Page 55 of Delusional

“I expect Abby Boyd’s family cries quite a bit too.” There was a long silence after he said that. Owens had learned that silence sometimes was its own rebuke. But Kimmy didn’t move to leave.

Finally, she said, “Ellis has a long-term plan. When he saw how well you could make bombs, he turned his attention to something he likes to call ‘redistributing the wealth to ourselves.’”

So much for not having any interest in making money. Owens kept his mouth shut because he didn’t want to chase off Kimmy. But she’d given him a lot to think about. He might have to deal with Ellis a little differently in the future.

He always liked to be prepared.

CHAPTER 66

I STOOD PERFECTLY still, listening to the sounds coming from outside the house. The howling wind made it a little difficult. But I’d heard what sounded like a car door and seen a shadow move near the front door.

Rob, Gary, and Mona Trilling had all also seen the shadow. I wasn’t going crazy. At least not yet.

It was Mona who seized the moment. She looked at her older son and calmly said, “Go into the bedroom and call the sheriff’s office.”

“It’ll take them forever to get out here.”

“So it’s a good idea for them to get started now.”

Gary slunk away like a kid who’d been chastised. For her part, Mona continued chopping vegetables at the kitchen counter. I recognized that she was putting on a show in case someone was watching. She knew not to give away our advantage, the knowledge that they’d already lost the element of surprise.

Mona looked at Rob and said, “Go sit down by your grandfather. I don’t want him to be startled awake and confused about what’s going on. If he wakes up and sees you, he’ll stay calm.”

I waited for a moment, expecting my assignment. Mona looked at me and said with a little smile, “I didn’t raise you. I’m not comfortable telling you what to do. Besides, from what Rob tells me, you’re some kind of superhero cop. What do you think you should do?”

I thought for a second, then said, “I’m going to surreptitiously get a look out of the windows to see what we’re up against. It could be someone doing some surveillance.” Mona nodded. She didn’t exactly dismiss me or say, “Carry on,” but I got the message and headed for a window at the rear of the house.

It was dark out. Not like nighttime dark. Like absolutely pitch-black beyond where the lights of the house reached. I’d been raised in the city, where there was always some sort of light. Some might even call it a city that never sleeps. But when I looked out the window here, all I could see were dark shadows and really dark shadows.

I glanced over toward the couch, to where Rob was sitting next to his snoozing grandfather. I was grateful to see that my partner looked to be on full alert. I appreciated what he was trying to do to help his grandfather. But if something happened, I was going to need Rob to jump up and help me.

Mona might have continued working at the counter, but I could see her eyes scanning each of the windows. We were all quiet, listening for anything unusual from outside.

There was another metallic sound, similar to what we’d all heard the first time. But this was something closer. When I turned toward the front door, I saw the handle moving slowly. Someone was outside, checking to see if the door was locked. I grunted to get Rob’s attention, then nodded toward the front door.

His dark eyes tracked toward the door. Just as he was focusing on it, whoever was on the other side stopped twisting the handle. Rob eased off the couch. Before he could get into any position near the front door, there was a huge crash in the kitchen.

My head snapped toward the sound.

Rather than at the front door we’d all been watching, a man barreled through the kitchen door that led into the attached garage. He was already almost right next to Mona Trilling.

I reached toward my right hip. That’s what a career in police work teaches. Instinctual reaction.

In this case, since I wasn’t carrying my police weapon, it did me no good whatsoever.

CHAPTER 67

ROB AND I both stood frozen in place, watching the intruder right next to his mother.

Mona didn’t miss a beat. With astonishing speed, she lifted the knife she’d been using to chop vegetables and turned it in her hand. She swung in a horizontal arc and caught the intruder on the upper chest. The blade slid up across his collarbone and glanced off his face. Overall, it was an impressive strike for someone who wasn’t a knife fighter by training.

The man let out an odd, strangled cry. It wasn’t until that moment I realized he was one of the rednecks who had confronted us at Hildebrand’s Sports Bar earlier. He was the one with the crooked nose, the one Gary had punched. Now Gary’s mother seemed to be finishing the fight.

Crooked Nose tumbled toward the door he’d just kicked in. Blood leaked from his face as well as his shoulder. His heavy jacket concealed any blood coming from his chest. But his face looked like a mess.

Then he turned and sprinted back into the garage. As I darted through the door to chase him, Mona came to my side. She still held the bloody knife out in front of her. She looked like something out of a horror movie. I wasn’t sure if she looked more like a villain or a victim. Either way, I wasn’t about to tell her to get back inside.

Mona pointed with the knife to the open side door leading outside. There was a splotch of blood visible on the concrete.