It turned and scurried off.

“A raccoon ruined our night’s sleep?”

Robby yawned. “Apparently. Either I’m sleeping like a log or you’re sleeping lightly.”

“This Marcks case has me a little jumpy. With him out there somewhere, it’s a perpetual feeling of unease. I’m worried about Jasmine.”

He led Vail back into the bedroom, where they reholstered their weapons. “Look, it was her decision to go it alone, without your help.”

“Only because we failed her. The cop paid with his life, which sucked big time. But I can’t fault her. I might’ve done the same thing.”