Leaving the engine running, he got out of the vehicle and continued to unload boxes and a large trunk, setting the stuff beside the vehicle instead of taking it all inside. He kept an eye on Glover’s double-wide, and less than two minutes went by before the hulk of a man stormed out his front door carrying a wooden baseball bat in his hand.

  “What the hell you doing shining your lights into my window, asshole?” he yelled, striding down a flagstone walk toward the metal gate of a four-foot-high wire fence that enclosed his front yard.

  Glover up close matched the mug shot from one of the few times the man had been arrested. His blond hair was nearly marine-recruit short, and his face clean shaven and surprisingly delicate, almost feminine. His expression, however, was quite the opposite, cruel and twisted. Glover had an intimidating chest and well-tanned, bulging arms, but Lee was almost disappointed not to see a tattoo.

  “You the village idiot, or the neighborhood pervert?” Lee replied coolly. “The headlights go out when the telescope gets stashed back under your bed beside the girlie magazines.”

  Glover began to cuss a blue streak now. He stepped out of his yard, slamming his gate open so violently Lee was surprised it didn’t fly off the hinges. Lee waited until the bat-waving bully was halfway across the road before he spoke again.

  “Unless you have a baseball in your pocket, that Louisville slugger is about to vanish right up your butt, neighbor. We mind our own business, and unless you decide to do the same, you’re going to be needing a nuclear enema to clear out the splinters.” Lee took a step forward now, motioning casually with his fingers for Glover to keep coming.

  Glover snarled, faked an overhead swing, then jabbed at Lee’s chest with the end of the bat.

  The move seemed right out of the second act of an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. It was all slow motion to Lee, who had plenty of time to spare. He stepped inside the move, grabbed the bat halfway down the handle, then twisted it sideways.

  Glover groaned, letting go before his wrist snapped, and took a step back. “What the … ?”

  Lee snapped the bat in half over his knee like a twig, then dropped the two pieces on the ground.

  Glover threw up his fists like a boxer, but Lee could see from his eyes the bully was worried now.

  “Not used to having someone a head shorter about to kick your ass? I can do the same to your arm, neighbor. Or you can walk away now, put the spy glass away, and call it a night. Your call,” Lee said, hearing Diane coming up from behind. She was holding something in each hand, but he wasn’t ready to look away from Glover’s eyes. Lee knew that if he was going to try anything else, he’d give it away there first.

  “See you’ve introduced yourself to our neighbor, dear.” Diane handed Lee a bottle of beer. She looked down at the broken bat, then laughed. “Cold one?” She offered Glover the other bottle. “I’m Diane. Nice tan, by the way. You must spend a lot of time outdoors.”

  Glover took the bottle, but his hand was shaking and some of the brew sloshed out. It wasn’t until he took a long swig that he spoke again. “Yeah. Benefits of retirement. Name is Glover, by the way. Folks just call me Newt. Sorry I unloaded on you … .”

  Lee smiled graciously. “Lee.”

  “Don’t worry about the ’scope. I was thinking of selling it anyway. No offense meant, ma’am.”

  Diane shrugged. “You see now that we value our privacy.”

  “Me, too. Thanks for the beer. Good night.” Glover nodded, then turned and walked back across the street.

  “Where’d the beer come from?” Lee whispered, taking a deep swallow, then offering it back to her. She took a swig, then returned it. “There were three in the fridge.”

  “You hate beer, right?”

  “Tastes like horse piss—not that I’ve ever had that, either. But how else am I going to play the good ole boy’s gal if I don’t power down a brew every once in a while?”

  Lee took another swallow of the cool drink, then grabbed a box. “Hey, where did you learn to talk like that?”

  “TV. And I went to UNM, remember?” Diane picked up a box, then turned and looked toward Glover’s double-wide. “Those high beams were a good idea.”

  “Yeah. I’ll turn them off as soon as he starts taking down the telescope.” Lee saw Glover stepping onto his small porch.

