“When is she going back to pack up?”
“Well, since she spent the night with her new man, I think he’s going to take her back.”
“Have you met this new man of hers?”
“I met him briefly that night at the Speakeasy. He bought us a couple of drinks.” She tumbled out of bed and shot him a quick glance. “You don’t suspect him, do you?”
“Just covering all bases here.”
“Derrick is African-American. I don’t think he’s the Alphabet Killer.”
“Okay, okay. Does this Derrick look like he can handle himself in a fight?”
She hugged her sweater to her body. “Really? You think it’s going to come to that? The killer probably doesn’t even know who Courtney is.”
“Can he?”
“He looks like he could’ve played football in college.”
“Good.” He pointed to the bathroom door. “I’m going to hit the shower first because I’ll be quick about it.”
She longed to hit the shower with him again, but there was no going back to that moment last night. But they’d have other moments—so he said.
An hour later, they stepped outside into the damp, misty air.
Sean tilted his head back. “June gloom is in full swing.”
“Yeah, I pity all those tourists who come out here expecting a sunny California day.”
“Spoken like a true San Franciscan native.” He tossed the GPS device in the air and then clamped it back under her car.
“So what is your plan? You’re just going to let him continue following me around?”
“You’ll see. First stop, Courtney’s condo.”
Elise drove back into the city, and the tracker on her car made her feel exposed and vulnerable. She hated that. Only Sean’s presence behind her made it bearable.
While Sean waited by the front door of Courtney’s condo with his arms crossed, daring anyone to cross the threshold, Elise buzzed around the spare room and bathroom, tossing her stuff into her suitcase.
Joining Sean at the entrance, she took a last look around the immaculate downstairs. “If Courtney’s homeowners’ association was mad about the garlic, just wait until those fine folks discover she invited a killer to their complex.”
Sean loaded her suitcase into the back of her car. “You follow me now. We’re going to take a little detour. You have plenty of time to get to school, right?”
“Uh-huh. It’s an easy day today. We’re taking the kids over to the first-grade rooms to have a look around, and they get to wear their PJs to school and look at their favorite books all day.”
“Wish I could wear my PJs to work and read my favorite books all day.”
“I’d like to see that. What kind of PJs do you have, dinosaurs?”
He winked. “My PJs are my birthday suit, and you’ve already seen that.”
“You’re in enough trouble with the department. Don’t give them any more ammunition.” Elise slid into her car and idled while Sean revved the engine of his Crown Vic.
She followed him across the city in the opposite direction of the Bay Bridge, hoping he didn’t plan to take her too far afield.
Her cell buzzed and she answered and tapped the phone for the speaker, without checking the display. “Hello?”
“It’s Courtney. Did you get your stuff?”
“I just picked it up. Aren’t you the early bird?”
“I want to get home, pack a few suitcases and get the hell out of there. How long has this maniac been watching my place?”
“I’m so sorry, Courtney.”
”I’m not blaming you. Hey, it gives me an excuse to get pampered at a hotel for a week or eight. When is your cop going to nail this guy?”
“Soon. Is Derrick going with you?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s one silver lining. I get to play the little delicate flower in distress.”
Elise snorted. “Yeah, that description fits you to a T.”
“Derrick’s digging it, so who am I to disappoint him?”
“I can’t imagine you disappointing any man.”
“Watch it. Don’t believe everything you see on YouTube.”
Elise laughed. “Take care. I’ll touch base with you later. Are you working late?”
“Yes. New clients are running me ragged, but I can’t complain. Business is good. One of the new guys said he chose me because of my name.”
“Is he Asian?”
“No, but he had an Asian girlfriend, a hand model. He’s probably projecting, but it gives us a lot to work with.”
“Okay, you take care and let Derrick be the big, strong man.”
“Mmm, he is.”
Smiling, Elise ended the call and then gulped as Sean made a turn onto the road leading to the Golden Gate Bridge. Why the heck did he want to come here?
He pulled into the fog-shrouded parking lot and rolled into one of the many empty slots.
Elise parked beside him and jumped from the car as he was getting out of his.
“Are you crazy? What are we doing here?”
He put his finger to his lips and strode to her car. He ducked under her car and pulled the GPS from the wheel well. “Follow me and get that jacket out of your car.”
Elise snagged a jacket from the backseat and shoved her arms in the sleeves.
They trudged up the path to the pedestrian gate on the bridge. Cars rumbled back and forth across the expanse on their morning commute. A few scattered pedestrians and cyclists dotted the walkway.
“Sean.”
He turned toward her and zipped up her jacket to her chin. “Keep up.”
They stepped onto the sidewalk on the east side of the bridge, the only side that allowed pedestrians.
Sean took a deep breath. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Even engulfed in fog, it’s majestic, mysterious.”
“I told you. It mesmerized me from the moment I saw it.”
“We used to cross it a lot on foot. My younger brother Ryan used to look over the guardrail and insist he could do a pencil dive and just slice through the water.”
She reached for his hand and laced her fingers with his.
Before reaching the midpoint, Sean stopped and faced the water. He plunged his hand in his pocket and pulled out the GPS. He stretched his arm back and flung the black box over the guardrail and into the bay. “Let that SOB track that.”
A sharp breeze stirred up the mist, and the moisture caressed her face. “Why here, Sean? Why this spot?”
He gazed out toward Alcatraz, his face a mask. “Because this is where he did it. This is where my father jumped.”
Elise eyed the big clock on the wall as she read the last few lines of the story of Ferdinand the bull, who liked to smell flowers all day. What a life.
Ty was recuperating in the hospital and was demanding to