Swirling with those decisions was the reality that they might not be moving any items immediately as originally planned. She decided she needed to pack a large suitcase with clothing and personal items for all four of them that she’d bring back with her on the plane if she had to fly out with her mom before the others wrapped up the case. She’d only brought five outfits for each of them to Illinois. If Elijah started school before Rich got back with the U-Haul, that wouldn’t be enough clothes for him.
When the pizza arrived, Burke directed Donna to accept it from the driver. The three men stayed in the kitchen area and out of view of the front door. If Leo Davis was nearby, Donna was the only person they wanted him to see inside the house. Her eyes swept the parking lot as she took the boxes from the delivery guy. The Camaro SS was not in sight.
“I wonder if he came to my door while we were away,” she said as she set the boxes onto the kitchen counter beside the paper plates.
“If he doesn’t show up here tonight, we’ll go looking for him tomorrow. Worst case, Shepherd gets his location from IAB, and we make contact with him,” Wilson said.
“Have you ever done anything like this?” Donna asked.
All three men grinned and nodded.
“Don’t worry, Donna. We’ve got this,” Burke said.
***
When Donna woke the next morning, she was alone in her bed. She and Rich had not made love the prior evening, and she’d slept in her pajamas. She changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater before exiting her bedroom. Rich, Jimmy, and Mike sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee.
“Good morning,” she greeted them as she entered the kitchen. “Hope you saved me a cup.”
“I just made a fresh pot,” Burke said.
After she got herself a cup, she went to the window and glanced out. The black Camaro SS sat parked at the far end of the lot.“He’s out there,” she said. “The black Camaro SS with the tinted windows.”
“Yes, we ran the plates, and they came back as an unmarked car of the Richmond PD,” Wilson said.
“Have your coffee,” Burke said. “We’ll engage him after you’re done with it.”
“What do you mean, engage?” Donna asked.
“Invite the detective to play,” Wilson said with a grin.
“I hope he comes to the door on his own rather than me having to go out to him,” Burke said. “But we’ll do whatever we have to do to get this going today.”
“If he comes to the door, invite him in and then we need you to go to your room and stay out of sight. And we’ll take it from there,” Wilson said.
“Just remember, like we talked about, whatever we do or say at any point, you have to go along with us. No questions, no arguments, especially in front of Davis,” Burke said.
“I understand,” Donna promised. Her determined stare met Rich’s. “I’m no longer afraid of him. I’m as outraged as Laura Lee that our father was named as possibly covering for a drug ring. He wasn’t. He was a good cop,” she insisted.
Burke wrapped his arms around her. “And that’s what we intend to prove.”
***
A half-hour later, with the three men in the living room area, they had Donna open the curtains on the kitchen window. The kitchen light was left on so that from the outside, she could easily be seen in the kitchen, where she washed dishes. When after fifteen minutes Davis had not approached the apartment, they sent Donna out to her car to get something, so she’d be clearly seen.
She grabbed her keys and put on her bravest face before she exited into the cool morning air. She walked with purpose, keeping her eyes focused on her minivan, resisting the urge to glance around the area. She leaned into the vehicle to grab a bag she knew was in there. Upon pulling herself back to a standing position, she bumped into someone. She let out a startled scream, seeing Leo Davis right beside her.
“Jeez! Where’d you come from?” she gasped, taking a step back from him.
He chuckled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Oh my God! Well, you did,” she stammered. For a second, she forgot that the three men waited inside her apartment for him.
Then she remembered.
Surely, if she looked as though she was in trouble, they would come out and get him, but she knew that was not what they wanted. She had to get him into her apartment. She took a step around him and wrapped her arms in front of herself. “It’s cold out here. Come inside with me.”
She led him back to the door of her apartment.
