Page 36 of One Final Target

“I can. But you know, he often left a key under a flowerpot in the back. I’ll go have a look around.” Surprised again at how easily the lies came, Jodie hoped there were flowerpots in the backyard.

“Thank you. It’s unpleasant to be in my backyard. Every time a breeze comes up, so does the odor.”

“I’ll bet,” Jodie said as she left the neighbor’s yard and stepped back over the hedge.

Collins’s backyard gate was on the other side of his house. Jodie walked across the front yard and, happy to find the gate unlocked, let herself into the back. Once inside, she drew her handgun and followed a narrow concrete path. The further she traveled across the yard, the stronger the odor became. The stench emanated from a rear bedroom, she guessed, the unmistakable aroma of death. Jodie slowly walked to the other side of the house, where the odor was strongest. The windows facing the complaining homeowner were open. Collins obviously didn’t fear break-ins.

The logical thing to do was call the police and have them do a “check the well.” But Jodie wasn’t about to wait for a police officer. She made her way to the back door. Sadly, there were no flowerpots. She turned over a couple of stones. No key. Collins wouldn’t make it easy.

Confident no one could see her, Jodie took her gun and smashed a small window next to the door. She winced at the noiseand hoped no one heard. Then she reached through the break and opened the door.

Most of the houses in this neighborhood had similar floor plans. This one was no different from Gus’s. The back door led to a laundry room and then to the kitchen. There would be two small bedrooms on the left, a small living room in front, and a larger bedroom on the right. The smell was overpowering inside the house, and Jodie tried to breathe through her mouth. She was well acquainted with the odor, but it was something you never got used to. At least she hadn’t.

Weapon in hand, she tiptoed past the kitchen, aiming for the door on the left where the offending aroma seemed to be emanating from. She opened the bedroom door, pinched her nose closed with her thumb and forefinger, and stepped one foot into the room. What she saw made no sense.

With the open windows and daylight, she could see a large rectangular freezer in the center of the room. No bed, no dresser, just the freezer. No sound of a motor, so it obviously wasn’t running. The lid stood open, and Jodie guessed this was the source of the smell.

Could it simply be rotting food? A lot of it, by the size of the freezer. Jodie had to be sure. She stepped into the room and peered into the freezer. A bloated, discolored human face stared back at her.

“Uggh.” She put a hand over her mouth and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Who was it?The neighbor said he saw Collins leave. Jodie doubted the body was him. Eyes watering from the odor, she stood still, wanting to investigate further but also recognizing she could possibly contaminate evidence. In the end, the obedient side of her nature won.

Jodie was caught now. She had to call the PD and face Mike’s wrath for breaking into the house. Her only saving grace here was the improbability of Collins pressing charges against her.

She walked through the living room into the kitchen, intending to use her phone where it would be easier to breathe. When she reached the middle of the kitchen, she stepped on a soft part of the floor and heard a click. Not as loud, but the same kind of click she’d heard in the mountain cabin the day the IED exploded and killed her team.

CHAPTER21

BY THE TIME THEY REACHED LONG BEACH,Sam’s stomach was growling. It made him think of an old-school cop he’d met during his rookie days.“A good cop never gets wet or goes hungry,”the seasoned officer had told him.

Sam had been rained on and missed many meals working in law enforcement. He wished he could run into the old-school guy again so he could tell the man he was wrong.

He probably should have eaten a bigger lunch. Besides hunger, the hour-and-a-half drive had him stiff and wanting to stretch, especially his right arm and shoulder. Ever since the accident, he stiffened up quickly.

When they reached Chatwin Avenue, Sam was ready to get out of the car. He shifted in his seat and checked the GPS when they finally exited the freeway.

“Collins didn’t move very far away. His old house on Adenmoor is probably less than a mile away from the new one on Chatwin.”

“He moved from Lakewood to Long Beach,” Smiley said. “I wonder why. From what I’ve seen, this neighborhood is similar to Lakewood. He certainly didn’t move for new scenery.”

What Smiley said was true. But Sam liked the neighborhood. It looked calm, safe. A family neighborhood, not unlike where Sam used to live in Redlands. Kids were playing in yards and driveways; people were washing cars, mowing lawns. He would have stayed in Redlands if Vanessa hadn’t called everything off. When they got engaged, they agreed that the neighborhood in Redlands would be a perfect place to raise kids. After the crash and losing Vanessa, Sam saw no reason to stay and was glad he’d moved back to the mountains.

The afternoon weather was pleasant for spring. Still getting used to the suit and tie, Sam ran his finger around the collar and loosened his tie a bit. He’d really wanted to be back in uniform. But now, being a part of this investigation, Sam decided he’d be fine getting used to suits.

He almost smiled when he heard his mother’s voice in his head:“God works in mysterious ways.”But then the smile died. He was here because Rick was gone.

Why did the crash have to happen?

Smiley stopped the car and Sam shook his head to bring himself back to the present. He got out of the car first and automatically surveyed the area, his eyes resting on a familiar vehicle. He was almost certain it belonged to Jodie. He’d sat in her front seat for a few minutes while they were in the mountains. But he could be wrong; it was a popular-style SUV. He wrestled with what to say to Smiley.

“That SUV looks like King’s car,” he said.

Smiley followed his gaze. “You sure?”

“Not 100percent. But it’s close.”

“Do you know where she lives?”

---