No wonder they’d had such a hard time pinning him down.
West had them work in shifts, so they covered twenty four hours a day. The airport never closed, so they didn’t have much choice. He’d given himself all the shifts with Annie, except for one.
King had lifted a knowing brow but didn’t say a thing about the arrangements. He’d mixed and matched the rest of the staff into different combinations, figuring it would be a chance for them to get better acquainted.
He’d had one shift with Annie so far, but he’d choked. West had intended to tempt her into his bed once more, but she’d been distracted, agitated. He had a feeling she was worried they’d never grab the other two targets.
And he didn’t blame her one bit. They were getting nowhere fast.
He knew she wouldn’t forgive herself until she’d avenged Mike’s death. And she was planning on taking matters into her own two hands, he could feel it.
In the weeks after Tommy’s death, West had been volatile. If there’d been somebody to punish, West would’ve hunted the motherfucker down and strangled him. Yes, West understood her motivations, but he wouldn’t allow her to make another mistake, she just didn’t know it yet.
“I think he’s headed to Canada. From there, he could go anywhere in the world.”
West blinked.
He’d been so lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed Mack sitting beside him. She’d been quiet, contemplative. They were nearly through their twelve hour shift, and she hadn’t said much.
They were in his Jeep. She’d brought along a small cooler packed with fruit, veggies, and dip, along with a thermos of coffee. Mack had even shared her snacks with him. West thought he could get used to female coworkers.
“What makes you say so?”
“He’s smart. When law enforcement expects him to zig, he zags. Most criminals would head to Mexico.”
“Yeah, and I bet the Marshal Service has informed border patrol.”
She nodded. “But they have no idea what his real name is and even if they did, Doe excels at disguises. With the cash he got from his recent heist, he could afford excellent forgeries, too.”
“You’ve been crawling around in his head, haven’t you?” Mack had a bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in criminal justice.
“Yeah, but I can’t figure out what he’s been doing with the money. Maybe he’s squirreling it away somewhere, or he’s using it to finance another enterprise.” She shook her head. “And even if I got the chance to question him, he wouldn’t break.”
He slanted a glance at her. “You almost sound as though you admire him.”
A hushed silence followed.
“I suppose I do, in a way. He’s clever, and you don’t find many intelligent criminals. Or at least the FBI doesn’t cross paths with them.”
“Because they’re too crafty to get caught?”
“Yup. I’ve seen my share of dunces.”
She’d never given him a straight answer as to why she’d left the Hostage Rescue Team. It was a prestigious unit in the FBI and, being female, she’d had to bust her ass to get there. Like the military, the feds were a bit of a boy’s club.
So why’d she leave such a choice assignment? But this was hardly the time for a career discussion, so West left it alone. Besides, the FBI’s loss was his gain.
All of a sudden, Mack picked up the binoculars and peered through them at a car in the distance. A man got out of it.
“Hey, check it out.” She handed them over so he could take a gander.
West studied the potential target. “It’s hard to say, but he’s the right height, weight, and appears to be the same age.” Although, some of Doe’s disguises were old men. People were solicitous and helpful to the elderly, so it made sense to impersonate one. “Call Annie and tell her to get here fast. She’s the only one who’s seen him in person, and I want her input.”
“On it.” Mack made a quick phone call and then hung up. “She’s headed over. In the meantime, let’s get a closer look.”
They hopped out of the vehicle and slowly meandered over, so they didn’t draw attention to themselves. The man in question had grabbed a suitcase from the trunk of his car and wheeled it into the airport. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry or anxious in any way.
Inside, they found him at the front desk, talking with a young blonde clerk at the counter. It was a tiny place, compared to a commercial airport. There was only one front desk, no baggage check area, no TSA agents.
A sign by the door highlighted their “signature concierge service.” For a fee, the airport staff pulled the plane from the hangar, fueled it, and got it ready for takeoff in only thirty minutes notice.
The man abruptly stopped speaking and turned around, to glance at West.
The man was tall, broad shouldered, and fit. His eyes were blue, and he had a black beard, obscuring his features. He also wore a ball cap pulled down low, which nearly covered his hair. He had a black leather jacket, jeans, loafers, and an expensive watch on one wrist. The potential target appeared to be a businessman or an entrepreneur, someone who could afford this luxury.
West smiled at him, casual and calm.
The man’s gaze lit on Mack standing next to him and his eyes widened before he looked her up and down. He did it once, twice, and then a third time. Obviously, he liked what he saw. And if West wasn’t mistaken, by the flush on Mack’s cheeks, she wasn’t immune to his charms. Although she stopped blushing and stared at the man. Hard.
And then she inhaled sharply.
West turned to Mack, a question in his eyes. Is this our tango?
She nodded.
That’s all West needed. “Excuse me, sir, may I have a word?”
John Doe immediately sprang into action. He vaulted behind the counter and grabbed the clerk. He must’ve had a gun in his pocket because it was pressed against the young woman’s temple. Her name tag read Lila.
Both West and Mack pulled their guns.
Lila’s eyes were wide with fear.
“It’s okay, Lila,” West said reassuringly. “You believe me, don’t you?”
