2nd Chance - James Patterson [68]
“It wasn’t for lack of trying.” Cindy grinned. God, she was so nervous.
He took hold of her again, this time giving her a longer kiss. He certainly knew how to kiss. Every cell in her body felt alive. The small hairs on her arms, the warmth in her thighs; she pressed herself against him. She wanted, needed, to be close to him now. His body was slender, but he was definitely strong.
Cindy started to smile. “So what were you waiting for?”
“I don’t know. Maybe some kind of sign.”
She pressed herself into the grooves of his body, felt him come alive. “There’s a sign,” she said, close to his face.
“I guess my secret’s out now. Yes, I do like you, Cindy.”
Suddenly, the phone rang, almost blasting in their ears.
“Oh, God,” she groaned. “Go away, leave us alone.”
“I hope that’s not another sign.” He laughed.
Each ring seemed more annoying than the last. Mercifully, the answering machine finally kicked on.
“Cindy, it’s Lindsay,” the voice shot. “I’ve got something important. Please. Pick. Up.”
“Go ahead,” Aaron said.
“Now that you’re finally up here, don’t use the time I’m on the phone to change your mind.”
She reached behind the couch, fumbled for the receiver, put it to her ear. “I wouldn’t do this for anyone but you,” she said.
“Funny, that’s just what I was about to say. Listen to this.” Lindsay shared her news, and Cindy felt a rush of triumph surge through her. This was what she had wanted. It had been her angle that put Lindsay onto him. Yes!
“Mañana,” she said, “and thanks for the phone call.” She placed the receiver down, squeezed back with Aaron, and looked into his eyes.
“You wanted a sign. I think I’ve got the best one in the world.” A glimmer lit her face.
“They found him, Aaron.”
Chapter 83
WE KEPT WATCH all night at the William Simon. Unofficially. So far, Coombs hadn’t come out again. I knew where he was. Now all I had to do was make the case.
That was the morning Jill came back to work. I headed to her office to bring her up to date. Coming off the elevator on the eighth floor, I ran into Claire, who must’ve had the same idea.
“Great minds and all that,” she said.
“I’ve got big news,” I told her, beaming with anticipation. “C’mon…”
We knocked on her door and found Jill at her desk, looking a little peaked. Stacks of documents and legal files gave the impression she hadn’t missed a single day. At the sight of us, her blue eyes sprang alive, but as she stood, her arms outstretched for a hug, Jilly seemed to be moving at half her usual speed.
“Don’t,” I said. I went over and gave her a hug. “You’ve got to take it easy.”
“I’m fine,” she answered quickly. “Abdomen’s a little stiff, heart’s a little broken. But I’m here. And this is the best thing for me.”
“You sure this is the smartest thing?” Claire asked her. “It is for me,” Jill shot back. “I promise, Doc, I’m fine. So please, don’t start trying to convince me otherwise. You want to help me start to heal, just bring me up to date on what’s going on.”
We looked at her a little skeptically. But then I had to share the news. “I think we found him.”
“Who?” Jill asked.
I beamed. “Chimera.”
Claire gave me a stare. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if in prayer, then opened them with a sigh.
Jill looked impressed. “Jesus, you sonofabitches have been busy while I’ve been away.”
They asked all the right questions, and I laid it all out for them. When I told them the name, Jill muttered, “Coombs… I remember the case from law school….” A spark lit in her sharp eyes. “Frank Coombs. He killed a teenage boy.”
“You’re sure it’s him?” Claire asked. She was still wearing a bandage on her neck.
“I hope so,” I said. Then, without any doubt, “Yes, I’m sure it’s him.”
“You arrest him yet?” Claire asked. “Can I visit him in his cell? Hmm? I’ve got this bull bat I’ve been meaning to try out.”
“Not yet. He’s holed up at some dive in the Tenderloin. We’ve got him under twenty-four-hour watch.”
I turned to Jill. “What do you say, Counselor? I want to bring him in.”
She came over, a little gingerly, and leaned