“Cool.”
“Tell you what we'll do,” she said. “You continue on, and if we get a make on a missing car from that lot in Capron, we'll have them tell you by radio. Just so you know as soon as possible.”
“Right. Hey, Hester?”
“Yes?”
“If you do the brunch again tomorrow, could you bring me a doggy bag?”
I was about twenty miles east of the Mississippi and Nation County when Wisconsin State Radio contacted me again. They gave me a simple message. I was to be looking for a blue '96 Honda four-door. It had no plates, naturally, since it was stolen off a sales lot. The keys, according to the dispatcher, had been under the floor mat. No direction of travel was given, for the obvious reason that nobody knew one. I just had to assume he was headed our way.
I checked in with Dispatch in Nation County at 22:44 hours. The dispatcher, Norma, the new one, said I was to contact Borman via radio immediately. I did, and he asked me to meet him at the foot of the Mansion driveway.
The rain was steady as I got out of the car. Not hard, just one of those long, drawn-out rains that come in October, putting the last nail in summer's ciffin, and giving us our first taste of the cold that was to come in the next few months. It was about forty degrees, or so, but felt much colder. I hurried across the soaked gravel road to Borman's squad car, carrying my green rubber raincoat. It's impossible to put the things on in a car, and by the time I would have gotten it on, I knew I'd already be in Borman's squad. I was startled when Sally just about knocked me over when she opened the front passenger door.
“You get in front, you'll never fit behind the cage,” she said, and scurried past me to open the back door and squeeze in to the backseat. She left the back door open a crack, so she could get out without having somebody open it from the outside. There are no door handles on the inside of the back doors in a squad car. Makes it harder for prisoners to escape.
I dropped into the front passenger seat, knocking my left knee against the damned radio console, which was angled away for the driver, and encroached on the passenger's leg room. I shut the door.
“Shit weather,” I said. “What's up?”
“What are we doing here?” asked Borman. “We can't see crap, nobody has come in or out for the last four hours, and I've been up since six this morning.”
I was beginning to think the kid was taking a course in how to irritate a superior.
“Well, for starters, your friend 'Slasher' Peale left Lake Geneva shortly before I did. There's a good chance he's headed this way.”
Silence.
“Then, there's the information we got that says he's really, really pissed at some of the folks in the house, up there.” I shivered. “Got any coffee?”
He fished a thermos out of the space between the armrest and the steel safety plate of the plastic cage. “Here.”
“Thanks. I've been up since seven, myself.” I unscrewed the top, and Sally reached her hand through the sliding section of the cage, and handed me a Styrofoam cup out of the backseat. I poured the steaming coffee gingerly, sat the cup on the dash, and screwed the thermos cap back in place. “Who else we got available tonight?”
“Ten is the late car. He's on at midnight. That's it. Other than him, it's just me. And Sally.”
“Damn,” I said. “That means we stay here all night.”
“What?”
“Yep. All night.” I turned in the seat. “How about you, kid?” I asked Sally. “When you gotta be back at work?”
“Day off tomorrow,” she said.
“Okay,” I said, taking a sip of coffee from the cup. “Old coffee,” I said. I sniffed. “What's that smell?”
“Smell?” asked Sally.
“Yeah, that weird smell.”
“I don't smell anything,” she said.
“You better tell him,” said Borman. He was smiling.
Sally took a deep breath. “It's garlic.”
“What?”
“You know, like you put on bread. Garlic.” She reached down to her utility belt, undid the little nylon pouch that we kept exam gloves in, and produced a small plastic bag with a small garlic medallion in it.
“You're kidding.”
“Houseman, you can never be too safe,” she said, replacing the bag. “Take it from me.”
I sighed. “Okay, mother. Just keep it sealed up, okay?”
“You bet.” She looked down, replacing the bag. “Want to see my ciuciffx?”
I laughed. “No. Honest to God… ”
“No different than a ballistic vest,” she said. “Insurance is insurance.”
That reminded me of the matters at hand. “Now, can I ask you guys a question?” I looked at them both.
“Sure,” said Borman.
“What are you doing down here?”
“Watching the place. Just like Lamar said.”
I sighed, mostly for effect. “No. When you're all the way down here, all you can see is the road. You aren't supposed to be watching the road. You're supposed to be watching the house.”
“We tried that,” he said. “Kevin came out and told us to get out of the driveway. He's got that right, it's private property.”
“The woods up there aren't private property, they belong to the state.”
“But there's no road into the woods.” He sounded exasperated.
“What kind of rain gear you got in here?” I asked.
“Hooded raincoat, like yours. Gortex overalls. Boots. But I'm not hiking up into those woods in the rain.”
I made an effort to sound thoroughly disgusted. I think it worked. “No, you're not. Our suspect is probably in a blue '96 Honda four-door, no plates. I have no idea whether or not he's armed, so assume he is. Got that?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I'm going to put my rain gear on, go into the woods, to where I can see the house. You stay down here, and keep alert. I'll call on my walkie if I see anything, and you do the same.” I started to open the door.
“Wait,” said Sally. “We've got the night-vision scope with us.”
Our department had purchased some Russian Army surplus night vision gear in 1998. Right out of a commercial catalogue. It was inexpensive, and adequate, except the battery didn't last more than four hours. We had one battery, and it took a good four hours to recharge. The recharger, naturally, was in the oiffce.
“I'll take it,” I said. “How much time you got left on the battery?”
“A good three hours.” Sally sounded apologetic. “We used 'em for a few minutes after we got here.”
I would have done the same thing, but didn't say so. Instead, “I'll only use 'em when I think I need to.”
“I really think we need two in the woods, and one down here,” she said. “Much safer down here. Can I go?”
“You got rain gear?” She had guts.
“I'll make something work,” she said. “Go get your stuff on.”
I had a pair of waterproof winter boots in my trunk, along with my rain coveralls and a shelter half. Since it was impossible to dress in the car, by the time I got the stuff on I was wet all over.
I sloshed back over to Borman's car. Sally, being only about five feet tall, had been able to get most of his gear on while she sat in his car, so she was comparatively dry. She'd rolled up his coveralls, and looked totally lost in his hooded raincoat.
“How do I do my gun?” she asked.
“Keep it all under the coat, and when we get set up up there, unzip the bottom of the coat so you can reach the holster.”
“Got it.”
“You gonna be all right down here?” I asked Borman.
“Yes.” He was the irritated one now.
“I dunno just how long we're going to be up there,” I said, “but at least until three A.M. Don't go to sleep, and keep your car locked. You really don't want that bastard getting your car.”