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After a steak dinner at a bar that doubled as a restaurant, Maddock and Bones made their way back to the hotel, both men remaining aware and on their toes.
He’d given his cell number to Brenda, in case she saw anything going on at the farm. The motion detector and camera mounted outside the barn were still set up, but a live set of eyes, even if at a distance, couldn’t hurt.
However, at the moment, her eyes weren’t of concern.
He didn’t have to say anything. Bones knew it too. Someone was watching, if not following them. There were too many people going in and out of the ice cream parlor and coffee shop, and the teenagers out walking and cruising in their trucks, to narrow any suspects down before they reached the hotel.
They passed by the old brick hotel and made their way to the end of the street to cross at the light. Maddock put in two quarters to get a local paper from a machine in front of a closed barber shop while Bones pretended to answer a call on his cell.
Bones caught sight of one of the young men they had the run in with, one of Don Murphy’s sons. The young man was standing with one foot on a bench, smoking a cigarette and talking to a heavy-set girl wearing a scruffy T-shirt and patched jeans. Bones made eye contact and the young man quickly looked away.
“It’s one of those boys we ran into,” he told Maddock. “Bobby.”
Maddock tucked the newspaper under his arm. “No reason farmers can’t visit more than one town in the area.”
Bones nodded agreement. “Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll move the rental to another lot.”
“Good idea,” Maddock said, like Bones, figuring ways to head-off pointless trouble. “I’ll get us a different room, under another name.”
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At 3:32 am, Maddock stirred awake. A shadow’s movement outside the window did it. Bones was already sitting. A sliver of light from a nearby street light made its way between the drawn curtains that led to the balcony. That, and the alarm clock’s glow, made Bones visible in the otherwise inky darkness.
Bones held a finger to his lips, encouraging Maddock’s silence.
An unnecessary gesture in Maddock’s estimation. That meant something had Bones spooked.
Two sets of footsteps sounded in the hallway. Maddock also heard the scrape of metal on metal and a muffled word or two from outside, to the left of their balcony.
In unison the two men slipped on their pants and boots, and their holstered pistols. Maddock, his Walther, and Bones, his Glock. Maddock silently moved toward the balcony’s sliding door while Bones crept to their room’s entry door.
A cell phone’s ding broke the silence. Someone had just received a text. The sound of breaking glass followed.
When Bones heard the door to the room he and Maddock formerly occupied open, he opened his door and slid out into the hallway. At the same time Maddock stepped out onto the cement balcony just in time to see a man enter their former room. The balcony along the rear of the hotel overlooked the parking lot and small park beyond. A three-foot railing made of wrought-iron enclosed each of the balconies.
Maddock stepped over the railing and leaped the eight feet toward the next-door balcony. As soon as his foot found purchase he stepped over the railing and crouched low, before looking into the dark room.
Someone holding a flashlight gave muffled orders. “Check the bathroom. Pull that door closed.”
Maddock recognized the voice. Bobby the farmhand, one of Don Murphy’s sons.
Someone responded to Bobby’s order to get the door, but not fast enough. Bones dropped the intruder with an open-palm strike to the face, breaking the man’s nose. Before Bobby could train his flashlight on Bones, Maddock rushed in and knocked it from Bobby’s hand, and wrapped him in a choke hold.
Someone between the beds stood momentarily confused and earned a kick to the stomach. Bones didn’t bother to stop and admire his handiwork. Instead he surprised the final intruder exiting the bathroom. A punch to the face sent him stumbling back into the bathtub, lapsing into unconsciousness.
Bobby struggled to loosen Maddock’s grip to no avail. He still smelled of stale sweat and cigarettes. Maddock whispered into the farmhand’s ear, “Care to explain what you’re up to?” Maddock loosened his choke hold so the young man could speak.
“Just doin’ what we’re told.”
The dark figure of Bones loomed up in front of Maddock and his captive.
“Which is?”
“Scare a couple of outsiders. Get them to leave—hey, you’re them!”
It wasn’t difficult for Bones and Maddock to guess who sent them.
“Nope. We’re your worst nightmare,” Bones said. “Nighty night.” A quick jab to the jaw knocked Bobby out.
Bones shut the door leading to the hallway and turned on the light while Maddock stepped over the broken glass and closed the balcony door’s curtains.
“This guy’s the assistant night clerk,” Bones said, pointing to the first man he’d taken down. He was skinny and in his mid-twenties. “One that gave us our first room. Must not have known we switched.”
“Going to take some serious dry cleaning to get the blood out of that white shirt,” Maddock said. Blood from the clerk’s nose was all over his shirt and staining the beige carpet. He picked up Bobby’s cell phone. It had a passcode.
Maddock tossed it to Bones.
Bones examined it and frowned. After wiping with a bed sheet to remove their fingerprints, he dropped it on the floor. “Hope he took the insurance option.” A quick stomp shattered the glass screen and internal components.
“Best to just leave them here.” Bones said. “Let them try to explain.”
Maddock nodded in agreement just before his cell phone began to vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket. “Brenda just texted. Someone’s over by the farmhouse. She’s going to check it out.”
Maddock texted her back. Don’t go over there. We’re on our way to check it out.
He waited for a second, then sent, Respond.
After a few seconds, both he and Bones went back to their room. While Bones finished dressing, Maddock tried calling Brenda. It went straight to voicemail. He didn’t bother leaving a message.
“Hurry up, Maddock,” Bones said, grabbing their packed duffel bags. “I’ll drive.”