They walked in silence awhile. A doe stirred from cover and receded into the trees. A hundred yards farther along, a fox sprinted across the drive and disappeared.
“We get a bald eagle that nests here sometimes. You should see this place in the spring.”
Was that an invitation? Cole wasn’t sure, so he let it rest without a reply.
“Looks like they kept their word,” she said.
A police cruiser was parked just beyond the gate, facing outward so the officers could switch on their headlights to alert any approaching traffic.
“So I guess we’re covered,” she said.
“Unless somebody decides to come by boat.”
“Or on foot, through the woods.”
A policeman stepped out from the passenger side, the one named Earl from the night before. Presumably his partner, Calbert, was again behind the wheel.
“Hi, y’all. Learned some new stuff about the other night.”
“Like a name, maybe?”
“Heard it wasn’t that CIA man, like Keira thought. Dispatcher said you called that in to the medical examiner a few hours ago. Some strange shit.” He shook his head. “But we found an unclaimed car at the Willards’ place, right up the lane.”
“I thought they were out of town for the season?”
“That’s what tipped us off. Shouldn’t have been anything there but a boat trailer and a riding mower. Dark blue Chevy sedan, 2012. Maryland tags but a Bethesda registration, D.C. area, parked way up in their carport. Probably belonged to the victim. Must have walked in from there.”
“Get a name on that registration?” Cole asked.
Earl smiled, his teeth visible in the starlight.
“Not allowed to say. But from what I heard, they seem to think it’s a fake, anyway.”
“Figures.”
“The funny part was what they did with the car. Feds brought in a big ol’ truck, backed it right up the drive, threw down a tailgate ramp, and rolled her right in. Packed that Chevy away where you couldn’t see it and drove off, clean as you please. Probably in some secret lab by now.”
“That figures, too.”
“You ex-military?”
“Not allowed to say.”
The teeth glowed again.
“Good one. But this case does get a little funkier all the time.”
“And you still don’t have a lead on the shooter?” Keira asked.
“Not that me and Calbert have heard. The FBI’s pretty much taken this thing over, so maybe you should ask them. Doubt you’ll have any more trouble around here, though. Not tonight, anyway.” He smiled again. “Me and Calbert will be here straight on through to sunrise, so you people can rest easy.”
“Thanks,” Keira said. “Can we bring you anything?”
He shook his head, then patted his holster.
“Got all we need right here.” Cole heard a chuckle from inside the car. Calbert must’ve liked that one.
“See you in the morning, then,” Keira said.
They turned to leave. Cole waited until they were out of earshot, then said, “Well, there you go. An unbreakable cordon of security. I know I’ll sleep sounder.”
“Don’t be so hard on Talbot County’s finest.”
He shook his head. “They’ve got no idea what they’re up against.”
“Neither do we. But that won’t stop us from flying that little toy of yours in the morning.”
“It’s no toy, that’s for damn sure.”
“Kind of hard to believe we can even do this, legal or not. Just go zooming over there and poke around, looking at anything we want. Can you imagine if the paparazzi ever get ahold of these things?”
“How do you know they haven’t?”
She stopped, pivoted toward him, and moved to within a foot of his face. He could feel the warmth coming off her, and even in the dark he saw the intensity of her eyes.
“Look at me.”
“That’s pretty unavoidable.”
“Answer me truthfully. When you followed me, and they were egging you on and you were piloting that drone right down the road after me, what was that like? I mean, I know you didn’t feel good about it, but still. Even for all that it must have been kind of, I don’t know, thrilling, maybe, just to know that you could. I mean, you’d just slept with me and everything, and then there you are, looking right over my shoulder without me even knowing it. Waiting for my secrets to open up to you. You read Felicity’s license tag, you even saw the papers changing hands, and I never knew a thing until you guys told me. That’s quite a drug, knowing you can have that anytime you want.”
“Your friends sure seemed to like it. And pretty soon everybody will want a dose. But nobody will want anyone else to use it against them.”
“Same with every weapon ever made, I guess. But once you let a few people have it, how do you stop all the others? It’ll be just like guns. A few years and they’ll be everywhere.”
“Now you’re sounding like Sharpe.”
“He’s against this?”
“So he says.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe him. That’s like a pusher saying he’s for the war on drugs.”
“You should tell him. He’d like that.”
“Wouldn’t want to give him the pleasure.”
They started walking again. Cole was about to head off toward the pool house when Keira said, “Why don’t you come back to the main house for a while. Have another beer and relax while you can.”
“The calm before the storm?”
“Something like that.”
“I’ll lock up out here, just in case.”
“Even with all that police protection?”
Cole chuckled as they headed toward the pool house, threading through the boxwoods.
He’d scarcely put his hand on the doorknob when a harsh light beamed straight into their faces and a gun barrel poked into his back.
“Don’t shout and don’t move,” a gruff voice said from behind.
Cole swung around, hands in motion, a roundhouse toward the light. Halfway into his punch someone kicked his feet out from under him and he slammed roughly to the ground. A knee jammed into his lower back before he could even try to scramble to his feet. Then someone swiftly bound his hands behind him with a pair of plastic handcuffs, cinching them until they cut into his wrists and leaving him unable to do anything but squirm sideways, just enough to see that Keira, although still standing, had her arms pinned and cuffed behind her as well, by a second man. So this time there were at least two of them, working together, and for all he knew there might be others in the main house, tying up Barb and Steve. Or worse. He wondered if Sharpe might have gotten away through the woods if he’d been outside at the time. So much for the extra protection.
“Call out and you’re dead,” the voice said, and it sounded like he meant it. “Any noise at all and you’re dead. Both of you.”
Whoever had slung him to the ground now pulled him up to his knees, then helped him stand. The flashlight beam came back in his eyes, but he could see both men now, dressed in black and wearing gloves and dark ski masks. Each carried a sidearm.
“Where are the others?” the first guy asked him.
Cole said nothing.
“If you want to live, I need an answer.”
The man spoke in low tones, but something about his voice was familiar.
“In the house,” Keira said. She sounded upset, out of breath.
“The old guy’s in there, too,” the second man said. “Saw him go in a few minutes ago.”
“Good. We’ll get them all at once. Tie these two together, back to back to this tree.”
He caught Keira’s eye as the second man positioned them on either side of a pine, the bark chafing against his coat. She looked terrified. If these guys were going to kill them, he hoped they did it swiftly, and soon. The rope was around them in seconds. One knot, then another. The second guy was about to secure it further when the first one spoke.