Page 26

Hannah was still feeling the heat.

Even hours after the incident on Skid Row, she could still feel Kat’s residual anger at her for just jumping out of the car and into danger.

They were in the detective’s car again now, slowly driving behind Rex Stiller, who had just hopped in a rideshare outside his office and was being driven along South Hill Street. As Kat weaved in and out of traffic, Hannah sat in the passenger seat, hoping the woman’s frustration would eventually subside.

"I already apologized," Hannah said, even though Kat hadn't spoken in ten minutes, which may be why she felt it was necessary. "I shouldn't have just leapt out like that. It was wrong and dangerous. Can you please let it go now?"

“I have let it go,” Kat insisted.

“Well, it sure doesn’t feel like it,” Hannah said. “You’ve been giving me the silent treatment since 3 P.M.”

“Maybe your guilty conscience has been so loud that you couldn’t hear me talking,” Kat replied drily.

Hannah turned to face her.

“Okay, first of all, you haven’t said a thing, so that line is B.S.,” she said, feeling frustration rise in her gut. “Secondly, ‘guilty conscience’ isn’t really a thing with me, remember? I went to a psychiatric rehabilitation center for months because we determined that I didn’t have much conscience at all. I had to manufacture one to make sure that I didn’t go out and murder the a-holes who pissed me off.”

“Language, young lady,” Kat interjected sarcastically.

“And lastly,” Hannah continued, ignoring her, “if I hadn’t chased after Stiller, we never would have learned that he was visiting ‘Randy,’ who we now know is his addicted, homeless son, Randall. The guy wasn’t looking to score drugs or women. He was bringing his struggling son lunch. Isn’t that information useful as we evaluate whether he’s cheating on his wife?”

“Sure it is,” Kat acknowledged. “Every piece of intel we can get is part of the picture. But just because the guy is a concerned father doesn’t mean he’s staying true to his marital vows. We contain multitudes, Ms. Dorsey.”

"Yeah, well, please remember that the next time you try to shame me for being Super Detective."

Even as she said it, Hannah could feel a smile fighting its way to the edge of her mouth. She was having trouble staying angry. Apparently Kat was too, because she snickered softly, despite her best efforts.

“Truce?” Hannah asked.

“Truce,” Kat agreed.

It turned out that the timing of their reconciliation was perfect. Just as they exchanged a pinkie finger shake, Hannah noticed Rex Stiller’s rideshare pull over to the side of the road. He got out and started walking along the sidewalk, which was littered with a variety of street vendor stands, from food to souvenirs to fake designer purses.

“So what do we do now?” Hannah asked. “If we keep trailing him at five miles an hour, he’s going to notice us at some point.”

She knew what she wanted to do. This wasn't Skid Row, after all. It was a busy street market. She could trail him here without the likelihood of being accosted, or probably even noticed. But she was afraid to suggest it. Then Stiller unexpectedly turned off the sidewalk onto a walking path between two buildings.

“We’re going to lose him,” she muttered.

“Fine,” Kat grumbled. “You can follow him. But call me as soon as you get out of the car and keep me on the line.”

“Okay,” Hannah said.

“And stay well behind of him,” Kat insisted.

“Okay.”

“And if the crowd thins out, pull back,” she added. “Got it?”

“Got it,” Hannah said. “Can I go now, or do you have additional instructions to share while he gets away?”

“Go,” Kat ordered.

“Thanks, boss,” Hannah said, leaning over and giving the frowning detective a friendly peck on the cheek, “you’re the best.”

She got out and called Kat as she darted among the pedestrians who were perusing the street vendors’ wares. The call connected as she rounded the corner onto the walking path. She put in her earphones as she scanned the area for Stiller.

“Do you have him in your sights?” Kat asked.

Hannah wasn't sure she did. Then she got a glimpse of the man about thirty yards up ahead. A moment later, he disappeared, turning left down another path.

“Hannah?” Kat said apprehensively.

