"How do you feel about extreme heights?"he asked."I'm talking about rigging that's significantly higher than what you're used to in standard performances."
"I'm comfortable with heights.That's part of the job."
"Right, of course.But I mean really extreme.Outdoor performances, for example, where you might be working fifty or sixty feet up instead of the usual twenty to thirty."
Vivian felt a prickle of unease run down her spine.The question itself was not inappropriate, but the way he asked it felt off somehow.There was an eagerness in his voice that did not match the casual tone he was trying to maintain.
"I'd need to see the specific setup before I could commit to something like that," she said carefully."Outdoor rigging has different safety requirements, as I’m sure you know."
"Absolutely.Safety is obviously the top priority."He pulled out his phone and swiped through a few screens."Let me show you some of the concept sketches our designer put together.I think you'll be really excited about the visual possibilities."
Vivian's instincts were screaming at her now.She could not explain why, but every part of her body was telling her to get away from this man.She glanced toward the facility entrance, mentally calculating how far she would need to walk to reach the exit.
"Actually, I just remembered I have an early call tomorrow," Vivian said, taking a step back."Can you email me that information?The address should be on my company profile."
"Of course, no problem."He pocketed his phone but did not move away."Before you go, I was hoping we could talk a bit more about your experience with different harness systems.The show concept involves some unique rigging that we're still finalizing.I’d love to get your input and suggestions."
Now he was starting to feel pushy, and that sense of something being wrong started to intensify.
"I really need to get going," she said politely, trying not to let her fear show.Vivian turned and walked quickly toward the locker area where she had left her bag and street clothes.She could feel him watching her, could sense that he wanted to follow but was holding himself back.
She changed out of her practice clothes as fast as she could, throwing on jeans and a sweater and shoving her gear into her duffel bag.Her hands shook slightly as she zipped the bag closed.She was being paranoid, probably.The guy was most likely exactly what he claimed to be, just a scout who was a little too enthusiastic about his project.
But Vivian had learned to trust her instincts.Something about David Marquez, if that was even his real name, had triggered every warning bell she possessed.
She left the locker area and headed for the main exit, walking fast but trying not to look like she was running.The facility's parking lot was well-lit but mostly empty at this hour.Her car was parked near the back, away from the building entrance.
Vivian was halfway across the parking lot when she heard the door open behind her.She glanced back and saw Marquez emerge from the building.He was walking in the same direction she was, his pace matching hers.
Her heart started beating harder.She quickened her steps, keys already in her hand.Her car was still thirty yards away.Marquez was about forty yards behind her, closing the distance steadily.
Vivian considered calling out, making a scene, anything to draw attention.But the parking lot was deserted and the surrounding buildings were dark.Who would hear her?
She broke into a jog, no longer caring if she looked paranoid.Her car was twenty yards away now.She could hear Marquez's footsteps behind her, faster now that she was running.Vivian hit the unlock button on her key fob and the car lights flashed when she was about ten yards away.She reached for the door handle.
And with true panic rising up within her, a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Miles walked into the conference room at the FBI field office to find Vic already there, studying a map spread across the table.Sarah Kim looked as if she had just arrived, setting her laptop bag down and shrugging out of her jacket.The morning sun streamed through the windows, highlighting the exhaustion on everyone's faces.It reminded Miles of just how tired he truly was.
Miles walked to the back and poured a cup of coffee, wondering when the adrenaline and coffee were going to finally wear off…wondering how much longer he could push along at this pace."I just finished with Terry Sullivan,” he said.“He’s not our guy.”
"You're sure?"Vic glanced up at him.
"Completely sure.Sullivan operates a hot air balloon tour company, but he doesn't actually fly anymore.That accident completely screwed him up.He can't even go ten feet off the ground without having a full panic attack.Not to mention, we may have made a blunder; we’re looking for someone using helium as their element of choice for their murders.And hot-air balloons don’t operate on helium.So…yeah, I feel sort of like an idiot.”
Vic straightened up."So the profile needs to narrow even further.We're not just looking for someone who works with balloons or at heights.We need someone whospecificallyworks with helium."
"Which is a much smaller pool,” Kim said.“Helium suppliers, research facilities, anyone who handles compressed gas systems on a regular basis."
Miles walked over to the map Vic had been studying."What did you find with Lisa Anderson?"
Vic pointed to a spot on the map marked with a red circle."I was able to work backwards from where Lisa landed in the reservoir using wind patterns and her description of what she saw before she fell.She remembered a radio tower and some other landmarks.I'm fairly certain she was launched from a parking lot in an industrial area northwest of the reservoir."She then showed Miles the map on her phone where she had pinned the locations where the bodies had been discovered."But none of it lines up.The bodies were so far apart that it would be impossible to tell for certain if he always uses the same launching point.I mean, the victims could have drifted for miles before falling.Depending on wind conditions and how high they were when they woke up or jumped.He could be launching from anywhere within a fifty-mile radius of the city for all we know.
"Yeah, but checking a lot that Lisa Anderson specifically identified is a good place to start,” Miles said.He turned away from the map and looked to Kim."And we also need to get that still image you found to the right department and—”
“As usual, I’m already ahead of you,” Kim said.“I sent it to the tech team here at the LA field office.They’re running facial recognition software on it as we speak.The guy I spoke with said not to expect too much, though.That angle—which was the best I could get from the footage by the way—isn’t the best.”
