“I think she was doing a live sex show on the internet,” I said.
“No.”
“I swear,” I said.
The music shut off and a woman shouted, “Goddamnit, whoever you are, I’m calling the sheriff. They are going to hunt you down!”
“We are the police, Miss Pinder,” Bree yelled back.
“What the hell are you doing in my house, then?” she screamed. “I’ve got rights, and you had no right to come into my house or place of business!”
“You’re correct,” I said. “But we knocked and called out, and we felt we were doing a safety check on you.”
“What I do here is perfectly legal,” she said. “So please leave.”
“We aren’t here about your, uh, business,” Bree said.
“Who are you, then? What do you want?”
“My name is Alex Cross. I’m a detective with the DC Metro Police, and I’m here concerning Gary’s Girl.”
There was a long silence, and then the music cranked up. But over it I heard the sound of a door slamming loudly.
“She’s running,” Bree said, spun around, and took off.
Chapter 18
I can hold my own in the weight room, but I am no match for Bree in a footrace. She exploded back through the house and barreled out the front door.
Delilah Pinder, who was now dressed in a blue warm-up suit and running shoes, had already sprinted around the end of the house and was charging across the front lawn, heading for the road. I came out the front door in time to see Bree try to tackle the big woman.
Delilah saw her coming and stuck out her hand like a seasoned running back, hitting Bree in the chest. Bree stumbled. The internet sex star raced out onto the road and headed toward the highway.
I cut diagonally through the yard, trying to close in on her from the side. But when I broke through the trees and jumped the stone wall onto the road, Bree was right back behind Pinder.
She jumped on the much bigger woman’s back, threw an arm bar around her neck, and choked her. Delilah tried to buck her off, and to pry her hold apart. But Bree held on tight.
Finally, the big woman stopped running. Her massive thighs wobbled, and she sat down hard at Bree’s feet.
“Oh, my God,” Bree gasped when I ran up. “That was like ‘Meet the Amazon.’”
“More like ‘Ride the Amazon,’” I said, as she put zip ties on Delilah’s wrists.
The woman was regaining her strength. She struggled against the restraints.
“No,” she said. “Let me go.”
“Not for a while yet,” I said, picking her up.
Delilah twisted her head around in a rage, and spit in my face.
“Knock that off!” Bree shouted, and wrenched up hard on Delilah’s bound wrists. “That kind of bullshit gets you in trouble, and you’re already in a world of trouble. Got it?”
Delilah was obviously in pain, and finally nodded.
Bree eased up on the pressure while I used a tissue to wipe my face.
“I don’t know what this is about,” Delilah said. “I told you, I have a legitimate business, registered with the state and everything. Delilah Entertainment. Check it out.”