At ten o’clock, Jo figured people would stay in for the night, so she got out of the Escape, shut the door, and listened. There was only the buzz of traffic farther off. Jo stole across the street and went around the corner, then peeked into the alley that ran behind Sabrina’s house. Two streetlights at either end offered little respite from the shadows.
Jo moved forward, alert for any noise as she stealthily crept behind detached garages until she neared Sabrina’s house. It was cooler now but still humid, and she wiped sweat off her brow as she hunkered down near a dumpster to watch the back of the house. A square of light shone from a kitchen window, and periodically Jo saw movement. She slinked to the chain-link fence at the back of the yard for a closer look. Sabrina appeared to be washing dishes, and then she disappeared from view.
Jo didn’t want to risk being discovered, so she continued past the house, checking to see if anyone else was about. She remained alone, and she hurried around the next block, then backtracked to her car. Once inside, she focused on Sabrina’s house again. Shortly before eleven, the lights winked off. Jo kept an eye out for police surveillance, but there was no sign of it. Was she wrong in her suspicions?
When nothing else happened, Jo drove down the block, headlights off. She stared at Sabrina’s house, which remained dark. Jo reached the end of the street, and for good measure, she drove up and down a few blocks in the neighborhood. Everything seemed as it should be, so she headed for her hotel.
Jo was careful as she drove, peering in the rearview mirror to see if she picked up a tail. That didn’t happen, but she remained cautious as she drove into the hotel parking lot. She went to her room, approaching her door carefully. The hallway was empty as she let herself into her room. Sometimes when she’d leave her hotel room, she would put a piece of paper between the door and the jamb, and if it wasn’t there when she returned, she’d know that someone had entered her room. But this hotel had maid service, which didn’t leave that as an option. Still, she flicked on the room light, then carefully searched for anything out of the ordinary. She might be being paranoid, but sometimes paranoia could save your life. She even checked for surveillance cameras or listening devices.
Satisfied that only the maid had been in the room and that no one was watching her, Jo stripped, took a shower, then sat on the edge of the bed and googled the bank hours. They were open from nine to six. She put her phone on the charger and crawled under the covers.
She was soon asleep.
***
The next morning, Jo was up well before dawn, and after stopping at a convenience store for gas and a cheap breakfast burrito, she drove back to Sabrina’s neighborhood. She parked in a different place than the previous evening and picked up her surveillance again. And just as she’d done then, she looked for any signs of anyone else watching Sabrina’s house.
Jo was alone on the street. Lights were on in a few houses, but Sabrina’s place was dark. As the minutes ticked by, a couple of cars pulled out of garages, headlights cutting a swath across the street, and Jo ducked down as they drove by.
At six, a light appeared in a window on the side of Sabrina’s house. The woman was up early. Was that routine, or was she going to work? Rico had said the bank would be open, but it sounded as if the affected employees could take a sick day if they wanted. Would Sabrina do that?
A little before seven, the sky eased from black to a dark gray, and a purply-pink hue painted the eastern horizon. More cars left the neighborhood, and each time, Jo crouched below the dashboard until they were gone. Sabrina’s living room blinds opened, and Jo briefly saw the woman, but then she moved away, and the house remained still for a while after that. Children left for school, some older ones walking by themselves, some younger ones with their parents, a couple of pairs of siblings. No one noticed Jo. She found that most of the time, people were too preoccupied to pay much attention to their surroundings.
Time ticked slowly by. Jo yawned and stretched as best she could in the small space. Clearly, Sabrina wasn’t going into work—it was long past the bank’s opening.
Shortly before eleven, Sabrina’s silver Lexus backed slowly out of her driveway and into the street. It went the opposite direction, and Jo waited until the vehicle turned the corner before following. When she reached the end of the block, she noticed two things. One, the Lexus was farther down the street, approaching a busier intersection. And two, no other vehicles had driven after the Lexus or Jo. Apparently, still no surveillance on the woman, other than Jo.
When the Lexus turned left at the traffic light, Jo sped up and made a left as well. She stayed back, the Lexus far ahead. Jo kept back a safe distance, tailing the vehicle. She wasn’t worried that Sabrina would see her. The woman had probably never been trained to spot surveillance, probably didn’t even have the thought in mind. And even if she was watching, Jo knew enough to avoid detection. What she was doing wouldn’t work with a pro, but it would with a civilian. Sabrina stopped at a Starbucks drive-through, and Jo pulled into a space in a grocery store parking lot. Once Sabrina had her order, she drove south toward downtown Dallas.
Was she headed for the bank still?
It quickly became clear that that wasn’t the case. Sabrina exited the interstate and turned into a shopping mall. Jo parked far away, but where she could still see the Lexus. Sabrina got out and headed into the mall, and Jo tailed her at a distance.
The woman spent a couple of hours shopping, purchasing a pair of shoes and trying on outfits at a couple of clothing stores. Then she went to a Panda Express at the food court for a late lunch. Jo took the opportunity to eat as well, selecting a sandwich place where there wasn’t a line. She took a seat, with Sabrina off to her left. The woman fiddled on her phone as she ate. She glanced around nervously but never spotted Jo due to their angle. When she finished her meal, she didn’t leave, just kept checking her phone.
