them.
Grace mopped up maple syrup with a forkful of pancake. “Are you sure that’s a smart idea? We don’t know what this Adolphos is capable of. Or more correctly, we know exactly what he’s capable of. He’s dangerous.”
Jon nodded, placing his empty plate in the sink. “I know. And there’s a lot of risk to this. Izzy, if you don’t want to try this, we can do something else. I just can’t think of what that would be, other than turning you over to the State Police. We’ve all agreed we don’t want to do that if we can avoid it.”
Izzy had hardly touched her breakfast. She looked down at her daughter, who was making her way through her second pancake after munching a pile of crunchy bacon. Finally she nodded. “I’ll do it. My daughter deserves to be able to live without being afraid all the time. I’ll do it. For her.”
Darcy found Jon’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Now they had a plan.
***
Later that day, Jon sat with Darcy in the second floor hallway of Izzy’s house. They had been there for hours now, waiting for something to happen. Izzy was downstairs, sitting at the kitchen table with the curtains wide open so anyone could easily see her from outside.
“Are you sure he’s going to come?” Darcy asked Jon.
“I’m sure,” he answered. “It’s just going to take time. Grace tailed Izzy while she walked all around town for nearly an hour. There’s no way that Adolphos didn’t see her. Then she came right here. It won’t be long.”
Darcy tugged at the neck of the bulletproof vest she was wearing. Jon had made both her and Izzy wear them, just like he was. Adolphos was a killer, and he’d come at Izzy with a gun twice already. They weren’t worried about him shooting Izzy through the window, or even bursting through the door shooting. He thought Izzy had information that he wanted.
Izzy’s husband had been involved in money laundering and worse. It wasn’t a big leap from that fact to know what Adolphos had been asking about yesterday. “Where is it?” he’d asked. What he meant, was that Chip McIntosh had been skimming money from the criminal organization The Hand. Adolphos wanted that money.
The problem, as Izzy had pointed out to Jon, was that Izzy had no idea where the money was.
So now Jon and Darcy waited for Adolphos to take the bait and make an appearance. He’d told her several times that he wanted her to stay at the station or with Grace, but Darcy had insisted on coming. She thought maybe her sixth sense might be of some help. Plus, she had started this whole thing, and she wanted to see it through to the end. Grace and two uniformed officers had taken up positions in a car parked behind Jon and Darcy’s house, ready to swoop in when needed.
Which apparently wasn’t going to be anytime soon.
“You know,” Darcy said, talking just to pass the time, “Sue’s leaving for college. She won’t be able to work at the shop anymore.”
“Really? Hmm. That’s too bad. When’s she have to go?”
“Next week, I think.” The reality of it rushed in for Darcy. “I got to thinking about running the bookstore by myself. It’s too much.”
“You could always hire someone else.” His eyes were on the stairs as he spoke to her, and she could tell his ears were pricked for any sound. “Or maybe cut back on the hours?”
“Well, I know the shop hasn’t been doing as much business as it used to, but Sue and I are working
Grace mopped up maple syrup with a forkful of pancake. “Are you sure that’s a smart idea? We don’t know what this Adolphos is capable of. Or more correctly, we know exactly what he’s capable of. He’s dangerous.”
Jon nodded, placing his empty plate in the sink. “I know. And there’s a lot of risk to this. Izzy, if you don’t want to try this, we can do something else. I just can’t think of what that would be, other than turning you over to the State Police. We’ve all agreed we don’t want to do that if we can avoid it.”
Izzy had hardly touched her breakfast. She looked down at her daughter, who was making her way through her second pancake after munching a pile of crunchy bacon. Finally she nodded. “I’ll do it. My daughter deserves to be able to live without being afraid all the time. I’ll do it. For her.”
Darcy found Jon’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Now they had a plan.
***
Later that day, Jon sat with Darcy in the second floor hallway of Izzy’s house. They had been there for hours now, waiting for something to happen. Izzy was downstairs, sitting at the kitchen table with the curtains wide open so anyone could easily see her from outside.
“Are you sure he’s going to come?” Darcy asked Jon.
“I’m sure,” he answered. “It’s just going to take time. Grace tailed Izzy while she walked all around town for nearly an hour. There’s no way that Adolphos didn’t see her. Then she came right here. It won’t be long.”
Darcy tugged at the neck of the bulletproof vest she was wearing. Jon had made both her and Izzy wear them, just like he was. Adolphos was a killer, and he’d come at Izzy with a gun twice already. They weren’t worried about him shooting Izzy through the window, or even bursting through the door shooting. He thought Izzy had information that he wanted.
Izzy’s husband had been involved in money laundering and worse. It wasn’t a big leap from that fact to know what Adolphos had been asking about yesterday. “Where is it?” he’d asked. What he meant, was that Chip McIntosh had been skimming money from the criminal organization The Hand. Adolphos wanted that money.
The problem, as Izzy had pointed out to Jon, was that Izzy had no idea where the money was.
So now Jon and Darcy waited for Adolphos to take the bait and make an appearance. He’d told her several times that he wanted her to stay at the station or with Grace, but Darcy had insisted on coming. She thought maybe her sixth sense might be of some help. Plus, she had started this whole thing, and she wanted to see it through to the end. Grace and two uniformed officers had taken up positions in a car parked behind Jon and Darcy’s house, ready to swoop in when needed.
Which apparently wasn’t going to be anytime soon.
“You know,” Darcy said, talking just to pass the time, “Sue’s leaving for college. She won’t be able to work at the shop anymore.”
“Really? Hmm. That’s too bad. When’s she have to go?”
“Next week, I think.” The reality of it rushed in for Darcy. “I got to thinking about running the bookstore by myself. It’s too much.”
“You could always hire someone else.” His eyes were on the stairs as he spoke to her, and she could tell his ears were pricked for any sound. “Or maybe cut back on the hours?”
“Well, I know the shop hasn’t been doing as much business as it used to, but Sue and I are working
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