Page 60 of One Final Target

Mike arched an eyebrow. “He’s got to be connected to someone. I’m going to have uniforms canvass and recanvass. Someone has to have seen Collins with someone at some time.”

“I can be in on the canvassing,” Ian said. He reminded Sam of a puppy begging.

“We’ll see,” Mike said. “Thanks for the information about the vehicles, Ian.”

“Sure. Where’s Jodie?”

“Asleep. No one needs to wake her up either,” Sam said, earning him a glare from Ian.

Mike looked at him sideways, then turned back to Ian. “She needs rest, Ian. Leave her be for the night.”

“I want this guy caught.”

“We’ll catch him. Go home now, Ian.”

Ian stomped away. Sam could practically see steam rising from his head.

“It’s eating him up that he wasn’t there that day,” Mike said, turning to Sam. “He really is a good cop, but completely out of sorts right now. I thought you wanted to take Jodie to the mountains tonight.”

“I thought so too. But everyone is tired, tense. Jodie will be safe at Estella’s for the night. I’m hoping she’ll come around to the logic of a safe house when she’s got a more balanced outlook on things.”

Mike regarded him closely. “You understand her, don’t you?”

Sam shoved his hands in his pockets. “I hope so.”

“I wish I did. Looking for Collins like she did, coming here—” he waved his hand toward the house—“all by herself. She was never this reckless in uniform.”

“Trauma changes you. She’s lost her balance.”

“How long before she gets it back?”

Sam hiked a shoulder, then looked down at the ground, not completely comfortable talking about Jodie like this.

Mike sighed. “I get it. You’re not a shrink. But you do know what it’s like to lose a partner in the wrong way. Listen, I’d like you to work closer with us. Would it be okay if I mention to Smiley and Masters I’d like you assigned to us?”

Sam worked to contain his enthusiasm. What Mike was suggesting was exactly what he wanted. He’d be closer. He could actively hunt for Dennis Collins.

“If Smiley signs off on it, I’m good with it.”

Mike nodded and extended his hand. “I’ll see what I can do.”

He and Sam shook.

Of course, Sam realized, if they sent Jodie to the mountains and he stayed here and worked, he would still be far away from her.

It’d be worth it if they ended the threat. The sooner the better.

CHAPTER33

SAM PUSHED HIS FRONT DOOR OPENaround 1:30a.m. The last time he’d felt this tired was after some tough Army training.

A nice hot shower relaxed him and made him more tired. After a quick wash and dry, he fell into bed, only to have the alarm wake him at 5a.m. He’d survive. The short sleep refreshed him. He filled a thermos with coffee, ate a protein bar, and headed back to Long Beach. Everyone agreed to his temporary assignment to Long Beach. He would help tear apart Dennis Collins’s life and times, looking for any clues about where he might be hiding, where he had his resources squirreled away, and most importantly, who he might be working with.

Today they were serving warrants at his place of employment.Though Collins mostly worked from home for the tech support company, his background investigation said he did have to show up in person once a month.

Enjoying a light traffic morning, Sam made it to Long Beach in ninety minutes. He’d left early enough to stop off at Estella’s house to check up on Jodie.

The incident command RV was still parked in front of Collins’s house. The street itself was dotted with black-and-white patrol cars. Sam saw uniforms going house to house. He guessed the uniformed officers would be spending a lot of time today interviewing any neighbors they missed the night before. Someone had to have seen Collins coming and going even after he left the neighborhood in the Uber.

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