Page 53 of One Final Target

“All of these pictures, the explosive, the evidence, indicates a partner somewhere, yet...”

“You don’t see him being the boss, the one with all the hate.”

“Right.” Jodie nodded. “Besides, there’s no way he manhandled the freezer on his own. And killing Hayes and Juke—I don’t think he could have accomplished everything by himself. He’s the puppet. I want to find the puppet master.”

CHAPTER29

THE PUPPET MASTER.

Jodie’s observation was a good one, Sam thought. The obvious reaction to all this evidence being found above an explosive device was that Collins meant for the house to explode, to destroy everything. But what if Collins didn’t want everything destroyed? What if they were meant to find all of this, meant to be distracted by the search for Collins? Hayes had apparently been a distraction. What if there was a puppet master in the shadows playing everyone, including Collins?

“I’ve had enough,” Jodie said. “I’m going back to the van.”

Sam nodded. “I’ll head back in a moment.”

He stifled a yawn, admitting to himself he was so tired he was having difficulty concentrating. Yet there were a lot of pluses tothis long day. He’d surprised himself when he told her confidently that he believed God was good even when life wasn’t. That truth hadn’t been clear to him even this morning. Something good had come out of this IED, at least for him. He’d faced his fears and was no longer untethered, flapping in the breeze. Jodie wasn’t there yet, but he knew she’d get there. He’d seen a new light in her eyes, something missing the Saturday they met. She was engaged in the investigation. Engagement would help drag her focus away from the guilt and pain.

Sam took one last look at the walls covered in photos and then left for the van.

Smiley stood outside the door of the command post. “I’m about ready to head home,” he said. “How about you?”

“Yes and no,” Sam said. “I’m tired, but there is so much here, so much investigation still left, I’d hate to leave right this minute.”

“Well, the legwork here is going to be done by LBPD personnel. Our part is what happened in San Bernardino. It would really help if we found either the weapon used to shoot at King or the one used on Chad. Other than explosives, no weapons have been found in the house.”

Smiley was right. Sam hated to admit it. With what the background paperwork said, none of this made sense in relation to Collins—not the IED, not the two bodies in his house. The crime here was out of his jurisdiction. Long Beach personnel were interviewing all the neighbors. A big question now was whether anyone else had been seen with Collins. Sam and Smiley would be kept in the loop, but Sam wished they were leading the charge.

He wanted to stay in Long Beach for as long as it took to get a clearer picture of who might be working with Dennis Collins. He had his list. Jonah Bennett and Ian Hunter were the two nameson it. He feared they were both dead ends. Nothing he’d seen indicated either man hated Jodie enough to want to kill her. There was so much more to investigate.

What he’d seen in Dennis Collins’s office was disturbing and frightening. It all led to the deaths of four cops and Jodie’s unfortunate CI. He was amazed at how well Jodie was handling the whole thing. He couldn’t imagine being on the receiving end of this.

Smiley climbed into the van to grab another cup of coffee and join the LBPD group for any final details before hitting the road. Sam followed. Jodie was already inside, seated next to Mike, who was talking on his phone.

Watching Jodie process everything, Sam wondered how much her life was going to change. This guy had too much information and she was a target. They’d need to find a safe place for her, a very safe place.

His phone buzzed with a text. Looking down, he saw it was from George.

What’s happening? Long Beach and Jodie King are all over the news. On TV I’m watching the chopper circle a neighborhood where you defused a bomb?

Sam quickly typed back,Long story.In the middle of the text, Sam had an idea, but he didn’t have the patience to articulate it in a text. As a stopgap, he wrote,I may need your help soon. Can’t talk right now.

Whatever you need.

It was time to text his mother, Sam decided. If George had heard what was happening here, so had Mom. His text was brief.

I’m good, will call you when able. Don’t worry.

“Anything important?” Jodie asked, looking at his phone.

Sam shook his head. “Just giving my mom a heads-up.”

“The nurse?”

“Yeah, we’re all over the news. Don’t want her to worry.”

She looked as if she was about to say something when a noise indicated someone else had entered the van. A stocky bald guy appeared in the doorway. Sam doubted he was a cop, but there was something about him. He and Jodie knew each other.

“Dr. Bass, what are you doing here?”

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