She nodded.
"With lilacs," he added.
She smiled because he remembered her happy place.
"I can't give you lilacs, and I can't drum up a porch swing for you, sugar, but water… I can give you lots of that."
Twenty minutes later she and John Paul walked hand in hand along the beach. Both of them had changed into shorts and
had left their shoes on the steps where Noah sat.
Dark clouds were moving in, obscuring the sun. The beach was virtually deserted, and when Avery sat down and assumed the lotus position, John Paul didn't intrude. He walked back to the steps and sat down next to Noah.
"What the hell is she doing?" Noah asked when Avery hadn't moved for several minutes.
"Thinking," he answered.
"Okay."
When the sun was dropping, taking the light of the day, John Paul got up and went to Avery. Her eyes were closed. He
squatted down in front of her and waited, knew she sensed he was there.
A moment passed before she acknowledged him. She opened her eyes and looked into his. A single tear slid down her cheek.
She took a deep cleansing breath.
"I need to make a call."
Chapter 36
Monk was ready to make his move.
There was a "no vacancy" sign in the window of the manager's office, and nailed to the door was another sign. "Closed until further notice."
Monk knew the targets were inside. He had already canvassed the area, knew it like the back of his hand. Three cars were parked behind the motel. He was certain two of them belonged to federal agents assigned to protect Avery. The third vehicle
was Renard's.
Monk drove Jilly past the motel so she could see where it was going to happen, and she could barely contain her excitement
when she saw the light shimmering along the edge of the tightly drawn drapes in the unit Monk had pointed out to her.
"She's in there," she whispered, her excitement brimming in her voice.
Monk pulled into the parking lot up the street from Milt's Motel. The lot did double duty for patrons of the old Spanish-style
movie theater, complete with bell tower, and the spillover from the Church of the Risen. He parked the car so that it faced the street, then handed Jilly his binoculars and took a drink of his iced tea.
"You're now officially on a stakeout."
She giggled. "This is wonderful."
Her excitement thrilled him. "You're having a good time, aren't you?"
"Oh, yes," she gushed. "It's better than I could ever have imagined. Much better."
A car pulled into the parking lot, and she quickly lowered the binoculars. "Are you sure we're safe here?"
"Of course we are. I'll always make it safe for you."
They shared a smile, and then Jilly lifted the binoculars again. She could just see the light framing the window, and she was
trying to imagine what was happening inside the room.
Another car pulled in and parked three rows behind them. There was a revival going on inside the church, and it was also
dollar night at the movie theater. The lot was nearly full now.
Jilly offered him the binoculars, but he didn't need to look. He had already spent one full night and day doing reconnaissance.
It wasn't enough, but it would have to do. Normally, he would have spent at least two weeks following his subject, learning his routine, but this wasn't a normal situation. Time was running out, and Jilly was too impatient to wait much longer. Like a child,
she wanted instant gratification.
"How many policemen are inside with them?" she asked.
"Agents," he corrected. "Not policemen. There are four."
"And you'll get them all?"
"Yes."
They were sitting ducks. His for the taking.
The night before, Monk had watched Renard sneak out the back door, get into his car, and drive away. Monk hadn't had a
clear shot at him, but he wouldn't have taken it even if he had because he didn't want his primary targets moved once again.
He had something special planned for them. Pity, they wouldn't know what hit them.
Renard had returned to the motel thirty minutes later carrying four big pizzas and a plastic bag Monk guessed was filled with
beer or soft drinks.
He was disgusted with Renard's carelessness. He was certain the man didn't have any idea he was being observed. Smug complacency. That's what it was. He was disappointed in Renard. He'd expected better from his adversary and had made the mistake of believing that Renard was a professional. An equal. He realized now how foolish that hope had been. No one could ever equal or measure up to his standards. Jilly had been right all along. He was a legend.
"I think it might be a good idea to do it tonight," Jilly said.
"You're eager."
"Yes."
"Tomorrow," he promised.
"I don't want to wait too much longer."
"I know."
"I wonder if Carrie is feeling safe again. Can you imagine how claustrophobic she and Avery must be feeling now? Being cooped up in that flea-infested room night and day? They must be going crazy."
"I've deliberately waited," he explained, "so that the agents would be bored and… lethargic. Yes, that's the word. Lethargic."
"Hour upon hour of sitting in that tiny room, waiting and worrying. They haven't let them out at all, have they?"
"Not while I was watching."
"I'm glad she didn't die in that hospital," she said. "This will be better because I'll get to watch."
Monk nodded. "Carrie demanded to come to Florida."
"She wants to die with Avery."
"She doesn't know she's going to die tomorrow," he said. "She thinks she's going to sit in that courtroom with Avery when the
trial starts."
Jilly picked up the binoculars once again. Smiling, she said, "Third time's a charm."
Monk suppressed a yawn. He was exhausted, but he didn't dare complain. Jilly thought he was invincible, superhuman, and he
was determined to maintain his knight-in-shining-armor image.
He knew he was taking risks he never would have considered before, but it was difficult to be cautious with Jilly constantly pushing him to his limits. She believed he could do anything, made him believe in himself.
Every once in a while a nagging doubt would surface in his mind. He had never walked away from a contract before. His word meant everything. If he wasn't reliable, his future would be in jeopardy, his reputation in tatters. The thought didn't repulse him, though. He had more than enough money to keep Jilly in the style she deserved. Maybe he could let this one go and walk away.
"You know, darling, we don't need the money," he said hesitantly.
Jilly knew where he was leading. "Do you know what I think?"
"What?"
"When we're finished here, let's sneak away to Mexico and get married. The trial will go for at least a week. Dale isn't going anywhere. Shall we?"
She knew how much he wanted a wedding. His
fatigue vanished, and he was suddenly smiling in anticipation. "Yes, yes," he said. He was embarrassed because he'd sounded
so eager, but he added, "I know a perfect place… you'll love it, I promise."
"As long as I'm marrying you, nothing else matters." She put her hand on his thigh, leaned across the console, and kissed him.
Her hand moved upward to fondle him intimately.
He became aroused quickly. Satisfied with his reaction, she pulled away. "Why not put them out of their misery tonight?" she asked again, pouting now.
It took several seconds for Monk to understand what she was asking. He cleared his head and said, "You'll see it all tomorrow. Daylight's better. Besides, I have a few alterations to make, a few details before I'll be ready. You want it to be perfect, don't
you, love?"
"Yes, of course. But why is daylight better?" "No one expects to be hit with the sun shining, and in the past I've always tried to