car?”
“Now, how would we know that?” Yoko snarled. “All the vehicles look alike.”
Nikki tried to squelch the panic that was threatening to engulf her. Where was Charles? For that matter, where was Li? She could feel the weasel behind her breathing on her neck. And then she saw both men. Charles had his cellphone to his ear and Mr. Li was smoking a cigar. They were walking toward them. “Thank you, God. Thank you, God,” she said silently.
Six
Jack looked around the crowded barn. “Son of a bitch!” he snarled when he saw a rat scurrying past him. In all his life he’d never seen such a pile of junk. Why would Myra save the ancient Duesenberg with the four flat tires? To cover the floor, of course. Obviously the car wasn’t going anywhere. Neither was the wagon that was loaded with hundred-pound bags of rock salt. The bags were stacked up under the wagon, too. He estimated two hundred bags in total. He could try to move the bags, but where the hell would he move them to? He shone the flashlight on a tractor lawnmower that was just as rusted as the Duesenberg.
Jack debated calling Conway, Garrity’s replacement, but nixed the idea almost immediately. If there was a secret trapdoor in this barn it was going to stay a secret unless he had a warrant to move everything out. He’d need a crew of at least ten men to clear this junk pile.
His options had just run out when his cellphone chirped. He growled a greeting. “I’m in the barn, Mark, and there’s no way in hell I can move any of this crap. I’m going to give the house a shot.”
“Jack, don’t even think about breaking into the house. You’ve been lucky so far. I told you, we don’t have enough money in the bank to post bail for you.”
“Listen to me, Mark. When am I ever going to get another chance at this place? It’s like goddamn Fort Knox. If that gizmo you gave me opened the gate, why won’t it give me the code for the inside alarm system?”
“I don’t know that it will and I don’t know that it won’t. At best you would probably have forty-five seconds to get in and disarm the system. If you aren’t successful, all the bells and whistles will go off and they will rupture your eardrums. You willing to take that chance?”
“Hell, yes. If that happens, I can be out of here in five seconds and over the fence to the forest. I hid my car. It will take the cops at least ten minutes to get here, maybe longer. C’mon, buddy, show me some support here.”
“Jack…OK, OK, but leave the line open. Where are you now?”
“I’m on the back stoop where the kitchen door is. I can see the alarm from where I’m standing. I can pick this lock with no problem. OK, I got it open. The alarm is beeping.”
“You ass, turn on the gray box.”
Jack did and waited. He had a feeling he knew the code, Barbara’s birth date. He wasn’t surprised when the numbers flashed green on the gray box. Jack pressed in the numbers and the high-pitched beeping stopped. He was in and he was safe. “I’ll call you back, Mark. Oh, wait, what’s the story on the architect?”
“My guy disabled her car. That’s not to say she won’t rent another one, but for now you’re safe. Conway is up in the tree and has his eye on you. Don’t forget the dogs arrive at five. You have to turn the power to the gates back on before the guy gets there.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jack said, clicking off the phone. He looked down at his watch. Hell, he had
hours
.
Jack made himself at home by making a pot of coffee. While he waited for the water to drip through the filter, he picked ham off a bone that was in the refrigerator. All the while his brain raced. There would be no way to the tunnels from the second floor, so he had to concentrate on the first floor. He’d start with the basement. He tried to remember what Nikki had told him about the tunnels. She’d never said anything about a secret opening. She’d also never said how she and Barbara got to the
“Now, how would we know that?” Yoko snarled. “All the vehicles look alike.”
Nikki tried to squelch the panic that was threatening to engulf her. Where was Charles? For that matter, where was Li? She could feel the weasel behind her breathing on her neck. And then she saw both men. Charles had his cellphone to his ear and Mr. Li was smoking a cigar. They were walking toward them. “Thank you, God. Thank you, God,” she said silently.
Six
Jack looked around the crowded barn. “Son of a bitch!” he snarled when he saw a rat scurrying past him. In all his life he’d never seen such a pile of junk. Why would Myra save the ancient Duesenberg with the four flat tires? To cover the floor, of course. Obviously the car wasn’t going anywhere. Neither was the wagon that was loaded with hundred-pound bags of rock salt. The bags were stacked up under the wagon, too. He estimated two hundred bags in total. He could try to move the bags, but where the hell would he move them to? He shone the flashlight on a tractor lawnmower that was just as rusted as the Duesenberg.
Jack debated calling Conway, Garrity’s replacement, but nixed the idea almost immediately. If there was a secret trapdoor in this barn it was going to stay a secret unless he had a warrant to move everything out. He’d need a crew of at least ten men to clear this junk pile.
His options had just run out when his cellphone chirped. He growled a greeting. “I’m in the barn, Mark, and there’s no way in hell I can move any of this crap. I’m going to give the house a shot.”
“Jack, don’t even think about breaking into the house. You’ve been lucky so far. I told you, we don’t have enough money in the bank to post bail for you.”
“Listen to me, Mark. When am I ever going to get another chance at this place? It’s like goddamn Fort Knox. If that gizmo you gave me opened the gate, why won’t it give me the code for the inside alarm system?”
“I don’t know that it will and I don’t know that it won’t. At best you would probably have forty-five seconds to get in and disarm the system. If you aren’t successful, all the bells and whistles will go off and they will rupture your eardrums. You willing to take that chance?”
“Hell, yes. If that happens, I can be out of here in five seconds and over the fence to the forest. I hid my car. It will take the cops at least ten minutes to get here, maybe longer. C’mon, buddy, show me some support here.”
“Jack…OK, OK, but leave the line open. Where are you now?”
“I’m on the back stoop where the kitchen door is. I can see the alarm from where I’m standing. I can pick this lock with no problem. OK, I got it open. The alarm is beeping.”
“You ass, turn on the gray box.”
Jack did and waited. He had a feeling he knew the code, Barbara’s birth date. He wasn’t surprised when the numbers flashed green on the gray box. Jack pressed in the numbers and the high-pitched beeping stopped. He was in and he was safe. “I’ll call you back, Mark. Oh, wait, what’s the story on the architect?”
“My guy disabled her car. That’s not to say she won’t rent another one, but for now you’re safe. Conway is up in the tree and has his eye on you. Don’t forget the dogs arrive at five. You have to turn the power to the gates back on before the guy gets there.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jack said, clicking off the phone. He looked down at his watch. Hell, he had
hours
.
Jack made himself at home by making a pot of coffee. While he waited for the water to drip through the filter, he picked ham off a bone that was in the refrigerator. All the while his brain raced. There would be no way to the tunnels from the second floor, so he had to concentrate on the first floor. He’d start with the basement. He tried to remember what Nikki had told him about the tunnels. She’d never said anything about a secret opening. She’d also never said how she and Barbara got to the
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