woman’s dream to have that many men hanging on her every word. The lame thought made her realize how scared she was. How nuts this was making her. MaybeJack was right. Maybe putting an ad in the paper had been a fool idea. What killer in his right mind would—
She suddenly noticed a table at the back, inside the building. Moments before the table had emptied out. But now she could see a man sitting alone with his back to her.
“I see someone,” she said.
“Is it him?” Denny asked. “Where is he sitting?”
She focused the binoculars on the lone man. But between the sun’s glare off the windows and one of the umbrellas on a table outside flapping in the breeze, her view was obstructed.
“I can’t tell from here,” she answered, still straining to get a clear view of him. “He’s in the far back.”
Karen waited to see if anyone joined him. He did appear to be expecting someone. Her?
She hesitated a moment longer. “I’m going down to get a closer look.”
“Negative,” Jack snapped. “Stay there. Wait for him to move.”
Karen watched the man a few moments longer through the binoculars. She knew going anywhere near the café would be dangerous if the man was the killer. But the way he had just suddenly appeared, she suspected he’d come in through some back way. Through the kitchen? She feared he’d leave the same way and she wouldn’t get a look at him.
“Stay put, Karen,” Jack ordered. “Denny, can you see from where you are? Denny? Are you picking up?”
Denny still hadn’t answered by the time Karen reached the street.
“Dammit, Karen,” she heard Jack say into her earpiece as she must have come into his view.
“I’m just going to take a quick look,” she said quietly and started across the one-way side street.
“D ENNY ?” Jack radioed again. Silence. Where the hell was he? Jack watched Karen advance toward the café, the hair on his neck prickling with foreboding. Dammit, he didn’t like this.
He told himself he knew Denny. His partner must have moved in too close to use his radio. That had to be it.
He held his breath as Karen disappeared behind one of the umbrellas on a patio table, then disappeared altogether as she rounded the corner of the building and dropped out of his sight.
“Karen?” No answer.
His earlier foreboding turned to dread and a terrible feeling of impending doom. “Denny? Have you got her?”
Silence.
His cop training argued that if he moved now, he’d blow the stakeout, ruin any chance Karen might have of identifying the man and more than likely spook the suspect and allow him to escape.
But right now Jack didn’t feel like a cop and it had nothing to do with being on probation or a forced two-week vacation. He swore and started to move in, telling himself he didn’t give a damn about anything but getting Karen out of there.
“Jack, I’m almost there.”
Her voice stopped him. That and the clatter of dishes.She must have gone around back and in through the kitchen. “You’ve got five seconds and I’m coming after you,” he said to her. Five. Four. Three. Two.
“It’s not him,” Karen whispered, sounding disappointed. “He’s not the man I saw with Liz.”
Jack felt the tension rush out of him. He closed his eyes. “Get out of there,” he told her. But his relief was short-lived. Now they’d have to do this again tonight.
“It’s a wrap, then,” Denny said over the radio, sounding more disappointed than Jack. Just as Jack had suspected, Denny had gotten too close to use his radio and had turned it off. Denny always had to be where the action was.
“Wait a minute,” Jack heard Karen say. “He’s not the man I saw with Liz, but, Jack, I saw him at the hotel Saturday night.”
Jack froze. The man in the back of the café got to his feet and started to leave by the side door.
“It’s Vandermullen,” Denny barked over the radio. “Move in.”
“Karen, get out of there,” Jack ordered as the other
She suddenly noticed a table at the back, inside the building. Moments before the table had emptied out. But now she could see a man sitting alone with his back to her.
“I see someone,” she said.
“Is it him?” Denny asked. “Where is he sitting?”
She focused the binoculars on the lone man. But between the sun’s glare off the windows and one of the umbrellas on a table outside flapping in the breeze, her view was obstructed.
“I can’t tell from here,” she answered, still straining to get a clear view of him. “He’s in the far back.”
Karen waited to see if anyone joined him. He did appear to be expecting someone. Her?
She hesitated a moment longer. “I’m going down to get a closer look.”
“Negative,” Jack snapped. “Stay there. Wait for him to move.”
Karen watched the man a few moments longer through the binoculars. She knew going anywhere near the café would be dangerous if the man was the killer. But the way he had just suddenly appeared, she suspected he’d come in through some back way. Through the kitchen? She feared he’d leave the same way and she wouldn’t get a look at him.
“Stay put, Karen,” Jack ordered. “Denny, can you see from where you are? Denny? Are you picking up?”
Denny still hadn’t answered by the time Karen reached the street.
“Dammit, Karen,” she heard Jack say into her earpiece as she must have come into his view.
“I’m just going to take a quick look,” she said quietly and started across the one-way side street.
“D ENNY ?” Jack radioed again. Silence. Where the hell was he? Jack watched Karen advance toward the café, the hair on his neck prickling with foreboding. Dammit, he didn’t like this.
He told himself he knew Denny. His partner must have moved in too close to use his radio. That had to be it.
He held his breath as Karen disappeared behind one of the umbrellas on a patio table, then disappeared altogether as she rounded the corner of the building and dropped out of his sight.
“Karen?” No answer.
His earlier foreboding turned to dread and a terrible feeling of impending doom. “Denny? Have you got her?”
Silence.
His cop training argued that if he moved now, he’d blow the stakeout, ruin any chance Karen might have of identifying the man and more than likely spook the suspect and allow him to escape.
But right now Jack didn’t feel like a cop and it had nothing to do with being on probation or a forced two-week vacation. He swore and started to move in, telling himself he didn’t give a damn about anything but getting Karen out of there.
“Jack, I’m almost there.”
Her voice stopped him. That and the clatter of dishes.She must have gone around back and in through the kitchen. “You’ve got five seconds and I’m coming after you,” he said to her. Five. Four. Three. Two.
“It’s not him,” Karen whispered, sounding disappointed. “He’s not the man I saw with Liz.”
Jack felt the tension rush out of him. He closed his eyes. “Get out of there,” he told her. But his relief was short-lived. Now they’d have to do this again tonight.
“It’s a wrap, then,” Denny said over the radio, sounding more disappointed than Jack. Just as Jack had suspected, Denny had gotten too close to use his radio and had turned it off. Denny always had to be where the action was.
“Wait a minute,” Jack heard Karen say. “He’s not the man I saw with Liz, but, Jack, I saw him at the hotel Saturday night.”
Jack froze. The man in the back of the café got to his feet and started to leave by the side door.
“It’s Vandermullen,” Denny barked over the radio. “Move in.”
“Karen, get out of there,” Jack ordered as the other
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