“Sorry. Things are insane here. What was it about this woman that caught your attention?”
Despite all the years that Marlee had discussed her clients with Stephanie, something made her uncomfortable now. “The fake name. It was easy to find, but not the real one. Usually, that means the government is somehow involved. But if that’s the case, then why make it so easy to pick it out as a fake?”
“I wish I had answers for you.” Stephanie then took several drinks of the beverage that Marlee could hear over the phone.
Maybe it was all the stress of everything, but Marlee felt that the entire conversation was off somehow. Her gaze moved to a window with the blinds open to see someone sitting at a table on the phone with a can in their hands. “Thanks. I won’t keep you.”
“Good luck.”
The line went dead. Marlee returned her phone to her pocket, her gaze never leaving the figure. Was it a coincidence that the person through the window had laid down a phone at the same time Marlee’s call ended? Sure. But she didn’t believe it.
Every instinct she had yelled at her. Marlee looked at the front door before she turned her head to look at Cooper. He stared at her, trying to determine what she was going to do. She motioned with her finger for him to go around to the back of the house.
Without question, Cooper exited the truck and quietly pushed the door closed. He bent low and went around the back of his truck before he ran toward a small cluster of trees near the road. Marlee returned her attention to the house. She knew Cooper could handle himself. She didn’t have a gun on her. She had, however, grabbed two of her knives that morning when getting dressed. She’d put one in her boot and the other in her coat pocket. She gave Cooper her largest knife, and when he indicated that he’d be fine, she didn’t give him an option. She made him take it.
Marlee’s legs were stiff as she turned back to the house and began walking up the path to the door. This house was closer to the road than most, but it had more land surrounding it than those nearest to it.
Her heart pounded slowly like a drum slamming against her rib cage. A chill raced over her the closer she got to the door. She glanced at the window, but the person was gone. It was difficult to tell if it had been a man or a woman. The distance hadn’t helped either. Marlee knew Stephanie. They talked about once a month, but they had also met in person a few times during Macey’s case. Though it had been years since Marlee had seen her.
There was no such thing as coincidence in Marlee’s book. But if it was Stephanie, why was she in town? Why hadn’t she said anything? And why was she at this particular house?
The more Marlee thought about it, the more insane it sounded. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. And it all had to do with this house.
Marlee reached the door and lifted her hand. She saw it shake slightly. She steeled herself and gave a quick knock. She plastered a smile on her face as the door was unlocked and opened.
Chapter 33
Cooper kept low as he made his way to the back of the house. He didn’t know what had set Marlee off, but it was something. He trusted her instincts. And he was going to make damn sure he had her back.
When he flattened himself against the back of the house near the back porch, he pulled out his phone and quickly sent a text to the group, letting them know what was going on. The day had been quiet. Almost too quiet. None of the three groups going door-to-door about the fake census had come across anything. Cooper had been about to chalk it up to another dead end. Then this.
He didn’t want to think about Marlee’s words before she’d gotten out of the truck. He should’ve known that it was too early to talk to her about their relationship. Hell. He wasn’t even sure if she thought of it as a relationship. She felt something for him, that much he knew, but that was all he knew. And he didn’t like the unknown. Never had. Most likely never would.
Cooper palmed the knife she’d given him earlier. He hadn’t wanted to take it. He had one on him at all times. With the knife in hand, he listened. Cooper hated that he couldn’t have eyes on Marlee, but she was smart. She could handle herself. His phone began to vibrate, alerting him to incoming texts. He glanced down at the phone to see that his friends were headed their way before he pocketed the cell.
Jace and Maddy were the nearest to him. Clayton was with … damn. Cooper kept forgetting her name. It was some college-aged girl whose father worked for Clayton. Cooper shook his head to clear it. Names didn’t matter right now. Keeping everyone safe and catching the bad guys was what mattered.
Cooper heard footsteps headed toward him instead of to the front of the dwelling. As he strained to hear, he caught the sound of the front door opening. At least two went inside. He heard a creak and tilted back his head to see the house’s window over his right shoulder. He spotted a shadow there as if someone were leaning back against it.
Slowly and quietly, he made his way from beneath the window to stand beside the back door so that whoever was at the window couldn’t see him if they looked down. That’s when he heard Marlee’s voice.
* * *
The surprise that flashed in the man’s eyes was hidden quickly enough after he opened the door. Marlee might not know who this older gentleman was, but he knew her. And that made her adrenaline kick up a notch.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m with the county, going house to house in an effort to get a new census in place. I wondered if I could take up a few minutes of your time.”
The man stared at her with dark brown eyes, his brown hair liberally laced with gray. He was clean-shaven, showing a jawline most men would kill for. He had broad shoulders and muscles shown by his tight shirt. No one that age kept in that kind of shape without reason. She immediately thought military. He just had that look about him. The I-can-get-through-anything look.
She swallowed, waiting for him to say something. Tense seconds passed when she thought he might come at her. That’s when she knew that this was the place they had been searching for.
What she needed to do was extract herself and wait until she and Cooper could meet up with everyone else, including Danny and Ryan to bring in the authorities. Of course, she needed actual evidence for that, not just a feeling. But if she went for the proof, there was a very real possibility that she—and Cooper—could be killed.
“Sir?” she pressed when he still didn’t answer. The silence was getting awkward. But that might be better than whatever he chose to say.
Marlee took a step back and held up her hands, one holding the clipboard. “That’s fine. You don’t have to answer the questionnaire. I’ll leave now and make sure that no one visits this house again. Have a good day.”
The moment Marlee turned, she wanted to run. She couldn’t help but think of herself as a sheep with a lion on its tail, ready to pounce. Frankly, it wasn’t a good feeling. It took considerable effort not to run, but Marlee somehow managed it. She glanced at Cooper’s truck but didn’t see him inside. No doubt, he was still around the back. She wanted to reach for her phone to text him, to get him to return to the vehicle immediately, but getting out her phone now wouldn’t be smart. She’d have to wait until she got to the truck.
An approaching white Mercedes S-Class pulling into the driveway snared her attention. The car parked, and the door opened as a tall woman with short blond hair got out. She was dressed smartly in clothes that looked more expensive than everything Marlee owned combined. The woman’s face was hidden as she opened the back door of the car and took out some shopping bags along with her purse. Then she turned around.