Holloway settled up and left the store. Daniels returned to the counter.
“Did you think he suspected anything?” she asked.
“No, he was in the dark.” He returned the shades to the display. To the manager he said, “Good job.”
Alex was not happy with the situation, and frowned. Ten minutes later, Carlo walked into the grocery and joined them at the counter.
“I got here as fast as I could,” Carlo said.
“Much appreciated.” He addressed Alex. “I want you to listen to me. This man was a SEAL and can kill you with his bare hands. If you do anything stupid, he’ll tear one of your arms off, and beat you to death with it. Got it?”
“You don’t have to threaten me,” the manager said.
“Just trying to make myself clear. Are we good?”
Alex nodded. Then he said, “This is about the girls, isn’t it?”
Daniels nearly leaped over the counter. “What girls? What are you talking about?”
“The girls that stay with Don and Troy in the house across the street,” Alex said. “They bring them into the store late at night. The girls are drugged out and can hardly stand up. I have wondered what happens to them, but I’ve learned not to ask.”
Daniels looked ready to strangle him. “How many times has this happened?”
“Too many,” he said.
“Were the girls young?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you know any of them?”
“No. I’d never seen any of them before. I felt bad for them.”
“Then why didn’t you call the police?”
“Because the police don’t give a shit,” Alex said. “Bad things happen in Sistrunk every day, and the police look the other way. Why would these guys be treated any differently?”
Daniels was enraged. Mates and Holloway had paraded their victims in front of the manager and probably his customers and no one had acted. Fighting evil was hard; fighting it alone was nearly impossible. Lancaster pulled her away from the counter and told her to calm down. She unclenched her fists and took a deep breath.
“You have no idea how angry this makes me,” she said.
“Yes, I do,” he said. He turned and addressed Carlo. “We’re leaving. Keep your cell phone handy. I may need you.”
“Will do. Be careful,” Carlo said.
They went to the front door. Daniels hadn’t calmed down, and he felt like he needed to do something. He started to speak, and she shut him down. The door was made of glass, and she pointed across the street. A column of black smoke rose in the air behind Mates and Holloway’s house.
“What do you think that is?” Daniels asked.
They ventured outside. The smell of grilling meat filled the air, and Lancaster realized that Mates and Holloway were grilling the three New York strip steaks they’d just purchased as they prepared Ryean Bartell’s last meal. Ryean would be photographed before they ate, and when the meal was over, she would be killed and her corpse photographed on a camera with film that would later need to be developed.
“Looks like we’re just in time,” he said.
Chapter 41
Divide and Conquer
“We need backup to do this right,” Daniels said. “Do you have a contact at the sheriff’s office that will help us?”
“I’m still friends with my former supervisor,” he said.
“Call him.”
He called his former supervisor to request a SWAT team. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office had a twenty-four-hour SWAT team at its disposal to deal with active shooters and possible terrorist activity. The only issue would be traffic, which could seriously delay their arrival. An automated receptionist answered, and he punched zero to speak to an operator. Canned music filled his ear.
“What’s taking so long?” she asked.
“Must be a busy day,” he said.
A minute passed. He sniffed the air.
“They just put the steaks on,” he said. “Mates bought three New York strips, which take about ten minutes to cook. We’re running out of time. What do you want to do?”
“I’ve never stormed a house before,” she said. “You were the SEAL. Make the call, and I’ll back you up.”
He pocketed his cell phone, marched over to his car, and popped the trunk. The floor panel and spare tire had been removed, making the compartment extra deep. Three long plastic storage boxes were arranged side by side. He popped the lid of the first box, where a bulky bulletproof vest lay inside. He handed it to her.
“Just one?” she asked.
“I usually run solo,” he explained.
“You should wear it.”
“I insist. Don’t argue with me, Beth.”
She fitted on the vest and tightened the belt. He opened the second storage box. Inside was a Beretta Tx4 Storm 12-gauge shotgun, which he also gave to her.
“This is a Beretta. It’s gas operated and absolutely deadly at close range,” he said. “It also won’t take your shoulder off with the recoil.”
“What’s the load?” she asked.
“One-ounce slugs. They’re perfect to take down a door.”
“Gotcha.”
The third box contained four handguns arranged on a piece of carpet. It was always best to match the equipment with the goal. He chose the Luger with the double stack magazine that held seventeen rounds and slammed the trunk shut.
“Ready when you are,” he said.
Daniels took her badge from her wallet and pinned it to the shoulder strap on the vest. They moved to the sidewalk in front of the grocery and looked both ways. Sistrunk was a nocturnal community, and there was not a soul to be seen.
“What’s our plan of attack?” Daniels asked.
“Divide and conquer,” he said. “One of them is in the backyard grilling the steaks, and the other is inside preparing the meal. We’ll deal with them individually. I’ll go around back while you count to sixty. When you reach sixty, go to the front door and blow it open. I’ll deal with the guy in back and enter the house through the back door. That will let us trap whoever’s inside. That sound good to you?”
“I like it,” she said. “When should I start counting?”
“When we reach the other side of the street.”
They crossed. Lancaster said a silent prayer. He didn’t believe in God but always said a prayer in tight situations, just in case. Daniels started counting as her foot touched the sidewalk. The moment she did, he dropped into a crouch and scurried around the side of the house. The property had a waist-high chain-link fence that would be easily jumped. He saw no sign of a guard dog or security cameras. Mates and Holloway obviously felt safe living here, the bad neighborhood a perfect deterrent.
He stopped at the corner of the house and peered through the fence. Holloway stood at a charcoal grill with a cell phone in his hand. He was gazing at the cell phone’s screen and did not see his visitor. In the back of the property was a carport, where the white van they’d used to case the Pearls’ house was parked.
Lancaster waited. He had dealt with serial killers before. What always surprised him was their ordinariness. They were not cannibals who wore flesh masks and danced naked beneath the full moon. They went to ball games, ate fast food, and wore regular clothes. They were as dull as dirt, except when that inner alarm clock in their heads went off, telling them to kill again. Then the monsters came out.
He heard a thunderclap. Daniels had taken down the front door. Holloway put the cell phone away and moved toward the house. Lancaster rose to his full height and took aim.
“Freeze.”
Holloway’s mouth dropped open. “Who the hell are you?”
“You heard me. Put your hands up.”
Holloway didn’t obey. Instead he came toward Lancaster in slow, measured steps. With each step, his arms lowered another few inches. There was a handgun hidden somewhere on his body, and he was planning to use it.