She bit her lower lip and then nodded.
West reached for his ear, ready to activate the comms when John Doe raised the gun.
“Don’t even think about calling reinforcements.”
West lowered his hand. “Fine, we’ll play this your way.”
“Look, I just want to leave. I don’t see the need to hurt anyone unless you make me.” He backed toward the rear door, which lead out onto the tarmac. A plane waited in the distance. Presumably, it was ready to go.
“You’re gonna have to get through me.” Quickly, West pointed the Glock at the man’s head, but he ducked behind the woman. As soon as he had the shot, he’d take it.
West sized up his opponent. Doe had to be military. He moved fast, didn’t panic, and he knew how to handle himself. But which branch? And when did he start playing for the wrong team?
“What’s all this money for, John?” Mack asked, stepping forward.
“Expenses.” His eyes narrowed. “And who might you be?”
“I’m Mackenzie, but you can call me Mack.”
“No, I don’t think I will.” His lips curved.
“No?”
“You’re nothin’ like the truck. No, you’re all together somethin’ different.” His tone was admiring.
West felt like he was eavesdropping on an intimate conversation.
“I don’t believe you.”
Doe blinked. “About what?”
His hold on the woman loosened almost imperceptibly. John Doe was fixated on Mack. Then again, he’d been in jail, and he’d spent the last six months in a hole in the ground. West supposed a stiff breeze could set him off at this point.
Mack shook her head. “I don’t think the cash is for you.”
“How do you figure?”
“Look at your clothes.” She gestured to him. “I bet you have a hundred bucks in that outfit, tops.”
“I’m wearin’ a leather jacket and an expensive watch.”
“No, the watch is a knockoff, and the leather isn’t high-quality either.” She glanced at West to explain. “I know my fashion.”
Very astute. And he’d been stealing millions. So where did the money go?
Doe didn’t reply.
“Come on, talk to me.” Mack took a step closer, but Doe didn’t back off. Lila had shut her eyes and tilted her head to one shoulder, as though trying to bury her face. She was scared, but unharmed, for the moment.
“I’m not at liberty to say,” Doe said smoothly. “Just out of curiosity, how would you spend it?” He cocked his head to one side, waiting for her to answer him, with baited breath, as though it really mattered.
“A Hermès watch,” she said without hesitation. “A leather one, with a diamond encrusted face.”
Doe grinned. “And why’s that?”
“I saw one in Vogue and tore the page out. I promised myself I’d buy it if I ever won the lottery.”
“Not diamonds? Furs?” Doe asked.
She shook her head. “No, the watch would be practical, although luxurious.”
Doe hung on her every word. West got the strangest impression, as though the man had just made a mental note of her preferences. They didn’t know one another, but there was an undercurrent of attraction, a connection, which wouldn’t be denied.
“Enough about my fashion preferences,” Mack continued on, undaunted. “How have you been choosing targets? You’ve been robbing assholes, John, people who’ve taken advantage of others. It’s not like you’re stealing from little old ladies. Know what that means?”
“Why don’t you tell me?” His eyes were hooded, wary.
“It means you’ve got your own code, standards, so you’re probably not such a bad guy. Yes, you break the law, but you’ve got morals.”
West didn’t agree at all. Then again, his worldview was black and white, right and wrong. Doe stole from other people. Therefore he was a bad guy. See? Simple.
“You’re wrong.”
“No, I’m not. Although, I can’t figure out why you set the teenage robbers up.”
Doe was listening to her. The smart thing to do would be to run away, take his hostage and go, but he was lingering. West might be able to use it to his advantage.
If he’d just move his head to the left…
“They weren’t exactly choir boys. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that out.”
“See. You have a code. Why are you really doing this?”
He swallowed, opened his mouth to speak, and then slammed it shut. “I swear you’ll never hear from me again.”
“Just let the woman go, and deal with me.” Mack took another step forward.
“Are you offerin’ to take her place?” Once again, his appreciative gaze swept over her body. “That’s a swap, I’d be happy to make.”
Just then, the door swung open behind them, and Annie raced inside.
Automatically, West put himself between her and the shooter. Funny, he hadn’t protected Mack, but the thought of Annie being in danger bothered the hell out of him.
“Well, if it isn’t the marshal. Nice to see you again.” He smirked.
“Turn yourself in, Doe.”
“Never.” He sighed. “Let me tell you what’s gonna happen here. Lila and I are gonna walk out to the plane, and you’re going to stay here. If I see anyone on the tarmac, she dies. If you try to ground the plane by scramblin’ some fighter jets to tail me, she dies. If you leave me alone, I’ll drop her off, safe and sound.”
Lila gasped.
“You don’t have to worry, Lila, he’s never killed anyone before, and I don’t think he wants to harm you,” Mack said to comfort the hostage.
“She’s right, Lila, I don’t, unless these fools do something stupid.”
“There’s no need to hurt her.” Annie went around West, and he resisted the urge to grasp her elbow and pull her to safety. “To be perfectly honest, I only care about capturing Turner.”
Doe nodded. “We agree on that. He’s a danger, Marshal. You’d better get him, soon. He’s spiralin’.”
