WATCHERS by Dean R. Koontz

the situation. This guy knows the dog is amazingly smart. He might’ve succeeded

in teaching it to read. So we have to figure he’s worked out a means of

communicating with it as well. He knows it’s an experimental animal. He must

know a lot of people are looking for it.”

Cliff said, “He must know about The Outsider, too, because the dog would have

found a way of telling him.”

“Yes. Yet, knowing all of this, he hasn’t chosen to go public. He could’ve sold

the story to the highest bidder. But he didn’t. Or if he’s a crusading type, he

could’ve called in the press and blasted the Pentagon for funding this kind of

research.”

“But he didn’t,” Cliff said, frowning.

“Which means, first and foremost, he’s committed to the dog, committed to

keeping it for his own and to preventing its recapture.”

Nodding, Cliff said, “Which makes sense if what we’ve heard about him is true. I

mean, this guy lost his whole damn family when he was young. Lost his wife after

less than a year. Lost all those buddies in Delta Force. So he became a recluse,

cut himself off from all his friends. Must’ve been lonely as hell. Then along

comes the dog . .

“Exactly,” Lem said. “And for a man with Delta Force training, staying

undercover won’t be difficult. And if we do find him, he’ll know how to fight

for the dog. Jesus, will he know how to fight!”

“We haven’t confirmed the Delta Force rumor yet,” Cliff said hopefully.

“I have,” Lem said, and he described the photograph he had seen in the wrecked

bedroom.

Cliff sighed. “We’re in deep shit now.”

“Up to our necks,” Lem agreed.

11

They had reached San Francisco at six o’clock Thursday morning and, by

six-thirty, had found a suitable motel—a sprawling facility that looked modern

and clean. The place did not accept pets, but it was easy to sneak Einstein into

the room.

Although a small chance existed that an arrest warrant might have been issued

for Travis, he checked into the motel using his ID. He’d no choice because Nora

possessed neither credit cards nor a driver’s license. These days, desk clerks

were willing to -accept cash, but not without ID; the chain’s computer demanded

data on the guests.

He did not, however, give the correct make or license number of his car, for he

had parked out of sight of the office for the very purpose of keeping those

details from the clerk.

They paid for only one room and kept Einstein with them because they were not

going to need privacy for lovemaking. Exhausted, Travis barely managed to kiss

Nora before falling into a deep sleep. He dreamed of things With yellow eyes,

misshapen heads, and crocodile mouths full of sharks’ teeth.

He woke five hours later, at twelve-ten Thursday afternoon.

Nora had gotten up before him, showered, and dressed again in the only Clothes

she had. Her hair was damp and clung alluringly to the nape of her fleck. “The

water’s hot and forceful,” she told him.

‘So am I,” he said, embracing her, kissing her.

‘Then you better cool off,” she said, pulling away from him. “Little ears are

listening.”

‘Einstein? He has big ears.”

In the bathroom, he found Einstein standing on the counter, drinking out of a

sinkful of cold water that Nora had drawn for him.

“You know, fur face, for most dogs, the toilet is a perfectly adequate source of

drinking water.”

Einstein sneezed at him, jumped down from the counter, and padded out of the

bathroom.

Travis had no means of shaving, but he decided a day’s growth of beard would

give him the look he needed for the work he would have to do this evening in the

Tenderloin district.

They left the motel and ate at the first McDonald’s they could find. After

lunch, they drove to a local branch of the Santa Barbara bank where Travis had

his checking account. They used his computer-banking card, his MasterCard, and

two of his Visa cards to make cash withdrawals totaling fourteen hundred

dollars. Next they went to an American Express office, and using one of Travis’s

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