“I can’t.” Now it was Sarah who was playing her cards close to her chest. Tyler couldn't read her at all, but he thought it best to call Carson and warn him to be on the lookout for any cars coming up the drive before Tyler got back. “He’s innocent,” he added.
“So you keep saying,” Sarah replied.
“If you talked to him you’d understand why I’m so sure,” he said.
“If you let me come along like I wanted to, I would have talked to him by now,” Sarah said, and Tyler was glad to see something of her natural playfulness was back in her tone. For a second he thought about telling her where Carson was, but it was only a second and then it was gone. There was no upside to her having that information.
“Touché,” he smiled. It was time for Sarah to tell him about the decoding of the message and for him to tell her everything he’d learned with Carson. Well, almost everything.
Chapter 30
DESPITE HIS NERVOUSNESS and doing all he could to remain alert, Carson Lemond’s body wasn’t up to the task of staying awake when Tyler left. He turned off all the lights in the house and walked from room to room looking out every window in turn. It really was isolated here, you couldn’t see so much as a street light even in the distance. The night sound of the woods, unfamiliar to him, carried on the still night and while he was awake each new sound made him more nervous than before.
“It’s all in your head,” Carson told himself aloud. It was mental exhaustion getting the better of him and the only way to combat it was to go to sleep and try to regain some of his strength.
He did one more circuit of the windows and made sure they and the door were locked and then went to the spare room Tyler had showed him. Laying down in the bed, Carson was at once the most restful he’d been in what seemed like years. Meeting Tyler had been a turn of luck, but the idea of who the man was that put them in contact didn’t go away.
Tyler hadn’t asked where Carson had got his number from, but it was clear Tyler thought it was from Buddy. Carson wasn’t sure why he hadn’t corrected Tyler on this. Now he wondered why.
But not for long.
Even as dull answers began to come to his mind, his eyes drooped and then closed and soon he was fast asleep. A sweet dreamless sleep any man would kill for.
Waking with a start and sitting bolt upright in bed, Carson knew there was someone else in the house before he heard a thing. It was like a dark presence and it scared the hell out of him. For a fraction of a second he wondered if he was asleep and dreaming, but he dismissed the idea instantly. No, he was not asleep and nor was he alone. Someone was in the house and for whatever reason his unconscious mind didn’t think it was Tyler.
Carson looked to his watch and saw that it was only one in the morning. He hadn’t even been asleep an hour yet. He wished he had a gun. Sitting on the side of the bed, Carson listened intently. Something had woken him up; he was sure of it. The wind sighed through the trees on the other side of the river and it sounded like the sea crashing on a rocky shore. Had that been it? He didn’t think so.
He got to his feet and silently crossed the room to the door. He’d closed it when he went to bed and regretted that decision now. Using all his powers of recall he tried to remember if the door made noise as it opened and closed. If whoever was in the house didn’t know where he was, there was no clearer calling sign than a loudly creaking door to let him know.
The handle dipped quietly and then Carson pulled gently and felt the door glide easily towards him. These must be the best oiled hinges in the world, it was completely soundless. Sticking his head through the small gap he’d made, Carson looked up and down the short hallway. No sign of anyone. He wondered if Tyler had a gun and supposed he did, living out here in the country like this. There had to be at least a hunting rifle in the house. The question was where was it and was he closer to it than the other guy.
Carson held his breath and stepped out into the hallway, looking to the floor so as to not kick anything over and cause a ruckus. His heart beat hard and fast in his chest and he inhaled a long deep breath and slowly exhaled in an effort to bring it back under control.
Movement caught Carson’s eye and he instinctively pressed his back flat to the wall and looked where he’d seen the shape. It hadn’t been anything solid, perhaps a shadow but it was proof enough that he was not alone. All thoughts of it being Tyler were gone now. Whoever it was, they were here for him and it was up to him to make sure they didn’t get him.
His mind was drifting towards the idea of a hitman for the Castino family who had managed to track him down. It was the most likely thing. If it was the police or the FBI the whole house would have been bathed in light by now and someone with a bullhorn would be shouting for him to come out with his hands in the air.
No, whoever this was didn’t want to disturb Carson at all; that would only complicate his job. Well, Carson thought, too late now, I know you’re here. He looked around for something he could use as a weapon. There was no doubt his
