Chapter 104
692 Words
The truth was that he was struggling with the idea that Abraham Castell was Olivia’s stalker. Yeah, he knew all the evidence pointed that way, and he had access to her through Nigel, and he’d appeared in Nigel’s life at the right time and, he was missing now. Plus, Sully had found that f*****g psychotic shrine to Olivia in the man’s house.
Still, still. He feels too… obvious. Too pat; too perfect. Almost textbook stalker.
They pulled up to Olivia’s house now, and Dallas took in the scene at a glance. Mark and Griff were there, both looking exhausted after their all-nighter, but tough and focused. There were five other vehicles parked next to the black SUV’s: two police cruisers, two SWAT vans, and one unmarked van. He knew that the scanner would be inside the unmarked one, and he strode over to it right away, rapped on the door.
It swung open and he nodded at Captain Peter Anderson, his most trusted and reliable contact at the Denver PD. Dallas jumped in and looked at the screens.
“Anything?” he asked without preamble.
Pete pointed. “Thermal images just came up now. Look there.”
Dallas actually felt his heart rate accelerate slightly as he took in the concentrated group of vibrant colors clearly visible in Olivia’s house. “That’s him, huh?”
“Yep.”
“And what’s all that stuff around him? With the fainter thermal coloring?”
“Yeah, that’s the really worrying part.”
“More worrying than a f*****g stalker living in a woman’s house without her knowing?”
“Yeah. SWAT figures those are bombs.”
That gave Dallas pause. “How can you tell?”
“Because of their heat signature. Looks like he’s got about a dozen of the things.”
“Goddamn.” Dallas stared at the screen. “So – what? He’s holed up in there with a f*****g minefield surrounding him?”
“Yeah. The SWAT boys want to go in hot.”
Dallas ran his hands through his hair. “Surgical fire through the wall? No negotiation or trying to talk to him at all?”
“Yeah. That’s protocol when dealing with this kind of nutbar in close quarters, and who can quite probably blow us all sky-high unless SWAT takes care of him first.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Of course you do, Foreman. You’ve dealt with us before. You know how we work.”
Dallas nodded. “Thanks, man.” He climbed out of the van, started over to his people. And stopped dead.
That’s protocol – and I know that because I’ve worked with them before. Anybody who works in security would know that in this specific situation, SWAT will go in looking to kill.
The original floor plans of Olivia’s house were switched out for the ones I have now… the ones that her protective details work from.
The answer that he’d been looking for since yesterday floated at him, retreated, swam back and he grasped it, hard. Suddenly, he knew exactly who was stalking Olivia – and it wasn’t Abraham Castell, and it wasn’t whoever the hell was in her house right now, and the certainty of it took his breath away.
As part of Olivia’s protective detail, he’d have full access to her house. Her bedroom. The door and window codes and security systems. Everything.
As part of her detail, he’d enjoy complete trust. Hers, the teams’, the cops’. Everyone’s.
Shit.
Dallas fumbled in his pocket for his cell. Mark saw the look on Dallas’ face and came over, alarmed.
“What?”
Dallas glanced up. “It’s not Castell, Mark. He’s the fall guy.” He looked at the SWAT team suiting up. “Don’t let them go in, man. If they barge in shooting, we’re going to lose our only witness.”
Mark stared. “So who is it?”
But Dallas was on the phone now, holding it to his ear. He gazed at the mountains in the distance as he listened to the phone ringing at the other end.
Come on, come on. Pick up.
- Writer
