“Highly unlikely. Even if he did stay nearby after I got there, he sure as hell split when he saw the police cruiser pull up.”
“You can’t assume that,” Hilary said. “At best, we’re dealing with a madman. At worst, we’re confronting the unknown, something so far beyond our understanding that the danger is incalculable. Whichever the case, you can’t expect Frye to reason and behave like an ordinary man. Whatever he may be, he’s most definitely not ordinary.”
Tony stared at her for a moment, then wearily wiped one hand across his face. “You’re right.”
“So are you positive we weren’t followed here?”
“Well … I didn’t look for a tail,” Tony said. “It never occurred to me.”
“Me either. Until just now. So as far as we know, he might be outside, watching the apartment, right this very minute.”
That idea disturbed Tony. He stood up. “But he’d have to be pretty damned bold to pull a stunt like that.”
“He is bold!”
Tony nodded. “Yeah. You’re right again.” He stood for a moment, thinking, then walked out of the kitchen.
She followed him. “Where are you going?”
He crossed the living room toward the front door. “You stay here while I have a look around.”
“Not a chance,” Hilary said firmly. “I’m coming along with you.”
He stopped with his hand on the door. “If Frye is out there, keeping a watch on us, you’ll be a whole lot safer staying here.”
“But what if I wait for you–and then it’s not you who comes back?”
“It’s broad daylight out there,” Tony said. “Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
“Violence isn’t restricted to darkness,” Hilary said. “People get killed in broad daylight all the time. You’re a policeman. You know that.”
“I have my service revolver. I can take care of myself.”
She shook her head. She was adamant. “I’m not going to sit here biting my nails. Let’s go.”
Outside, they stood by the balcony railing and looked down at the vehicles in the apartment complex parking lot. There were not many of them at that time of day. Most people had gone to work more than an hour ago. In addition to the blue Jeep that belonged to Tony, there were seven cars. Bright sunshine sparkled on the chrome and transformed some of the windshields into mirrors.
“I think I recognize all of them,” Tony said. “They belong to people who live here.”
“Positive?”
“Not entirely.”
“See anybody in any of them?”
He squinted. “I can’t tell with the sun shining on the glass.”
“Let’s take a closer look,” she said.
Down in the parking area, they found the cars were empty. There wasn’t anyone hanging around who didn’t belong.
“Of course,” Tony said, “even as bold as he is, it’s not likely that he’d stand a watch right on our doorstep. And since there’s only one driveway in and out of these apartments, he could keep an eye on us from a distance.”
They walked out of the walled complex, onto the sidewalk, and looked north, then south along the tree-shaded street. It was a neighborhood of garden apartments and townhouses and condominiums, nearly all of which lacked adequate parking; therefore, even at that hour of a weekday morning, a lot of cars were lined up along both curbs.
“You want to check them out?” Hilary asked.
“It’s a waste of time. If he has binoculars, he’ll be able to watch this driveway from four blocks away. We’d have to walk four blocks in each direction, and even then, he could just pull out and drive away.”
“But if he does, then we’ll spot him. We won’t be able to stop him, of course, but at least we’ll know for sure that he followed us. And we’ll know what he’s driving.”
“Not if he’s two or three blocks from us when he splits,” Tony said. “We wouldn’t be close enough to be sure it was him. And he might just get out of his car and take a walk, then come back after we’ve gone.”
To Hilary, the air seemed leaden; she found it somewhat taxing to draw a deep breath. The day was going to be very hot, especially for the end of September; and it would be a humid day, too, especially for Los Angeles, where the air was nearly always dry. The sky was high and clear and gas flame-blue. Already, wriggling ghost snakes of heat were rising from the pavement. High-pitched, musical laughter sailed on the light breeze; children were playing in the swimming pool at the townhouse development across the street.