Mathers’s phone beeped. He caught Windermere’s eye across the lounge. “County police in northeast Delaware got a call about shots fired just south of the state line,” he read. “Couple cars in a Jiffy Lube parking lot, screaming and the like. Cruiser checked it out, found an abandoned Nissan, some spent shell casings, nobody around.”
Windermere and Stevens looked at each other. They were sitting in an empty corner of McCarran Airport, waiting to board a late flight to Charlotte. Outside the windows, the sun was just disappearing behind the Spring Mountains, rendering the casinos on the Strip a dramatic silhouette. Windermere frowned. “Okay,” she said. “So what does this have to do with us, Derek?”
Mathers scrolled down on his BlackBerry. “The Nissan was a rental,” he said. “Checked out from the Alamo desk at Philadelphia International this morning. Registered to one David Gilmour.”
Stevens felt his stomach flip. “Shit.”
“Guy called it in from an Exxon across the street. Said he heard a woman screaming, sounded like she was dying. Saw another car peel out, a muscle car, black.” Mathers looked at Windermere. “Word from Philadelphia is O’Brien kept a late-model Ford Mustang parked at his apartment, a—”
“Black Mustang.” Windermere swore. “I get it, Derek. Gilmour broke into O’Brien’s pad. O’Brien escaped, and Gilmour chased him down. Caught up off the interstate just across the state line to much shooting and gnashing of teeth.”
“The woman,” said Stevens. “Who is she?”
Mathers shrugged. “Could be an innocent bystander. Maybe another Killswitch killer. Or maybe one of the boys just got lonely.”
Windermere stood. Walked to the window and stared out at the planes on the tarmac. “Christ,” she said.
“You still thinking we should be headed for Charlotte?”
Windermere turned back from the window. Didn’t answer. She looked at Stevens for a long time. Then she looked at Mathers and sighed. “Switch your ticket,” she said. “Head to Philly. I’ll take Stevens to North Carolina.”
Mathers stood. “Damn right.”
Windermere watched him hurry away. Then she turned to Stevens. “I really hope you’re right, partner.”