“I wish we knew if it was even that.” She glanced at her computer and was startled by the time. “I need to figure out dinner.”
“No, you don’t. I’ll run out and get us something. Any preferences?”
“There’s the supermarket subs. At least they have veggies on them.”
His eyes crinkled at the corner. “And a whole lot less fat.”
She didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll ride along, if that’s okay. I need some stuff anyway.”
“You’re on.”
And at least it was out of the house. At this rate she could get cabin fever.
THE THREE MEN gathered around their paltry fire again as twilight blanketed the land. The minute the sun went behind the mountains, the temperature dropped quickly.
The first man opened his rucksack and pulled out Larry Duke’s computer and cell phone. “Charged,” he announced.
Man Two looked delighted, but the third guy was still feeling annoyed. “You get seen?”
“Of course.”
“What the hell? You weren’t even disguised.”
The first man just shrugged. “You ever been to a truck stop? The place is crawling with people who don’t live around here. Even the locals wouldn’t notice a new face in that crowd.”
“Oh.” Man Three grew subdued.
“I was wondering if I could gather much intelligence, though. I knew if I started asking questions, it’d be noticed. Especially questions about Larry Duke. So I just listened.” He picked up a twig and snapped it, then threw it on the fire. One of the other guys had started the coffee.
“Did you at least get to eat real food?” the second man asked almost wistfully.
“I was in a truck stop diner.” As if that answered the question. Which it did, however indirectly.
“So what now?” asked the third man.
The first man pointed at the second. “You spend tonight hacking your way into the computer and the phone. Hack as hard as you ever have.” He indicated the third guy. “We’re going for another break-in tonight.”
“Is the house empty?”
“No. Plan on being silent. Completely silent. Guy is single, lives alone, owns a food store.”
“How’d you find out about him?”
For once, Man One looked a little less angry. “Someone mentioned Major Duke. They were behind me while I ate, and he was curious about why Duke’s talking to certain people. We start there. After that we’ve got a tougher problem. A guy who owns an auto repair in town. He was mentioned, too, and doesn’t live alone.”
It grew quiet for a while, the only noticeable sound the night wind blowing through surrounding growth. Spring was trying to emerge on this sparse land.
“Anything else?” the third man asked eventually.
“Only Duke.”
“We’re going to have to take him out,” said the second man.
“We shouldn’t, much as I’d like to,” the first man said. “We’re hardly covert if we do that. It’s not enough that he’s nosing around with the help of that damn deputy.”
“He is?” The second man sat up straighter.
“That’s what I’m gathering, little as it is. It’s thin intel, but I’m going to assume my conclusions are true. Safest thing to do.”
The gloom was deepening, both in the outside world and among the men. What had looked like a relatively easy mission had descended steadily into a chaotic mess. They’d seen that on the battlefield, but they hadn’t expected it here.
“I hope,” said the second man, “that this crap is as important as someone seems to think.”
“I hope,” said the third guy, “that you want the money enough to shut up and do whatever’s necessary.”
“Hell, yeah,” said the second man. “But who’s taking the risk out here?”
Good question. But it was always that way. The grunts did the real work while too many of the candy-ass brass sat at computers and desks.
The first man poured himself coffee in the collapsible tin cup he carried nearly everywhere. It would cool down soon, but at least it was real coffee.
“Thing is,” he said, “if I was sure the only person involved back there is the one who hired us, I might kill him. But I don’t know that there aren’t others.”
“Too bad how much we don’t know,” muttered the second guy.
“I don’t think whoever he is knew. I think he thought we’d get to Larry Duke and that would be the end of it. I got the impression he’s not happy that we had to kill Duke. Not at all. It’s a mess, all right.”
But there was no point in beating that horse to death. They all agreed on that, so silence returned as they listened to the wind whisper.
THE HODGESES HAD been nice. They let Duke and Cat inside, showed them the scene and explained in detail everything that was missing. From a wide-screen TV to a computer, electronics appeared to have been the target.
What had interested Cat most was Duke’s prowl outside the Hodges house. He’d studied the privacy-fenced backyard, the door that had been jimmied, the bottom edges of windows that had not. He’d been interested in looking through those windows, too.
“Did you learn anything?” she asked as they walked home.
“I may have. Can’t be sure.”
“Quit being inscrutable and share.”
Mark Hodges’s only connection with Larry had been playing darts with him a few times at Mahoney’s. On the surface this robbery didn’t appear to be related in any way to Larry’s murder.
On the surface. She wondered if, during his inspection of the property, Duke had noticed something that other eyes might have missed.
“Let’s go to Mahoney’s,” he said. “If you don’t mind. When we went there together, I got the feeling a few of those guys wanted to talk to me.”
“I got the same feeling. Let’s go.”
Mahoney’s was in full swing for a weeknight. Not as packed as on a weekend but packed enough. Laughter had grown louder as the beer did its work.
