Every Precious Thing

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Erica sat behind the wheel of her car and fumed. They had missed the woman by what couldn’t have been more than a few hours. Unbelievable!

Though Erica had made good time at the rental agency at LAX, and Clausen and Markle-her two men-had arrived on schedule, it was still after four thirty in the morning when the three of them finally arrived in Braden.

She had decided during the drive that they could no longer risk simply observing the woman. Either the bitch knew something or she didn’t, and now that someone else was snooping around, Erica couldn’t prolong this irritation. She needed it sewn up, and she needed it done now.

That’s why she was here, to make sure no one screwed up this time.

Half an hour before they arrived in town, she had called Cecil Frisk, the man who had been watching Diana, and told him to meet her at the woman’s house. Though Frisk had obviously been half asleep when they talked, he was wide awake and parked a block away from the woman’s place when Erica and her team arrived.

It should have gone nice and smooth. At nearly five a.m., even a bartender would be asleep.

But when they went in, instead of finding Diana in her bed, she wasn’t even in the house.

How the hell did that happen?

Erica was the one who found the note. When she read it, she’d come very close to ripping it up on the spot. Extreme self-control was the only thing that helped her return it to its envelope.

It had taken her over two years to find Diana again. Two years! Once she had, she’d sent Frisk out to monitor her, with the hope that Diana would lead them to the other one. But then tonight, while Frisk slept, Diana had skipped town.

Incompetency!

Frisk was lucky she didn’t have him killed on the spot. Once more her cool nature prevailed, and all four of them retreated to her car where they would wait and see what happened.

Now, for the thousandth time since the sun had risen, she looked down the street at Diana’s duplex.

“You all right?”

Erica glanced at Frisk in the passenger seat. “I’m fine.”

“You look a little…pissed off.”

She locked eyes with him. “Really? And that surprises you?

“No…I…I-”

“Company,” Clausen announced, pointing between the front seats and out the window. He and Markle were sitting in the back.

A Jeep Cherokee had just pulled to a stop in front of the duplex. Momentarily forgetting her anger, Erica watched as two men exited the car and walked up the pathway to Diana’s place. One of the guys was probably not much more than thirty, while the other was older and harder to pin down.

She wondered if one of them was the landlord mentioned in Diana’s note.

“You want us to get in closer?” Clausen asked.

“Do it,” she said, nodding.

Clausen and Markle got out of the car and disappeared into the neighborhood.

“Maybe I should go, too,” Frisk suggested.

“You stay here.”

At the house, the two new arrivals stepped over to the door, then the younger one took a quick look around the street, obviously making sure no one was watching. Erica froze as the man’s gaze moved in her direction.

“Hold still,” she ordered Frisk.

Given the distance, the guy wouldn’t be able to discern them from the rest of the car if they remained motionless. Apparently satisfied, the man pulled something out of his back pocket-a piece of cloth or paper- and used it to cover his hand as he grabbed the doorknob.

That certainly wasn’t landlord behavior.

She watched the men step inside the house. Their visit wasn’t a long one. When they came back out, the younger one was carrying something that looked very much like the envelope Diana had left behind.

Erica called Clausen.

“Yes?” he answered, his voice low.

“Where are you?”

“In the backyard.”

“You don’t have to whisper. They’re getting into their car.”

“I thought it sounded too quiet in there.” Clausen’s voice returned to normal.

“I think they took the note. Check, then meet us back at the motel.”

“Will do.”

Erica waited until the other car left, then pulled onto the street to follow them.