“Just saying,” said Rich.
“We deserve to be a part of this.”
“Okay,” said Rich.
“To make it easier for decision-making purposes moving forward, you can consider the two of us to be one now,” said Devin.
Berg grinned and nodded at Marnie. “See. I told you he was solid.”
CHAPTER 38
Marnie Young jog-walked next to Karl Berg, the two of them falling well behind the rest of the team, which had already started to vanish into the trees directly behind the Barbers’ property. She kept an eye peeled and an ear open for any commotion or movement from the backyards to their immediate right. The tree line separating the homes from the golf course was no more than a few trees and manicured shrubs deep. Designed for basic privacy from golfers, not as concealment. To a more observant and vigilant neighbor, their presence on the golf course would appear to be more than just a few teenagers strolling around after hours.
“Thanks for keeping an old guy company,” whispered Berg.
“My pleasure,” said Marnie before taking a moment to scan the western sky for the drone.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to spot it,” said Berg. “It’ll be coming in from the west. That’ll be its least-detectable profile.”
He was right. She couldn’t pick it out of the navy-blue sky, which would soon go black, when the thin strip of light blue still stretched across the horizon entirely vanished. Berg stopped and cocked his head, which put her on alert. She focused her senses on the sights and sounds around them, detecting nothing unusual.
“They want us to hold up while they move in,” said Berg. “The Barbers are lounging on the patio furniture, enjoying a bottle of wine.”
“With their clothes on. Hopefully.”
“Robes,” said Berg, guiding them to the edge of the trees on the border of the Barbers’ property, where the team had disappeared a minute ago.
They both crouched low and waited. A single shriek pierced the night, followed by a quick verbal challenge that ended in a muffled voice. It was hard to tell, but she thought she heard a Taser discharge and telltale crackle of electricity. Marnie peered into the neighbor’s yard, searching for any sign that the brief scuffle had drawn any attention. Nothing moved on the patio or inside the house. So far. So good. She couldn’t say the same about the neighbor on the other side but had to assume someone was keeping an eye on the situation.
A few minutes later, Berg was told the situation was under control and that they could approach. Marnie led them through the trees and bushes to the edge of the grass, then straight across the yard and around the pool. Emily stood at the open patio slider, motioning them inside, where most of the lights had been turned off or dimmed. She shut the slider behind them and pointed toward an open staircase off the kitchen, leading downward.
“Don’t forget your masks and gloves,” she said.
Marnie took a few steps before turning around. “Do you want me to keep an eye on things up here?”
She felt as though maybe she was responsible for Emily being assigned what amounted to glorified sentry duty.
Emily shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but our jobs have been assigned for this one. Maybe next time.”
“Sorry for throwing a wrench into the works back at the motel,” said Marnie.
“No wrench at all,” she said.
Marnie nodded and followed Berg toward the staircase, donning her balaclava ski mask and black leather gloves before descending into the basement. The first thing she noticed when she reached the bottom of the stairs was that the Indianapolis sports team–themed finished basement might cover more square footage than her parents’ house. She’d never seen a basement like this before in her life. Full granite-topped kitchen and island with several high-backed stools. Expansive mahogany bar with seating for nearly a dozen, plus two separate pub-style booths. Massive movie screening area with three rows of theater seating. Pool table. A half dozen other doors, probably leading to a few spare bedrooms and bathrooms.
She had no idea what a supervising attorney for a state attorney general’s office earned, but she suspected Stacy Barber’s job at ADT paid for most of this. The second thing she noticed was that the woman duct-taped to the wooden chair next to William Barber was not in fact Mrs. Barber. She looked roughly the same age but was definitely not Stacy. The two had been arranged side by side along the end of the pool table that faced the kitchen.
Berg joined Rich, who stood glaring at them with his arms crossed. Scott and Rico flanked the two closely—not that their captives were going anywhere. Mike and Alex sat at the kitchen island, working on something she couldn’t see. They had a laptop and a small plastic case open. That was all she could tell. She stood next to Devin, who had moved closer to Berg but remained separated from the two who would conduct the interrogation.