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“‘See you guys in hell. Don’t wait up for me. I’ve got things to do and places to go. Hope you have a nice day. My friends are much more valuable to me alive than dead. We’re taking a little trip together, but see you soon! All my love.’”
The whole team burst into action. Lydia heard the admiral trying to get information from the guards who handed Lipori over.
The drone kept buzzing the whole area. Harper’s team called the police, and as sirens began blaring, neighbors came out of their houses to look at the commotion. All five Silver Team members easily spoke to most of them, while keeping a lookout for any of their suspects who could still be lurking in the neighborhood.
“Give me some good news, Admiral,” said Harper.
“Yes, the plane and the three men took off on time. They lost the tail, though, which concerns me. But I got verification he was checked in and on board. They would be landing in Rome in seven hours. The black car was abandoned at the drop-off. I’m checking with the terminal for a passenger manifest.”
Several of the guys at the home called airport security to alert them and help with the manifest. Reports came back nothing unusual occurring, but Dulles was one of the busiest airports in the country.
Patterson got word to the airline company about the potential mishap. They reported no skirmishes or problems with the passengers. But they promised to alert the captain and stewardess so that, once they landed, they could land in a secure location and have the plane searched.
“What do you think, Admiral? Do you think he’s really on that plane?”
“I’m more worried about the couple. I’d like to know where they are.”
“To the home, be on your toes,” said Harper. “Let’s call the local Feds.”
The admiral confirmed he was doing just that.
People continued to check the drones, looking for movement and vehicles driving through the neighborhood. Harper and the others were showing the couple’s picture and asking people for sightings. Nothing came up. The whole neighborhood lit up when the coroner and the Kenwood Police arrived. Even more people came out into the street, clad in their pajamas and robes. The story given the Team was that Mrs. Barker was just a nice retired lady, well-liked, living by herself. She never had visitors, and she was just a regular. Just a no name face.
The perfect foil,thought Lydia. It was becoming all too perfect. The operation had thought of everything, and still these people had fallen through the cracks. But they weren’t done yet.
Lydia was suddenly becoming more fearful each minute that lapsed. It was turning out to be just as she had feared. She was beginning to doubt whether or not there was going to be anything they could do to confine him, to keep him from having his way however he wanted. He was two steps ahead of them in every sense. The coordination was masterful. She wished they had not boarded a plane that had to travel so far, because time was of the essence. The pilot wouldn’t do an identity check with the plane mid-flight, especially flying internationally, so they would have to wait. She knew it was planned that way.
After the search in Kenwood and discussion with the police, Harper told the group they were coming back. The snipers checked in, Greg on top of the shed in the regional park said he saw some coyotes slide by, but no humans that he could tell.
One of the policeman called in, and it was patched into Harper’s comm for all to hear, some information about an intruder that had been wandering the neighborhood that evening.
“So what was the report?” Harper asked.
“She just said that she saw some guy poking his head around the window. And when he saw her, he left. Later, she saw him lurking around Mrs. Barker’s house.”
“More than one or just one?” Harper asked.
“Just one. And he didn’t have a car, either. He rode a bicycle.”
Someone announced, “That sounds like somebody living in the neighborhood. I’ll bet they’re still there.”
“So we’re going to change this, guys. We’re gonna stay and continue looking,” said Harper.
“Roger that,” said one of the kids at the monitor in the living room.
While the house was buzzing with juice and tons of energy, Harper and the five guys cleared the roadway, examined several vacant homes, and even checked people’s backyards when people were too afraid to go outside and check themselves. They looked at garages; they checked inside vacant cars, RVs, one boat, and a few campers. Most of the neighborhood dogs were barking their lungs out. The coroner left with Mrs. Barker’s body, but the crime unit was working over the house carefully, collecting clues. Harper was obliged to turn over the note, but he took a picture of it first and was promised DNA evidence after they’d had it tested for prints.
Three hours went by, and with no specifics and no clues, it was becoming a dead end. They had questioned most of the neighbors with few exceptions. There was little else to do. So the team decided to come back to Bennett Valley.
Seconds later, Venom alerted. He started barking, dashing around in circles, wanting to go out the front door.
“Venom, he’s coming back. Daddy’s coming back. Is that what you’re looking at?” asked Lydia.
One of the boys asked Harper how far away was. He was nearly twenty minutes away, not close enough for Venom to alert. The kid looked at Lydia. She could see the fear. Her whole world changed in that instant.
Lydia reached out to him. “Harper, Venom’s alerting. Something’s going on here. Get your butt back, but watch yourself, okay?”
“Will do. Have the guys ask the birds if they see anything.”
