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He had her now. There was no doubt.
His finger tightened on the trigger as he spun the weapon around the room. He stopped and pulled the trigger.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
He cursed as the feet he had seen disappearing out the window were now out of sight.
He dashed forward and stepped onto the wooden box she used to reach the opening. He hefted himself up, pulled his torso outside, and there she was, to his left, racing across the back lawn. He would never be able to get to her now.
He had failed.
Chapter 17
Tuesday, 4:05 p.m.
IT TOOK LESS THAN five minutes for first responders to appear on the scene and secure the building after A
Jake had returned home while the search was underway and Hank arrived shortly thereafter.
A
“I had no idea what was going on,” he said. “Naturally, I feared the worst.” He turned to Hank, standing in the doorway. “I went to fill up with gas, and when I got back …”
“I think you should get a better lock for the back door, Jake,” Hank said. “It looks like the guy was a pro.”
A
“What confuses me the most, is why,” she said. “Is this related to the Shaft case, or something else?”
“What concerns me more is, the guy might be back,” Jake said.
“We have to stop him before he does.” Hank sat on the couch and looked at A
“Just briefly.”
“Do you think you could recognize him again?”
A
“Hair color?”
“Not sure. I think he wore a cap. He wasn’t especially big or small. That’s about all I can tell you. I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.”
An investigator appeared in the doorway. “No unknown prints on the back door or the basement door, Hank. In fact, we checked the whole main floor and nothing.”
Hank bobbed his head up and down. “I expected as much. This guy might be a pro. He likely wore gloves.”
“Do you think it might be Norton?” Jake asked.
Hank pursed his lips and looked at the ceiling a moment. “Perhaps. But for what reason?”
“Maybe he thinks A
Hank looked at A
A
“If it was Norton, how would he know we were looking into the case?” Jake asked.
“Lisa Krunk,” Hank said.
Jake looked confused. “Lisa Krunk?”
“From the interview she did with Maria Shaft. They’ve been ru
A
Hank nodded. “And a murder always catches everyone’s attention.” He looked at A
“So the whole city knows about this case now,” Jake said.
“Afraid so,” Hank said. “And if it was Norton, we have no way to co
A
A
Matty leaped onto the couch between Hank and Jake. “What’s going on here, anyway?”
Everyone sat back and looked at Matty, unsure how to answer. Finally, Jake said, “Someone was in the house while we were away, but he’s gone now, and everything’s okay.”
“How did he get in?” Matty asked.
“The back door.”
Matty’s face brightened. “Did you check for fingerprints?”
Hank gri
Matty frowned. “What about the neighbors? Maybe somebody saw him.”
“You might be right. We have officers checking up and down the street.” Hank paused and looked intently at Matty. “Do you have any more ideas?”
“Not right now.”
Hank looked at A
“I hope it won’t be long,” A
“I suppose you have no new leads on the Shaft case?” Jake asked.
“Not yet. We’re still hoping to find Norton’s car. It has to be somewhere.”
A
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
A
Matty slid off the couch and wandered toward the kitchen.
A
Hank sat back and crossed his arms, the fingers of one hand tickling his chin. “So, he’s violent.”
“At least, toward her,” Jake said. “But she still covers up for him.”
Hank looked at the floor, shaking his head slowly. “This case is getting more confusing all the time. I’m trying to piece everything together into some plausible scenario, but nothing fits. And I can’t find anything that even remotely looks like a motive.”
“What about that 9-ball tournament that shows Shaft and Norton had a relationship?” A
“I have plans to go to the pub where the tournament was held. Talk to the organizer and any other people either one of them might’ve come into contact with.”
“That should keep you busy for a while,” Jake said.
Hank shrugged and stood. “I’m a detective and that’s what detectives do. I have to take the boring jobs along with the rest.” He gri
“And I plan on going over everything we know,” A
She had no idea what that approach would be, but there had to be an answer somewhere.
Chapter 18
Tuesday, 5:59 p.m.
JAKE SWITCHED on the television and stretched out on the couch, his back against the armrest. The story by Lisa Krunk was scheduled for 6:00, and though he was disgusted at the way she sensationalized every news report, it pertained to the case they were working on and he didn’t want to miss it.