Double Jeopardy

44

3:00 P.M.

THE MAN IN THE black stocking cap slowly approached the yellow Dodge Omni, shielding himself from the view of the desk clerk in the front office. If his contacts back at Orpha’s Lounge were right, and Moroconi had stayed here, he was gone now. Using his binoculars, he scanned the parking lot. No black pickup.

There did appear to be someone in Moroconi’s room—someone who wanted to be there badly enough to break down the door. A barely dressed teenage girl had just left the room. He didn’t recognize her—hotel whore, probably. But who was inside?

He crept closer and listened to the voices in the room. It sounded as if they were searching; probably trying to determine where Moroconi had gone. He didn’t recognize the female voice, but he was certain the man was Travis Byrne.

He touched the shoulder holster attached to his Kevlar vest. He slowly removed the gun, keeping it out of sight inside his jacket. He could slip inside the room, take care of Byrne, and slip out again. No one would be the wiser. Perhaps this mission would be easier than he had anticipated.

He started toward the door, then hurriedly retreated to the shadows. Someone was leaving the front office and walking briskly toward Room 14. He shouldn’t have procrastinated; he should’ve just gone in there and—

Well, it was too late now. The desk clerk was probably investigating the gaping hole in the door. He’d call the cops soon, if he hadn’t already. It wasn’t safe to be here any longer.

He eased his gun back into the holster, then opened one of the compartments on his Sam Browne belt and removed the tiny SSI tracer. He quickly crept into the backseat of the Omni. It would be better to hide the tracer among their personal belongings; they might be tempted to switch cars later. He opened a black leather briefcase and slipped the device inside.

The tracer had a range of twenty miles. Now he’d be able to follow them from a distance, with no risk of being spotted. Never mind this temporary setback—his time would come.

And when it did, Travis Byrne’s time would come to an end.