Speak No Evil

“I’m coming with you.” Kyle reached for the door, which was locked.

“No,” she said.

“He’s my brother. I can talk him out of whatever he has planned. Please let me help.”

She looked at Kyle. When she agreed to let him come out to the Burns house, she hadn’t believed he was one hundred percent innocent. How had he not seen what his brother was capable of? But now, his eyes, his expression, his demeanor, everything told her he was sincere.

She couldn’t help but be cautious. Kyle might know more about his brother’s activities than he let on.

Yet he might very well be the ace in the hole she needed to get everyone out of the restaurant to safety.

“Follow my lead. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Nick stayed with Leah until the medics arrived. He asked a patrol to take him Code Three-lights and sirens-to the Sand Shack. “Cut the sirens a half mile back.”

He’d heard over the radio exactly what Carina had planned. She was taking a huge risk, but as he ran through the scenario he couldn’t see what choice she had. At least she didn’t go inside as a cop. If Burns was quietly going to steal and leave, which would be the smart thing to do, she could get behind him as he walked out the door, arrest him away from civilians.

If he took hostages, they needed someone inside.

Nick pulled out his cell phone and called Dillon direct. “Any word?”

“Carina just went in.”

Dammit. “I’m at least eight minutes out.”

“So far the place is quiet. A pair of customers just came out.”

“Where are you?”

“En route, but we’re downtown. It’s going to take at least thirty minutes. But if it becomes a hostage situation I might be of use.”

“Burns must know he can’t disappear,” Nick said almost to himself.

“His father did.”

“Did he?”

“I don’t see what you’re getting at.”

“How many people have you known who could just disappear?”

“It happens.”

“With a lot of planning and money, yes. But with an arrest warrant out on him? One slipup…his prints are in the system. He’d be pulled in.”

“What are you thinking?” Dillon asked.

“What if his wife killed him? Found out he was raping women again, knocked him off? The police come by and she says he just left. Been gone for days. They buy it because he screwed up, they have evidence, so they put out an APB on him and that’s that. No one looks at the wife for murder.”

“What about a body?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she buried it in the basement. A lake. The desert.”

“There may be a lot of places to dump a body in Montana, but in Los Angeles?” Dillon thought a moment. “The mountains. There are some places where you could get rid of a body discreetly. I read about a case in Utah where a husband left his wife’s body at the garbage dump. It took months for investigators to sift through the roughage to find her, and they even knew the general area where she’d been dumped.”

“It would explain something Kyle Burns said when we first talked to him about his father. He flat-out denied that there was any possibility that his father was behind the murders. He didn’t even entertain the thought.”

“As if he knew it was impossible,” Dillon said.

“Because Mitch Burns is dead.”

Dillon paused a long time. “You might be right. Hold on, I have a call coming in.”

Nick sat still in the passenger seat of the speeding police car. Dillon got on a minute later. “That was the DOJ. I called them earlier about any firearms registered to Regina or Kyle Burns. Regina Burns has a nine-millimeter registered in her name with a permit to carry. So far they haven’t found a gun in the house.”

“We have to get word to Carina that he may be armed.” He hung up and turned to the officer driving. “ETA?”

“Three minutes.”

Carina quickly assessed the room. Thirty-five civilians, including children. Six staff within sight. Likely two in the kitchen. Brandon worked here, he would be free to go wherever he wanted.

No one appeared panicked or worried. Just going about the business of eating and talking. As she watched through the large beachfront windows, two cops were talking to the dozen or so people eating on the patio outside. The plan was to clear as many people from the restaurant as possible.

Brandon wasn’t within sight.

“Talk to your people,” she told Kyle. “Gas leak, have them get the customers out quietly.”

She approached a waitress. “Hi, did Brandon Burns just come in?”

“Yeah, he went to the office to call his brother.” The waitress saw Kyle behind her. “Hey Kyle, Brandon’s looking for you. I didn’t think you were coming in today.”

“We have a gas leak,” Kyle said. “Can you quietly tell the customers and have them leave? Don’t collect any money, we just need everyone to leave the restaurant. Including staff.”

She furrowed her brow. “A gas leak? Is it dangerous?”

Kyle shook his head. “Just a precaution. Liability.” The waitress left and Kyle whispered to Carina “The safe is in my office.”

Carina nodded. The office was adjacent to the kitchen. “How much?”

“Saturday night’s take. Over three thousand. I-I went home with Maggie instead of the bank. No one knows.”

“Except Brandon.”

Kyle nodded soberly.

“Help get everyone out,” she began when Kyle’s phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID. “It’s the Shack number.”

Brandon, most likely calling from the office. Carina moved Kyle over to the front door, where she could watch the staff and keep an eye on Kyle while listening to the conversation. She nodded for him to answer.

“Hi,” Kyle said into the receiver.

“It’s me,” Brandon said.

“What’s up?”

“I’m sorry, Kyle.”

“Sorry about what?”

“You’ll know when you get to work tomorrow. I just wanted to say good-bye.”

“Good-bye? Where are you going?”

“I can’t tell you. But…” he paused, his voice low. “I think Dad is around. I’m going to find him.”

“What?”

Carina put her finger to her lips. Shhh.

“Why are you mad?” Brandon asked Kyle.

“Why do you think he’s in San Diego?”

“Because the police were asking about him.”

“Don’t go looking for him, Brandon. Why don’t you come over to my house? We can kick back, talk about Dad.”

“No. You don’t like him. You never have. You’re just going to try to tell me to forget about him like you always do.”

“That’s not true.”

“What?” Brandon’s voice was muffled and in the background of the phone Carina heard a female voice murmuring.

Then Brandon hung up.