Aidan held out his phone. „Instant messaged him. I IM’d Abe also, but he’s out of the service area. I was just on the nurses’ phone to Spinnelli, to let him know what had happened. He’s got a team working these threats, Kristen. They’ll catch whoever hurt Dad and your friend.“

„It’s Conti,“ she said grimly. „I know it.“

„So do I. But Abe’s right. Until we get hard evidence, knowing it means nothing.“

Kristen looked over her shoulder at Owen, sitting alone. „I need to go back to him.“

„I’ll wait for you over here. We can stay as long as you need to.“

She found a smile and tentatively touched his arm. „Thanks. I mean it.“

Aidan’s cheeks darkened. „It’s okay. Go to your friend.“

„Is the girl all right?“ Owen asked when she’d rejoined him.

„Yes.“ He slumped back in his chair, relieved.

„Good. She seemed like a nice little girl.“

„Owen, I’m sorry. I should have warned you and Vincent. I feel responsible for this.“

His lips tightened. „You’ve been threatened, too?“

„Sunday night a man broke into my house.“ Owen paled and grabbed her hand. „It’s okay,“ she said. „I’m fine. Abe scared him away. But the man said that if I didn’t turn over the vigilante, then everyone I cared about would die. I should have warned you. I’m sorry.“

„You could have been killed,“ he said thinly. „Dear God. Who else have they hurt?“

„They threatened my mother.“

Owen’s face registered surprise. „I assumed your parents were dead.“

„My mother’s got Alzheimer’s. She… she doesn’t know me anymore. I visit as often as I can, but my dad won’t let me move her here. They didn’t hurt her. Just a threat.“

„Who else, Kristen? Who else have they hurt?“

„Abe’s dad. They beat him, too, just like Vincent.“ Her lips trembled and she pursed them severely. „He was okay, though. Poor Vincent.“

Owen took her chin in his hand. „You didn’t cause this, Kristen.“ Kristen said nothing and he rolled his eyes. „You don’t need to be hanging around the hospital. I’ll call you when Vincent comes out of surgery. Go back to your young man. He’s waiting for you.“

Kristen looked at Aidan who stood leaning against the wall, quietly watching. „That’s not Abe. That’s his brother, Aidan. Abe asked him to keep an eye out for me today.“

Owen took a long, measuring look at Aidan before nodding his approval. „The family has accepted you then. Good. Vincent and I have often worried about you, having no family, always hanging around two old men like us.“

Kristen squeezed Owen’s hands. „Don’t be worrying about me. I’m not a minute out of anyone’s sight.“ She grimaced, just a little. „It’s starting to do a number on my nerves, never being alone. But it shouldn’t be much longer. Look, I know Aidan has to get to work, so I’m going to have him take me home now. I’ll ask him to get someone to see you home.“

Owen smiled paternally. „That’s not necessary. I’ll see myself home.“

Kristen sighed. „Please think about it, Owen. You could be in as much danger as Vincent.“ As one they looked at the doors to surgery, but they remained closed. „You’ll call me as soon as he’s out of surgery?“

„You have my word.“

Wednesday, February 25,

3:55 p.m.

Abe crouched behind the cruiser. „It doesn’t look like anyone’s home.“ They’d found the old Worth property and on it a small shack. A stovepipe came through the roof, but there was no smoke. They’d been watching for twenty minutes and had seen not a hint of movement.

„Let’s go in,“ Mia said evenly and Abe realized it was their first ‘going in’ together.

„I’ll go first,“ he said. „You take my back.“

„There’s less of me to be a target,“ Mia protested. „With Ray I always went first.“

Abe glanced down at her, mildly perturbed. „I’m not Ray.“

„Flip a damn coin, people,“ Jack said irritably from his position behind a second cruiser. „I’d love to have some daylight to search the place since I’m sure this humble abode doesn’t have any electricity.“

„He’s right,“ Abe said. „Watch my back. Please.“ Abe moved out from behind the cruiser, weapon drawn, conscious that a sniper might be hiding anywhere on the property. He was wearing full tactical gear, but there was vulnerability on any initial approach, this one more than others with its thick tree growth to provide cover to a shooter. He edged toward the front porch, gingerly testing the floorboards before putting his weight on the first step.

„Watch my back,“ Mia muttered behind him, but she did as he asked. Nimbly she followed him up the stairs and they each took position on either side of the wooden door.

„Police!“ Abe said loudly. „Open up.“

Dead silence. He tried the doorknob and it easily twisted.

„Unlocked,“ Mia murmured, following him in. „Nobody’s been here in a long time.“

„You’re right.“ He moved to the doorway and motioned Jack and the others to come. „We’re clear!“ he shouted, then turned back to survey the shack’s single-room interior. „He doesn’t live here, that’s for damn certain.“

„And there’s no cement floor like in the Polaroids, so he did his killing somewhere else.“ Mia opened a cabinet over a dry sink. „No running water, but here’s a few cans of beans and a bar of soap.“ She took out a bar of soap and held it up to the light. „My grandmother had soap like this. It’s an antique.“

„What’s an antique?“ Jack asked from the doorway.

„Everything.“ Mia blew out a frustrated sigh. „I was so sure we had something.“

„Patience isn’t one of her virtues, is it?“ Abe asked Jack.

Jack grinned. „Took you this long to figure that out? Hell of a detective you are.“

Grinning back, Abe walked around the interior perimeter of the shack. „Somebody was here recently,“ he said and held up a newspaper. „It’s dated December 28 of this past year.“

„And lookee here.“ Mia bent over, then straightened, holding a bullet in her gloved hand. „It’s clean as a whistle. Two intertwined W’s, just like the others. W for Worth.“

„Then it couldn’t have been here long.“ Jack nudged a chair with his toe. „The cobwebs have cobwebs.“

„He didn’t use this place as a resort.“ Abe opened the back door and looked at the grounds beyond. „You were right, Mia. He’s got himself a regular target range.“ He set out in the snow, still looking side to side, watching for any movement. He reached the makeshift moving target, a wire strung between two trees on which was suspended a piece of plywood the size of a door, covered with the familiar paper cutout of a man. Holes were clustered in the forehead and over the heart. Not a stray shot could be seen. „There’s a battery-operated clip to move the target, watertight. Four speeds.“

Mia walked around the target. „No bullets or footprints visible. Last time we had snow was a week ago, so he hasn’t been here since then.“

„Mia! Abe!“ Jack stood in the back doorway waving. „Come and see.“ He held two picture frames in his hand. „We found these in that box beside the cot.“

One was a family portrait – a father, a mother, and two sons. „Looks like early 1930’s by the clothing,“ Mia said. „Could be the Worths.“

„We’ll take the photos out of the frames back at the lab,“ Jack said. „Maybe there’s something written on the back. Look at this snapshot. It’s the oldest son, ten years or so later, in uniform, with a girl on his arm.“

„He’s Navy,“ Abe said. „Genny O’Reilly and Hank Worth just before he went to war?“

„Could be. I’m also wondering about the younger son. Mr. James didn’t mention him.“ Mia looked around. „You guys find anything else?“

The CSU man with the spotlight shook his head and switched off the light. „No. I’ve got the soap and the cans. We’ll print them back at the lab. We can set up some spotlights and try for some more prints on the walls and furniture, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.“