“What do you mean?” West asked.
West was adjusting to this new playing field. He was used to dealing with terrorists, tribal leaders, people with agendas and a purpose. Sure, they might take barbaric measures to reach their goals, but they didn’t kill for pleasure. Tracking a serial killer was a whole new ball of wax. He didn’t know how to anticipate what a crazy person would do.
“He hasn’t killed for so long, it’s like the bloodlust is pent up or somethin’.”
“You think he’s about to go on a spree?” Annie asked.
“Define a spree,” West said.
Doe ignored him. “Let’s put it this way, I slept with one eye open. I’m not his type, but I think he’s gonna go off the deep end.”
“Oh shit.” Annie shut her eyes.
“What the fuck is a spree?” West asked tightly, gripping his weapon.
Mack answered him. “Remember the Ted Bundy case?”
West nodded. The serial killer was infamous. He’d admitted to murdering thirty-six women, but most people thought the real total was in the hundreds.
“I’ve read the FBI records on him,” Mack said. “The bureau interviewed Bundy when it was trying to classify and understand serial killers. Anyway, one night he went into a frenzy, slaughtering several women in a sorority house. Prior to that, he’d only been snatching women one at a time.”
West didn’t like the sound of it. Liberty Hill was a small town, full of hard-working folks, and he couldn’t stand the thought of a predator in their midst.
“Do you know where he’s hiding?” Annie asked.
“No, but I can point you in the right direction. If you found me, I’m assumin’ you know about the fallout shelter?” Doe asked.
“Yes, we already searched it.” According to Storm, they hadn’t found anything else useful. West thought Turner must’ve scrubbed it down before he left.
“Look at the property around it. There are several acres to search.”
“And what are we looking for?” Annie asked, and her voice was barely a whisper.
West could hear the anguish and guilt in her tone, and he knew she blamed herself.
“Turner killed a woman the other night which is when we parted ways. You’ll find her body in a pond. He left it there when he was finished.” Doe grimaced. “She’s the first of many. Good luck, Marshal.” He turned to Mack. “It was a pleasure meetin’ you, Mackenzie. I wish it were under different circumstances.” With that, Doe headed outside with Lila in tow.
In a matter of minutes, he was airborne.
“Can’t we go after him?” Mack went to the window.
“No, goddammit.” West punched the wall. “I won’t risk Lila’s life, and we don’t have the cash to chase a globe-trotting suspect.”
There goes twenty-five thousand bucks.
Chapter 10
“You don’t have to do this,” West told Annie for the third time. “I can take Zane or Nox.”
Hell, anyone else.
After they’d dropped Mack off at HQ so she could get some shut eye, they’d been tromping around the woods near the fallout shelter. West would sleep after they’d located a body, but they’d been trying to find it for an hour with no luck. They were getting nowhere fast.
For everybody’s sake, West wanted to end this. Now.
“No, this is my responsibility.” Annie’s face was ashen. She hadn’t said more than a handful of words, and all of them were in response to a direct question.
In desperation, West turned to Stormy for help. “We’ve hit a wall. Any bright ideas?”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve just gotten satellite access. Relax, West, the eye of the Storm is upon you,” he intoned, booming into the microphone.
West shook his head.
“I might be able to narrow down your search.”
&
nbsp; “How’d you get it?” Other than Huck, West didn’t have any connections with law enforcement in this area. So he didn’t have access to such cool toys.
“I asked really nicely?”
“Horseshit.”
There was a lengthy pause on the comms.
Annie was wearing and earbud too but wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation. She appeared to be lost in her own thoughts. Or lost in general.
“Consider it a midnight requisition.”
West snorted. It was a military term for borrowing or downright stealing something. This must be Storm’s so-called side project.
“You’re tryin’ to get us into trouble, aren’t you?”
“No, actually I’m trying to help you.” West heard the distinctive tap-tap-tap of computer keys in the background. “Satellite can only help so much. And you’re out in the middle of nowhere, so I can’t jack some security cams.”
“Do you see any ponds?”
“Yeah, at least a half a dozen of them. Also, lots of grass and trees. Cows, too. Corn is a major theme, as well.”
West groaned under his breath. “Anything useful?”
“Hey! Is it my fault you live in the middle of nowhere?”
“In case you’ve forgotten, you live here too.”
“Sorry, Chief, I got nothing.”
He rolled his eyes. “That’s helpful, thanks.”
“I live to serve.”
“Do you think Doe was blowin’ smoke up our asses?” They’d already investigated two ponds and hadn’t seen any signs of a body.
“No clue. Your guess is as good as mine.”
There wasn’t much in the way of landmarks he could use to orient himself. Even his GPS in the Jeep didn’t help matters. They were standing in the middle of a green blob, according to the computer.
“Take another look and tell me if you spot somethin’.”
“Will do. I’ll get back to you. Storm over and out.”
***
Another hour passed and they were near another pond.
At least, Annie thought it was a different pond. It wasn’t like they were labeled, although this one was much larger than the rest. Annie sniffed, and she could detect something, under the damp air.
Black and Blue_Black Star Security Page 11
