go in and get out during the night. Those agents believe they know my pattern."
"You think they've studied you?" "Yes. When it's dark, their guard will be up." She sighed then. "All right, I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Remember, you promised I could watch. You won't change your mind, will you?"
"No, I won't," he assured her. "You'll be safe, but in a wonderful spot where you can see everything. And I have a surprise for you. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but…"
"Tell me now," she pleaded. "Please." "All right. I know how disappointed you were when you saw the house in Colorado blow. But this time will be different. I'm going to let you push the button."
She laughed with delight. "Are you going to dazzle me?"
He nodded. "Oh, yes. I'm a legend, remember? I'm going to dazzle everyone."
Chapter 37
After monk drove Jilly back to their hotel on the opposite side of Walden Point, he got back into the car and drove to a residential area a mile away from Milt's Motel.
He jogged a mile back to his hiding place and quietly climbed the stairs. He still had to put the finishing touches on the wiring.
The job took much longer than he had anticipated, no doubt because he was weary, but when he was finally finished, he was content with his handiwork. Nothing was going to go wrong this time.
It was after three in the morning by the time he got ready for bed. Careful not to disturb Jilly, he eased down on the bed and sat next to her, watching her sleep. Oh, how he loved her. She was so beautiful, so exquisite… so perfect. He lay beside her
thinking once again that he was the luckiest man in the world. He fell asleep with his arms around her, the scent of her perfume surrounding him, and dreamed of their honeymoon.
Fairy tales could come true. He and Jilly would live happily ever after.
Jilly dressed with care the following morning. She was going to church, after all, and so she wore a white skirt, white eyelet blouse, and strappy high-heel sandals. While she brushed her hair and curled it, Monk put their luggage in the car.
"Don't forget my tape," she reminded him. "I would never forget that," he assured her, though, in fact, he had forgotten. She
would have been beside herself if she'd lost it. She was so obsessed with what she called the evidence that she insisted on
always carrying it with her. A peculiarity he put up with just as she put up with his odd little traits. That's what a solid
relationship was all about, wasn't it? Give and take.
He removed the tape from the VCR, slipped it into the carrying case, and put it on the bed next to her straw purse.
She was primping in front of the mirror. He watched her put on her red lipstick and smiled because he knew she only wore
that color to please him. She'd told him so.
Jilly put the lipstick in her purse with the tape, picked up her straw hat with the white ribbon, and then walked into the center
of the room. Whirling around in a circle, she asked, "Do I look ready for church?"
Her face flushed with excitement. "You look beautiful," he whispered. "You always look beautiful."
She went to him, adjusted the knot in his tie just like an adoring wife would, and said, "You look wonderful in a suit. You should wear them more often."
"If it pleases you, I will."
She took hold of his hand and walked by his side to the car. He liked little things like that, he thought. Taking his hand. It was a sign of trust, wasn't it? The way she looked up at him with such admiration. He liked that too.
"I've already parked the other car down the street from the church," he said. "Just as a precaution. The key's behind the visor."
"We won't need to use it," she said. "You've covered every possibility."
He was certain that he had, and so he agreed, yet there was still that nagging little worry about the wires. He'd been so tired, he hadn't done more than one test, but that was enough.
The wind had picked up as they drove. Monk glanced up at the tower above the theater as he turned the corner. He pulled into
the lot, parked on the end in front so Jilly could see everything. No one could block the front of his car, and if he had to drive
over the curb to get to the street, he could do so without getting trapped.
He turned the motor off. "Are you ready?"
"Oh, yes."
"The remote's in the glove compartment."
She carefully lifted it out. "It looks like a garage door opener."
"That's what it is," he said. "Modified, of course."
"When do I push the button?"
"I thought it would be nice to wait until the church bells start."
Jilly turned in her seat to watch the men and women and children hurry toward the church. They didn't want to be late, she thought.
The show's outside. Too bad they wouldn't see it. "What time is it now?"
"Five more minutes."
"I don't want to wait. I want to do it now."
Monk reached under the seat and handed her the binoculars. "Whenever you're ready."
Jilly wet her lips as she lifted the binoculars. She adjusted the lens until she was looking at the room that had had the light on the night before.
"I'm taking my dream back," she whispered.
She pushed the button. Nothing happened, and so she pushed it again. Then again, harder, holding it down.
"Damn," Monk muttered. "The wind must have knocked loose one of the wires. Stop pushing that button, darling. I'll have to
go up there and fix it. You sit tight. All right?"
He gently removed the remote from her hand. "If anything goes wrong…"
"You worry too much. Fix the wire," she said, a bit more sharply than she'd intended. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so anxious.
I can wait another few minutes."
"That's my girl," he said. "Just in case, you remember what to do?"
"I go into the church, then out the side door, and get in the other car."
"And drive away on the side street I showed you. Don't drive in front of the motel."
"I won't leave without you."
Her loyalty was heartwarming. He patted her hand, put the remote on the floor by his seat, and then got out of the car. Slipping one hand into his pocket, he casually strolled across the parking lot and up the stairs to the church.
The bells rang as he walked inside. Thirty seconds later, he came out the side door, crossed the street, and walked three blocks
to the north before he was convinced he wasn't being followed. He crossed the street and headed toward the movie theater.
The back door was locked, of course. He used his tools to undo the dead bolt, went inside, and quickly locked the door behind him.
He was in the back hallway. The door leading upstairs to the tower and the marquee was across the lobby. He stayed low and quiet.
He stood in the shadow behind the snack bar for several minutes, listening for any sounds, and when he was convinced he was
all alone, he crept to the door. That, too, was locked, just as he had left it. He quickly unlocked it, opened the door, and looked up. The brown string he'd left on the third step hadn't been disturbed. No one had found his little hiding place. He stepped over the string and slowly, cautiously went up, aware that there was a squeak on the fifth step. He knew he was alone-the theater wouldn't open until the matinee at two-but he still avoided the step.
There was a trip wire at the top, much thinner than dental floss and all but invisible to the naked eye. Monk released the lever
so that when he opened the door, he wouldn't be blown to kingdom come.
Good thing the owner didn't want to change the marquee today, he thought with a smile. He only changed the movies on Wednesdays, but Monk had set a trap anyway. Can't be too cautious, no matter what his darling Jilly believed.