Part 22 (1/2)

”No. You're right. It's the only lead we've got. I just hope we don't p.i.s.s off anybody else, and make them want to kill us too.”

CHAPTER 36 - Tuesday, 11:48 p.m.

Gabby drove slowly along the black abyss between two fields of moonlit gra.s.s. The vibration from the tires a.s.sured him they were still on the dirt road.

Rebecca leaned forward and squinted. ”There's the barn. See the light? And I think there's car out front. Let's park here and walk the rest of the way.”

Gabby pulled over and killed the engine. They got out and started walking toward the barn. ”Don't you think I should have a gun too? I could carry your dad's old gun.”

”Have you ever fired one?”

”No. But I'm sure I could do it-if I had to. We don't know how many people are in there, or what kind of weapons they have.”

”But we've got the element of surprise.”

”I hope that's enough.”

Rebecca stopped walking and reached into her pocket. ”Here, take this.”

Gabby held out his hand. ”A pager? What am I supposed to do with this? Throw it at him?”

”It's not a pager. It's a high-voltage stun gun. Don't let the size fool you. That thing is powerful.”

”Yeah, but I have to be close enough to touch him with it, right? I'd rather have a gun. A big gun.”

”Look. You turn it on here, press the electrodes against his skin, and push this b.u.t.ton.”

”What if he touches me when I do it? Won't it shock me too?”

”No.”

”Okay. Thanks.” He put it in his pants pocket.

Now within twenty feet, Rebecca realized there was no light coming from the barn. What she had seen was moonbeams reflected off the metallic blue finish of a brand new Mustang parked out front. And right beside it was a black Maserati GranTurismo. Big Bill's car.

Gabby followed Rebecca to the back of the Mustang. Before Rebecca could decide what to do next, lights came on. Powerful lights, all around them. She and Gabby might as well have been standing on the pitcher's mound in Rangers Ballpark. There was no place to hide.

An amplified voice said, ”Why it's Rebecca Ranghorn and her sidekick, Gabby G'Blee.”

They looked at each other and said it in unison. ”Big Bill.”

”Don't be afraid, guys. Would you like to come in?”

The front of the barn didn't look like a barn at all. More like a fortress. The door opened.

”Come on in.”

They walked into the building.

”Walk forward, then right, please,” said Big Bill over the speakers.

The door automatically closed behind them. They followed Big Bill's directions, which led them into a large room. There was a young man working at a computer terminal with his back to them. He seemed oblivious to their arrival.

And there was Big Bill, to the right, sitting atop a two-foot high platform, in a huge Captain Kirk style swivel chair. ”Welcome.”

The back wall was covered with large flat-panel displays of what appeared to be live video feeds from cameras in Cafe Nue, including one in Joey Ketrousie's office. Another camera captured Phillipa Thagery working in a lab coat. Still another was trained on Kimberly Smotherburn's bedroom. She was sitting at a dresser, brus.h.i.+ng her hair. Even Calvin Cinaway's garage had been equipped with a hidden camera.

Then Rebecca saw her office. ”You b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

Big Bill chuckled. ”I suppose you'd like an explanation.”

”Yeah,” said Rebecca, ”and I'm really disappointed that you're not dead.”

”Well, I would think you'd be relieved that you won't be charged with my murder.”

”You sure looked dead to me,” said Gabby.

Big Bill laughed. ”Yeah, Wiley is quite talented with special effects makeup-the kind they use for movies. He used to scare the neighbors half to death at Halloween. One time a lady called 911. She thought somebody had taken an axe to his face.”

”But what was the point?” said Rebecca. ”Why did you go to all that trouble just to make us think you were dead?”

”I wanted to frustrate you-to put you on the defensive, and make you do crazy things. And it worked.”

”But somebody fired her gun,” said Gabby.

” Oh, yeah. Sorry about the hole in your ceiling, Rebecca.” said Big Bill. But I guess it doesn't matter since you're going to prison.”

”What are you talking about?”

”I'm talking about the fact that you murdered Carly Cinaway for $100,000.”

Rebecca stared at him in disbelief.

”The police have an eye witness-the desk clerk. They also have your DNA at the scene. Two of your lovely, long hairs were found in her hotel room.”

”You pulled those hairs from my head while I was pa.s.sed out in my office. Then you planted them in Carly's hotel room.”

”Do you have any proof of that?” Big Bill laughed. ”And hiding the money in Gabby's saving account was just lame. Didn't you realize it was one of the first places the cops would look? What were you thinking?”

Gabby took out his smartphone.

Rebecca frowned at Gabby. ”What are you doing? He's lying.”

Big Bill said, ”Well, if you're not the one who killed Carly, why didn't you call the police when you found her body?”

”You know why.”