  The man turned and waved, then turned on his living room light and began to remove the telescope from the tripod.

  “At least we know what he isn’t, right, Lee?”

  “Yeah. The tan. He’s also way too weak and slow to be a you-know-what,” Lee replied. A half vampire would have shown a lot more strength, and even if Glover had been faking his weakness, the amount of sunlight necessary for the darkened skin on Glover’s arms would have killed a vampire, not bronzed him out.

  Lee set the box down, reached into the driver’s side, and turned off the spotlight, headlights, then the engine. He put the keys into his pocket, picked up his beer, and finished it with a long tug. Diane was already inside their new home with her load.

  He turned and noticed that Glover had closed the curtains halfway and turned out the lights. Lee could see him in the dark, across the room, watching. Not wanting the man to know how well he could really see, Lee turned around, picked up the box again, and walked toward the mobile home.

  CHAPTER 4

  Lee found a window in the study that gave him a clear view of the front of Glover’s home and remained awake the rest of the night. If Glover chose to exit out the back, circling around through the woods to avoid detection, Lee would still spot him the second he reached the SUV that was parked well within his view. He figured that Glover probably did most of his mischief, at least the more serious crimes, at night, so that was when Lee planned to keep track of him.

  Arrangements had already been made for a second vehicle that Diane would use to report to work at the small neighborhood grocery store that supplied the area with basics. It was the perfect place to establish contacts. A large Wal-Mart on Albuquerque’s east side, miles away through the canyon that served to divide the mountain range into the northern Sandias and the southern Manzanos, was where most of the heavy shopping took place. That place would feature in their plans, too.

  Lee had spent the bulk of his nighttime hours installing small video cameras that would monitor their new home whenever they were away. The receiver was hidden in a storage drawer. Of course, nothing that would identify them as law enforcement officers would remain on the premises. They carried their personal weapons and IDs with or beside them at all times, and the laptop, though concealed, was clear of anything out of the ordinary. The silver jewelry-making tools and supplies were just for show—Lee’s sometime profession.

  “How’d you sleep?” Lee asked, standing up from his seat at the table as Diane stepped into the kitchen area after having crossed the living and dining areas from the master bedroom. She was still wearing the green, flowery kimono she’d decided fit her new personality, along with the pink flip-flops.

  “Not bad, actually. The bed is more comfortable than I expected. Any sign of Glover?”

  “He came out around six-thirty, checked out his yard, I guess to make sure we hadn’t trashed it during the night, then drove off in that red pickup of his. One more thing. He searched his vehicle for bugs first. Has one of those wands that looks like a charcoal lighter.”

  “How CIA. I expected the Bubba response sometime after midnight, throwing a rock through the windshield of the SUV, or maybe keying the finish. I bet that apology hurt.”

  “Now that he sees he can’t intimidate us, Glover might take his time and check us out, looking for an angle … or leverage. We both did what we could last night to avoid looking like undercover cops, but I doubt that’ll be enough to convince him we’re no direct threat. If he has the contacts we suspect he does, Glover will have one of his friends run the license plate on the SUV. Know your enemy.”

  “And he’ll find out it’s registered to me—well, Diane Garcia, anyway, from Albuquerque’s west side. He still doesn’t have a last name on you.” Diane took a quick look out the window. “It just occurred to me. That broken bat has your fingerprints on it.”

  “Yeah. I picked up the pieces and brought them inside before daylight.” He motioned with his head toward the small sofa. “They’re in the storage compartment below the cushion. Glover came out for his newspaper around six, looked for them in the road, then tiptoed over and checked in our trash can. Now he’s probably wondering what I did with the broken bat, and why.”

  Lee continued, “Eventually he’ll find a way to get a set of my prints, or, when it serves us, I’ll leave some for him to find. It’s a good thing your people were able to get our fingerprints and bogus identities through law-enforcement databases. He’ll be convinced I’m Lee Begay from Gallup, ex-military with jail time for assault and battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, stuff like that.”

