“I’m there all the time, ask Morrie, he’s seen me.”
“No, Morrie has seen me, Denny, you aren’t me,” Colt told him. “Turn yourself in.”
“Gotta make her safe so no one will hurt her again.”
“Do the right thing, turn yourself in.”
“Gotta make her safe.”
“Are you in town? Is that how you know she’s here?”
“Keep tabs on her, gotta keep her safe.”
Jesus, who was this guy’s eyes?
“Denny, don’t make this worse for Feb, for you. I’m tellin’ you, the best thing you can do is turn yourself in.”
“Got two more then she’ll be safe.”
Colt heard the disconnect and hissed, “Fuck!”
Two more. One was him, the other a wildcard.
“Colt?” he heard Feb call and looked at her to see Jackie was now with her, Jackie’s arm around Feb’s waist, holding her daughter close.
“It was Denny,” Colt confirmed and lifted his hand, indicating his phone. “You call Sully?”
Feb stepped away from her mother, came to him and handed him his phone, nodding. “Told him about the call, gave him my number.”
Colt flipped her phone shut and his open, scrolling to Sully, he hit the go button.
He listened to it ring once before Sully said, “Colt?”
“They get it?”
“Don’t know, gotta keep this line open for the call back.”
“I’ll let you go but you gotta know, he’s got eyes on the bar, Sul, and he knows she’s with me now.”
“Right.”
“Send someone to the bar, do a sweep, it may be cameras.”
“Your house?”
That chill shafted back up his spine. “My house too. I’ll do the sweep tonight.”
“Report in. Out.”
Colt flipped the phone closed and looked at Feb. “Put some clothes on, baby.”
“He’s watching?” she whispered.
“Don’t know, put some clothes on.”
She ran from the room.
“I’ll make coffee,” Jackie said and headed to the kitchen.
Colt followed Feb, he wanted to check the bedroom first and he wanted to do it wearing a t-shirt.
* * * * *
An hour later Colt sat on the couch, Feb curled into his side, her arm draped around his stomach, her legs bent and resting on his thigh. She was pressing in so close it felt like she wanted to graft herself to him.
Jackie was curled into the armchair angled at the side of the couch, her legs like her daughter’s, resting on the arm of the chair, her eyes on Colt.
He had his arm wound around Feb’s back, his hand resting lightly on her hip. He was trying to appear calm when he f**king wasn’t.
He had his cell to his ear and he heard it ring once.
“Colt.”
“House is clean, Sully.”
“Bar isn’t,” Sully replied. “Two eyes so far both pointed at the bar. They’re still lookin’ but they got some technical wizard who found the feed. They’re tracin’ it same time they’re preparin’ for a showdown.”
“Give me more,” Colt demanded when Sully stopped.
“Well the good news, it’s amateur, still brilliant but either dumb luck or lots of research. Probably got the instructions off the internet. Means they’re thinkin’ he did it himself and maybe the equipment has a print.”
“All right, what else?”
“Other good news is; the feed has to be close. He isn’t beaming it to the moon. If he’s watchin’, he’s close too.”
“Good.”
“Okay, Colt, the bad news is, he knows Feb’s there because he’s got a camera on the street pointed at your house. They’re now tracin’ that feed too but we suspect it’s goin’ to the same place.”
“So he’s either close and watchin’ or he’s got an accomplice who’s informing.”
“That’s right.”
“He called her phone, Sully,” Colt told him.
“Easy for him to find her number, seein’ as he spent time in her house. Her number’s on her phone bill. Called Chris, he said we got one of Lowe’s prints off the big plastic folder she keeps her paperwork in, stowed in the closet on the shelf by her journals.”
“Chris is a good man.”
“Gotta watch it, Colt, he’s after our jobs.” Sully was joking but he wasn’t wrong. Chris would make detective, he wanted it, he worked hard and he was f**king smart, so much so, he might even beat Colt’s record to the badge.
“All right, got something more for you, Sully,” Colt said, his fingers giving Feb a squeeze in an effort to give her strength before she heard what was going to come out of his mouth. “You need to give this to the Feds and their profilers. Guy’s more whacked than we thought. He thinks he’s me.”
Colt heard both mother and daughter suck in breath but he only felt Feb’s body get tight against his so he gave her another squeeze.
“He tell you that?”
“Identified himself as Lieutenant Alexander Colton.” He heard Feb’s whispered “Oh my God,” but kept on talking. “Got jacked up when I called him Denny. Says he’s the police and he’s doin’ all this to keep her safe.”
“Jesus.”
“Also said there were two more. I reckon he thinks one is me, the other…” he let that trail when Feb’s head dropped to his shoulder.
“They didn’t get time to triangulate the signal on the phone,” Sully told him.
“Bad news.”
“They’re now monitorin’ her phone, yours, your house phone and the bar.”
Too little too late but who would imagine that f**king guy would actually call. Stupid move, he was getting messy and that could mean bad things, though it could also mean good and Colt went with his last thought.
“We need to be in his face about this shit?” Colt asked. “Press a reaction?”
“I’m gonna get in his face,” Jackie whispered her threat and Colt couldn’t help it, he smiled into his phone. Jackie got a hold of him, hatchet or not, Denny Lowe didn’t stand a chance. A lioness was lethal when her cubs were under threat.
“Well, unless he gets close and starts watchin’ with his own eyes, that’ll be difficult,” Sully said. “They dismantled the cameras, all of them, even the one on the street. I’m learnin’ the Feds do not f**k around and somehow they got an army to throw at this shit. Warren says taking the cameras offline is their own way of pressin’ a reaction, pissin’ him off, forcin’ a move.”
