Show of Evil

'Fox is out of the den. Heading towards the Loop.'

'Keep me on the line,' she said.

Morris watched the corner. The grey Mustang drifted into sight, turned, and drove past the listening post. A block away Vulpes climbed the stairs to the elevated train stop.

'He's taking the el,' Grosso said a moment later on the phone. 'We're on foot. Call traffic and tell 'em not to bust our car. We'll contact Icicle as soon as he lights somewhere.'

'Rodge. Over and out,' Morris answered.

Grosso and Dobson followed Vulpes to a three-storey open-atrium mall in the downtown section. Vulpes seemed to be in no hurry. Grosso stayed half a city block behind Vulpes while Dobson tracked him from the opposite side of the atrium. Occasionally Grosso would enter a store and snoop around while Dobson kept Vulpes in view. Dobson stopped occasionally and window-shopped, watching Vulpes in the reflection of the store window. When Grosso was back on track, Dobson would enter a store. They both wore beepers and each had dialled in the other's number. If either of them lost Vulpes or got in trouble, they would simply push the send button and immediately beep the other. They were a good team: cautious, savvy, alert.

Vulpes strolled the first floor of the mall, engrossed in window-shopping, occasionally stopping and watching the shoppers. The mall was crowded. Winter sales. Vulpes went to the second floor of the mall, entered an ice cream store, and came out with a hot fudge sundae piled with whipped cream and sprinkles. He sat on a bench and ate it slowly, savouring every bite. He went to a record store and bought two CDs, then went to a men's clothing store, where he bought a black turtleneck sweater. He rented a copy of Sleepless in Seattle from the video rental store, then went to a one-dollar movie theatre in the mall and bought a ticket for Schindler's List. He got a hot dog and a Coke at one of the food counters that surrounded the entrance to the theatre and sat at a small table eating. Dobson and Grosso rendezvoused out of his line of sight.

'Shit, I saw that picture,' Dobson complained. 'It's three hours long!'

'Well, you're about to see it again,' Grosso answered. 'And don't talk about the movie while it's on. I hate people who tell me what's going to happen.'

When Vulpes finished eating, he checked his watch and went into the theatre.

'I'll get the tickets, you get the popcorn,' Grosso said.

'I'm getting the short end of the deal,' Dobson complained.

'For a change,' Grosso answered, and headed for the ticket window.

Stenner was waiting at the county airport when Vail and St Claire landed from their trip to the Justine Clinic.

'I brought Jane with me,' Stenner said, adding, almost as an apology, 'Didn't want to leave her by herself.'

'How about the house guard?' Vail asked.

Stenner looked at his watch. 'Just coming on now.'

He opened the back door of the car and Jane peered out. Vail smiled when he saw her. The tension that had ridged his face with hard lines seemed to ease a bit.

'You okay?' he asked, climbing in beside her.

'Of course. Hey, Mr DA, I wanted to come, okay?'

'I'm a little stressed out. Sorry,' he said. 'Let's swing by the office on the way home, Abel.'

She wrapped both arms around one of his arms. 'You can relax. Your bad boy is sitting in the movies as we speak.'

'The movies?'

'Our two best tails are baby-sitting through Schindler's List,' Stenner said, driving away from the airport. 'If he stays for the whole show, they'll be getting out about now.'

 'And he has to be in by ten,' said Venable. 'That's a little over an hour from now.'

'What did he do before the movie?'

'Went shopping, rented a movie, ate some ice cream.'

'Him and his damn ice cream,' said Vail. 'How about phone calls?'

'Morris says nothing significant.'

'Get him on the phone,' Vail said.

'Y'know, if he is tied in with our copycat, the old Fox could be bidin' his time,' St Claire said, tapping out the number on the car phone. 'Makes us wait until we get a little lax, then hit.'

'That's why we're not going to get lax, Harve,' Vail said.