Double Cross Read Free Page A

car needed through and crept into the intersection far enough to let him pass. Where had this guy taken his driver’s license test?
    The home invasion address was in an upscale neighborhood, the intruders either high or stupid not to stake out a house before attempting entry. Did the woman have a weapon? And had she been trained to use it? She must be frantic . . . and with a child, too. He prayed they were safe and able to hide until help arrived.
    Daniel braked next to the curb three houses back from the address as two hooded men hurriedly dumped armloads of goods into a late-model Ford parked in the driveway. They jumped inside, and the driver sped backward before the passenger door closed. Daniel sped his car to block them, but the driver jumped the curb and whipped around the front of the patrol car in the opposite direction.
    “Don’t think so,” Daniel said and raced after them.
    Fixed on the car’s bumper, he tailed them toward State Highway 249 and radioed for backup. Another patrol car passed him from the opposite direction en route to the crime scene. Up ahead the burglars were slowed by a semitruck turning onto the feeder leading to the beltway. He anticipated them swinging their vehicle into a gas station, and he was right. The two men exited and ran, still in ski masks. Great.No identity there. Daniel parked behind their car and chased the closest man, who disappeared around the corner of a storage facility. The second man pulled off his mask and headed into a residential area.
    The pursuit through the storage facility reminded him of a TV script   —down a narrow drive, then around a corner to hurdle a sleeping dog. The ski mask lay on the ground. He’d snatch it later. Probably some hair fibers on it. A fifteen-foot chain-link fence loomed in the distance, but unless the man held an Olympic track record, he wouldn’t make it over before Daniel yanked him to the ground.
    “Stop. HPD. You’re under arrest.”
    The man continued toward the fence while reaching for his weapon, tucked into the back waist of his jeans. Daniel grabbed the perp’s arm as he turned to fire, tossed him to the ground, and cuffed him.
    “Hey, cop, don’t you work in twos?” The man cursed. “If we’d known HPD sent just one, we’d have smoked you.”
    “No need for two officers when one works just fine.”
    “That woman invited us in. Wanted to give away some stuff,” the man said.
    “Tell that to the judge.”
    “I can explain. I have rights.”
    “Sure, buddy. Everyone has rights. Bet your story is real solid.”
    With the cuffed man in the back of the squad car, Daniel checked their vehicle. The rear seat and floorboard were filled with computer equipment, a large jewelry box, and a flat-screen TV. Big haul for such a short time. Recovering stolen goods was great news for the homeowner, making Daniel’s job worth it. He radioed his location and where he saw the other intruder take off. The woman and child were fine, he was told, just shaken up.
    “Meet you at the home,” Daniel said. “Bring a K-9.”

CHAPTER 2
    4:45 P.M. WEDNESDAY
    Daniel opened the door to Silver Hospitality, the prestigious memory care facility that hosted his grandparents during the day, Monday through Saturday. Polished marble floors, white pillars that seemed to hold up the ceiling, and a three-foot-wide crystal chandelier gave the facility a five-star rating. This afternoon he didn’t focus on the elite environment of Silver Hospitality or their state-of-the-art security system because he had a few hours of employee interviews to conduct here.
    His grandparents had lost money to a fraudulent salesman who convinced Gramps to purchase a life insurance policy. An unexplained withdrawal of fifty thousand dollars from one of his grandparents’ savings holdings to an overseas account alerted Gran, but nothing had been resolved. No receipt or paperwork. And his grandparents insisted the fraud occurred at the facility. Daniel had no idea