King and Maxwell (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 6)

“I thought so.” She glanced at him. “But if we do guess right and we catch up to Sam Wingo, what then?”

“I’ve been running those scenarios in my head. He’s officially wanted by the authorities. Our duty should be clear.”

“Our duty is never clear.”

“This is very true,” he agreed.

“So again, what do we do?”

“I don’t have a clear answer. A lot depends on what Sam Wingo’s story is.”

“He’s Special Forces, Sean. Selected for a pretty classified project. And survived what looked to be an ambush and a bunch of people dead. Guy clearly has incredible skills. If he’s gone bad—”

“Then we’ll have to tread carefully.”

“Maybe more than that.”

He looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Sean, we might have to be prepared to kill him. Before he kills us.”

“Kill him? Right in front of his son?”

“It’s not my first choice, obviously.”

Sean stared at the scenery passing by them at eighty miles an hour.

CHAPTER

46

“USUAL PLACE?” REPEATED KATHY BURNETT.

She was standing on her front porch while Sean and Michelle stood opposite her.

They had gotten here in record time. Once Sean thought a cop was going to take up the chase when they flew past his position, but he just stayed where he was. Sean thought it might be because he was doubtful he could catch them.

“Right. The usual place,” said Michelle. “Someplace that Tyler and his dad might go to. To meet, talk, do something together?

“Why don’t you just ask Tyler?” she said, a bit suspiciously, Sean thought.

Before Michelle could answer he said, “This is for down the road, Kathy. It’s just background work that all detectives do. We’re simply building a file on everyone and that includes their likes and dislikes, preferences, typical meeting places. It might not matter now, but it could later on. It’s as much for Tyler’s protection as anything.”

Michelle shot him a glance, but his gaze remained fixed on Kathy. He was hoping she would not think too much about this avalanche of words, because if she did the girl would realize they made no sense at all.

Kathy nodded slowly. “Okay, I guess I can see that.”

Sean let out an inaudible breath of relief. “But nothing is coming to you?”

Michelle said, “I saw fishing poles leaning against the wall in the laundry room when I was over there.”

Kathy looked exasperated with herself. “Of course. They used to go to fish at a place on the river near here. Well, it’s not much more than a creek really, but they’ve caught stuff there. And Tyler and his dad would just hang out and talk. I’ve been there twice with Tyler, but I’m not into fishing. I’d just watch and we’d talk.”

Sean whipped out his notepad and a pen. “Can you tell us exactly where it is?”

She gave them directions. They thanked her and headed back to the Land Cruiser.

“Give me the keys,” Sean said.