  Lee took a sip of coffee. “Glover, besides having the wand to sweep for bugs, either has some kind of alarm or his place is wired. I saw him fiddling with something just inside the door before he left. Maybe it’s a keypad. We’ll have to watch and see what he does when he returns. Your people are going to let us know if he has an account with area alarm companies, or has made any recorded purchases of alarm devices and other electronics, right?”

  Diane nodded, looking around the kitchen counters. “Something smells good. Did you make me some breakfast?”

  “While you were in the shower. French toast and hash browns in the oven, hopefully keeping warm. If not, the microwave above the stove works. I put the butter and apricot jam back in the refrigerator. And there’s plenty of coffee.” Lee raised his own cup.

  Diane looked at her watch. “I’d better eat, then get dressed. We’ve got to pick up my loaner pickup at the gas station in Tijeras. I’ve got to be at work by nine.”

  “Okay. My turn for the shower. You left some hot water, I hope?”

  “Maybe I did, and maybe I didn’t.” Diane leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “That isn’t for Glover’s benefit, that’s for mine.”

  Lee fought the urge to move to second base, knowing that any future shows of affection while in the area would have to be strictly business, the business of protecting their cover. Any other distractions could be dangerous.

  He stood up slowly. Maybe a cold shower would be good for him after all.

  Once Diane was at “work,” Lee returned to his new home, confirmed Glover hadn’t sneaked in, then began making calls on the cell phone, standing outside on the porch and keeping watch for any unusual activity in the area at the same time. If Glover had a directional mike, and happened to be at home using it, Lee’s speech could have been overheard. But it was safe for the moment.

  Communication was going to be through their encrypted cell phones or via their laptop. They couldn’t risk leaving paperwork or a radio around that someone breaking in might find while they were away. The same was true for their vehicles, so they’d be depending on e-mails and calls to Captain Kelly or SAC Logan for updates, feedback, and information exchanges. Plans had been made for any physical evidence to be left at a drop in the Wal-Mart parking lot closest to the canyon.

  From his location, uphill from the highway, Lee could see all the homes in the tiny development and any traffic coming in his direction. The forested terrain around him was uneven enough, filled with low hills and arroyos. Anyone off-road and in a vehicle would have to drive slowly and probably be making a lot of noise unless they came up one of the dirt utility access roads behind the two rows of houses. Anyone on a horse or on foot could move around more quietly, and it would be possible to use the thick vegetation and ground cover to sneak from place to place, even during daylight, until you got really close to a residence.

  All this meant that Lee could go take a closer look—and listen—at Glover’s house without risk of being discovered. He’d just have to keep watch and assume Glover wouldn’t return on foot or horseback. Nighttime was preferable, of course, but Glover wasn’t at home now, so he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity while he could.

  Lee’s calls didn’t take long. All he did was confirm to their state police and Bureau contacts that they were in position now and had made contact. He also checked and verified that no ransom calls or demands on the missing boy had been made. Then he stepped back into the house and put on his disguise.

  A change into a green-and-brown camouflage-pattern shirt and slacks, along with smooth-soled moccasins, was necessary. Then Lee added a padded “gut” consisting of towels to make it look like he was pudgy, and a thin, bow-hunter’s ski mask over his head. Only his eyes would show through, and those were covered by sunglasses.

  The cover-up was functional, because he couldn’t risk a long exposure to sunlight even with the heavy sunblock, and also necessary until Lee determined if Glover had installed surveillance cameras. Bad guys were sometimes the most paranoid—because they knew they’d made enemies, some that might take action sooner or later.

  Lee slipped out the back door of the double-wide, took a quick look down the access road to verify nobody was heading his way, then ran quickly into an arroyo he’d located earlier. Moving in a crouch, he circled and reached a point where he could examine Glover’s house from the forest to the west. Most of the mobile homes, Glover’s and his included, were big rectangles, and the long sides faced north and south.

