While in the car, they formed a plan. Brenda would be in the way, so they cuffed her to the steering wheel and headed up to the penthouse. Mike didn’t like going in without backup and he wasn’t sure he should let Henry go in with a gun, but he knew that the captain wanted the killer and that was the priority.
“Mike, I’ll start by picking the lock and then you bust in.”
Mike reached out and twisted the knob, it was open.
“Or, we could try your way.”
Mike gave Henry a wink, drew his weapon and entered the hallway. It was dark and the only sound was from a radio somewhere back in the back. Henry had his gun out, too. The main room was clear, they spread out, Henry went to the right and Mike the left. Nobody was in the kitchen and Mike returned to find Henry coming back in from the balcony. All the rooms seemed empty, except the one with the radio, and they stood on either side of the open door. A single light from the desk was all that was on.
With a nod from Henry, Mike took the lead and burst into the room. It was empty.
“Damn,” Mike said.
“He must be out.”
“We could wait, what do you think?”
“Maybe, but my gut says, we’ve missed him.”
“Why do you say that?”
The phone rang and Mike almost shot it. He looked at Henry, who turned off the radio. Henry slowly walked over and picked up the receiver. He didn’t say anything.
“I saw this move coming from a mile away. Did you really think you could catch me at home?”
“Major, It has been a long time.”
“You think you know me? You think you’re smarter than me?”
“I think you need to stop playing games, stop the killing, this is between you and me.”
“I make the rules. Did you get the package?”
“Yes, but I’ve not looked inside. I assumed it is booby trapped.”
“It isn’t.”
“The clock is ticking. You now have four hours left to find the next tile and save another life.”
“Why don’t you,” Henry started to say, but stopped when he heard the major hang up.
Mike put his gun away, “Well, at least we know who the killer is, so that is something.”
Henry didn’t think it was much of a consolation prize. They spent some time looking around for anything that might have a connection to any of the murders. As Henry suspected, they came up empty. They headed back downstairs and they were both surprised when they found Mike’s car no longer contained Brenda.
Mike, cussing most of the way back to the precinct, under his breath, he and Henry pulled the Captain aside and brought him up to speed. Mike expected to be dressed down at losing Brenda, but the Captain didn’t seem very concerned. He told them to go back to Henry’s and check the package, he would meet them there later.
As they walked out of the building, Mike was still fuming, he felt like everyone was watching and he hated not knowing if there was a leak. Henry hadn’t said much and was sick of the games. He was worn down and wondered if the major had succeeded in breaking him. He wished he knew where Celine, Bobby and Carol, were hiding. He missed Buttons, too.