CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Vitas woke with a start at a few minutes past three in the afternoon, astonished he’d fallen asleep. He felt groggy, agitated. His throat was as dry as he could ever remember it being. Maybe I’m catching something, he thought. I need to get up, get moving, try to shake this thing. His face felt warm and the wounds on his leg began to burn.
I’ll drive out to Bethesda and get another look at the Danforth place while it’s light. Sitting around here is not getting the job done.
Vitas didn’t spot the man slouching in the car parked in front of the Danforth’s house until it was too late. He turned his face away while he drove past.
Damn, I should have known they’d put a guard on Danforth. The girl probably told them I was after him. Should have killed her when I had the chance. But she looked so good. I really wanted to see her face twisting in pain. I love to fuck them when they’re hurting . . . when they’re screaming.
Vitas waved his hand in the air. Have to chase away thoughts of the Gypsy girl, he told himself. Concentrate. But he found it difficult with the vision of Miriana Georgadoff in his mind, the sudden fire in his groin, and the throbbing pain in his calf.
He turned left at the next corner and parked a half-block away.
The CIA agent parked in front of the Danforth home spoke into his cell phone. “A white Buick Le Sabre just cruised the street,” he reported. “Male driver, late forties, early fifties. No passenger. Virginia tag.” He read off the number.
“I’ll contact DMV and call you with the results. By the way, Jack Cole sent two more men out there. He’s not taking any chances.”
“When are they due?” Bart asked.
“Should have been there already but they called about ten minutes ago and reported tie-ups on 95 because of a wreck.”
Liz looked at the kitchen clock: 3:30 p.m. I’ve got time to take a nice leisurely bath, she thought. Bob probably won’t be home for hours. The roast’s in the oven, the champagne’s in the refrigerator, and my negligee’s all laid out. I’m going to do a little stress relief tonight. She smiled while she climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Vitas drove to the street paralleling the Danforths’ street. He found the house directly behind their residence – the second one in from the corner.
He got out of the rental car and casually walked down the side of the second house and across the backyard. He gripped the top of the five-foot high cedar fence separating the backs of this property and the Danforth residence and pulled himself up. He rolled over the top of the fence, grunting loudly when he scraped his injured leg on the top of the boards, and landed on the Danforths’ lawn. He cursed at the pain and quick-limped across the grass to the patio. He found the French doors open, but the inside screen door locked.
With a switchblade, he easily pried open the simple lock.The knife put back into his pocket, he drew his 9mm pistol, and stepped into the empty kitchen. There was no one in the first floor rooms. Then he noticed the sound of water coursing through the house’s pipes. He slowly climbed the thickly carpeted steps to the second floor. At the top of the staircase, he heard the faint sound of splashing. After checking the other rooms on the second floor and finding no one there, he turned back toward the bathroom.
Water ran from the hot water spigot into the tub. The bath was beginning to ease the knotted muscles in Liz’s back. The soreness accumulated in a day of gardening, and the tension of the past few days, was ebbing away. Eyes closed, she luxuriated in the sensation, in the peace of the moment.
YOU ARE READING
EVIL DEEDS
Misterio / SuspensoEvil Deeds is the first in a 4-book series that follows the Danforth family from the kidnapping of their 2-year-old son in Greece in 1971 to present day. The book (and series) is a roller coaster ride of action and suspense. This book, as with all o...
