Page 81 of Now or Never

“It’s not pointless,” he said. “You notice things that you miss when you’re in a car. You see what’s inside an open door, drug transactions, faces looking out windows, places where people hang and places that they avoid. When we get to the end of the third block we’ll walk the alley.”

“This is what you did when you were a bounty hunter?”

“Yes. I see detail. I’m good at tracking. I always took point when I was in the military.”

“Do you miss being a bounty hunter?” I asked him.

“Sometimes. I miss the hunt. I don’t miss the takedown.”

“That’s surprising. I’ve watched you do a lot of captures, and you’re good at it. You’re the best.”

“I have skills.”

“And the job that you have now?”

Ranger smiled. “It’s a mixed bag. I hate being trapped in my office, but I like designing security systems. I like the idea that I can keep people and businesses safe.”

“You wear a lot of different hats. You design systems. You ride patrol. You put on a suit and talk to future clients. You have a lot of people working for you.”

“I never wanted to own a business. I liked the independence I had as a bounty hunter. As a favor, I agreed to help a friend with a startup security agency. The agency grew faster than expected, and I had less and less time to hunt down felons. And then due to a series of unlikely events, I ended up owning the company. My original intention was to make it successful enough to sell, but it turned out that I like providing security. I like the variety of thejob. I like the people who work with me. I like the technology we use. I don’t like being a salesman. I need to hire a sales specialist.” He wrapped an arm around me and hugged me to him. “Would you like the job?”

“No! I’d be horrible at it.”

We were at the end of the third block. We went around the corner and picked up the alley that intersected Stark Street and Mallow Street. Ranger moved his jacket so that his gun was exposed and accessible. This part of the alley was a dumping ground for garbage and the worst of the homeless. Broken-down tents, human waste, needles, and hollow-eyed junkies. Ranger spoke to a couple men. He asked them if they knew Fang. They said no or didn’t reply at all.

The second block was better. It was littered with garbage and a couple junker cars, but there was only one tent, with an older woman and a dog inside. Ranger asked the woman if she knew Fang and whether she’d seen anyone come off the fire escape this morning. She said she’d seen Fang on the street, but not lately. Ranger gave her twenty dollars and thanked her for her help. He stepped back and looked up at a three-story tenement.

“We chased Zoran into this building,” Ranger said. “He came down this fire escape and turned toward the first block.”

Twenty years ago, a fire had raged through the first block of Stark. The entire block had been razed, and new buildings replaced the old tenements. The new buildings didn’t have external fire escapes. They had a single-door rear exit. There were six buildings. They all had small businesses on the ground floor and apartments above. No garages. No back entrances to cellars.

Ranger tried all the doors. All were locked. The other side of the alley was commercial. Cinder block single-story buildings. A warehouse. An auto body shop.

“I was sure Zoran was hiding out here,” I said to Ranger. “Now I’m not as convinced. He found a way to get to my apartment building, so it isn’t as if he’s tethered to Stark Street. I was assuming he didn’t have transportation because his truck was parked in his driveway, but there are other possibilities. He could steal a car, or someone might be hiding him. Hell, for all I know it could be another vampire with a car.”

“Or it might be that our search area was too small, or our search was incomplete,” Ranger said. “We walked the street and the alley. We didn’t go door-to-door.”

“You think he’s here on Stark.”

“I think he’s in the area.”

“Where do we go from here?”

“We wait for him to make another drug buy.”

We walked back to the car, and Morelli called just as I was about to get in next to Ranger.

“What time do you want me to pick you up?” Morelli asked.

I drew a total blank. “Where are we going?”

“Your aunt Stella’s birthday party. She’s eighty, right?”

“Omigod. I completely forgot. I’ve been so wrapped up in work that I never thought to check my calendar.”

“According to the text you sent me a couple weeks ago, it’s at Valerie’s house,” Morelli said. “Buffet dinner at six o’clock.”

“Okey dokey. Pick me up at five thirty.”

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