Second Honeymoon

Chapter 59

SARAH CALLED DAN Driesen the next morning to brief him. She didn’t want to make the call, but she had to. It was like going to the dentist. To have a tooth pulled. Without Novocain.

“Hell, Sarah, you’re supposed to be chasing him, not the other way around,” he said in a tone that was bordering on ticked off but nonetheless contained a hint of genuine concern. “He could’ve killed you.”

“That’s just it. He could’ve killed me, but he didn’t,” she said, standing by the window of her third-floor room at the Embassy Suites. Nothing but cacti and highway as far as the eye could see. “He was probably hiding at the lake and saw me with the local police. From that moment on he could’ve killed me at any time, and he chose not to.”

“So now you’re saying he didn’t try to run you over with his car?”

“Think about it. If he really wanted to, why did he flip on his headlights?”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better? He knows who you are, and that’s not good.”

“Maybe I can turn it to my advantage. I’m thinking about that possibility now.”

“Really?” Driesen asked, incredulous. “How?”

“I haven’t figured that part out yet, but I will. Before he changes his mind and comes back to get me.”

“In the meantime, you have no idea where he is or where he’s heading. Unless, of course, you’re going to tell me you’ve cracked those clues he’s been leaving behind.”

“Hey, I got here from Ulysses, didn’t I?”

“Yes, courtesy of a lucky break, don’t you think? Any thoughts on where You’ve Got Mail is going to put him next?” he asked sarcastically. “Should we be trying to find a John O’Hara who works for the post office?”

The really crazy thing was, Sarah had already considered that.

She hated to admit it, but Driesen’s point was valid. The John O’Hara Killer still had the upper hand on her. And, yes, maybe even more so now.

“There’s still a lot I can do out here, though,” she said. “I haven’t even begun to work the town. Maybe he interacted with other people.”

“Maybe. But I don’t want you having to look over your shoulder all the time. Whatever game you think he might be playing, who’s to say it doesn’t end with you getting killed?”

“So that’s that?”

“For now, at least. You’re coming home,” he said. “Besides, there’s someone back here who’s requested a briefing from you.”

“Who?”

Driesen chuckled. She could practically see his sly smile through the phone.

“Who is it?” she repeated.

“You’ll see,” he said. “Come home, Sarah. That’s an order, by the way.”