Page 67 of Line of Sight (Second Sight #4)

“I’M SORRY I had to cancel your firearms lesson,” Gary called out from the kitchen.

Dan put down the book he was reading. “It’s okay. I wasn’t really happy about it, to be honest.” Dan’s father had a gun collection, and just seeing it made Dan’s stomach clench.

Gary leaned against the door frame. “Guns make you nervous?”

“No, the thought of me accidentally shooting myself in the foot makes me nervous.”

Gary smiled. “That’s why I wanted to teach you to shoot, so your feet remain safe.” He inclined his head toward the kitchen. “Coffee’s on.”

When his phone rang, Dan scowled. “We’re only taking a couple of hours off, for God’s sake. Surely they can do without you for that long?”

Gary glanced at his phone. “It’s Riley.” He tapped the screen. “What have you got for us? And you’re on speaker.”

“I checked the land registry. King inherited his parents’ home but sold it last year. The only property we show him owning is the apartment at Cronin’s Landing.”

Dan hated seeing Gary so despondent.

“We’re coming back in.” Gary looked around. “Dan, have you seen my keys?”

“No, you’re not.” Riley’s voice rose. “You need some sleep. You’re both exhausted. I’ll see you first thing tomorrow. You got that? Or do you want me to get Travers to call you and confirm that order?”

Gary chuckled. “You can try.” He expelled a long breath. “Fine, we’ll see you in the morning.”

“I’ll have the coffee on.” Riley hung up.

“He’s right, you know. We both need some sleep.” He’d been aware of Gary tossing and turning the previous night.

Gary snorted. “Somehow I don’t think sleep is an option.” He went back into the kitchen.

“And coffee won’t help you sleep either,” Dan reminded him.

“How about warm milk? Will that fit the bill?” A current of amusement ran through Gary’s voice.

“Perfect.”

“Houston, we have a problem.” Gary reappeared in the doorway. “We’ve run out of milk.”

Dan bit his lip. “Did you write it on the board?”

“No, but neither did you.” He let out a triumphant shout and lurched toward the dining table. He picked up his keys and waved them in the air. “I knew they weren’t far away. I’ll go to the store. Anything else we need?”

Dan grinned. “I don’t know. What’s on the board?”

Gary narrowed his gaze. “Smartass. I won’t be long. I might get some chips too. And maybe some cookies.”

“Wait!”

He frowned. “Is there something else I need to pick up?”

“Maybe I’ve been reading too many of these thrillers, but….” Dan took a breath. “You’re about to go out there where we know there’s a killer on the loose.”

Gary blinked. “You want me to stay home?”

“No, I’m just saying it would be beyond embarrassing if we got suckered into what has to be the oldest trope in the murder genre. How many times have you watched a thriller and yelled at the screen, ‘Don’t go in there!” Or ‘Stay in the house!’”

Gary’s lips twitched. “Crap like that only happens in really bad slasher movies, and I don’t think for one minute that our killer would be that obvious—or cheesy. And besides….” He stared at Dan. “I’m coming right back. Okay?”

“Just keep your wits about you, that’s all I’m saying. Keep that detective brain switched on.”

Garry huffed. “My detective fell asleep about half an hour ago. It needs its rest.”

“Well, don’t be so asleep that you forget the cookies.”

The door slammed, and Dan picked up his book once more.

American Psycho was not the easiest thing to read.

For one thing, the main character, Patrick Bateman, was obsessed with labels. He commented on every single thing that someone was wearing. And there were chapters where he spoke about a particular rock group, delving into their history, analyzing the music, the lyrics….

Dan grabbed his phone and called Riley. “Am I disturbing you?”

“I’m eating a sandwich from the cafeteria. I don’t think I wanna know what’s supposed to be in it. What’s up?”

Dan told him what he was reading. “You were right, this book is creepy.”

“The thing is, after the movie came out? A lot of people got the idea that all the murders were in Bateman’s head. You know, the ‘it was all a dream’ ending?”

Dan scowled. “I hate those. I always feel cheated.”

“I think at the end, Bateman was living in a kinda fantasy world, but I also think the murders were real.”

Dan chuckled. “Hey, don’t spoil it for me. Anything we need to know about?”

“It’s weird that you called because I was about to call you—well, as soon as I took the last bite of this dubious sandwich, and I might not even do that. I know what I said, but Travers wants you both back here, and Gary’s not answering his phone.”

“He’s at the store. As soon as he gets back, we’ll be on our way.” Dan hung up, then glanced at the clock on the fireplace.

Five thirty? What the hell?

He’d been so engrossed in the book, he’d almost lost all track of time.

Then it struck him.

Gary should’ve been back a half hour ago.

Dan called him, but there was no answer. There was always the possibility that he had it on mute, but that wasn’t likely, not in the middle of a case.

He tried again. And again. And again.

He sent a text. And another. And another.

By the time the clock showed six, he was starting to panic.

He called Riley. “Have you still not heard from Gary?”

“No.”

“Okay, I’m starting to worry here. He isn’t answering his phone.”

“Want me to track it?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to say yes ! He forced himself to keep calm. “Not yet, but I’ll bear it in mind.”

Maybe after a little trip to the store.

DAN CALLED Riley. “Okay, I’m switching to full-on panic mode. I’m at the store, and there’s no sign of Gary’s car.” He hesitated. “Can you come here? See if they can find him on the in-store cameras?” He scowled. “They won’t do it for me, even with my police department ID.”

“Send me the link to the store. I’m on my way.”

Dan drew in deep breaths, his heart racing.

Where are you, Gary?

He sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel, doing his best to shove that one thought from his head.

The one he didn’t even want to contemplate.