“No, Morrie has seen me, Denny, you aren’t me,” Colt told him. “Turn yourself in.”
“Gotta make her safe so no one will hurt her again.”
“Do the right thing, turn yourself in.”
“Gotta make her safe.”
“Are you in town? Is that how you know she’s here?”
“Keep tabs on her, gotta keep her safe.”
Jesus, who was this guy’s eyes?
“Denny, don’t make this worse for Feb, for you. I’m tellin’ you, the best thing you can do is turn yourself in.”
“Got two more then she’ll be safe.”
Colt heard the disconnect and hissed, “Fuck!”
Two more. One was him, the other a wildcard.
“Colt?” he heard Feb call and looked at her to see Jackie was now with her, Jackie’s arm around Feb’s waist, holding her daughter close.
“It was Denny,” Colt confirmed and lifted his hand, indicating his phone. “You call Sully?”
Feb stepped away from her mother, came to him and handed him his phone, nodding. “Told him about the call, gave him my number.”
Colt flipped her phone shut and his open, scrolling to Sully, he hit the go button.
He listened to it ring once before Sully said, “Colt?”
“They get it?”
“Don’t know, gotta keep this line open for the call back.”
“I’ll let you go but you gotta know, he’s got eyes on the bar, Sul, and he knows she’s with me now.”
“Right.”
“Send someone to the bar, do a sweep, it may be cameras.”
“Your house?”
That chill shafted back up his spine. “My house too. I’ll do the sweep tonight.”
“Report in. Out.”
Colt flipped the phone closed and looked at Feb. “Put some clothes on, baby.”
“He’s watching?” she whispered.
“Don’t know, put some clothes on.”
She ran from the room.
“I’ll make coffee,” Jackie said and headed to the kitchen.
Colt followed Feb, he wanted to check the bedroom first and he wanted to do it wearing a t-shirt.
* * * * *
An hour later Colt sat on the couch, Feb curled into his side, her arm draped around his stomach, her legs bent and resting on his thigh. She was pressing in so close it felt like she wanted to graft herself to him.
Jackie was curled into the armchair angled at the side of the couch, her legs like her daughter’s, resting on the arm of the chair, her eyes on Colt.
He had his arm wound around Feb’s back, his hand resting lightly on her hip. He was trying to appear calm when he f**king wasn’t.
He had his cell to his ear and he heard it ring once.
“Colt.”
“House is clean, Sully.”
“Bar isn’t,” Sully replied. “Two eyes so far both pointed at the bar. They’re still lookin’ but they got some technical wizard who found the feed. They’re tracin’ it same time they’re preparin’ for a showdown.”
“Give me more,” Colt demanded when Sully stopped.
“Well the good news, it’s amateur, still brilliant but either dumb luck or lots of research. Probably got the instructions off the internet. Means they’re thinkin’ he did it himself and maybe the equipment has a print.”
“All right, what else?”
“Other good news is; the feed has to be close. He isn’t beaming it to the moon. If he’s watchin’, he’s close too.”
“Good.”
“Okay, Colt, the bad news is, he knows Feb’s there because he’s got a camera on the street pointed at your house. They’re now tracin’ that feed too but we suspect it’s goin’ to the same place.”
“So he’s either close and watchin’ or he’s got an accomplice who’s informing.”
“That’s right.”
“He called her phone, Sully,” Colt told him.
“Easy for him to find her number, seein’ as he spent time in her house. Her number’s on her phone bill. Called Chris, he said we got one of Lowe’s prints off the big plastic folder she keeps her paperwork in, stowed in the closet on the shelf by her journals.”
“Chris is a good man.”
“Gotta watch it, Colt, he’s after our jobs.” Sully was joking but he wasn’t wrong. Chris would make detective, he wanted it, he worked hard and he was f**king smart, so much so, he might even beat Colt’s record to the badge.
“All right, got something more for you, Sully,” Colt said, his fingers giving Feb a squeeze in an effort to give her strength before she heard what was going to come out of his mouth. “You need to give this to the Feds and their profilers. Guy’s more whacked than we thought. He thinks he’s me.”
Colt heard both mother and daughter suck in breath but he only felt Feb’s body get tight against his so he gave her another squeeze.
“He tell you that?”
“Identified himself as Lieutenant Alexander Colton.” He heard Feb’s whispered “Oh my God,” but kept on talking. “Got jacked up when I called him Denny. Says he’s the police and he’s doin’ all this to keep her safe.”
“Jesus.”
“Also said there were two more. I reckon he thinks one is me, the other…” he let that trail when Feb’s head dropped to his shoulder.
“They didn’t get time to triangulate the signal on the phone,” Sully told him.
“Bad news.”
“They’re now monitorin’ her phone, yours, your house phone and the bar.”
Too little too late but who would imagine that f**king guy would actually call. Stupid move, he was getting messy and that could mean bad things, though it could also mean good and Colt went with his last thought.
“We need to be in his face about this shit?” Colt asked. “Press a reaction?”
“I’m gonna get in his face,” Jackie whispered her threat and Colt couldn’t help it, he smiled into his phone. Jackie got a hold of him, hatchet or not, Denny Lowe didn’t stand a chance. A lioness was lethal when her cubs were under threat.
“Well, unless he gets close and starts watchin’ with his own eyes, that’ll be difficult,” Sully said. “They dismantled the cameras, all of them, even the one on the street. I’m learnin’ the Feds do not f**k around and somehow they got an army to throw at this shit. Warren says taking the cameras offline is their own way of pressin’ a reaction, pissin’ him off, forcin’ a move.”
