Deadly Stillwater

Mac got up out of his chair, still clutching his stomach, and went to check on Hall. Mrs. Hall, whom they had yet to meet, was out shopping although she was due back any minute. In the meantime, Mac and the others would check on Mr. Hall from time to time. When Mac walked in he was lying in his bed, watching the Twins game.

“Can I get you anything?” Mac asked. Hall was sweating through yet another shirt.

“A refill on my water,” Hall answered. “I have to take some medication.”

Mac arrived in the kitchen just as Mrs. Hall came through the back door with two bags of groceries.

“You must be Mrs. Hall,” Mac said as he introduced himself and pulled out his shield. Mac explained what he and the others were doing.

“How is Pat doing?” she asked.

“He needed some water for his medication.”

“I can get that,” she said.

“That’s fine,” Mac answered. “You put your stuff away. I can run it in for him.”

Riles walked in, putting his cell phone back in his pocket. “That was Peters. We’ve got relief coming in a bit. We get until 0600 to get some rest. They’ll call us if anything comes up.”

Mac nodded, grabbing some ice cubes out of the freezer. “I’m starting to think these guys have bolted.”

“They might have, but what else do we have at this point?”

Riles was right. What else did they have? Or why weren’t they looking for something else? Mac wondered. All they’d done in the last two days was react to whatever the kidnappers were doing. To Mac, it still seemed like they weren’t pushing the investigation. Rather it was being pushed at them. Three words surfaced again in his mind: complicated, prepared, and motivated.

Mac walked back to Hall’s room with Riley in tow. As he placed the glass on the nightstand he heard a vehicle slowing outside. Mac turned to the window to see a minivan pulling into a neighbor’s house, but not to the house they were watching.

“Nothing, eh?” Mr. Hall asked, taking a sip.

“Nada,” Mac answered. “How are the Twins doing?”

“They’re up four. Mauer is three-for-three,” Hall said, then added with a little pride, “That St. Paul kid is hitting over three-forty again.”

“He’s got a shot at another batting title,” Riles said, straightening his Twins cap on his head.

Mrs. Hall walked into the room to check on her husband. Riles and Mac stood watching the game for a moment and both clapped as Mauer flared a single to left field, now four-for-four in the game.

“He’s unbelievable,” Riles said of Mauer.

“That he is,” Mac replied as he went back to the window and pulled back the curtains.

“They haven’t come back, have they?” Mr. Hall asked disappointedly.

“No,” Mac answered, looking out the window.

“You think they’re the guys?”

Mac looked back and nodded slightly.

“Too bad I didn’t pay a little more attention when they ripped out of here earlier,” Mrs. Hall said. “Maybe I could have seen something that would have helped.”

“Ripped out?” Mac asked, turning back to Mrs. Hall.

“What do you mean ripped out?” Riles added.

“I might have missed them when they left,” Mrs. Hall answered, “except that they squealed the tires pulling out. I probably wouldn’t have noticed if the air conditioner was working. But with the windows open, I heard the tires and saw them go.”

Mac pulled out his notepad, checking his notes from earlier. “Mr. Hall, you said they left just after you called it in right?”

“That’s right.”

“How long after you called?”

“Five minutes at the most, I’d say,” Mrs. Hall answered for her husband. “Pat was on the potty when it happened.”

“They ripped out of here?” Mac asked. “Like they were in a hurry?”

“It sure seemed like it.”

“They ever do that before?” Riles asked. “Or was that a first?”

“Not that I recall,” Mrs. Hall answered. She thought about it some more. “They were usually pretty quiet.” Hall thought a few seconds more and then shook her head. “No, that was the first time I recall them leaving so fast. What about you, Pat? Did you ever see them leave like that?”

“Not that I recall.”

“And again, this was after you called,” Mac pressed. “You’re sure it was after?”

“That’s right,” Mrs. Hall answered.

Mac and Riles shared a look. They left the Halls and went back to the kitchen.

“Do you think…” Riles started.

“…that they were tipped off,” Mac finished as he led Riles back to the living room. “I think it’s entirely possible.”

In the living room, Lich and Rock were peering out the front window.

“I think we might have missed something,” Mac said in a hushed but excited tone.

They all looked at him. “Like what?” Rock asked.

Mac related what Mrs. Hall had just told them. “We got the call from Burton, what? At about four thirty?” Mac asked, looking at his notebook.

Riles nodded. “Yeah.”

“At about the same time we’re getting that call, these guys, according to Mrs. Hall, bolt as well. They ripped out of here.”

“They ever do that before?” Rock asked.

“No,” Mac and Riles answered in unison.

Lich’s face paled. He pinched the bridge of his nose and grimaced. “Fuck, Mac,” he said heavily.