“Drugs. Pretend you want to buy something.”
Paige looked flustered. “But what if they hit me with terms I don’t understand? Then what?”
“Wing it. Just talk them up, then if they invite you in, call me over. Tell them I’m your friend keeping lookout.”
“Uhh, alright, but why?”
“Because if this guy is willing to put Bret up for weeks, he’s not going to be honest if he’s inside. We need to be as devious as he is. Once we’re inside, that’s when we can go for the arrest.”
“Why me? Wouldn’t you be better at this?”
“Because you’re younger and hotter than me. And blonde. If Bret’s our unsub, he’s going to gravitate towards you. That’ll be very revealing.”
Paige took a deep breath and psyched herself up.
“On it.”
“I’ve got your back.”
Ella shuffled to the end of the garden, still within earshot of her partner. She heard Paige knock.
Then began a conversation. Ella peeked at the occupant but couldn’t make out much, although it didn’t resemble her suspect.
“Hi, I live down the street,” Paige said. “I was wondering if you were… holding.”
“How much?” the voice said.
“Depends what you got.”
“Sativa. We can do a sawbuck for fifteen or half a Q for thirty-five. We got an ounce but it’s shatter only. Interested?”
Paige mumbled something but Ella couldn’t hear. She glimpsed the man in the doorway for the first time. Twenty-something, shaved head, a thick neck covered in tattoos. Not Bret Styles.
“Can me and my buddy come in and check the stuff out?” Paige said.
Ella heard that part. The occupant exchanged a look with her, and Ella instinctively felt that the man knew they weren’t who they claimed to be. Junkies sought out other junkies, and they could tell when someone wasn’t of their kind.
“No. You can’t come in. If you want this stuff, show me the money.”
Paige dug into her pockets. “Sorry, I left my purse in the car. Can I go and get it?”
Ella edged closer to them both, sensing something was amiss.
“Need cash?” Ella asked. She locked eyes with the man she assumed to be Kenny.
“Maybe. Maybe not. Where’d you chicks live?”
“Elm Street,” Ella said without missing a beat. “We alright to come in and check your stuff out?”
“Why are you so desperate to get in here?” the guy asked.
“I’m all about the quality.”
The man closed the door slightly, then a little further. He eyed up both agents, then readied himself as though he was about to disappear back into his home. Ella stepped a little closer, keeping her foot over the threshold. If that door shut, getting it open again would be a difficult task, and breaking it down might not be the wisest idea. She had no idea if her suspect was inside.
“You alone in there?” Ella asked.
“Yeah.”