Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [308]
Stucky had made this a personal war between the two of them. He had made her an accomplice to his murders, making her feel as though she had handpicked each woman for his disposal. If he had somehow managed to coerce Walker Harding into his game of horror, then there were now two of them who needed to be destroyed.
She glanced at the map spread out on the passenger seat. The toll bridge was about fifty miles from Quantico. Tully was still making arrangements. It would take several hours before he had everything ready according to his careful, by-the-book standards. There would be more waiting. They’d be lucky to make it to Harding’s property by nightfall. Tully was expecting her back at Quantico in the next ten to fifteen minutes. Up ahead a sign indicated that her exit was just ten miles away.
She pulled out her cell phone and slowed the car to the speed limit, allowing her to maneuver more easily with one hand on the steering wheel. She punched in the number and waited.
“Dr. Gwen Patterson.”
“Gwen, it’s Maggie.”
“You sound like you’re on the road.”
“Yes, I am. Just coming back from D.C. Can you hear me okay?”
“Little bit of static, but not bad. You were in D.C.? You should have stopped in. We could have done lunch.”
“Sorry, no time. Look, Gwen, you know how you’re always saying I never ask anything of my friends? Well, I need a favor.”
“Wait a minute. Who did you say this was?”
“Very funny.” Maggie smiled, surprised she was able to amidst all the internal tension. “I know it’s out of your way, but could you check on Harvey this evening—let him out, feed him…all those dog things that a real dog owner normally does?”
“You’re off fighting serial killers, and you’re still worried about Harvey. I’d say you already sound like a dog owner. Yes, I will stop and spend some quality time with Harvey. Actually, that’s the best offer I’ve had in a long time as far as spending an evening with a male companion goes.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“Does this mean you’re simply working late or have you found him?”
Maggie wondered how long it had been since her friends and co-workers could simply ask her about “him” and automatically mean Albert Stucky.
“I don’t know yet, but it’s the best lead we’ve had so far. You may have been right about the candy bar wrappers.”
“Wonderful. Only I don’t remember what it was I said.”
“We dismissed Stucky’s old business partner as an accomplice because the guy was supposedly going blind due to some medical condition. Now the evidence suggests that the condition could be diabetes. Which means the blindness may not have been sudden or complete. In fact, he could be hoping to control it with insulin injections.”
“Why would Stucky be working with an accomplice? Are you sure that makes sense, Maggie?”
“No, I’m not sure it makes sense. But we keep finding fingerprints at the scenes that don’t belong to Stucky. This morning we found out the prints are a perfect match with Stucky’s old business partner, Walker Harding. The two sold their business about four years ago and supposedly went their separate ways, but they might be working together again. We also discovered a remote piece of land just across the river registered to Harding. This place sounds like the perfect hideout.”
Maggie glanced down at the map again. The exit to Quantico was getting closer. Soon she’d need to make a decision. She knew a shortcut to the toll bridge. She could be there in less than an hour. Suddenly she realized that Gwen’s pause had lasted too long. Had she lost the call?
“Gwen, are you still there?”
“Did you say the partner’s name is Walker Harding?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Maggie, last week I started seeing