I located a vacant apartment over a shop across from the police station. Judging by the dust, the apartment had been empty for months, maybe years, and the owners had given up trying to rent it.
We took turns using binoculars. It was nearly noon when I spotted Aldrich coming out of the station.
Jack worried that seeing Aldrich might be too much for me. But as I watched him coming down the steps, I didn't see the man who'd raped and killed my cousin. I saw a target. Any emotional reaction had come when I'd seen his photo in Jack's folder.
I watched Aldrich walk down the stairs and I thought He's gotten old. And, He's put on weight. And, He's favoring his left leg. The observations of a predator sizing up prey.
"That him?" Jack said, squinting out the window.
"It is."
I handed him the binoculars, but he didn't take them, just studied my expression.
"I'm fine, Jack. I had my freak-out yesterday. Now all I'm thinking is that he's gotten old and slow."
"Yeah. Know what that's like."
"Believe me, it'll be a long time before you're that old."
CHAPTER 9
We followed Aldrich for the rest of the day. We established that he had a partner, but I wouldn't have shot him on the job anyway. I had too much respect for the police institution to kill a cop in uniform, even a fake cop.
We'd already decided our basic plan. Kill Aldrich and hide his body well enough that it wouldn't be found. Then I'd leak his real identity, and it would be presumed that he'd bolted, which would avoid the shit storm that comes with a murdered police officer.
When his shift ended, Aldrich went drinking with the guys. Jack decided that the bar was busy enough for a middle-aged couple to slip in undetected. We'd only stand out if we made ourselves stand out, which we had no intention of doing. The more we watched Aldrich, the better we'd get to know him--his personality and habits. Jack thought it was safe. As for whether Aldrich might recognize me . . .
Have I ever fantasized about that? Meeting him someplace and he recognizes me, and sees that I'm not a helpless little girl anymore? Hope that he'd seen me in the papers after I shot Wayne Franco. That he'd know what I'm capable of, and so when I look into his eyes, I'll see fear? Of course I've thought of it, and I've savored those thoughts. But realistically, I wasn't sure he'd recognize me even without the disguise.
I'd only been Amy's little cousin. An obstacle to be tied up and left. That was the last time he'd seen me. I never faced him in court. My family didn't want me to testify, and my dad had persuaded the prosecutor to agree. Aldrich probably didn't even remember my name. I just hope he remembered Amy's. And if he didn't, I sure as hell planned to remind him . . . right before I put a bullet between his eyes.
Jack was still careful. He chose a table off to the side, at least twenty feet from Aldrich and the other cops at the bar. He ordered a beer. I got a Coke. We settled in to observe our target.
When Aldrich used to come around the station, my dad and the other cops wanted nothing to do with him. They said it was because they suspected him of dealing marijuana, but in small-town Ontario, that's like running moonshine in the Ozarks. The truth was that they just didn't like Aldrich. As I listened to him with his colleagues here, I could tell
nothing had changed. He was welcome to hang out with them and join in general conversation, but that was it.
Jack was facing Aldrich. I had my back to him. I was regaling Jack with the story of a honeymooning couple who had equated "wilderness lodge" with "nudist camp," and taken to hiking, swimming, and even picnicking naked. Which gave them quite an appetite, and not for Emma's home-cooked meals. All of which wouldn't have been so bad if the lodge hadn't been hosting some kind of teen purity group from the U.S. I'd tried to point out to the group leaders that the couple was married, but it hadn't really helped.
I noticed Jack's attention shift and stopped talking.
"On the move," Jack said, as he tracked his prey. "Piss break. Fuck. Coming this way. Keep looking at me. Keep talking."
I nodded and glued my gaze to his. "So I have a chat with the couple, and we establish a schedule of when and where they can have their clothing off--"
Aldrich stopped three feet past the table. He looked back over his shoulder--directly at me.
"Keep talking," Jack murmured.
I did. I have no idea what I said, just blather, my gaze still on Jack, sweat breaking out along my hairline as I could feel Aldrich staring right at me. Then he continued walking.
"He looked right at me," I whispered when he was out of sight.
Jack shrugged. "Checking you out."
"I'm well above his age range for that and this outfit is definitely not bar bait."
Another shrug. "Doesn't matter. Still gonna look."