“Patience, Seth,” Leetch said gleefully. “In walks this guy. Except, unlike Tyler, this guy is dressed in a suit and tie and his hair is all one color. But our Tara doesn’t forget a face or a name when the guy’s a real cutie. So after he checks in, Tara hustles over to see her friend at the check-in desk, wanting to know how long old Dennis is planning to stay. But guess what?”

“His name is not Dennis Tyler,” Cohen said, drawing Lopez’s wide-eyed attention.

“His name is not Dennis Tyler!” Leetch echoed enthusiastically. “The guy checking in claims to be Wayne Forbes from Illinois. But Tara knows Wayne and Dennis are the same person. Still, she doesn’t pry. People check in under aliases all the time. Tara even starts wondering if he might be a movie star or something. He was cute enough—”

“Is he still there?” Cohen interrupted.

“No. Wayne checked out early the next morning.”

“What do you know about Wayne Forbes?” Cohen asked.

“Well, if he’s the same Wayne Forbes the Illinois DMV thinks he is, then like Dennis Tyler, Wayne just awoke from about a two-year nap. And like Tyler, he’s run into trouble with some bad folks in his shady past.”

“And as of three days ago, he was in Philadelphia,” Cohen said slowly.

“According to Tara,” Leetch said.

Lopez drew Cohen’s attention by laying her hand on his. “Tyler is in Philadelphia?” she asked, her eyes afire.

Feeling the rush of another fresh trail and the warmth of her touch again, Cohen nodded. “Except he’s going by the name of Wayne Forbes.” He paused. “These days, all roads seem to lead to Philadelphia.”

48 - Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

48

Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Halfway through the day, Forbes realized that he’d budgeted too much of his limited time for preparation. Assuming the bungalow would have some kind of alarm system to overcome, he was surprised to discover that a flimsy deadbolt represented the extent of its security. The ease of access created a dilemma. Forbes had no idea when his target might return home and, intent on completing the contract within the narrow time frame he was allotted, he was not willing to chance missing the arrival. So, once the house and garage were prepared to his satisfaction, he settled into a chair in the kitchen and pulled out his book, Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons. Fascinated by the rituals of religion, he was drawn to books about Church intrigue long before the popularity of The Da Vinci Code. Settled in with a book and a full thermos of tea, he realized the afternoon was shaping up all right.