Riptide

it into the phone line via the recorder starting switch.
    Okay, now let's plug that puppy in between the phone and the outlet
    in the wall."
    "Goodness," Becca said. "That's quite a gadget."
    "Yeah," Adam said. "You can get it at RadioShack for about
    twenty bucks."
    "The recorder will start when the phone rings," Savich said.
    "Now for the slammer," Sherlock said. She pulled out a small
    case that looked about the size of a laptop. "See this, Becca? It's an
    LED--light-emitting diode. When our boy calls his number, the
    name and address of the person who's registered as the phone
    owner will appear here on this green screen. It's like the automatic
    phone display for 911."
    "All done, Sherlock?" Savich said, then nodded when she
    pressed a couple of buttons. "Good. Now I'm going to go meet
    with the guys, set up a surveillance schedule, tell them about the
    tap and the trace."

"Fine," said Adam. "I'm coming with you. I want to meet them.
    I don't want anyone shot by accident. Also, we need to start tracking
    down our boy. He's somewhere close."
    "Three of the guys are already on that. They're checking all the
    gas stations within fifty miles, all the bed-and-breakfasts, motels,
    inns. They've already gotten a list of every single guy between the
    ages of twenty and fifty who arrived in Bangor and Portland
    within the past three days."
    Sherlock yawned. "Becca and I will guard the fort. You guys be
    careful. Hey, a nap sounds good, what with all the excitement. Is
    there another usable bedroom in this grandiose monstrosity?"
    The men got back to Jacob Marley's house two hours later. It
    was dark, nearly nine o'clock in the evening. The house was lit up
    from top to bottom, all the outdoor lights on as well. The newly stained front door both looked and smelled great.
    Sherlock was drinking coffee in the living room, studying a file
    she'd brought with her from Washington. The shades were drawn
    tight, which was smart. Becca wasn't anywhere around. They'd already
    checked with Perkins. There had been no phone calls.
    Adam found Becca in her bedroom. She was lying flat on her
    back in the middle of the bed, her hands crossed over her stomach.
    Her eyes were closed but he knew she wasn't asleep. Her shoulders
    were locked stiff.
    "Becca? You okay?"
    "Yeah."
    She felt the bed give when he sat down beside her. "What do
    you want? Go away. I don't want to have to look at your pretty
    face. Has anyone seen him?"
    "I don't have a pretty face. It's Savich who's got the pretty face.
    No, there's no sign of him yet, just that blood in the woods we
    found. The guys took samples to be analyzed."

She cracked her left eye open. "Did everything go all right?
    Were all the men there? Have they found anything out yet?"
    "Yes, all six of them are here, each of them well trained. I know
    four of them, even worked with a couple of them in the past, so
    that's good. They're all top-notch. It's just a matter of time until we
    track him down. All of us have favors owed. We'll call them all in if
    necessary. You know, the reason I was here was to protect you from
    the cops and the Feebs because we knew they couldn't protect you
    from the stalker. But things have changed now. The guy's here and
    there's just no choice. We've got to get him or you'll never be safe."
    "Who is this Thomas, Adam? He must be very powerful to be
    able to have all this guy power up here for one insignificant person,
    namely me."
    "You're not insignificant." He sounded too harsh, too intense,
    and he clamped his teeth together. "Look, don't worry about
    Thomas. He's doing what he's got to do. Now, why are you up
    here, lying down?" He paused a moment. She was dull-eyed, pale
    again, and it worried him. He looked at his fingernails and said,
    "But first things first. I'm getting hungry. Any ideas for dinner? It's
    nearly nine o'clock. It's nearly time to go to bed. Oh yeah, that was
    a good idea to have all the lights on."
    She opened both eyes then and stared up at him. "Sherlock did
    that. Now let me get this straight. You're worried about food?
    Now?"
    He nodded. He'd distracted her. Her eyes were narrowed on his
    face, her lips were seamed into a thin line. Good.
    "Of course I'm hungry. What about dinner?"
    "Well then," she said, rolling to the other side of the bed to stand
    and streaking her hands through her hair, "let me get my little self
    downstairs and see what I can whip together."
    She stalked out of the bedroom, Adam on her heels, grinning at

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