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“I’ve alerted police in Calgary, and they’ve paid a visit to the Carl Merkel’s home using a pretext excuse. According to his wife, he’s on his way to Winnipeg for a convention. With what we’ve discovered, I think Robert Merkel’s residence requires a closer look.” Bridgewater was just over an hour from Halifax. It was unlikely, but not out of the question that the UNSUB had used the Merkel address as his base of operations here. “The closest Emergency Response Team would come out of Halifax, so I’ve spoken to Captain Sedgewick about arranging that for us.” Ethan looked at his team soberly. “We’ll roll out with the tactical team in a couple of hours. Whether or not we find the offender in residence, if he’s been occupying the place, there will be evidence ofthat.”
“Friedrich is going to be so pissed he missed out on an ERT raid.” An unfamiliar smile flashed across Jonah’s normally sober expression. “Are Gagnon and Campbellupdated?”
Ethan nodded. He’d spent most of the last hour on the phone updating the brass as their research progressed. “They’re on board with our plan.” But they’d have plenty of questions if the team came up empty-handed after the raid. The offender’s communications with Alexa had given them much-needed insight into the UNSUB. The longer he went without contacting her again, the more Ethan’s foreboding grew. It’d be damn difficult for the man to get out of the province right now. So, either he was plotting his next homicide, or he was planning another attempt to get close toAlexa.
Either way, Ethan had a feeling their time was runningout.
* * *
Five hours later,Alexa was seated inside the ERT command vehicle. One of the team members sat in front of a screen, which showed a one-story older home, white with green trim. There was an attached single garage and what looked like a small shed in the backyard. The house was located a mile or so outside of town. The vehicle was parked well down theroad.
“How are we able to see this?” she asked. They couldn’t see the house from the commandpost.
“Cameras with wireless playback capabilities are affixed to the tactical team members’ helmets,” the officer explained. “The video is fed to this computer. The screen will split for the different feeds coming in We can even loop in other law enforcement from remote locations if we needto.”
Alexa fell into silence once more. Ethan and his officers had huddled with the ERT commander for what had seemed like an eternity. Sitting here waiting allowed her too much time to think about what could go wrong. If the offender were inside, he could be armed. Not that he’d be any match for a tactical team, but he could get shots off before being eliminated as a threat. Someone could still gethurt.
That someone could beEthan.
A sick tangle of nausea tightened in her stomach. He’d be at the tail end of the unit. Logic dictated that his risk would be minimal. It was a mistake to underestimate an UNSUB, but equally important not to endow him with superhuman qualities. He’d be outgunned by the tactical unit’sfirepower.
But illogical or not, worry chased across her mind like frantic little ants. It’d be easy to dismiss it as the same concern she’d have for any of the men assembledoutside.
Easy, but nothonest.
Alexa had taken the optimistic stance that proximity to Ethan would lay to rest the ghosts from their pasts. She’d convinced herself she’d made the right decision to leave all those years ago. To allow him the life he’d always planned before duty and obligation had dictated another path. But working closely with him was chipping away at her long-held conviction and wreaking havoc on the emotional peace she’d finally achieved. And after their kiss, she’d started to fear that she wasn’t going to escape their second parting unscathedeither.
In the next moment, the scene on screen exploded into action. The ERT unit members, swarmed across the street, into the yard, surrounding the house. The first member on the steps used a breaching device to knock the door off its hinges. Then the entry team members racedinside.
Alexa held her breath. It was eerie to see the interior of the strange home. The front room was empty. As was the kitchen. Shouts of “Clear!” were heard as other members covered the house. But to Alexa, it had a feeling of vacancy. As if waiting for its owner toreturn.
“The house and basement are empty,” the officer at the screen said several minutes later. “There’s a shed out back that still requireschecking.”
The unit members inside the home were searching the rooms. She knew they’d be looking for anything that suggested recent occupancy. Evidence that the offender had beeninside.
As she watched the screen intently, she was able to pick out Ethan even before he lifted the shield on his helmet. Something in his stance gave him away. It was his aura of command, she supposed. The slight swagger of youth had solidified into a projection of authority, which had been honed byexperience.
“Shed outside isclear.”
The camera was back in the front room of the house. She saw now that there was a walker parked next to arecliner.
Alexa settled more comfortable on her stool while the team members conducted their examination of the premises. Their movements were methodical, but no longer urgent. Ethan turned when another team member called to him. Followed the other man. Alexa’s mind drifted to the offender. What did his sudden silence signify? Had he selected Robert Merkel at random, or was there a connectionthere?
The UNSUB had the technical skills to wander in and out of people’s online lives, she mused as she watched team members tipping over furniture and going through drawers, cupboards and shelves. That could have been how the offender settled on Merkel in Bridgewater for his falseID.
But there could also be a more personal link. And it was that possibility that had Alexa hoping to speak to the real Robert Merkel inperson.
* * *
Alexa stoodin a cluster with Nyle, Jonah and Ian outside the vehicle as the ERT team members filed out of the residence. The front door hung out of kilter, useless. It would have to be boarded up, along with any other entry points that had beenused.
Ethan stood a distance away, consulting with the ERT commander and an RCMP officer from the local detachment. If he was disappointed by the results of the raid, it didn’t show on his impassiveexpression.
“Too much to ask for that the UNSUB would be sitting in there on his computer, screwing up someone else’s life while the team burst in on him,” Ian said glumly, smoothing a hand down his garish tie. “Didn’t expect it, but it’d sure be nice to catch a break in thiscase.”
“We still have all the exits from the country blocked.” Alexa rubbed the small of her back. The stool she’d been perched on for the last couple of hours hadn’t been the epitome of comfort. “The ferry and Coast Guard have been alerted and have his pictures. As have the airlines, trains, cruiseships…”
“…but if he gets as far as the toll road to New Brunswick, picking up his image on the camera after the fact won’t do us much good,” Ian countered. “We have to count on the vehicle being recognized and pulled over before he gets thatfar.”