He was the obvious choice, of course, our secret weapon: seven feet of laser-eyed, ducktailed crimefighter in a bulletproof package. There was some debate about whether he’d be sufficiently light-footed, but those of us who’d seen him on the dance floor and the basketball court had no worries in this regard. And he was wearing his high-tops. But the boss, whoever he was, wanted to wait until dark, so we sat. Somebody in a Spartan Security windbreaker brought us a bag of drive-through burgers, …
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
“What if they ditched the van somewhere and moved her to a car that wasn’t stolen?” We had crossed the Memorial Bridge at beagle pace, and were passing the Arlington National Cemetery. “I don’t think they did that, Hank,” Elvis said. “They kidnapped Jillian in broad daylight. They would be afraid that someone would see her or hear her if they moved her to another car, I think.” “Man, look at all these high rises!” Robbie said. “How’re we ever going to find her if she’s in one of …
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
As Elvis emerged from the invisible ship, he was already talking. “Larry wants to know if his YouTube video has been shown yet,” he said. “We were in a hurry at the studio, and all the time we’ve been gone, he’s been thinking of things he should have said.” “Not yet,” I said. “But the priority now is to find Jillian before anything happens to her.” Waiting in the Spartan Security van were Joe and Paul, the Samoan brothers, and Robbie. I’d managed to take Ginger aside and speak to her …
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
I bent over, hands on my knees, eyes squeezed shut, doubled over as much by a sense of overwhelming loss as by exhaustion. I let my knees buckle and knelt on the soft loam. I could hear the twittering of birds, an animal cry from the zoo, and a faint drone that might have been human. When I finally hauled my leaden body upright, my wig slipped. In frustration I yanked it off and sent it sailing over the bluff. Immediately, I regretted the desecration, but then reassured myself that it would …
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
The Washington Post headline read, “SPACEMAN SAVES CHILD FROM LION.” The accompanying photo showed the lioness nuzzling Larry’s hand while the unfortunate Jakey sobbed into his other shoulder. It had been shot with a telephoto lens, so Larry’s calm facial expression was as clearly visible as his sodden hair and clothing. The byline was “C. R. Manning.” I hadn’t spotted her in the crowd, but then, I hadn’t been looking for her. The only person I’d been looking for had been Larry. Until the …