Page 69 of Code Violation

“We need to get moving,” Rufus said, heading abruptly toward the door. “Now.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Nero - Sunday

After a heated discussion about how best to keep eyes on Lani without being spotted, they’d relocated to the house of one of Wanda’s friends. Currently, the Perrys were snowbirding in Arizona, so the house was vacant and she had keys. The Perrys had a much better view of the street that ran past the park than either Rufus’s or Wanda’s homes. Chief Dear had also called in his two newest patrol officers and had them parked down the street and out of sight.

“Mags, Critter, Rufus, and I are heading up to retrieve Dina Paulson,” Dear said glaring at each one of them in turn. “Forrest, Nero, Wanda, your jobs are to stay here and stay out of danger. Burgess and Quincy are in place. They may be new, but I wouldn’t have brought them on if I didn’t think they could do their job.”

Nero felt a little sorry for Chief Dear. The likelihood of the plan not going… as planned was high and he had a bunch of freethinkers to deal with. When Dear’s stern gaze landed on him though, Nero nodded.

“Vik, why do I feel like you might be the only one who follows instructions today?” Dear grumbled.

As soon as everyone had settled down, Lani headed out, a single crutch firmly tucked under one armpit. Dear’s plan was for her to walk all the way to the cut, through it, and back again, and then repeat. Hopefully, Lockwood would take the bait.

“He’s frantic,” Chief Dear had said. “He’s down here and he’s desperate. Based on what Rufus has told us, I don’t think you’re going to have to wait long.”

There was nothing for Nero, Forrest, and Magnus to do now but wait, along with Wanda, while Lani Cooper put herself in the path of danger. Rufus, Dear, Critter, and Mags had already left to hike up to the encampment.

Nero could tell Forrest loathed every second of sitting around. Nero would too, if it had been his sister out there. He hated it for Forrest, but Dina Paulson and Dale Lockwood—if that’s who it was—needed to be stopped. He may not have known Forrest Cooper for long, but he knew Forrest would do anything for his sister, even step into the path of a killer. But Lani was the only one who could do it.

Chief Dear’s plan was to take Dina Paulson into custody while Dale Lockwood wasn’t around. Since Rufus had been adamant that she seemed physically ill, Dear figured they could subdue her with nonviolent measures without Lockwood around to protect her.

“I fucking hate this,” Forrest said for the twentieth time after completing his twenty-fifth circuit from the living room to the kitchen and back again.

Wanda ignored him. She sat curled up on the couch, her gaze not moving from the residential street where Lani hobbled back and forth calling for her non-existent cat. Nero didn’t know who Wanda was more focused on remaining unhurt, Rufus or Lani—but it was probably close to a tie.

“I don’t like this, but I want the bastard caught. I want to know that Romy and all the other kids are safe. I want Ned’s killer brought to justice.” She’d glared at Rufus before he’d departed. “Don’t do anything stupid. You may know more about the back country that the rest of these kids put together, but you’re not as young as you used to be. And no damn heroics. You either,” she’d said to Lani.

Nero noticed that neither Rufus nor Lani made any promises. He was pretty sure Wanda noticed too.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet,” Nero told Forrest from where he sat next to Wanda on the couch.

Forrest stopped at the front door. “I’m taking a walk.”

“Forrest,” Nero warned—as if he could sway Forrest Cooper when he was determined to do something. For crying out loud, four days ago Forrest hadn’t been speaking to him.

“I’ll offer to help find her fake cat maybe, I don’t know, but I can’t just wait here and do nothing.”

It had been less than an hour since the others had left to find Dina and the weather had decided to dial it up to eleven. What had been light rain was now a downpour. Occasionally, they could hear Lani calling for the imaginary cat, but nothing else. With luck, no residents were going to rush out and help her in this rain.

Rufus and his team were probably only just getting started. What if this Dale guy decided not to come down here after all? What if he had decided on another direction after Rufus had left? Nero didn’t like thinking about all the ways this half-assed scheme could go wrong.

Rufus was certain Lockwood was headed to Cooper Springs and that he would be drawn to Lani Cooper if only because she looked like Dina. Nero wanted to agree with him but who could tell what Lani looked like in this weather? There was so much that could go wrong.

“Wait.” Wanda got up onto her knees and all but pressed her nose to the glass. Nero copied her movements. “Do you see that? Is that someone?”

Magnus and Forrest rushed to the window, nearly bowling each other over in the process.

“Where?” Forrest demanded.

Wanda pointed to the right. “There.”

Like spectators at a tennis match, all four of them looked the direction she was pointing.

Lani had moved into the shrubbery—pretending that her imaginary cat might be hunkered down, Nero supposed. Beyond her, a shadowy figure neared her location. If he hadn’t been looking closely, Nero might have missed him. Lockwood seemed a bit like a woodland creature himself, wearing animal fur and buckskin pants and skirting the darkest edges of the forest. Flitting from one deep shadow to the next.

Things happened so quickly that later, when Nero was asked about it, he had to close his eyes and visualize it all like some sort of old-timey stop-motion film.

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