Trevor Norwood read the text message with alarm. Then he convinced himself that she was making a sympathy call. After all, Jonathan Finch was renting a room from her. He texted that in reply.

The response was quick—

Companion has backpack.

Probably returning personal items. Were you spotted?

No. And plates clean.

Professionalism, Norwood thought. Use stolen license plates. There was no substitute for a good field operator.

He texted instructions—

Keep your eye on our new prize. Look for opportunity but don’t force it. We’ll cover here.

As the leader, Norwood tried to instill confidence in his teammates. But he was worried. The botched break-in at the Crestwater house had left them vulnerable. Yes, there was no substitute for a good field operative.

Chapter 21

“Are you going to confront him?” Jesse asked the question as he watched the vintage pickup turn at the next corner.

“Not until I need to.” Ethel kept her eyes on the Camry as it accelerated in the opposite direction. Then she bent down and looked under the Explorer.

“What are you searching for?”

“The reason he found us. No one followed us by sight. Of that, I’m sure.” She circled the vehicle, stopping every few feet to look under the chassis. When she returned to the driver’s side, she opened the door, but instead of climbing inside, she looked under the seat.

Jesse opened the front passenger door and did the same. “There’s a phone.”

Ethel held up a hand to silence him. She walked around the Explorer and motioned for Jesse to step aside. Carefully, she reached beneath the seat and extracted an iPhone. After a brief examination, she said, “It’s on but it’s not connected to a current call. He must be tracking it through a second phone. So, our conversations have been secure.”

“What are you going to do?”

“This.” She slid the phone into her coat pocket. “We’ll keep it and say nothing. Pete and Curt will know we know, and that will be enough for the moment. Now let’s get home so you can analyze what might be on that hard drive.”

As soon as they left the neighborhood, Ethel used her own phone to place a call using the hands-free speaker.

“Frank.”

“Yes, Ethel.” The detective sounded tired but not annoyed.

“You’re on speaker with Jesse and me. I need a favor.”

“Is this about the case?”

“It could be.”

“What is it, and what’s the context?”

“I need you to run a Virginia plate. QWR-5391. We just came from visiting Susan Finch, and the driver of a Toyota Camry with that tag acted a little strange as he drove by the house.”

Jesse wondered what Ethel had noticed that he had missed.

“Strange how?” Mancini asked.