Page 75 of Stalked

The Watcher was using this man as a patsy.

“All right, look, let’s just talk this out. Okay?”

The man nodded that he understood. Steve wrote on the napkin.Can he see you?

The man shook his head no. Steve gestured for him to put down the gun. After a few moments he did so.

“You know I’m police, right?”

“I am the Watcher.”

Evidently that was all the man was allowed to say. Steve grabbed another napkin.Where is the man who did this?

At my house. Will kill my wife and kids.

“Look, just put the gun down. It’s me you want. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt by accident.”Address?

The man wrote it. Then,I have to kill you or he will kill them.

Jon’s voice sounded in his ear. “I’ve got the address, Steve, and we have agents en route to the guy’s house. They’ll go in silently.”

Steve picked up the gun and handed it to Lillian.

“You have to put the gun down. If you were going to shoot me, you would’ve done it by—”

Lillian shot the gun over his head into the wall.

“Oh my God, that guy just shot that guy. He’s got a gun!” she screamed at the top of her voice.

“Hey, he’s running away—” Derek yelled out, helping along the charade.

Steve reached out and grabbed the transmitter from the guy’s collar. He dropped it to the ground and stomped on it.

“Any others?” he mouthed.

The man shook his head, confusion plain in his eyes.

“We’ve got law enforcement en route to your house,” Steve told the man. “What’s your name?”

“Donny Showalter. He told me I had to come in here and shoot you. He told me all I could say was that we hadn’t met and that I was the Watcher.” The guy put his face in his hands. “I have to get to my house.”

“How far do you live from here?”

“Only a few blocks.”

“Steve, our agents are there,” Jon told him. “We have eyes inside. The family is tied up but no one is hurt.”

He relayed the information to the man, who promptly deflated on the table in relief.

“Is anybody there with them?” Steve waited for the information to be relayed back to him.

A few minutes later Jon was back in his ear. “Steve, the wife says the guy who tied them up left right after Donny did.”

He’d been around here. Maybe in the coffeehouse or directly outside. Seeing what happened. Probably hoping they would kill Donny and cause even more chaos.

“Is my family really okay? I need to see them.”

“I’ll have them call you in just a minute, okay?”

---