King and Maxwell (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 6)

She undid her seat belt and looked at him. “What?”

“Don’t know. Just something back there.”

“Back where?”

“Back at South’s. No, before South’s neighborhood.”

“What about it?”

“I just felt like I knew the area. Been there before.”

“When? Why?”

Sean shook his head. “Can’t think of it.” He smiled resignedly.

“Brain cell loss. Maybe it’s for real.”

“Well, stick your fingers in your ears and try not to let any more out. We’re going to need all the thinking we can muster to get to the bottom of this sucker.”

CHAPTER

69

SEAN FELT THE NUDGE AGAINST his shoulder. His brain misfired for a second as his mind toggled between sleep and consciousness. Another nudge and he was awake. He looked around and saw Michelle next to him, her camera with long-range lens in hand.

She said, “Hello, Sleeping Beauty. Ready to go to work?”

They had taken shifts, two hours on, two hours asleep.

“What time is it?” asked Sean as he blinked, yawned, and sat up straight.

“A few minutes after eight.”

Sean gazed outside. The rain and gloom were still with them. It still felt dark.

“Any movement on Jenkins?”

“Not yet. Lights went on at seven sharp. Probably had his alarm set. I’ve been snapping pictures of anything relevant.”

“Action on the street?”

“Early-morning commuters, sleepy kids straggling to bus stops. Couple of joggers running in the rain to stay healthy before they drop dead from pneumonia.”

Michelle reached into the console, took out a protein bar, ripped off the cover, dropped the plastic on the floorboard, and bit into the chocolate. She eyed Sean, who was staring at the trash on the floor. She held out the protein bar.

“Want a bite?”

“I’d rather eat mouse droppings. Actually, that’s probably what’s in there. Lots of protein in poop.”

“What do we do when he comes out?”

“Tail him.”

“He might spot us.”

“He might. But we have to risk it. He’s the only viable lead we have right now.”

“Are we making a huge mistake by not calling in Littlefield and the FBI?”