They watched as the colonel’s teams were dispatched to other areas of the grounds. When the older man turned back in their direction, Jake held up his phone. “We have a description of the RV the amusement company rented. We’re going to see if we can spot it.”
The colonel turned to look out over the sea of parked vehicles. “Locate and report back.”
Jake raised a hand to acknowledge the order. Aronson turned to head back up the hill before Cass had even disengaged the parking brake on the cart.
Over the piercing beep of the backup warning, she called to him, “You take the right side. I’ll take the left.”
They whizzed along the lane, heads turned away from one another as they scanned the packed lot. At last, Jake pointed. “Up ahead on the right.”
Cass let off the gas and they rolled to a near-silent stop two spots away from the vehicle. Jake gave Max the signal to stay as he climbed down from the seat. Cass elbowed him sharply, then pointed to the model badge on the driver’s side of the hood. A sleek chrome emblem proclaimed it to be an Enterprise.
Cass tipped her head to indicate she’d take a frontal approach. He gestured back, letting her know he’d circle from the rear and meet her at the door on the passenger side.
The coach’s dark paint job sparkled in the slanting afternoon sunlight. He noted two good-size bump-outs on the driver’s side. A matte-black ladder provided access to the roof from the rear of the vehicle. He placed a foot on the bottom rung and pulled himself up to check it. The vents, A/C unit and what appeared to be a satellite receiver were all camouflaged by the same matte-black finish. Moving slowly to keep from rocking the camper, he lowered himself back to the weedy gravel.
When he came around the corner, he found Cass waiting for him, eyebrows raised. “You wanna kick the tires, too?”
“If I wanted to hide, I’d catch some rays up there,” he explained in a harsh whisper.
She shook her head. “He’s not hiding. He’s gone. And he left the door wide open for us.”
Jake frowned and the hairs on the back of his neck rippled.
“Wide open?”
She stepped back and made a grand sweeping gesture toward the entrance to the RV. He grasped her arm and gently moved her behind him as he pulled his gun from its holster. “Let me go first.”
“The colonel said to report back,” she said.
“It’s clearly been abandoned.”
She rolled her eyes. “Brawn before brains.”
He reached back to his academy days for a comeback. “Never backtalk a guy with a Glock.”
At the edge of the door, he stopped and took a cautious peek around the edge. Then, leading with his weapon, he called into the camper, “Police! Come out with your hands in the air.”
There was no movement within. Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “Let me make sure we’re clear.”
“Oh, I insist,” she said, giving his back a gentle push with her fingertips.
Shaking his head at her ability to maintain her sass under all circumstances, he swung into the open doorway with gun extended. He took a step up into the camper, and Cass turned to press herself against the side.
“There may be a sleeper up front and bedroom in back.”
Jake didn’t answer. His focus was as locked and loaded as his weapon. He checked the high bunk over the captain’s chairs, then made his way to the rear to be sure no one lurked in the bedroom, closet or the tiny toilet.
“We’re clear.” He jerked his head for Cass to come in but made no move to holster his weapon.
Cass hopped up into the RV and stopped short when she saw the setup inside. The U-shaped dinette area was filled with computer monitors and peripherals. Each of the screens was divided into eight tiles. Each tile provided a live feed to various cameras placed throughout the midway and carnival games. The feed to the monitor on the far right appeared to be frozen.
Cocking his head to the side, Jake realized the camera seemed to be pointed at an angle of what appeared to be asphalt.
“Jake, look,” Cass said, sounding breathless as she pointed to a second monitor. Some of the tiles showed security camera footage of the livestock barns. “They’re monitoring the barns? They have no equipment set up there,” she noted.
He leaned closer, then pointed to one of the squares. “The Swine Barn.”
“He’s been keeping an eye on all the locations we’ve identified. And on me.” Then she indicated to a third monitor. There, stacked one window atop another, were multiple screenshots of Cassidy seated on the carousel.
