“Something else fits,” Jamil said from his desk.His grave tone was unsettling.“Crewes is from L.A.Her address is on the same street as Ms.Hunt’s home.”
Hannah stood up straight as the shock of his words took hold.She was still processing what he’d said when Kat turned to her.
“That’s why she picked Crewes,” she said.“Ash Pierce assumed her identity so she could get into her home without raising any suspicion.They look remarkably alike.She’s driving Crewes’s car.She’s got her ID.No one would bat an eye if she passed through the neighborhood to her home.And for the last four days, she been right down the street from Jessie and Ryan, able to surveil their every move.She’s probably there right now.”
“What do we do?”Hannah asked.
Kat looked at Jamil.“Is Captain Parker still here?”
“I think she left for the day.”
“Call her anyway,” Kat told him.“She needs to mobilize a SWAT unit and send them to Crewes’s house.If Ash Pierce is there, she’ll have taken security precautions, maybe even booby-trapped the home.And she’ll be armed and dangerous.This is way more than a patrol unit can handle on its own.I need to convey the seriousness of this to her personally.”
Hannah was on board with all of that.
“While you do that, I’m going to call Jessie and Ryan and warn them.”
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
“Still no answer?”Kat asked, getting concerned.
“No, I keep getting voicemail for both Jessie and Ryan,” Hannah said.She sounded as worried as Kat felt.
They were pulling onto Jessie’s street, which still looked normal.That was by design.Captain Parker had agreed to Kat’s plan to send in SWAT, but because of the former CIA assassin’s training, they were taking extra precautions setting up.The armored SWAT vehicle was one street over, waiting for the go-ahead from the plainclothes team members.
Two of them were wearing jogging clothes and casually running down the block in front of Crewes’s house, getting the lay of the land.An unmarked van was halfway down the street, where a surveillance team was setting up infrared cameras and long-range microphones to capture what was happening in the home.
“Can we just park here?”Hannah asked as Kat pulled into a spot one house down from Jessie’s.“Aren’t we in the way?”
“I don’t care,” Kat said.“We’ve been through too much to listen in on this from the station.I want to see them take this woman down, whether it be in cuffs or a body bag.”
Hannah looked about to reply when her phone rang.She held it up.It was Jessie.She answered the call but before she could speak, her sister jumped in.
“Do they have her?”Jessie asked.
“Not yet,” Hannah answered.“SWAT is setting up a perimeter.We’re watching from down the street, near your place.”
“Where were you?”Kat interrupted.“When we couldn’t reach you, we started to get worried.”
“I was in the hospital.My partner on this case got tased by the suspect.I guess I missed your call in all the hubbub.But he just got the all clear to be discharged and I’m on my way home.I should be there in a few minutes.”
“Is Ryan with you?”Hannah asked.“We couldn’t reach him either.”
“No, he’s back home already.But he said he was going to take a nap so he might have turned his ringer off.”
“So, we shouldn’t go inside the house then?”Hannah asked.
“No, you can.Just be quiet in case he’s zonked out.If you see the bedroom door closed, just leave it be until I get there.But if he’s awake, definitely fill him in on everything right away.”
“That’s probably a better plan anyway,” Kat said, realizing how exposed they were.“We really shouldn’t be sitting out here on the street.You never know if Pierce is in the window, scanning the neighborhood.”
“Good point,” Jessie said.“See you soon.”
After they hung up, Kat started to get out of the car.But Hannah suddenly grabbed her arm.
“Wait, if she’s watching from Crewes’s window and sees us go in the house, won’t that alert her?”
Kat hadn’t thought of that.But after a moment’s reflection, she came to a different conclusion.
