Hothouse Orchid (Holly Barker 6)

“You know it’s true,” she said.

“Everything will depend on the chase cars getting to you before he kills you.”

“I know that,” Lauren said. “Sometimes you have to take a chance to get a serial killer off the street.”

“This is a big chance; it’s your life.”

“I know that, and I’m telling you I can handle him. The alternative is to let him go on killing until we can catch him at it. How many lives of innocent women might we have to sacrifice?”

Hurd slumped. “When do you want to do this?”

“As soon as we can get the equipment in place,” Lauren said. “Holly is going to call Jane Grey and have her tell Jimmy his car has to be serviced or inspected, so we can get hold of it for a day. All we need is to set the day.”

“Let me make a couple of calls,” Hurd said.

Holly sat in her office and called Lance. His face came on the screen.

“Yes?”

“Lance, I’ve got one suspect for our man, but I have no evidence to back up my suspicions.”

“I’m not intending to try him,” Lance said.

“I went into his house this evening. I found nothing except a large safe with an electronic lock. If there’s anything that will prove or even indicate who he is, it will be in that safe.”

“You’ve been trained to open it,” Lance said.

“If I do that, I’m going to need an electronic device that Tech Services can supply. They call it an electronic combination resolver.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes, time to get into the house and do the work. I got lucky tonight; he wasn’t there.”

“You’ll have the device tomorrow morning,” Lance said.

“All right, but understand this, Lance: I’ll do the black-bag job, but I’m not going to go further than that. If you want something more done, you’re going to have to send someone else.”

“You’re such a sissy,” Lance said, chuckling. “Just get into the safe. All I need is confirmation of his identity, and then you’re out of it.”

Holly sighed. “All right,” she said. She ended the call.

54

Holly woke up to the sound of the doorbell, alone, since Josh had worked a night shift at the hospital. She got up, struggled into a robe and walked downstairs. Daisy was already sitting in front of the door, on guard.

“Stay, Daisy,” she said. Through a glass pane beside the door, she could see a black car. She looked through the peephole and saw a man, his back turned to her, wearing a black windbreaker and a black baseball cap. Guard, Daisy,” she said. Daisy stood up and gave a low growl.

Holly put the chain on the door and opened it a crack. “Yes?”

The man turned around. He was young-midtwenties-and wearing dark glasses. “Ms. Barker?”

“Yes.” Holly put her foot tight against the door, ready for his shoulder against it.

He held up a small package. “I have a delivery for you.”

“From whom?”

“From your friend in Virginia.”