They drank more wine—Eve could see it from the gestures. Chatting? Explaining what he wanted to the person he intended to kill in a matter of hours?
Setting the glasses down.
“Looks like the suspect’s posing the target.” Feeney glanced at Eve. “Target’s standing up.”
“Left hand on left hip? I can’t tell on the right. Just looks like it’s bent at the elbow. Not quite perfect, not quite. A little more this way, a little more that.”
“External alarms deactivated,” Roarke said.
“Mixing paints again. Peabody?”
“Yeah, that’s how it looks to me. Now he’s… I think he’s started painting.”
“Facing the target, turned to him—which puts his back to the studio door.”
“Cameras down.”
“All teams into positions. EDD members join after full shutdown. Into positions, and wait for the go. Peabody.”
“I’m with you.”
They climbed out, moved down the block.
A handful of people strolled along the sidewalks, taking in the clear September night. A few couples, hand in hand, a group of women laughing as they strolled by.
“If he looks out the window,” Peabody commented, “looks down, he’d spot us.”
“He won’t. He’s focused on the art now. But we’ll edge closer to the building. Then we’re just standing, out of the way of pedestrian traffic, having a conversation.”
“Team two in position.”
“Hold there.”
“Team three moving into position.”
“And hold there.”
“You know, they gutted another building for that garage.”
Peabody gave it a good study as they approached where Santiago and Carmichael waited for the go.
“Then what they did, took out the walls between the two buildings to expand the second and third floors. It’s kind of mag to notice that kind of thing now that I’ve been all the way through a major rehab.”
“Yeah? And it’s sure fascinating to hear about the possible rehab of the murdering bastard’s lair.”
“Just having a conversation, right?”
“Team four, in position.”
“Hold that position.”
“Scanners off. Locks disengaged. And… security system offline,” Roarke added with what came through clearly as satisfaction.
“EDD joining teams. You go, McNab,” Feeney said. “Slick work, Roarke. Slick and smooth.”
Though she’d learned to expect no less from him, Eve reminded herself not to take it for granted as she watched him move like a cat—slick and smooth—down the sidewalk.
“Team two, go. Secure garage, start clearing main level. Quick, quiet. Team three, go. Team four, you’re go when you have Feeney. Team one’s moving in.”
