better—maybe tonight. You want to come with me?”
Her lips quirked slightly. “It’d be better for me than brooding, is that what you’re thinking?”
“Pretty much.”
She sighed, then smiled. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
“We’ll need to go by the office first. Oscar has the info we need. You bring your weapon?”
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s in my bag. With my badge.”
“It’s not your jurisdiction,” Keller said.
“Yeah,” she said, “but your jumper won’t know that.”
“I’ve got a shoulder rig you can use that’ll fit the Beretta,” Keller said. “And a Kevlar vest. It’ll be a little big on you…what?”
Marie was chuckling. “I was just thinking,” she said. “I could write a magazine article. Dating experiences you’ll never read about in Cosmo.”
He laughed. “I can wait, you know,” he said. “You don’t have to do this.”
“No,” she said, “You’re right. It’s better than stewing over things. It helps to keep busy.”
“That’s the way I always handled it.”
She looked at him with a wry expression. “And that worked, did it?”
“Not always,” he said, “but it helps pass the time ‘til you get better.”
There was a large steel cabinet shoved back against one wall of the house’s spare bedroom. Keller opened it with a key and took a stubby shotgun out. The next item was a leather shoulder holster.
Marie walked into the room. She had put on a pair of black jeans and a burgundy T-shirt. He handed the holster to Marie. As she began strapping it on, he took out a black vest. He walked over and handed it to her. The words BAIL ENFORCEMENT were stenciled in yellow lettering across the back.
She handed it back. “You take it. You’re going in first. I’m just along for backup.”
“I’ve only got the one,” he said. “I usually work alone.”
“You used to,” she said. “But you’re getting better about that.”
He slung the vest over one shoulder, the shotgun by its strap over the other. “Let’s go.”
They drove up the coast road, back into the city. Long rolling stretches of inland dunes gave way to a strip of car lots and cheap restaurants near the Port of Wilmington, then to shabby housing projects, then to tree-lined residential streets overhung with Spanish moss. When they got to the downtown area near the courthouse, the restaurants and clubs were in full swing, the illumination from neon signs glowing through the windows from the dimness inside. Clumps of people roamed the sidewalks.
The storefront that housed H & H Bail Bonds was lit, the sign in the window advertising 24 HOUR SERVICE. Oscar Sanchez sat inside behind the desk. He looked surprised when he saw Marie, but quickly recovered his composure. They embraced warmly. There was a clatter of footsteps on the back stairs as Angela came down from her small apartment above the office. She also looked surprised when she saw Marie. “She’s going with you?” she asked Keller.
“What can I say?” Marie grinned ruefully. “He knows how to show a girl a good time.”
“What have you got, Oscar?” Keller asked.
Sanchez took a file and spread it out on a nearby desktop. “The address the Marks girl gave us was false,” he said. “She has not lived there in some time.”
“Right,” Keller said.
“So I searched for property in the name of this man Randle. I searched property and tax records in both New Hanover and Brunswick counties.”
“And?” Keller said.
“Randle owns a three-acre lot in a subdivision called Riverwoody.”
Marie looked at the printout on top of the stack of papers. “I think that’s Riverwood, Oscar,” she said. “Sometimes these developers stick on that extra ‘e’ to make it seem, I don’t know, more English.”
Sanchez looked confused. “But this is in English.”
“Skip it,” Keller said. “How do we find this place?”
Sanchez pulled out another sheet of paper. “I ran the directions on the MapQuest Web
Her lips quirked slightly. “It’d be better for me than brooding, is that what you’re thinking?”
“Pretty much.”
She sighed, then smiled. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
“We’ll need to go by the office first. Oscar has the info we need. You bring your weapon?”
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s in my bag. With my badge.”
“It’s not your jurisdiction,” Keller said.
“Yeah,” she said, “but your jumper won’t know that.”
“I’ve got a shoulder rig you can use that’ll fit the Beretta,” Keller said. “And a Kevlar vest. It’ll be a little big on you…what?”
Marie was chuckling. “I was just thinking,” she said. “I could write a magazine article. Dating experiences you’ll never read about in Cosmo.”
He laughed. “I can wait, you know,” he said. “You don’t have to do this.”
“No,” she said, “You’re right. It’s better than stewing over things. It helps to keep busy.”
“That’s the way I always handled it.”
She looked at him with a wry expression. “And that worked, did it?”
“Not always,” he said, “but it helps pass the time ‘til you get better.”
There was a large steel cabinet shoved back against one wall of the house’s spare bedroom. Keller opened it with a key and took a stubby shotgun out. The next item was a leather shoulder holster.
Marie walked into the room. She had put on a pair of black jeans and a burgundy T-shirt. He handed the holster to Marie. As she began strapping it on, he took out a black vest. He walked over and handed it to her. The words BAIL ENFORCEMENT were stenciled in yellow lettering across the back.
She handed it back. “You take it. You’re going in first. I’m just along for backup.”
“I’ve only got the one,” he said. “I usually work alone.”
“You used to,” she said. “But you’re getting better about that.”
He slung the vest over one shoulder, the shotgun by its strap over the other. “Let’s go.”
They drove up the coast road, back into the city. Long rolling stretches of inland dunes gave way to a strip of car lots and cheap restaurants near the Port of Wilmington, then to shabby housing projects, then to tree-lined residential streets overhung with Spanish moss. When they got to the downtown area near the courthouse, the restaurants and clubs were in full swing, the illumination from neon signs glowing through the windows from the dimness inside. Clumps of people roamed the sidewalks.
The storefront that housed H & H Bail Bonds was lit, the sign in the window advertising 24 HOUR SERVICE. Oscar Sanchez sat inside behind the desk. He looked surprised when he saw Marie, but quickly recovered his composure. They embraced warmly. There was a clatter of footsteps on the back stairs as Angela came down from her small apartment above the office. She also looked surprised when she saw Marie. “She’s going with you?” she asked Keller.
“What can I say?” Marie grinned ruefully. “He knows how to show a girl a good time.”
“What have you got, Oscar?” Keller asked.
Sanchez took a file and spread it out on a nearby desktop. “The address the Marks girl gave us was false,” he said. “She has not lived there in some time.”
“Right,” Keller said.
“So I searched for property in the name of this man Randle. I searched property and tax records in both New Hanover and Brunswick counties.”
“And?” Keller said.
“Randle owns a three-acre lot in a subdivision called Riverwoody.”
Marie looked at the printout on top of the stack of papers. “I think that’s Riverwood, Oscar,” she said. “Sometimes these developers stick on that extra ‘e’ to make it seem, I don’t know, more English.”
Sanchez looked confused. “But this is in English.”
“Skip it,” Keller said. “How do we find this place?”
Sanchez pulled out another sheet of paper. “I ran the directions on the MapQuest Web
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