“What do you think?” LeVar asked, raising an eyebrow.
“This seems unnecessarily risky,” Raven said. “Then again, we need as many eyes as possible watching the bus terminal when Benson arrives, and Mom can’t be alone until we capture him.”
LeVar turned to Serena.
“I’ll pack a blanket and pillow. There’s a lot of sitting and waiting during an investigation. You can rest while we work.”
Serena rolled her eyes.
“LeVar, how much sleep do you figure I’ll get after this evening? No, I’ll stay awake until this is over. I can’t wait to see Benson’s face when you bring him down.”
Aguilar returned from the bedroom as Lambert slipped his notes inside his pocket.
“You convinced Chelsey to take the night off?” Aguilar asked LeVar.
“She fought me every step of the way until she hit the couch. Then she was out like a light.”
“She’s a stubborn one.”
“Tell me about it.”
The muscular deputy set her hands on her hips.
“Speaking of stubborn, I don’t suppose I can convince your team to stay home while we track Benson.”
LeVar moved his gaze to Raven and Darren. Raven rose from the couch with determination burning in her eyes.
“There’s your answer, Deputy,” LeVar said.
“If that’s the way it has to be, you’ll play by our rules tonight. We’ll spread out and monitor the bus terminal from multiple angles. I’ll wear plain clothes and sit in the waiting area. The second you see anything, you tell us. And none of you engage Benson. The professionals will make the arrest.”
“Agreed,” said Raven, checking her gun. “I’ll ensure my team follows orders. But if Benson gets past you, he’s all mine.”
* * *
Thomas crouched between two trees behind the Leonard residence. Wind lashed his face and drove him deeper into hiding. After alerting the Leonard family, Detective Presley had traded her cruiser for an unmarked SUV. Slumped inside the vehicle, the detective watched the house from the curb, while Thomas insisted on covering the rear of the house, worried Gardner Raimi would break inside from the backyard.
The upstairs was dark, the lower floor lit like a landing strip. The moon painted sharp silhouettes across the grass and fallen leaves. A rickety wooden fence groaned and rocked behind him, like old bones in a cemetery.
“Anything?”
Presley’s voice.
“All clear,” he said, holding the radio.
“Maybe we’re off the mark on Raimi’s next target.”
“No, he’ll go after Valerie next. We just need to wait.”
As if the girl heard his voice, Valerie appeared at the bedroom window with a kitten clutched in her arms. The teenager gave him a tentative wave, and he waved back. Gesturing at Valerie to move away from the window, Thomas waited until the girl drew the curtains and disappeared inside her room.
“We should switch in a few minutes, so you don’t freeze to death.”
“I’ll survive,” he said, forcing his teeth not to chatter. “It won’t be much longer.”
Radio silence resumed. Thomas peered between two needled boughs, the pine scent cloying. At least the tree added a few degrees of warmth as he huddled in the darkness. Inside the house, a heavyset man passed through the kitchen, stopped at the window, and glared into the night with his hands cupped around his eyes. Ed Leonard. Thomas felt his blood boil. He wanted to drag Ed Leonard from the house and drop him off at the Kane Grove jail. When they’d arrived, Charisse Leonard nursed a purple bruise on her cheek in the shape of a hand. There was no greater coward than a man who struck his wife, and Ed Leonard outweighed Charisse by one hundred pounds. Charisse claimed she’d fallen. Unless she pressed charges, Thomas couldn’t arrest the bully.
Ed Leonard returned to the living room. Cocking his neck around the branches, Thomas spied the parents—Ed taking up the couch with his meaty hand wrapped around a beer, Charisse in the lounge chair with a book, giving her husband distance. The television reflected in her reading glasses.
Thomas checked the time. It was after ten, and nobody had seen Gardner Raimi since school released.
No one except his parents. And they hadn’t survived the encounter.
Reports filtered back from the Raimi residence. Virgil Harbough, the Nightshade County Medical Examiner, arrived with his assistant, Claire Brookins, to lead the CSI team. An officer noted Gardner Raimi’s bed sheet was missing. Thomas wasn’t sure what to make of the discovery. Did he plan to strangle Valerie with the sheet? Or twirl the sheet into a rope and climb through a window?
Charisse crawled off the lounge chair and left the book face down and open on the floor. Ed Leonard didn’t even look up as she waddled up the stairs. On the second floor, Mrs. Leonard’s shadow passed over the drawn blinds that covered the hallway window. The door to the master bedroom opened and closed. Thomas settled back into hiding as he raised the collar on his jacket.
A second shadow passed over the blinds. Thomas shot to his feet. His gaze flew to Valerie’s bedroom. He saw the girl’s silhouette in front of the computer. Then his eyes dropped to the living room. Ed Leonard hadn’t budged from the couch. Thomas grabbed his radio.
“I’ve got movement inside the house. Second floor.”
While Presley advanced on the house, Thomas jogged to the back door. A scream from upstairs sent the sheriff into a full sprint. He threw the back door open and hurried through the kitchen, almost colliding with Ed Leonard after the husband rumbled out of the living room.
“What’s happening?” the man asked, his eyes as large as saucers.
“Stand back,” Thomas said as he circled Leonard and angled toward the staircase.
Another scream sounded from the upper landing. Then a thud as a body hit the floor.
The front door flew open as Presley rushed inside. Gun in hand, Thomas ascended the stairs.
The scene played out before him in slow motion. Valerie’s bedroom door slamming shut. The lock twisting as the
