King and Maxwell (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 6)

“I know. I just hope we can do it this time.”

A few seconds passed and then Sean said, “Actually, I think we can.”

She glanced sharply at him. “You just thought of a plan, didn’t you?”

“I just thought of a plan.”

CHAPTER

68

SEAN DROVE WHILE MICHELLE KEPT an eye out.

“Nice neighborhood,” he said as they passed by some large homes with expensive landscaping. He looked at a few of the homes. “Very nice.”

“Yeah, if you go in for that sort of thing,” replied Michelle.

“What, no heaps of trash?”

“You’re a riot.”

They left that neighborhood and entered another.

“It’s coming up on the left,” noted Michelle. “Third one down.”

Sean eased his car to a stop at the curb behind a pickup truck and killed the engine and the lights. Michelle took out a pair of night-vision binoculars and pointed them across the street.

“So Leon South’s house?” she said. “And what do you hope to find here?”

“Hopefully, a clue that will take us where we need to go.”

“I thought our leak was Dan Marshall, not South?”

“The more I think about that, the more I think it’s too obvious. And we met with them both. You read the body language of each guy. What did you think?”

“That Marshall was on the up-and-up. South was curled in. Gaze to the right and down. Arms folded. Too much posturing. Too much defensive blustering.”

“That was my take too. The leak had to come from somewhere, and my money is on Colonel South.”

“Motive?”

“Marshall made his pile of money. He can retire anytime he wants. South is still on the ladder heading up. But he’s fifty-one so maybe he feels topped out rank-wise. Maybe he wants a better retirement plan than Uncle Sam is offering.”

“And our watching his house?” asked Michelle.

“To see if something pops. He’s divorced and his two kids are grown and gone. So we see if someone comes by on this dark and stormy night who might lead us where we need to go.”

Two hours later no one had come or gone. The house lights were on and they had seen movement inside, but it was only one person, presumably South, whose government car was parked in the driveway.

Sean stretched. “You want to call it a night? Doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere.”

Michelle was about to say something when headlights broke the night.

Sean checked his watch. “Nearly midnight. Maybe it’s a neighbor coming home.”

They both ducked down in the car as the vehicle passed by slowly.

Michelle pressed her optics to her eyes and did a sweep.