KDBookOnline
Share Us
He looks in his palm and there’s a small fob, the size of a quarter.
“What’s this?”
“One of my AirTags,” Nora says. “From my luggage.”
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Put it in your pocket, I don’t know. I mean, you said he took Alison, so if…” She doesn’t finish the thought.
It’s a smart idea. If he doesn’t emerge from this meeting Nora will at least have something to give the police. The location of the AirTag.
He studies the pod in his index finger and thumb, then pockets it. Then Nora hands him something else: a tiny Taser, by the look of it. Some kind of miniature stun gun.
“My dad got it for me. Our neighborhood in Georgetown is safe, but it has sporadic crime.”
Ryan decides it can’t hurt and tucks it in his waistband.
His heart is pounding now. He’s really going to do this? He’s really going to do this!
As if sensing that he’s freaking out, Nora stands, faces him, like she’s going to give him a pep talk. Instead, she tiptoes up and kisses him.
“Be careful,” she says softly.
He shakes off the electricity from the kiss and takes one last look around the café. Plenty of people are around, so she should be safe. He checks his phone for the time, seven minutes until ten, and fast-walks to the tower.
On the main floor, he buys a ticket. The woman warns him—probably because of his height—that the steps to the tower are steep and the ceiling’s low. The stairwell to the terrace is a sweatbox. There’s no one in front of him. No one behind. Less than five minutes until the meet. Is The Monster already up here?
At the top of the stairs is an old wooden door that he pushes open. He’s assaulted by the bright sun again. He’s sweating from the heat and anxiety.
When his eyes adjust to the sun, he’s startled. Two muscular men—they’re around his own age, Italian—stand facing him. Behind them a figure emerges. Before Ryan can scan his face, his eyes jump to the stranger’s hands. His breath catches in the hollow of his throat because no question remains now:
It’s him.
23
LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS
Day Three on the job, Poppy receives a morning visit from Sheriff Walton.
“Deputy McGee,” he says, coming into her office.
“Poppy,” she says. “We’re both civilians now, Ken,” she adds in a playful tone, mimicking his comment from her first day.
He plops down in the chair opposite her desk, like he’s already had a long week.
“Settling in okay?”
Poppy nods. “Everyone’s been really helpful. And I’m making good progress on the Alison Lane tips so far.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Somebody has to do it.”
“No, not at all. It’s quite, um, fascinating.”
“‘Fascinating’ is a nice way to put it. I’m always amazed how many citizens we have who, let’s say, could use some mental health intervention.” He says this with no menace. “That note they found in Alison Lane’s car is somethin’ else, right?”
“Yes, any luck breaking the code?”
He shakes his head. “But Chantelle Luna’s tenacious. I imagine she’s got every cryptography expert in the state working on it.”