“I didn’t get that far,” she admitted. “But I believe it’s there if you say it is.”
“You know damn well that’s not good enough.”
“Why not?”
“Because the Halli I know couldn’t testify under oath that she saw who pulled the trigger if she didn’t actually see it.”
“You don’t know me that well,” she argu
ed.
“Well enough.”
His gaze returned to the street as she fumed beside him. Darn man was right about one thing—she wouldn’t lie under oath. But he was wrong about the other. Calling Ben’s phone was a better idea than anything he’d offered.
“You said for starters. What else do you have against my idea?”
“If they agree to the exchange, there’s still no guarantee we’d get both of them back. One, maybe, but two would be pretty hard. Two bargaining chips gives them too much leverage.”
“So we grab Rachel now and trade the video for Ben. Besides, even with the odds stacked against us, negotiating for an exchange is smarter than rushing in like Remington Steele and Mrs. King.”
His gaze narrowed as he stared out the windshield. “Scarecrow.”
“What?”
“You’re talking about two different TV shows. Remington Steele did not partner with Mrs. King.”
“Who cares? You know what I meant.” Now that she’d decided to do something instead of let things happen, Halli’s annoyance grew by leaps and bounds. She hated sitting here while her sister sat at the other end of the block.
“How do you even know those shows?” Trent asked. “Weren’t they way before your time?”
His, too. But her retort about reruns on TV Land was forgotten when his entire body suddenly went on alert. He leaned slightly forward, his attention focused down the street. Halli instinctively mirrored his movements.
A man carrying a newspaper had stepped from a vehicle parked on the left side of the street, not far from Rachel. Nothing unusual, other than the fact that the blond man wore black pants and a black jacket that probably made him sweat like a pig in the bright July sun. Halli watched his casual stroll toward her sister, who rose to her feet, then abruptly sat back down.
“You see that?” Trent asked.
Intent on the action, Halli nodded.
Rachel’s head jerked in denial to something the man must’ve said. He walked past, did a quick scan of the immediate area, and sat on the cement barricade near her. It was definitely not Alrigo Lapaglia. She’d gotten a good enough look at him at the police station.
“Do you recognize him?” Halli asked Trent.
“No.”
Her sister didn’t turn to look at the man who now appeared to leisurely read his paper. She simply stared straight ahead, or down the block, in their general direction. Not that she’d see them this far away, sitting in the car.
When Rachel began chewing on another nail, Halli wished she could do something. Anything. The situation was definitely bad if her sister was ruining the very nails she’d paid to have professionally manicured before their trip.
Halli shifted her attention. “There’s only one other guy in that car now—and he’s in the passenger seat.”
“I noticed.” Trent said under his breath. His fingers drummed out a staccato beat on the steering wheel. “You know…with the right diversion, we just might be able to pull this off.”
Wait—when had they come to a decision about what they were going to do? She ground her teeth against the helpless feeling of always being two steps behind. “Pull what off?”
“Grab your sister and bargain for your brother.”
Chapter 15