Thomas O`Callaghan - Bone Thief

Both detectives walked over to Driscoll.

“When you guys get inside, grab a baby stroller and throw a couple of packs of Pampers in it. It’ll look more natural if you have something to push around. Besides, you never know, Luigi, you may get lucky some day.”

Liz laughed, and Vittaggio looked embarrassed.

“Seriously, I put you two inside because I trust you the most. Keep your eyes open and use your heads.”

“Will do,” said Butler. Vittaggio was still trying to recover.

Driscoll wished them luck.

“Margaret,” he yelled. “When you’re finished…” He pointed to the inside of his office.

Margaret finished giving out the assignments and walked in to meet with Driscoll.

“Yes?”

“What do you think? Will he show?”

“My woman’s intuition says yes. It’s obvious the guy likes to play games, and Moira’s set the game ball in motion.”

“Think we’ll be able to spot him?”

“I think he’ll give himself away. He’ll be a lone male, waiting in aisle three for Moira.”

“That’s why I want you in there.”

“I know. I’ll know him when I see him. I’ll feel him.”

“All right, but remember, stick to the plan. We take him as he comes out.”

“Yes, Lieutenant,” she said mockingly.

“I want you to be careful. This guy’s no joker.”

“I know. I’ve seen his work.” Her tone turned serious.

“OK, then. Let’s rock.”

Driscoll stood up from behind his desk, and he and Margaret walked out of the Command Center together.

“Hold on a sec.” Driscoll ducked back inside the squad room. “Cedric?”

“Over here, Lieutenant.”

“Call the Division dispatcher and have them keep all radio cars away from the shopping center. I don’t want some nosy cops snooping around and scaring him off.”

“You got it. Anything else?”

“Yeah. Here’s a radio. I want you to monitor what’s going on out there. If anything goes wrong, you can switch to Division and get us help right away.”

“Good thinking, Lieutenant. I am, as always, ever-vigilant.”

“Thanks, Cedric. Wish us luck.”

“Lieutenant, when you’re as good as you are, you don’t need luck.”

“Never hurts, though,” said Driscoll and in a flash, he was gone.

Driscoll and Danny circled the Toys R Us parking lot just to make certain everything was as Driscoll had planned. Finding everyone in position, Driscoll had Danny guide the TARU van into an empty parking space some sixty feet from the store’s main entrance. Driscoll picked up the encrypted receiver. “Radio check,” he barked.

One by one the units responded. Now the waiting game began.

“Danny, is the pole camera working?”

“Perfectly, Lieutenant. We’ve got a clear view of the store’s only entrance.”

“OK, then. Let’s settle in. It may be a long wait.”

Moments later, another van slid slowly into a parking space in the Voyager Boatyard and Marina. It sat across Flatbush Avenue, some 300 yards from the Toys R Us parking lot. Using a pair of Tasco high-powered binoculars, its driver took note of the Chevy sedan that was sitting close to the lot’s west exit. Under the car sat a pool of water, condensation from a running air conditioner. On the ground, just under the driver’s door, was a pile of cigarette butts. Inside the car two middle-aged men dressed in suits occupied the front seats. On the Chevy’s dashboard were two Styrofoam coffee cups and what looked to be a folded newspaper. A grin formed on the driver’s face. “Let the wait be on,” he muttered.

For the next four hours the entourage of police personnel fought boredom. It was one-thirty in the afternoon when Driscoll depressed the speed-dial button on his handheld radio.

“Margaret. Anything? Anything at all?”

“Nothing. I guess my woman’s intuition was out to lunch.”

“Liz, what about you?”

“Besides aching feet and a deep hatred for pushing a baby stroller, nothing. I counted four customers in the last hour, none fitting the profile of our guy. Four customers! How does this place stay in business?”

“OK, then. That’s it. The guy’s a no-show. Margaret, Liz, Luigi, you can come out now. You guys in cars one, two, and three get something to eat. Meet me back at the Command Center in an hour. Car four, you’re to hang on a minute until I make sure everyone has a ride back.”

“Ten-four,” the radio crackled.

“Danny, I’ve got to stretch my legs.” Driscoll slid open the van’s passenger door, stepped outside, and watched as his three detectives exited the store. He walked over to the weary cops. “We gave it our best shot,” he said. “I guess luck wasn’t with us today. Luigi, Liz, you guys got a ride back?”

“We came with Sergeant Aligante,” said Detective Vittaggio.

“Here. Take my keys.” Margaret said. “I’ll ride back in the van with Danny and the Lieutenant.” She handed Luigi her keys.

Driscoll went to say something further when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. “Goddamn it, Moira. What the hell are you doing here? I thought I made it clear I didn’t want you within a hundred miles of this place. How did you get here?”

“I took the bus.”

“You took the bus.” Driscoll was ready to explode. He turned his attention to his two detectives, Butler and Vittaggio, “You guys can go. Grab a bite to eat and meet me back at the house.” The two cops did an about-face and walked away. “Now, young lady-”

The crackling of the radio interrupted his tirade. It was car number four.

“Lieutenant, are we good to go?”

“Bring the car over here,” he said.

As the car pulled up in front of Driscoll, he grabbed Moira by both shoulders, opened the sedan’s rear door, and pushed her inside.

“Take this young lady home,” he ordered.

“Will do,” said the detective seated behind the wheel.

Driscoll and Margaret watched as the unmarked police sedan pulled away.

“I’m gonna kill her. What if he had shown up and somehow grabbed her?”

“Let’s be thankful he didn’t.”

Driscoll slowly shook his head.

“I’m hungry,” said Margaret. “And my feet are killing me. Let’s go sit down somewhere and eat.”

The pair climbed in behind Danny. As they made their left turn out of the parking lot, neither of them noticed the slow-moving van that had pulled up behind car number four.

It had been hours since the failed attempted capture at Toys R Us. A frightening thought occurred to Driscoll. What if the killer could track down Moira through her computer? He reached for his desk phone and punched in Thomlinson’s extension.

“Cedric, contact the Tiernans and arrange to pick up Moira and bring her in. I have some technical questions for the little miss.”

“Consider it done.”

Meanwhile, on the other part of town, Pierce sat patiently behind the wheel of his van. He stretched his back and narrowed his eyes to tiny slits. Waiting was not a favorite pastime. His mind hit upon the details of the day’s activity. The siege at the toy store. The interminable wait. The arrival of the girl, and his following the unmarked police car to her home, outside of which he now sat. It was a quiet, tree-lined street, and his van was not out of place parked where it was, behind a Volkswagen beetle.

Cedric pulled a set of keys from the pegboard, signed out using the log, and walked down the back steps of the station. He began to look for unmarked department auto number 238. The car could be parked anywhere. There were two things detectives never did. One was to put gas in the car, and the second was to leave a note with the keys indicating where the car was parked.