Page 78 of Cooper’s Passion

“There’s a white van approaching,” Orlando suddenly announced. “Coming toward you, Amaury. Turning now.”

Cooper looked at the live feeds covering Orlando’s and Amaury’s blocks, and saw the white van as it drove past Amaury’s block.

“Samson, he’s heading for you,” Amaury said. “He’s slowing down.”

“Who’s got eyes on Anita?” Cooper asked.

“I’ve got her,” Samson confirmed.

“Shit, the white van is stopping behind the bus,” Diaz said, pointing to the tablet.

Cooper tried to zoom in on the driver in the van, but the image was too dark, and a camera couldn’t capture the aura of a vampire.

“I’m heading over there,” Haven said. “Keep your eyes on Anita.”

“Fuck!” Samson hissed.

“Samson?” Cooper asked, panicked.

“I can’t get to her. She’s trapped between the wheelchair platform and the people getting off the bus from the back door.”

Cooper reached for the handle and opened the car door. He jumped out, and heard Diaz doing the same. He raced toward the intersection, then turned. The bus driver was helping the wheelchair-bound passenger safely reach the sidewalk. The people who’d exited from the back door were already dispersing.

“False alarm,” Haven said through the earpiece. “The driver of the white van is an Asian man. Back to your positions.”

Diaz reached Cooper, just when Cooper spied Anita, who’d stepped behind the covered bus stop to get out of the way. Relieved, he let out a sigh. Anita was okay.

“You’re mighty fast,” Diaz said to him. “You a sprinter or something?”

Cooper turned his head. “I was on the track team in high school.” Which was a lie. Every vampire ran faster than the fastest human.

“Pretty impressive speed.”

“Like I told you, my colleagues and I will keep Anita safe at all times.”

Diaz nodded. “I can see that.”

“Let’s get back to the car,” Cooper suggested. He tapped on his mic. “You heard Haven. Everybody back to their positions. Anita, count to ten, then head across the street and turn right onto the next street. Orlando, she’ll be coming toward you.”

By the time they were back in the blackout van, Anita was on the move again, walking within the circle of blocks they were surveilling with cameras and Scanguards staff. Cooper looked at the clock. It was still early, not even ten o’clock yet.

“What if he doesn’t bite?” Diaz asked into the silence.

“Then we’ll have to stake out a different area tomorrow night.” He cast him a sideways glance. “Don’t worry. We’ve got a lot of people out there who’ve seen the suspect’s sketch. SFPD sent out a bunch of their people in plain clothes, and we’re running registrations for all white vans in the Bay Area. We’ll find him.”

Diaz nodded. “The company you work for, they’re an interesting bunch.”

“What do you mean?”

He tipped his chin up. “Pretty young, all of them. Your parents must have had you when they were ten.”

Cooper shrugged. “Just good genes.”

“Hmm. I’m still not sure why the police chief lets Scanguards run this operation. No private company should be responsible for a case like this. No offense, but it’s totally against police procedure.”

“That’s San Francisco for you,” Cooper deflected. “We do things differently here.” It was best to change the subject, before Diaz found even more things strange. “Is this your first time here?”

“Actually, no. My first wife, Helen, Anita’s mother, and I spent our honeymoon here.” He let out a breath. “That was a long time ago. Never thought her killer would lead me back here.” He rubbed his neck. “Well, until earlier today I didn’t even believe that she was dead. Doesn’t exactly make me a brilliant cop, does it now? I can’t even imagine what Anita went through all these years because I didn’t believe her. What kind of father am I not seeing that my child wasn’t lying?”