Page 64 of Secret Weapon

“It’s a pale-blue ranch-style home on Valley Drive.White picket fence, a single-car garage to the side, and a pink mailbox with flowers painted on it.”

“Dare I ask how you know that?”

“They sell Darla’s dresses in the boutique here, so I figured somebody must know her.And it’s a small town.Everyone’s real friendly.I told the guy at the reception desk that I’d borrowed her jacket yesterday and I needed to return it before I went back to Virginia, but I’d lost the piece of paper with the address.”Hallie grinned.“He was pleased to help out.What happens now?”

“Now, me and Ana get to see if she’s home.”

“Should I wait here?”

“No, in the car.And if we don’t come out within twenty minutes, you call the cavalry.”

A surprise approach was almost impossible.I’d spotted three pinhole cameras watching us at the Craft Cabin, and there were probably more.I had no doubt Darya had electronic eyes all over the place, and she’d want to protect her home.

But we could make things more difficult.

As we approached the property, I switched on a jammer, which would take out wireless comms operating on any frequency but ours.What was lurking behind the floral curtains?The place lay in darkness, silent, no signs of life whatsoever, but Darya’s red Honda was parked in the driveway.A decoy?Did she have access to another vehicle?

The residence sat on a good-sized lot with nice high hedges and no line of sight to the neighbours.Was that why she’d chosen it?For the privacy?If I’d been house-shopping in Baldwin’s Shore, this place would have made the shortlist.Minus the twee decor, of course.A real estate agent would have described it as a “cosy family home.”

“Garage has space for another vehicle,” Ana said in my earpiece.She’d skirted around the south side of the house while I’d checked out the north.

“So she could have taken off.”

“I still think you’re wrong on this.Dasha’s been in Baldwin’s Shore for years.Ottie Marquette’s been here for less than two months.”

“Maybe Nine recognised her.Called an old acquaintance.You said yourself she’s good with faces.”

“Marquette stayed at the Peninsula, and Dasha rarely goes there.”

“Rarely isn’t never.Hallie said she sells her dresses in the boutique.”

“How would she know people were looking for Marquette?”

“Neither of us knows what her network’s like.”What if she’d heard whispers, spotted the target, and seen the opportunity for an easy pay-off?Only for us to come sniffing around with the potential to upset her plans?Perhaps she’d been in the forest that day to finish Ottie off rather than save her?She could have snatched Alex as a distraction.“Call me cautious.Master bedroom’s empty.”

Darya hadn’t rolled down the blinds, and her bed looked as cold as Alex’s.

“Quiet on this side too.What do you want to do?”

“Is she likely to have booby-trapped the place?”

A long pause.“Probably, but the devices will be well-hidden.This was meant to be her long-term home, and she wouldn’t have risked drawing attention to herself.”

Great.“We’ll have to go in.”What other choice did we have?“Maybe we’ll find a clue to her whereabouts?”

“Oh, you think?Dasha isn’t a fool.If she’s turned as you believe, she’ll have sanitised the place.”

“Well, what other leads do we have?”

Ana sighed in my ear.“Fine, we’ll go in.Front, back, or window?”

“Window.”If she’d set a trap, it would be easier to spot on a window.“I’ll cut out the glass.”

And I’d do it quickly because Ottie Marquette’s hospital room was wide open right now.

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