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He felt a flash of amusement. She’d neatly managed to rouse the detective’s competitive edge and he wasn’t surprised when Gibbons assured her, “Of course, you did the right thing. I’ll let you know what I discover.”
She rose, and Hayes followed her lead. “Thank you, Detective.”
Gibbons saluted them with the go-cup. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll be in touch.”
As they turned to leave, the nearby detective gibed sotto-voce, “Surprised you didn’t ask for his autograph.”
“Maybe you should quit stuffing your face, Walinski,” Gibbons shot back. “You’ve got powdered sugar all over your tie. My three-year-old makes less of a mess eating spaghetti.”
Neither of them spoke until they’d left the building and started down the steps. Finally, Reese said, “You managed to sidetrack him nicely.”
“Sorry about that.” He squinted in the bright sunlight. His shades were in the SUV. “Gibbons needed a reason for my presence in the city. He’s not the first cop I’ve met who gets immediately curious about one of the members of our agencyshowing up in their locale. And I didn’t want to divulge what really brought me here. The manhunt for Thorne falls to the San Bernadino Sheriff’s Office and whatever agencies they invite in. Only Raiker’s pull could’ve convinced Mendes to provide us updates about it. With some reciprocity, of course. But task forces leak like a sieve. Any information that seeps out won’t come from me.”
When they reached the car, Hayes performed the security check before they got in. Reese pulled up a navigation app on her cell and then placed it on the console between them. “Greenley’s firm is fairly close. Hopefully we can speak to him before he gets too busy.”
Without an appointment, Hayes doubted it, but he didn’t give voice to the thought. She wasn’t the only one who could use a distraction. Personal security wasn’t a service Raiker Forensics usually offered. But under the circumstances, he’d agreed with Adam about the need.
And yeah, he’d wanted to be the one who provided it.
He turned out of the lot, casting a sideways glance at Reese, who was fiddling with her purse in an uncustomary show of nerves. He couldn’t recall that rainy night in Mississippi without a boatload of regrets, and he knew her well enough to be certain how much she’d hate that. He and the MBI agents with whom he’d been working had made good time in the downpour, arriving in the area by chopper. The local sheriff deputies who’d met them provided a ride and equipment. They’d been in time to save Reese, but not before Thorne had begun her torture.
Not before he’d killed his other two captives.
Hayes knew Reese carried the weight of those victims with her, as well. How could she not? And with Thorne posing a possible fresh threat, it would have been best for them to get her out of the area. The killer’s intentions could be neutralized if he couldn’t find her.
But Adam had predicted that she wouldn’t budge from the city. Hayes wondered if she’d reconsider that decision now that the TK had torched another body in the vicinity.
He kept careful watch on the mirrors, looking for signs of a tail. But if someone had replaced Pollack on the task, they were far more competent. Hayes didn’t note anything unusual.
As Reese had mentioned, the address was very close, but because of the hour, traffic was clogged. When he turned on the street where the financial firm was located, he saw the parking ramp down the block. After a second’s hesitation, he drove by it. Bad enough that their destination would be a reminder of her aunt’s accident. He didn’t want her to have to retrace the exact path Backworth had taken that fateful day.
But Reese gestured at the structure as he passed it. “That’s the closest public lot to Greenley’s building.”
“I figure it holds bad memories for you. Like this whole area.”
She swallowed hard. “I’ve been here since to fetch Julia’s vehicle.”
Given her expression, the chore had been distressing. “The firm might have onsite parking.”
“Which we can only use if we have an appointment, which we don’t. It’s all right. Just circle the block and see if there’s space in the ramp.” Her shoulders squared as if she were steeling her spine. “This shouldn’t take long.”
The woman didn’t lack nerve. But he hated the thought of layering yet another wound over a still-fresh loss. Because he knew how she’d react if he voiced his concern, he did as instructed. They made their way back to the ramp, took the ticket, and cruised several floors looking for an available space. After taking the stairs to the street level, Hayes steered her to the sidewalk. Pedestrians jostled them as they streamed by. “Keep an eye on your purse.”
“And you on your wallet.”
They stopped for the light at the corner, and he shifted to look behind them. Then he scanned the opposite side of the street. He didn’t recognize any faces, but then, Pollack had been a stranger the first time he’d observed him. Hayes just wanted to be able to clock anyone who reappeared where they shouldn’t.
The light changed, and the crowd on the sidewalk surged forward. He and Reese turned at the corner. Three-quarters of the way across the street, he heard an ear-splitting screech of tires. Instinct had him grabbing Reese around the waist and pulling her along with him as he raced for the opposite sidewalk.
Horns blared. “Stop looking at your phone, dumbass!” someone yelled.
Hayes threw a quick look at the scene and saw the distracted driver’s vehicle stopped midway on the pedestrian crossing. But his attention quickly returned to Reese. Hayes could feel her body trembling and cursed silently. There was no way her mind hadn’t immediately flashed to Julia’s accident, and he mentally damned the idiot driver for placing that image there.
He put a hand on the base of her back and kept her close until they stepped up onto the curb, moving her away from the congestion to stop near the first building they came to. “It was just a distracted driver. You okay?” Without his conscious volition, his palm stroked her spine.
She gave a jerky nod and managed a smile that wobbled only a fraction. “I’m fine.”
Hayes seriously doubted that, but respected her enough to take her at her word. “Then let’s get to our destination before we get run over by a tour group.”