“Condoms break.”
He fidgets, finally showing some fear. “You here alone?” he demands.
“No. I have backup.”
“You’re a liar. You couldn’t have matched my DNA to anything found on her. Mine isn’t on record.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve never been busted. I’ve never had a sample taken.”
“Lisa Gonzales,” I say flatly.
“What about Lisa?”
“You’re doing her, in between a few others. Once I explained this to her, Lisa—with her doctor’s help—was only too happy to give me a sample of your semen.”
“Lisa’s a friend! She would never stab me in the back!”
“She probably wouldn’t stab good old Danny Boy. But we’re talking about a rapist here. Lisa’s no dummy. She understood how important your sample was to our case.”
“What case?”
“The case of the federal government against Daniel E. Boford. In other words, we know who the rapist is. And I’m here to take you in.”
“You’re arresting me?”
“Yes.”
He is an interesting specimen. His fear is genuine, but I sense his hatred is stronger. “Where’s your backup? I want to see their badges.”
“Why?”
“Because I think you’re a fake. If the FBI was interested in me, the local cops would have given me a heads-up.”
“You’re wrong. You’ve assaulted women as far off as New Orleans. You’ve crossed state lines. That’s what brought you to the FBI’s attention. Face it, buddy, you’re busted.”
He snorted. “Busted? I’m going to be picked in the first round of the NFL draft next month. That’s who Daniel E. Boford is.”
“He’s also just another asshole who doesn’t know when to keep his dick in his pants.” I stop and pull handcuffs from my coat pocket. “Turn around. Place your hands behind your back.”
“What for?”
“Because you’re under arrest and I’m going to cuff you. Do as I say.”
He makes no move to obey. He keeps scanning the area. The stadium looks empty; it sounds empty too. Except for the birds singing there’s just the two of us—that’s what he’s thinking. I can tell by the change in his body language, the growing confidence in the way he holds himself, that he doesn’t believe I’ve brought backup. He thinks he can take me.
“No,” he says. He waits to see if I draw a gun, and even that will not stop him, because he believes he’s close enough to disarm me. I play into his fantasy and draw my weapon. I purposely move too slow, and as I bring it around, he grabs my right arm and points the revolver at the sky, squeezing my wrist. He smiles.
“Didn’t they teach you anything at Quantico?” he asks.
I struggle. “Let go of me! Sanders! Tanner! He’s resisting arrest!”
No one appears, and his smile widens. “Looks like your backup slept in, Alisa.” He rips the gun from my hand and turns it on me. He can see the side of the five-round chamber and knows it’s loaded, but he’s not sure what kind of bullets the gun holds.
I glare at him. “They’re sharpshooters, and right now they’re taking aim at your head. If you want to live, give me back my gun.”
My gun. I sound like I’m pleading. He laughs.
“Drop it, there’s no one here except us. But I’m confused. Why did you decide to take me alone? Did you want all the glory?” He lifts the gun and points it at my head. “Answer me.”
I hesitate. “Harold Proveman.”
“Who’s he?”
“The father of Linda Proveman. One of the first women you raped.” I pause. “He posted a large reward for the capture of the man who defiled his daughter.”
Danny nods in understanding. “You thought you’d collect the reward rather than take the ‘well done’ pat on the back the FBI will give you?”
“Yes.”
“Liar. You’re not FBI at all. You’re some cheap down-on-her-luck private eye. No trained FBI agent would act as clumsy as you.” He cocks the revolver. “Does Mr. Proveman know who I am?”
“Yes.”
He puts pressure on the trigger. “Are you sure?”
“He knows you go to school here. But I never gave him your name.”
“Because you wanted to be sure to get all the reward first?”
“Yes.”
He smiles and lowers the gun. “How much am I worth, by the way?”
“A hundred thousand dollars.”
He whistles, impressed. “What did Mr. Proveman plan to do with me once you turned me over to him?”
“You don’t want to know.”
He smiles some more, before yanking the cuffs from my hands and spinning me around. “Put your hands behind your back.”
I do as he commands. “You don’t want to do this, Danny.”
“Why not?” He cuffs me and drags me down the steps toward the parking lot. The light in the east has grown, but the track is still empty. I speak in a pitiful voice.
“I have a plan that can make both of us a lot of cash. I have another suspect that fits the profile of Linda Proveman’s assailant. I can turn him over to her dad and collect the reward and split it with you.”
“Why would Mr. Proveman believe this other guy did it?”
“I can use your semen sample and tie it to him. That’s all the proof the man needs. He’s connected, Mafia, a real hothead. He’ll murder whoever I bring him. I swear, by noon today, you can have fifty grand in your pocket.”
“No.”
“At least think about it!”
He slaps my head with the gun. “I’ll be worth a hundred times that in a month. And I don’t trust you. You plan on lying to the guy who hired you, which means you’re probably lying to me right now.” He pauses. “I’m sorry, babe, but you’ve got to disappear.”
He drags me toward his Honda Accord, which is the main reason for my charade. I don’t want to kill him and dispose of his body using my own car, not with all the new techniques for uncovering evidence that modern-day cops have at their disposal. Better Danny drive me to his own dumping ground in his vehicle. Wiping away my prints will only take seconds. I’m new to the city, he has lived here for years. He knows the area better than me. He’ll know the perfect spot to make a body disappear.