Riley’s soft knock on the window scared the crap out of him. Dan got out of the car, and they walked briskly toward the main entrance. Five minutes later, Riley was seated in the store office, staring at a monitor.

He stabbed at the screen with his finger. “There. There he is.” Gary was at the cash desk, paying for his purchases. The time stamp showed 04:45PM. Riley turned to the manager. “Any cameras outside?”

“No, none. Kids keep smashing them.”

Dan frowned. “I’ve been over the whole parking lot. Is there any other place he could have parked?”

“There’s employee parking at the rear of the store.”

“Would you check it, please?” He rattled off Gary’s license plate, then sagged into a chair when the manager left the office.

Riley patted his hand. “You wait. He’s gonna turn up.”

Dan wished he had Riley’s confidence, but right then his gift was saying something else entirely.

The manager returned. “The car’s there.”

Dan was out of that chair in a heartbeat. “Show us.”

The car sat in a corner of the lot, and the sight of it stirred the same sense of foreboding Dan had been experiencing all evening.

He addressed Riley. “Can you have it dusted for prints?”

Riley stilled. “You don’t think Gary drove it there, do you?”

“There’s one way to find out.” He walked toward the car, his heart pounding.

I’m getting a very bad feeling about this.

“I don’t suppose you have a spare key?” Riley asked.

Dan held it up. “Right here.” He opened the driver’s door and got in. He went to grip the wheel, but stopped. “There might be prints, but I need to touch it.”

Riley set his jaw. “Do it.”

His breathing shallow, Dan placed his hands on the wheel. “I… I can sense Gary.” He wanted to weep with relief.

“See? I told you.”

Dan concentrated, focusing on whatever energy still clung to the wheel.

Then he felt it, a coldness that seemed to seep into his bones. He shivered. “I can also sense someone else.” He froze, his pulse rapid. “It’s him. The same guy who touched Amy’s shoe. He’s got Gary.”

He was dimly aware of Riley getting on his phone. “Sir? There’s been a development.” He held the phone out, and Travers’s voice filled the car.

“I’m putting out an APB. Come to the precinct, both of you.”

Panic seized Dan, constricting his chest and tightening his throat.

“Dan, if the killer has him, he’s going to want to let you know, isn’t he?” Travers spoke calmly. “That’s your theory—that he’s playing games with us?”

Dan’s phone pinged, and when he saw the screen, relief swamped him. “Sir, I just got a text from Gary.”

“Read it.”

Dan read the WhatsApp message: “Sorry. I met a friend at the store. He was in a bad way, and I couldn’t leave him. Went back to his place for a while, and time got away from me. I’m going to stay a bit longer. Don’t wait up.”

“So how did he get there?” Riley demanded. “And why would he leave his car here? It makes no sense.”

Dan stared at him. “What makes you so sure Gary even sent this? You know, like Greg supposedly messaged us? The message he typed when he was already dead?”

Without waiting for a response, Dan tapped: How did you get to his place?

The reply came swiftly. He works at the store. We came here in his car. Mine’s still there.

Riley whooshed out a breath. “See? Tell him I’m going to kick his ass.”

“That’s what I like about you, Riley—you’re an eternal optimist.” Dan narrowed his gaze. “But I’m not.” He texted once more. By the way, your mom called. She says she’s got something special planned for our monthly Saturday lunch next week.

Once again, the reply was fast. Great. See you soon.

“What’s going on?” Travers demanded.

Dan shuddered. “Gary didn’t send these messages.”

“How do you know?”

“Because his parents’ monthly lunch is on a Sunday, not a Saturday. Always has been.”

“Get back here,” Travers barked. “I’ll send a CSI team to dust Gary’s car.” There was a pause, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer. “Dan… Gary’s okay.”

Dan swallowed. “With all due respect, you don’t know that, sir. But I know how I can find out. I’ll call you back.” He hung up, then texted one more time.

Hello, Anthony. I know it’s you.

A moment later his phone rang, but it was an unknown number. Dan hit Answer.

“Well, aren’t you the smart one? I thought I’d have more time to get the game ready.” His cool voice was enough to send ice hurtling through Dan’s veins, aiming for his heart.

Dan pushed down hard, quashing the rising tide of fear. “Sorry to spoil your fun.”

“It means you’ll have to wait a little longer until I’m ready to make the next move, that’s all.”

“Is Gary alive?”

“Alive? Yes. Conscious? Barely. Don’t worry, he won’t remember a thing about it, not that I’m going to let him shuffle off this mortal coil just yet.

I want to see you say your goodbyes before I do that.

” Anthony’s voice hardened. “But if you don’t do exactly what I say, I’ll change my mind about that.

Do you understand? And don’t bother trying to trace the call. I won’t be on long enough for that.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Anthony laughed. “Like I said, this is a game. Gary’s part of it—and so are you. As to why I’m doing this? Because I can.” And with that he hung up.

Dan rested his head on the steering wheel, in the grip of three emotions—stark terror, helplessness, and guilt.

I did this. If he’d never met me, if we weren’t together, none of this would be happening.

Except he didn’t know that, not for certain, and the thought that he might never have met the man who completed him filled him with stomach-churning, cold-sweat-inducing horror.

Then he remembered Travers was waiting. He called the lieutenant back and told him everything.

“He’s going to make me sweat it out.”

“As soon as you hear anything, you call me, okay? I don’t care what time it is. Riley? Stay with him, okay? Don’t leave him alone for a second.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dan couldn’t keep up the effort a moment longer. He ended the call. “I want to go home.”

He was bone-tired, but sleep was the last thing on his mind.

I want him back. Alive.

Anthony King could go fuck himself.

Touch him, and I’ll be the one to end you.

It wasn’t an idle threat.

It was a vow.