“I’ve got him now,” she answered. “He turned up another path to the left if you want to head in that direction. I’m trying to catch up without running, which would look a tad suspicious.”

She reached the walking path intersection and found that this new one was much darker and narrower than the one she was currently on, which got a fair bit of sunlight. The buildings on either side of it were taller, blocking out much of the natural light and casting the pavement in shadows.

There were no vendors in this alley, just people milling about outside the back doors of businesses on the ground floor of the buildings. Most of them were chatting amiably while either smoking, drinking, or both. Rex Stiller was about halfway down the alley now and his pace had slowed considerably, as if he was no longer confident about his route.

“What’s going on now?” Kat demanded.

“I have to whisper,” Hannah said. “This alley is quieter and less crowded. Stiller is up ahead of me. It seems like he’s looking for a specific place. He keeps checking signs and addresses next to doors. I don’t think he’s been here before.”

“What kind of businesses are back there?” Kat asked.

"Hard to tell," Hannah said, peering at the doors as she passed them. "There are no windows back here, and most of the signs just have last names. There are address numbers next to a few, but that's it. I think one's a pot shop based on the design on the door, but that's just a guess. I will say this—almost all of them have cameras above these back doors, so whatever's going on inside them, security is a priority. Hold on, he's stopping."

Hannah stopped too and leaned against a brick wall, glancing down at her phone as if reading a new text so that if Stiller looked back in her direction, he wouldn’t take notice of her. When she peeked up, she saw him talking over what looked like some kind of intercom. Then she heard a buzz. He opened a door and stepped out of sight.

She headed that way, ignoring the catcalls of two guys smoking weed in front of a dilapidated wooden door along the route. A woman with short, purple hair, wearing a black miniskirt and matching thigh high boots was sitting on a metal stool next to another door, vaping as she played absent-mindedly with her nose ring.

"I'm at the door that he entered," Hannah said. "It's reinforced-metal. There's a high-tech camera above the door, and another one across the alley pointed at the door. They're serious about their business. The address number is 224 ⒈／⒉, but I have no idea what street this is. There's no signage. I'm going to buzz the com and see if they let me in."

“Don’t do that yet,” Kat hissed over the phone, “let me see if I can ID the place based on the address number.”

“I don’t think I have time for that,” Kat muttered quietly. “I’m starting to think the purple-haired chick vaping one door down might be a lookout for this place. If I just stand here, it’s going to look really suspicious. I have to either buzz or leave.”

“Then leave,” Kat ordered. “You can always come back after I figure out what’s going on in there.”

“Come on, Kat,” Hannah whispered. “You know a standard Google search isn’t going to reveal anything about this place, and we don’t have time for a deeper dive. Besides, they’re going to be on high alert if I leave and come back. They might even think I’m a cop. I don’t really have a choice at this point.”

"Of course, you have a choice," Kat insisted.

“I’m going in,” Hannah said, ignoring her as she pushed the buzzer.

There was a long pause before an unfriendly male voice with a hard-to-identify accent spoke. “Yeah?”

“I’m interested in making a purchase,” she said, hoping she was being vague enough to keep the conversation going.

“Do you have an appointment?” the man asked gruffly.

At least now she knew that this was the kind of place that had appointments. But for what?

“No,” she admitted. “I’m a walk-in.”

There was no response. She wondered if the guy was just going to ignore her. But after a solid ten seconds, he spoke again.

“Step back from the door,” he instructed. “Put your hands in the air. Let Asia know if you have any weapons.”

The vaping woman stood up and walked over. As Hannah took out her earphones and slid them into her pocket, she took note of the woman’s tattoos, which covered both thighs and the exposed part of her neck.

"Hi, Asia," she said with a tight smile.

Asia didn’t return it as she swiftly but thoroughly patted her down. When she was done, she looked up at the camera above the door and silently nodded. It buzzed. Hannah grabbed the handle and yanked the heavy door open.

She stepped inside as the door slammed behind her and found that she was in complete darkness.