Toys - James Patterson [12]
Instead, this had all the elements of a complex and premeditated murder plot.
I shook my head and walked the route between the two crime scenes, cataloging traces that the cold-blooded attackers had left.
They’d come in at the rear—the blood of the first corpses I’d seen was more congealed than the others—and they’d moved fast to execute their daring plan. Footprints in the blood—sizes ten and a half, twelve, and two size elevens, all popular-brand athletic shoes—told me that there’d been four of them. Large males. Animalistic. Acting without any regard for right or wrong.
A forensic team was on its way, but I already knew my assignment: I had to go bag myself four murdering skunks before they could kill again.
The Toyz premier items on display tonight were, of course, Jessica and Jacob dolls. Dozens of them had been placed in the store’s huge front window, undoubtedly to lure in traffic. Scary didn’t start to cover that tableau.
The dolls had wandered away from their display stations and were now standing behind the glass barrier.
They were staring at the mutilated Elite corpses, pointing at them, talking among themselves like so many looky-loos at a terrible, terrible traffic accident.
To the Jessicas and Jacobs, the crime scene seemed to be the featured amusement for tonight. Talk about disturbing—dolls being entertained by real-life tragedy.
Lizbeth was right—there was no way our Chloe and April were going to get any of these little bastards for the holidays. Not while I was Dad.
Chapter 14
“DR. BAKER, SIR. Our street surveillance cameras have picked up four skunks on motorcycles fleeing the area,” a city cop called out, hurrying toward me. “They’re heading north along the lakefront. We have emergency units—”
I was already running for my car. I wanted in on this capture in the worst way. I had never investigated a crime as daring and unspeakable as this one.
This time I took over the driving controls. As I sped out onto the streets, I barked a command at the dashboard computer: “Four motorcycles, north lakefront. Rapid pursuit until intersect.”
That order activated a link to the city’s network of surveillance cameras.
Instantly, a grid appeared on-screen, showing a cluster of four shapes hunched over their bikes.
The readout gave their speed as 187 miles per hour and their location as 7.347 miles away. Other shapes on-screen showed me that airborne police pods were already chasing them and ground vehicles were forming roadblocks ahead.
The fact that they’d gotten as far as they had was astonishing and made me feel anything but secure about a peaceful arrest.
McGill’s avatar suddenly appeared on my display. I blinked my eye at the communications icon, signaling the computer to pick up his call.
“Hays, we’ve ID’d the vics at the store,” he reported to me now. “They were all Toyz Corp execs.”
“What?”
“Yeah, and we’re not talking district managers either. They were members of the Toyz board. Moore’s crazed about it. So, you know, no pressure or anything. Just catch—and kill—the bastards. No mercy.”
“I’m closing in on the vermin right now,” I said, then clicked off McGill’s feed with a blink.
No mercy indeed.
Chapter 15
I COULD DEFINITELY see the humans motoring at full speed up ahead. As if on cue, the cluster of bikes suddenly split apart, peeling off in different directions like campfire sparks scattered by high winds.
They dove down back alleys and even onto narrow walkways, where the maneuverable bikes could evade the roadblocks and stay sheltered from police aircraft. Smart bastards.
“Your muscle tension is extremely high, sir,” observed Elle. “Would you like me to engage ultrasonic massage?”
“Not now, Elle—I’m skunkhunting.”
“Of course, sir,” she replied, and her