“Maybe,” Newsom said, turning around and heading across the narrow porch to the steps.

Espinosa couldn’t resist a parting shot. “Don’t be foolish and try staying in the house. You could freeze, and with gas, you never know. Carbon monoxide,” he said dramatically. He slammed the door shut and raced to the laundry room.

“Does she suspect something?” Jack demanded.

“Hell, yeah, she suspects something. Suspicion was flooding out of her pores. I’m going out through the garage. I’ll back in the back end of the Range Rover. You guys jump in and we’re outta here. I’m thinking that staying in town is not a good idea. I’ll head out to the highway and stop at the first rest stop I find. Ted, work that GPS. Maybe we should take our chances and head back to the District.”

“Temperature is dropping,” Ted said. “This crap on the ground is going to ice up real fast.”

“Stop at the guard hut,” Harry said.

Espinosa obliged.

Minutes later, keys in hand, Harry entered the guardhouse and woke up the guard. “Listen to me, sir.”

The guard jerked upright. “I’m listening, young man,” he said groggily.

Harry felt momentarily flattered at being called a young man. “I want you to pay attention to what I’m saying. I am not going to tell anyone you sleep on the job. Your secret is safe with me.”

The guard shook his head. “Oh, thank you. I guess I was just exhausted. I swear to you, I have never, ever slept on the job.”

“I believe you. The weather does strange things to people. Now, the second thing is, I was never here, okay?”

“You were never here. Right.”

“If you say I was here, I will come back, pull your brain down through your nose, then send it back to your head through your ears. Clearly, your brain will be scrambled. When I leave here, I want to leave knowing you and I have a clear understanding. Do we, sir?”

“You betcha we do, young fella. You were never here. I will never, ever sleep on the job again, and my brain will remain intact.”

Harry reached over and patted the guard’s cheek. He smiled. “You have a nice night now, you hear?”

“You betcha, young fella.”

“Business has been taken care of, gentlemen. We can now leave this snowy paradise,” Harry said, jumping back into the Rover. “Quickly, because I can see headlights back in the distance.”

Espinosa did his best to burn rubber.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Something is wrong,” Yoko whispered to Nikki, who was sitting next to her. “Watch Charles. Whatever he’s hearing is not good for us. Harry has not called. Did you hear from Jack? Alexis said Joseph has not called her either. I just checked the weather, and they are driving into the storm. We should have heard something by now, don’t you think?”