He called Vikki Hill on his way to Publix. “Hey. We might have a complication. Letty just called me from Publix. She thinks she saw Rooney. He was stalking her. I’m going there right now.”

“Aw, shit,” Agent Hill moaned. “How does she know it’s him?”

“Not sure. But she texted me some pictures she took, and although he’s got a ball cap pulled down over his face, the build and profile fit. It looks like this could be our guy.”

“You want backup?” she asked. “That store’s just a mile from here, right?”

He hesitated. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. See you there.”

“Letty, I don’t wanna stay here,” Maya whined. “I want my goldfish crackers. And my sticker book.”

They’d been in the bathroom for ten minutes. They’d washed their hands, watched a cartoon on Letty’s phone, and sung “Let It Go” twice. Letty was tired of hiding in a locked bathroom stall, and she was tired of being afraid, and she was tired of listening to bathroom noises.

“Okay, ladybug,” she said. “Let’s go.”

She was placing Maya back in the shopping cart when her phone dinged with a text from Joe.

Here.

She texted back. We’re right inside the front doors.

Letty scanned the front of the store, but didn’t spot any tall men dressed all in black.

Joe sprinted through the door. “Is he still here?”

“Not up front,” Letty reported.

A moment later, Vikki Hill joined them. “Any sign of him?”

“Not up here,” Letty said.

“Let’s split up,” Joe said. “You take the right side of the store, I’ll take the left.”

“I’ll go with Vikki,” Letty said.

The agent gave Maya a tentative smile. “Hey there. I’m Vikki.”

Maya ducked her head. “I’m not s’posed to talk to strangers.”

“Exactly right,” Vikki Hill said. “Do not talk to strangers. Ever.”

They were rolling at a fast clip through the frozen food aisle, then past the wine and beer, then the pharmacy, dodging senior citizens who were perusing lists on their phones or just chatting in the middle of the aisles.

“Jesus! Aisle cloggers are the worst,” Hill said under her breath.

“It’s the coupon clippers who drive me nuts,” Letty said.

“And don’t get me started on people writing checks. Who does that? You see him anywhere?” Vikki asked.

“I think he’s gone,” Letty said. “I’m so pissed at myself for hiding out in the bathroom like some chickenshit. I should have at least tried to follow him out to the parking lot to see what he was driving.”

“With a little kid in your cart? No. You did the right thing.” Hill pointed at Joe, who was standing in front of the customer service counter, chatting with a man in a short-sleeved dress shirt and tie and Publix name badge.