Karl nodded.
WE TOOK SEPARATE cars. Karl had no intention of hanging around any longer than he had to. The moment we were done, we’d be heading to the airport.
Benicio lived on Key Biscayne, a secluded island south of Miami Beach, accessible only by a long toll causeway that had Karl muttering, looking in his rearview mirror as if trying to judge how far we were from the airport. It wouldn’t be more than a thirty-minute drive, but the closer we drew to the island, the more distant Miami seemed. The island was gorgeous, heavily wooded with white-sand beaches glittering under the remains of a perfect sunset.
If I worked in Miami, I’d want to live on Key Biscayne, though as we started passing houses, I knew I could never afford it. There were probably less expensive areas, but I didn’t see a house that would sell for under a million. Even the hotels looked out of my price range.
Benicio lived on the waterfront, of course. The homes on the large, secluded lots weren’t mansions, but I was sure it had to be one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Florida.
Lucas pulled into the drive of a house set back and partially obscured by forest. The eight-foot fence looked merely decorative, but Lucas stopped to talk into a tree, which I presume discreetly held an intercom.
After a moment, he glanced at Paige, as if saying something. Karl rolled down his window as Lucas turned back to the intercom.
“Is he having trouble?” I asked.
“No one’s answering.”
I put my window down and inhaled. It even smelled different than Miami, the warm air not quite so humid, the smog gone. A breeze fluttered past, rich with the scent of some heady tropical flower. It was so still and quiet I could hear water lapping against the beach, at least a quarter mile down the winding drive.
Lucas got out of the car. We joined him as he examined the intercom. Karl took a look, but it wasn’t his area of expertise, so he focused on something that was-the secured gate.
Paige got out too, waving her cell phone. “No answer from your father, but he might just be busy.”
“I’ll call the duty guards,” Lucas said.
“Is the gate usually guarded?” I asked Paige.
“It isn’t manned, but there are guards who patrol the yard. One during the day. Two at night. That’s who Lucas is calling.”
The distant symphonic ring of a cell phone started. We peered into the darkness, trying to pinpoint the sound.
“It’s near the house,” Karl said as he walked back. “The gate’s still secured.”
The ringing stopped.
“Voice mail,” Lucas said as he hung up. He looked more puzzled than concerned. My first thought was that this was the gang’s target. But Lucas would have recognized the blueprints, and the locked gate meant no one had broken in.
“Is the fence electrified?” I asked.
Lucas shook his head. “My father prefers to handle intruders more discreetly. It’s wired to an alarm system that would alert the guards.”
As he headed back to the car, Paige said, “Please don’t tell me you’re going to ram the gate.”
A tiny smile. “Nothing so dramatic.”
He pulled the car up alongside the fence.
“Ah, a step stool,” Paige said.
Lucas went first, then helped Paige down on the other side. As I crested the fence, a vision flashed and I nearly toppled over. The sudden movement snapped me from the vision, and I let Karl help me down, then closed my eyes, trying to recapture the vision. After a moment, I heard a voice.
“About time. How long does it take you-” The man swallowed the last words. “Jesus, Frank, what are you-?”
“Hands where I can see them,” a second voice hissed.
I struggled to see faces, but could make out only shadowy figures against a black backdrop.
“Have you lost your mind?” the first man said. “Whatever you’re doing-”
“How do I get in the room?”
“Room? What-?”
The vision snapped as abruptly as before. As it faded, I felt a faint lick of chaos. Lucas, Paige and Karl all stood around me, waiting.
“Someone with a gun. Someone named Frank. He was asking about a room. How to get into a room.”
“What room?” Paige asked.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t-” I gave an angry shake of my head. “I’m sorry. That’s not enough, I know. Let me try again-”
“No,” Karl said. “We’re here now. Quicker to look ourselves. The cell phone sounded from just over there.”
Lucas handed Karl his phone. “Hit redial if you need it. Paige and I will head to the house. If anyone’s in the yard, we can warn the guards inside.”
“Any problems, call my cell,” Paige said.
Karl turned to me. “Stay close.”
I nodded.
“I mean it, Hope.”
“I know.”
HOPE: DEATH INTERRUPTED
Security spotlights lit up the house, but most of the yard was dim and shadowy, and the perimeter black. It was still so quiet I could hear the waves.
Karl stuck to the dark edges. He had me walk beside him-on the fence side, where presumably he thought it was safer, but was also tough for anyone not blessed with a werewolf’s night vision. I switched my chaos sensors on full.
As we passed between the fence and a small stuccoed outbuilding, Karl tugged me closer and I snapped from my reverie. Before I could reorient myself, a blinding light made me stumble back.
“For Christ’s sake, Nico, do you mind?”
A flash of darkness as the man shielded his eyes against the light. But it moved closer, a halogen beam, so bright that the figure holding it was only an outline.
“Can I get a little privacy here? I’m taking a-”
The pffttt of a silenced shot.
I reeled, the vision fading. Karl gripped my forearms to hold me steady. I tugged free and followed the vibes to the outbuilding.
He caught up in two long strides, and I braced myself to be pulled back, but he only took my arm and whispered, “Gun?”
I thought he was asking about the vision-what kind of gun the man had. A testament to how tired I was, I guess. After a moment I realized he meant, “Do you have your gun and if so, get it out.”
When I did, he motioned for me to head around the building one way while he went the other.
I hugged the wall. I could sense Karl behind me, watching to make sure I was alert enough to do this. Once reassured, a soft crunch of undergrowth told me he was moving, then all went silent.
I made it around the first corner before the vision hit again. It was the same scene from the same angle. I bit back my frustration. There had to be a way to train myself to at least change the viewing angle. Another reason why I’d love to speak to another Expisco.