Page 4 of No Time Off (Lexi Carmichael Mystery #15)

FOUR

Mick Watson

M ick was on edge. Something was about to happen. He was certain he’d read the signs correctly. The sun was still thirty minutes from officially rising, but the streetlights in the couple’s Silver Spring residential neighborhood, and the pending dawn, cast enough light to observe the front of the white colonial. Inside, lights and activity behind drawn shades had been detectable for the last hour. This was decidedly unusual for this very early time of the morning. The weeks of staking out the couple had helped him to capture the rhythm of their daily activities, and this was definitely out of routine, confirming his suspicions from all the activity of the previous night.

Cars and people, most of them friends he recognized from prior encounters, had come and gone all evening, as if they were having a party, though strangely not all at the same time. His best guess was they were planning something. Perhaps they were expecting an important visitor, although he doubted it. He tended to agree with his competitors, who had been speculating for weeks the couple were intending to depart for a honeymoon soon. There was even a betting pool on where they would go. Most secretly hoped it would be an expensive, idyllic location where they would be assigned to follow the couple and capture revealing photos.

An all-expenses-paid vacation for most.

Whatever was going on, Mick knew he had to be alert. His quarry had already demonstrated their ability to elude tails, and he was determined not to be fooled again. The level of activity suggested that something important was going to happen, and their apparent lack of concern at hiding those preparations strongly suggested they expected to be followed if they left the house. Which, of course, they would be.

Two new cars stopped down the street near the position of several of his competitors. Men got out and shook hands with current monitoring crews. Obviously, others had noted the increased activity and elected to bring on additional resources in case the targets decided to run. They had clearly learned their lesson about overreliance on tracking devices. However, at this rate, it was going to look like a funeral procession when they left, and Mick didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of a traffic jam.

If he assumed they knew that they’d be followed, he had to suspect they might be planning to elude everyone. He checked his notes. They could use a helicopter, but the nearest landing spot was at least a mile away. He didn’t think they would try that. It would likely offer only a temporary reprieve. Even with three major airports within an hour, and several general aviation airports nearby where they could depart in a private plane, once he knew the direction taken, he was confident he could quickly track them. If they headed toward a major airport, it wouldn’t be hard to pick up the trail. Alternatively, if they went to a private airport, he would use an internet site like Flight Radar to track the few filed flight departures from that field. Anonymous travel was difficult these days, and if you had dedicated trackers, they could easily narrow down your point of departure.

What concerned him most was government transportation. They certainly had the connections and the resources to use that, and it would definitely complicate his situation. However, it would only add to the mystery of this power couple. Based on what he had seen of them from afar, his gut told him they didn’t want that kind of additional attention. So, what was their game going to be?

The front door suddenly opened, and a man peeked out briefly. Along the street, there was a flurry of activity as everyone prepared to move. Just then a set of headlights slowly moved down the street as if searching for an address. It was a limousine. The limo pulled into the driveway, and two men in attendant uniforms hopped out, approached the house, and went in. Mick angled to the side to get a picture of the license plate just in case.

Just then another car arrived and parked besides the limousine, followed by a second limo that parked on the street.

Mick’s heart began to beat hard. He suddenly had a hunch what the plan was, and he didn’t like it one bit.

Not one single bit.