Page 26 of Shadow of the Moon

Wyoming was beautiful and desolate. It was the true wild west, and he wished he had more time to explore. Maybe after they were done saving the country, he thought with a snort.

They arrived in Sheridan in the afternoon, and immediately drove to the address on file for Zed’s mother, Carolyn. There were several cars parked in front of the single-story house, and a good bit of activity. It was in a higher end neighborhood, with later model vehicles and people walking their dogs on the sidewalk. There was a small, dusty park across the street and down the block a little, so they parked there to watch the house.

“I might go for a walk,” Amberly said. “I need to stretch my legs.”

“I’ll go with you,” he said quickly. It would do them both good to get out. And they could keep the car in sight the entire time.

A path meandered through and circled the shaded park. It wasn’t very big. Kids played on the swing sets, squealing and yelling, burning off energy after school. There were a few moms on benches, rocking strollers with one hand and drinking expensive coffees with the other. It was afternoon in Wyoming, so definitely warm, but there were hints that fall would come soon. Some of the leaves were changing on the trees, and the sun was already heading toward the horizon. It was cool enough they didn’t stand out wearing their jackets.

A young woman came out of the house they were watching and headed to a blue four-door car in the driveway. She was talking on her phone and never even paused as she drove away. “I think that was Zed’s daughter,” Amberly murmured. “His mother is disabled, so she’s home most of the time. The girl helps take care of her.”

Devlin nodded, taking her elbow in his hand to take another loop around the park. “Do we know for sure that he’s staying here?”

“No,” she huffed. “It’s just a guess, because he got out of prison a couple of months ago.”

“Well, isn’t that fortuitous,” he snorted. “Regent gets free as well as one of his boom boom buddies. Any chance that was a coincidence?”

Amberly looked at him sharply. “What are you saying, Devlin?”

“Well, I’m just thinking Regent is getting a lot of help from somewhere…”

She stared at him for a long moment, before turning to look out over the park. “I’m afraid to even consider…”

“But you need to, for your own safety.”

“I know.”

They stood beneath an oak tree and watched as the teenage girl returned, still talking on her phone, and carried a jug of milk into the house. Devlin glanced at his watch. It was half-past six.

“Dinner time?” he suggested.

“Maybe,” she agreed. “Think one of the other vehicles belongs to Zed?”

“Belongs? Maybe not if he just got out of the pen. He might be borrowing one of them.”

They watched the house for another forty minutes until the sun sank below the horizon. The park emptied behind them, leaving a few skateboarders taking advantage of the evening.

The front door opened and even from their vantage point, Devlin could see it was the guy they were looking for. Tall and lean, with a thatch of gray hair in a low ponytail on his neck, Zed looked more like a biker than anything. Ragged jeans flapped at his knees and a chain looped around to his wallet. As they watched, he jammed a red ball-cap on his head and pulled a jean-jacket on over his white-ish T-shirt. He stepped down off the porch and followed the sidewalk to the teenage girl’s car. Before he could hop in, the girl stepped out onto the porch.

“Don’t wreck it,” she called.

“I won’t, baby,” Zed called, and disappeared from view.

Devlin had already turned her toward the Charger. “Let’s see where he goes.”

They hopped into the car and sped from the park, easily catching up to Zed. He was driving the exact speed limit and using his blinkers more than normal. Devlin allowed a few cars to get in front of him, and followed along at a snail’s pace as they headed out the west end of town. Eventually, the other cars either turned off or passed Zed’s car.

“He doesn’t want to get pulled over,” Devlin laughed. “So, he’s doing everything he can to be good.” Then he pulled into a bar a few miles outside city limits, making Dev chuckle. “Well, not that good, apparently.”

Dev continued past the bar, then pulled into the next parking lot and turned around. “We’ll wait here a few minutes, then we’ll go in and see who he’s hanging with. If we’re lucky, we’ll spot another one of Regent’s associates.”

“True,” Amberly murmured, watching the bar.

They watched people enter and leave for the better part of forty minutes. Then Dev started the car and pulled into the lot. “Do you want to approach him?”

Amberly pursed her lips. “Let’s play it by ear and see how things unfold.”

“Okay. Do you have cash? I’m about tapped out.”

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