7:39 p.m.
The line went dead.
No, no, no.
I’d killed her.
How did Shade know my name?
I’d killed Cassandra.
I spun, checked the sight lines. Did he see me? Was Shade here?
I saw no curtains quiver shut, no movement, no glint of a scope or binoculars. No one in the crowd of officers was on a cell.
I tried to redial, nothing. Tried Terry’s number for a trace. Busy.
Called Angela Knight: she would get on it, but it would take some time-the one thing we didn’t have.
“Pat.” Lien-hua came rushing toward me. “I think we caught a break. A big one.”
“The tank. They found the tank?”
She shook her head. “No.” She was running toward the car now, and I was hurrying to keep up with her. “There’s a woman named Randi who says a guy drove her to a warehouse by the shipyards last night and started talking about how he was supposed to pick up some other woman. That the plans had changed and it was time to get her. Things like that. Then he left Randi there.”
We climbed in. “That’s not enough.” I said. “It could refer to anything.”
Lien-hua started the engine. “Somehow Channel 11 found out about Cassandra’s disappearance, and an unnamed police officer gave them Hunter’s name. A few minutes ago they did a news flash, and listed Austin Hunter and Cassandra Lillo as persons of interest in the terrorist attack at the base-they’re calling it a terrorist attack-and asked for people to call in with any information.” She backed up the car, then pulled into the street.
“I still don’t see the connection.” The nightscape of San Diego flashed past us in swirls of blurred light, street lamps, and restless palm trees.
“Randi phoned the station, and Ralph followed up with her.
Apparently, she took the wrong phone and someone named Shade called her this afternoon and mentioned the fire at Building B-14 before she could say a word.”
“What! Where is she?”
“Shade is probably one of the-”
“That’s who I just talked to.”
“Someone called the phone?” she gasped. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“I would have, it’s just-listen, I’ll tell you on the way. Where are we heading?”
“Randi gave Ralph the address. It’s by the shipyards. She’s not there though, she’s scared.”
Maybe, just maybe, we could still save Cassandra. “Drive like you mean it.”
And in reply, she did.