wrapped his arms and legs. They had come from nowhere. 'Stop kicking, ya little prick.' Eric was a harsh whisper in Ben's ear; Mazi an ebony giant at his feet. Tears blurred Ben's eyes. Don't put me back in the box, he tried to say; please don't bury me! 118
But his words could not get past Eric's iron hand.
Mike stepped out of a shadow and gripped Eric's arm. Ben felt the terrible pressure of his grip in Eric's sudden weakness.
'A ten-year-old kid, and he beat you. I should beat you myself.'
'Jesus, we got him. It saves us the trouble of diggin' him up.'
Mike ran his hands over Ben's legs, then searched Ben's pockets and came out with the Silver Star. He held it up by the ribbon.
'Did Cole give you this?'
The best Ben could do was nod.
Mike dangled the medal in front of Mazi and Eric.
'He cut his way out with this. See how the points are
dull? You fucked up. You should're searched him.' 'It's a fuckin' medal, not a knife.'
Mike grabbed Eric's throat with such speed that Ben didn't see his hand move. Their faces were only inches
apart with Ben sandwiched between them. 'Fuck up again, I'll put you down.' Eric's voice gurgled. 'Yes, sir.'
'Keep your shit tight. You're better than this.'
Eric tried to answer again, but couldn't. Mike squeezed even harder.
Mazi gripped Mike's arm.
'Ewe ahr keeleeng heem.'
Mike let go. He considered the Silver Star again, then
pushed it into Ben's pocket.
'You earned it.'
Mike turned away into the shadows and Ben caught a glimpse of the house across the street. He saw the family inside. Ben's eyes filled. He had come so close.
Mike turned back to them.
'Bring him inside. It's time to put him on the phone.'
Eighty feet away, the Gladstone family enjoyed meatloaf for dinner as they shared stories about their day. Emile was the father and Susse the mom; Judd and Harley, their sons. Their comfortable home was bright with light, and they laughed often. None of them heard or saw the three men or the boy, and had only a vague sense that minor repair work was being done during the day while the new owners awaited the close of escrow. As far as the Gladstone family knew, the house across the street was empty. No one was home.
Part Two THE DEVIL IS ON THE LOOSE CHAPTER 1 1
time missing: 28 hours, o2 minutes
JOE PIKE
Pike sat unmoving within the stiff branches and leathery leaves of a rubber tree across from Lucy Chenier's apartment. Small gaps between the leaves afforded him a clean view of the stairs leading up to her apartment, and a lesser view of the street and sidewalk. Pike carried a Colt Python. 357 Magnum in a clip holster on his right hip, a six-inch SOG fighting knife, a .25caliber Beretta palm gun strapped to his right ankle, and a leather sap. He rarely needed them. Lucy was safe. When Cole dropped Pike off earlier that evening, Pike had approached Lucy's apartment on foot from three blocks away. The man who took Ben could have been watching Lucy's apartment, so Pike checked the nearby buildings, roofs, and cars. When he was satisfied that no one was watching, Pike circled the block to come up behind the bungalows across the street. He slipped into the dense trees and shrubs surrounding them, and became a shadow within other shadows. He wondered what was happening at Hollywood Station, but his job was to wait and watch, so that's what he did. Lucy's white Lexus appeared an hour or so later. She parked at the curb, then hurried upstairs. Pike had not I24
seen her since he left the hospital some months ago; she was smaller than he remembered, and now carried herself with a stiffness that indicated she was upset.
Richard's black limo rolled up ten minutes after Lucy got home and double-parked alongside her Lexus. Richard got out by himself and climbed the stairs. When Lucy opened the door she was framed by gold light. The two of them spoke for a moment, then Richard went in. The door closed.
The Marquis arrived from the opposite direction, Fontenot driving with DeNice along for the ride. They stopped in the street with their engine idling. Myers jumped out of the limo to speak with them. Pike tried to listen, but their voices were low. Myers was angry and slapped the top of the Marquis. ''--this is bullshit! Get your shit together and find that kid!' Then he trotted for the stairs. DeNice got out of the Marquis and into the limo. Fontenot accelerated away, but swung into a driveway one block up, turned around, and parked in the dark between two trees. Even as Fontenot parked, Richard and Myers hurried down, got into the limo, and sped away. Pike waited for Fontenot to follow them, but Fontenot settled behind the wheel. Now two of them watched Lucy. Well, one and a half.
Pike was good at waiting, which was why he excelled in the Marines and other things. He could wait for days without moving and without being bored because he did not believe in time. Time was what filled your moments, so if your moments were empty, time had no meaning. Emptiness did not flow or pass; it simply was. Letting himself be empty was like putting himself in neutral: Pike was.
Cole's yellow Corvette pulled to the curb. Like always, it needed a wash. Pike kept his own red Jeep
