conversations, but de c ided it would have b een against the law.
Kevin joined her in the waiting room and walked her out to her car.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“It’s hard to say. We have to find a warehouse around here that stores chickens .”
“ Sounds like my kind of Saturday afternoon, ” Kevin said.
Of course Lieutenant Nguyen didn't believe Angela, be cause once more he'd both eavesdropped on and recorded the con versation she'd had with Mary. Officer Martin, one of t he men who'd helped Nguyen capture Mary the night of the party, we nt into Nguyen's office carrying the tape. The two men listen ed to the conversation twice before speaking.
“ We made a mistake searching for t he warehouse in Balton alone,” Nguyen said. “That may be why we didn’t find it.”
“It was my mistake,” Officer Martin said. He was a s hort squat man with a serious at ti tude towards life. His wife said they slept together with their guard dog. If Martin h ad a first name, he had f orgotten it. Nguyen liked him. “Where’s that other girl comi n g from? ” Martin asked.
“ Angela Warner? I don't know. Obviously she d oesn’t believe Mary's story – who would? – but there are ele ments in it that disturb her .” Nguyen removed the tape from the player and finge red it uneasily. There was something about Angela's state of m ind that was different from that of t he previous week. Last Saturday Nguyen wouldn't have imagined Angela going out with Mary's boyfriend – a clear act of disloyalty. But perhaps Jim had some kind of power over girls. He was an extremely handsome kid.
Maybe he was more than that.
Jim reminded Nguyen of a young soldier he'd had under his command in Vi etnam. The man's name had been Tran Quan; he was the best killer Nguyen had ever seen . On sorties into the jungle Tran Quan always killed more VC than the rest of his squad combined. He hunted like a snake, though, not like a human. He wouldn't stop at shooting or stabbing a victim in the back. Nguyen hated him and needed him at the same time.
But that need had been superseded the night he had found Tran Quan ra ping a village girl whom he had just shot in the head. He had smiled when he was caught in the beam of Nguyen's flashlight. Nguyen had killed him on the spot and never regretted it.
What did nice, clean-cut Jim K line have in common with Tran Quan that Nguyen should link them together? He didn't know. But he was afraid what would happe n if he didn't find out.
“ I'd like to follow all three of these kids,” Nguyen said finally . “ Angela, Jim , and especially Mary. Would y ou help me?”
“Yes,” Martin said. “I’ d like to take Mary. It sounds like she won’t be out on bail too long with t ha t kind of at titude.”
“ She's seventeen, bu t you know how dangerous she is?”
“ I saw proof at that party last week.”
“ Don't forget what you saw .” Nguyen stood . “ Le t 's look over our list of warehouses once more and concentrate on Kally. I 'm sure Angela is doing the same thing right now . If there is a warehouse like the one Mary's described , I can probabl y pick up Angela's trail there. ”
CHAPTER SIX
Angela and Kevin found a food wholesaler's wareh ouse listed in t he l ocal Yellow Pages. It had a Kall y address, not a Balton one. Kevin said he knew where it was. It t ook t hem only twenty minutes t o find. Of course, they more interested in what was across the street from i t.
Which j ust happened to be an abandoned wareho use.
It was right where Mary said it should be. Not far from a stack of smelly chicken crates. Angela parked beside them and climbed out. Since it was a Saturday, the in dus trial part of town was deserted. The smell of the ne arby crates, though repul sive, just increased her hunger. She was going to have to ditch Kevin soon and go eat the contents of a supermarket. She pointed across the alley at the boarded-up back door of what had been a f oam rubber
Kevin joined her in the waiting room and walked her out to her car.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“It’s hard to say. We have to find a warehouse around here that stores chickens .”
“ Sounds like my kind of Saturday afternoon, ” Kevin said.
Of course Lieutenant Nguyen didn't believe Angela, be cause once more he'd both eavesdropped on and recorded the con versation she'd had with Mary. Officer Martin, one of t he men who'd helped Nguyen capture Mary the night of the party, we nt into Nguyen's office carrying the tape. The two men listen ed to the conversation twice before speaking.
“ We made a mistake searching for t he warehouse in Balton alone,” Nguyen said. “That may be why we didn’t find it.”
“It was my mistake,” Officer Martin said. He was a s hort squat man with a serious at ti tude towards life. His wife said they slept together with their guard dog. If Martin h ad a first name, he had f orgotten it. Nguyen liked him. “Where’s that other girl comi n g from? ” Martin asked.
“ Angela Warner? I don't know. Obviously she d oesn’t believe Mary's story – who would? – but there are ele ments in it that disturb her .” Nguyen removed the tape from the player and finge red it uneasily. There was something about Angela's state of m ind that was different from that of t he previous week. Last Saturday Nguyen wouldn't have imagined Angela going out with Mary's boyfriend – a clear act of disloyalty. But perhaps Jim had some kind of power over girls. He was an extremely handsome kid.
Maybe he was more than that.
Jim reminded Nguyen of a young soldier he'd had under his command in Vi etnam. The man's name had been Tran Quan; he was the best killer Nguyen had ever seen . On sorties into the jungle Tran Quan always killed more VC than the rest of his squad combined. He hunted like a snake, though, not like a human. He wouldn't stop at shooting or stabbing a victim in the back. Nguyen hated him and needed him at the same time.
But that need had been superseded the night he had found Tran Quan ra ping a village girl whom he had just shot in the head. He had smiled when he was caught in the beam of Nguyen's flashlight. Nguyen had killed him on the spot and never regretted it.
What did nice, clean-cut Jim K line have in common with Tran Quan that Nguyen should link them together? He didn't know. But he was afraid what would happe n if he didn't find out.
“ I'd like to follow all three of these kids,” Nguyen said finally . “ Angela, Jim , and especially Mary. Would y ou help me?”
“Yes,” Martin said. “I’ d like to take Mary. It sounds like she won’t be out on bail too long with t ha t kind of at titude.”
“ She's seventeen, bu t you know how dangerous she is?”
“ I saw proof at that party last week.”
“ Don't forget what you saw .” Nguyen stood . “ Le t 's look over our list of warehouses once more and concentrate on Kally. I 'm sure Angela is doing the same thing right now . If there is a warehouse like the one Mary's described , I can probabl y pick up Angela's trail there. ”
CHAPTER SIX
Angela and Kevin found a food wholesaler's wareh ouse listed in t he l ocal Yellow Pages. It had a Kall y address, not a Balton one. Kevin said he knew where it was. It t ook t hem only twenty minutes t o find. Of course, they more interested in what was across the street from i t.
Which j ust happened to be an abandoned wareho use.
It was right where Mary said it should be. Not far from a stack of smelly chicken crates. Angela parked beside them and climbed out. Since it was a Saturday, the in dus trial part of town was deserted. The smell of the ne arby crates, though repul sive, just increased her hunger. She was going to have to ditch Kevin soon and go eat the contents of a supermarket. She pointed across the alley at the boarded-up back door of what had been a f oam rubber
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