Jo pretended to occupy herself with her phone as well. People came and went, and then a man in black jeans and a dark jacket strode into the food court, saw Sabrina, and walked over.
Jo sat a little straighter, alert, studying the man carefully. He had the same build as Grunt, but was he carrying himself the way that man had at the bank? She couldn’t be sure. He sat down, and the two began to talk. Jo wished she could hear what they were saying, but she knew if she tried to get closer to them, they’d see her.
She stayed put and studied them. At one point, Sabrina frowned and pointed at him. Then they pulled their chairs closer together, and an intense conversation ensued. The man shook his head a time or two, and he pulled out his phone and checked something. Sabrina spoke again, and he reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to her. They talked for a minute longer, and she did not appear happy. Then he stood up, said one final thing to her, and left. Sabrina glanced around, and Jo turned away. When she looked back, Sabrina had gotten up and was walking away.
Jo followed, scanning for the man, but she didn’t see him. Sabrina went to the parking garage, and Jo drove behind her the whole way as she headed straight back to her house. When the Lexus disappeared into the garage, Jo parked down the street. She watched the house the rest of the evening, periodically parking in different spots, but Sabrina never left. At nine o’clock, Jo called Dack, skipping a videocall since it was dark and the screen would be too visible to anyone on the street. She told him what Sabrina had done.
“It could be nothing, but what if she was meeting Grunt, what if he’s her accomplice?” Jo asked when she finished.
“There’s no way to tell,” Dack said in the metallic, computer voice. It always felt a little off when she couldn’t see his face. “I could run a background check on her, but that might flag something in the system, and the police—or some other government agency—might be alerted. They’d wonder who else is looking at her.”
“It’s not worth the risk at this point.”
He paused. “What’re you going to do?”
Jo thought for a moment. “I want to know what was in that envelope, and there’s only one way to do that.”
Dack’s sigh pushed through the phone. “You’re going to break into her house?”
“If I do, I might find that envelope.”
“I don’t like it.”
Jo shrugged to herself. “I don’t like it either, but there’s something suspicious about Sabrina, and I need to find out what. And I need to know if the man she met was Grunt. I’ll be careful, and she’ll never know I was there.”
“And if you get caught?”
She stared at Sabrina’s house. “I won’t.”
“When will you go in?”
“Whenever she’s back at work.”
“I don’t like it,” he repeated.
“Do you have any other suggestions?”
“No.”
“I’ll be in and out of the house quickly, and I’ll let you know what I find.”
“If you need anything . . .”
“I will.”
Jo ended the call and stared at Sabrina’s house until it went dark. Then she drove back to her hotel.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The next morning, Jo was up early again. She’d only slept for four hours, and it reminded her of some of her missions—long days with little rest. She left the hotel and stopped for food and water at a convenience store, then swung by a fast-food joint for a quick breakfast. While she ate, she googled pawn shops and found one close by that was open twenty-four hours. She drove there and purchased small, military-grade binoculars. Before dawn, she was watching Sabrina’s house.
The morning went similarly to the day before, with some of the same neighbors leaving at approximately the same times. A light shone through the side window of Sabrina’s house at six, but this time she didn’t stay at home for nearly as long.
A few minutes before eight, the Lexus emerged from the garage, and Jo followed Sabrina to the same Starbucks she’d visited the previous day. At this time of morning, the drive-through line was longer, and once Sabrina had her order, she headed to Highway 75 and went south. Traffic was heavy, and Jo easily kept the Lexus in view as they made a slow trek into downtown Dallas. Sabrina drove to the building where National Bank was located and disappeared into the underground parking garage. Jo found a metered space on the street, paid, then loitered at a cement planter near the building doors, where she could see through windows to both the bank entrance and the parking garage entrance. A few minutes later, Sabrina walked across the building lobby and into the bank. Right after that, Rico entered, followed by Doug. None of them seemed to notice Jo. Some of the other bank employees showed up, too. All appeared to be business as usual.
Jo waited until the bank opened, making sure Sabrina was at her desk. Then she left and returned to North Dallas.
She parked around the corner from Sabrina’s house and called the bank, asking for the woman. When Sabrina answered, Jo mumbled, “Wrong number” and ended the call.
Next, she surveilled the neighborhood. Now armed with binoculars, she was able to study Sabrina’s house better, and those on either side. Both were quiet, with no activity. Next, Jo studied every house on the block, looking for surveillance devices on eaves or doorbell cameras. She thought a next-door neighbor had a doorbell camera, as well as a house across the street. She didn’t see signs of surveillance equipment on Sabrina’s house.
One next-door neighbor left. Sabrina’s house remained still. With the binoculars, Jo could see through the front window. She never saw anyone inside. Finally, she drove the surrounding streets, assuring herself that there was no suspicious activity. Then she pulled into a space at a small park. She left the binoculars under her seat—too conspicuous at this time of the day to take them with her—but she had her knife in her pocket. She got out and acted as if she were just taking a walk, but she headed toward the alley behind Sabrina’s house.
