She waited exactly five minutes, making sure the husband did not turn around because hed forgotten something. Night had almost totally fallen over the city now, but not quite. When she walked across the street, her shadow was stretched and fuzzy against the street lights. Insects flickered and dived around it, but she barely noticed. She was heading to the side of the house, where the small picket-fence style gate separated the back yard from the side yard. A tall line of shrubs also separated the McNeil house from the neighbors yard.

She knew the gate was busted, though. There was a lock, but it was mostly for decoration. She reached over the short gate, having to stand on the tips of her toes, and unlatched the lock. It swung open and granted her access to the back yard. Here, she pressed herself to the side of the house and inched to the porch. She took the steps slowly, knowing that the third one from the bottom creaked. Finally on the porch, she walked to very edge of the window that looked into the kitchen. She closed her eyes and listened and yes, sure enough, there it was. Cassie McNeil was a creature of habit, that was for sure. Shed cut on some 90s rock and had already brought the canvas and the paints out to the kitchen table. Shed been working on a seascape for the past few nights, the canvas held by a cheap, small easel that she placed on the kitchen table. Truth be told, it wasnt all that bad.

The current song playing was No Rain by Blind Melon. She watched Cassie McNeil paint for a moment. She was putting a bit of detail onto a gray cloud. Apparently, there was a storm out at sea.

As the song hit the second chorus, she looked away from the painting and started slowly inching herself towards the door.

She slowly took the knife out of the waist of her pants with her left hand as her right reached for the doorknob.

Yes, there was a storm coming for sure. Just not the sort Cassie McNeil was dreaming up less than fifteen feet away.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

I forgot that the fucking group was set to Private, Jack said. I cant get to the names anymore. I just messaged the admin, but their little status dot is telling me they arent online.

Didnt you have a hand-written list back at the station?

Yeah, I do, he said, pulling up the number to the station and placing the call. He set the phone on the console and set it to speaker mode. I just hope I didnt miss anything…

When the woman at the dispatch desk answered, Jack cut her off in the middle of her introduction.

This is Agent Rivers. I need someone to rush back to the desk my partner and I have been using and find a name for me.