The evening had come on fast and strong, and the sky was darker than Nova had remembered it being in D.C. It had only been a year since he left, but something about the town felt different. Everybody was tenser. Angier. Or maybe that was just his imagination.
They had parked on a street lined with elm trees, and Nova cut through a park that was thankfully deserted this time of night. He knew he needed to be careful because police often kept their eye on parks like these at night. And if a cop were to stop him, what would he find? A big guy armed to the teeth carrying a quadcopter. They probably could have launched it from where they had parked, but Nova wanted to check out the motel across the highway first.
It was where they’d tracked the signal. Whoever was watching Holly’s family was stationed in one of those rooms.
Earlier, James had returned to Holly’s mother’s house with some kind of high-tech RF detector. James did a quick sweep of the block, searching for any abnormal radio frequencies, and almost immediately found the source. A tiny camera was placed across the street from Holly’s mother’s house, positioned near the top of a telephone pole. James also determined a tracking device had been placed on Holly’s mother’s car.
Whether any cameras had been set up inside the house itself was difficult for James to tell, and the only way he could know for sure was to enter the premises and do a sweep. Which presented a few obstacles, the first being it didn’t appear like Holly’s mother was ready to leave the house any time soon, and second, assuming there were cameras inside and they managed to enter without the camera out front spotting them, that would alert the people watching the family, which was the last thing they wanted right now. So far the element of surprise was on their side, and Nova wanted to keep it that way.
James then took the RF detector over to Holly’s sister’s house and determined a camera was placed there, too—this one on a light post half a block away. Tracking devices were on the two cars in the driveway as well.
Which made sense, once Nova thought about it—set up devices to watch and track their prey, and sit back and wait for the signal to attack if need be. Otherwise, idling vehicles would go easily noticed, just as they’d determined when they first considered staking out the houses.
Nova had his earpiece in and whispered, “Let me know when.”
The disposable phone vibrated with a text message from James through the Signal app.
Go.
Nova set the quadcopter on a picnic table and stood back.
“It’s all set.”
The propellers started spinning at once. The quadcopter lifted, hovered for a beat, and then continued higher into the air.
James was controlling the quadcopter from the car. Nova had seen the setup, an iPad with a controller. It seemed too simple, but the way James explained it via texting, the quadcopter had an infrared camera attached and would be able to sense heat signatures inside the motel. James had already determined where he believed the signals from the cameras and tracking devices went—a room on the second floor—but they wanted to make sure the room was occupied. Because if it was occupied, there was a good chance the entire team was inside.
The phone in Nova’s hand vibrated with an incoming call. It was Atticus.
He said, “I see it on my end. Are you still in the park?”
Wherever Atticus was located, he was watching the same thing James saw from the iPad as the quadcopter flew over the highway toward the motel.
Despite the park being deserted, Nova still found himself whispering.
“Yes.”
“Where’s Erik?”
“He’s keeping an eye on the sister’s place.”
Atticus was quiet for a beat.
“I trust him.”
Nova merely grunted.
“I understand we don’t know much about him, Nova. But I did a quick background check. He’s clean. And Holly obviously trusted him enough to give him my number.”
Nova grunted again.
“Don’t be jealous, Nova.”
Heat rose to Nova’s face.
“What do I have to be jealous of?”
“Never mind. I—wait, I think I see something.”
Across the highway, the quadcopter started to dip down toward the motel. It was one of those shady motels. Probably less than a hundred bucks a night for a room that was rarely cleaned. Obviously they wouldn’t want to put themselves up in too nice of a place. The good hotels had cameras on every floor, had security, while with cheap motels like this you were lucky if the locks on the doors actually worked.
Atticus spoke quietly in Nova’s ear.
“It looks to be four.”
“Level of confidence?”
Before Atticus could answer, the motel room door opened. The quadcopter shot up in the air, out of view of the two men stepping out onto the walkway. They lit cigarettes and stood at the railing.
Nova realized he was holding his breath. He slowly let it out. Watching the two men smoke on the second-floor walkway. The quadcopter hovering several yards above their heads, just out of their line of sight. Nova figured the sound of traffic on the highway drowned out the quadcopter’s spinning blades.
Atticus didn’t speak, and neither did Nova. They waited. After another minute, both men flicked away their cigarettes and headed back into the room. A moment later, the quadcopter looped around in front of the motel door, hovered there for a beat, and then started back across the highway.
Atticus finally answered.
“Confidence level is high.”
That was good enough for Nova. Wherever Atticus was, he had the technology to determine there were four people inside the room—two of which they had just seen.
Nova asked, “Any luck yet?”
The defeat in Atticus’s voice was sharp.
“None so far. It’s like she disappeared off the grid.”
“How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, Nova, but I’m searching. It would be easier if I had James here with me, too—he’s much more proficient with this kind of stuff—but I believe the team is better served having him with you right now.”
Nova had to agree. Especially because without James it would only be Nova and Erik, and Nova still wasn’t sure he trusted the kid.
The quadcopter floated over the trees, dipped down, and landed back on the picnic table from where it had launched.
Nova said, “I wish we could take them out right now.”
Atticus sighed on his end.
“I know. But unfortunately that isn’t an option at the present time. The moment you take out those men, Holly’s life is over. Right now I believe it’s best you don’t make a move until you have no other choice. As long as Holly is still valuable to these people, they won’t move on her family.”
Nova picked up the quadcopter and started back through the park toward the car.
“That’s not what I’m worried about right now.”
Atticus was quiet for a beat.
“What are you worried about?”
“The team packing up and leaving. Maybe grabbing the cameras and tracking devices before they disappear, just to make sure there’s no trace, but still they disappear. Because you know what it means if that happens.”
Another sigh on Atticus’s end, this one much more despondent.
“I do, Nova. It means Holly is dead. But look on the bright side.”
The car was up ahead. James stepped out and went to the trunk so they could put away the quadcopter.
Nova said, “What’s that?”
“They haven’t packed up and left yet.”