  From his location, Lee could see most of both front and back yards. Wire fences outlined the properties—nobody had solid walls or wooden fences. Glover had a gate in the rear large enough to accommodate a vehicle. His backyard was junky, containing a child’s bike, a couple of birdbaths, a smoky-looking fifty-five-gallon drum probably used to burn rubbish, a big plastic trash container on a concrete slab, and various piles of damaged construction materials, including a big mound of dirt.

  Lee recalled a police report about Glover having taken a bike away from a kid who’d been “bothering” him, then beating up the father when he’d come to retrieve his son’s bike. Glover had been charged, but cleared after the beating was declared self-defense. Lee wondered if that was the bike in the report. Perhaps the birdbaths had been stolen, too, and the owners were unaware or afraid to ask for them back. They were the kind of petty crimes a bully would commit just to intimidate people. Then there was the next-door neighbor who’d been knifed to death … .

  Using a pair of hunting binoculars, Lee checked out the building and saw no cameras at the end, though there were floodlights at the corners that probably would illuminate the entire perimeter, assuming there were two at the far end, as well.

  Lee noticed movement. A camera was right above Glover’s back porch, a structure resembling a couple of stacked pallets, and was sweeping a full 180 degrees. He timed a sweep, and it took only twenty seconds to scan the back. When he came back at night, Lee knew he’d have to move fast to avoid being seen. He recognized the type of camera. It was probably black and white, but with good optics and a pretty wide angle.

  Lee had already been able to observe the front of Glover’s house from his own windows, and hadn’t seen any sign of cameras there, however, just a satellite dish for TV. If any cameras had been hidden on this side, they had very small lenses and weren’t quality equipment like the one in back.

  He circled back around, changed back into the clothes he’d had on earlier, including a baseball cap and different sunglasses, placed three turquoise and silver watch bracelets into his jacket pocket, then walked across the street and into Glover’s yard. In case Glover returned unexpectedly, it would look like he was visiting and offering to sell the man jewelry.

  After verifying that the road was still clear and he wasn’t going to be interrupted, Lee crept over to the window and looked inside. The man had expensive furnishings and electronic gear, including a computer still in the original box. Lee memorized the serial number and the name of the vendor, a warehouse electronics store in Albuquerque. He’d probably be able to find out if it was a legitimate purchase or stolen easily enough. But proving Glover was a thief was lower priority—if he could put him away on bigger changes.

  Beside the door, in the wall siding, were several BB-size holes. The pattern suggested a shotgun blast, but Lee knew there were fewer holes than you’d expect for a full load of buckshot. Where had the other pellets gone?

  Maybe someone had stood up to Glover before and taken a shotgun to him. But not completing the job would have been fatal to the shooter if Glover had seen who it was. Lee decided to find out more about the neighbor, Zeke Perry, who’d been knifed outside the bar. It was possible that Glover, having survived the attack, had hidden out for a few days, then returned to even the score.

  But Lee was looking for something—well, someone—else at the moment. The chances were remote, but Glover was a lowlife, and a boy was missing. Searching for the child was one of the first things Lee had wanted to do when he’d arrived.

  No news or leads had materialized as of this morning. Since ransom requests usually came in right away, the more time passed, the less likely it was that the boy was being held for money.

  Lee listened, knowing his hearing was exceptional. If the boy was inside, still alive, he might be able to hear him moving about, even if the kid was tied up and locked in a bathroom or closet. Lee moved closer. The best vantage point would be from the roof, where vents conducted heat, smells, and sounds outside.

  There was nothing to climb up, but Lee didn’t need a ladder. A quick jump, a grab onto the top of the porch, and he was up. Landing as softly as a cat on the fiberglass-shingled roof, Lee took a quick look down the road, then stepped over to a screened vent pipe. From the greasy scent, it most likely led down into the kitchen, probably above the stove.