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.I meant this stalking thing.It can't go on."She lifted away from him to search his gaze, her own eyes right and brilliant as gemstones."I'm allfor that, but how do you propose to stop it?""Let's think about this." He settled her more comfortably against him."It's the bottom on the ninth.Bases are loaded -""Baseball? You're turning to baseball for an answer to my nightmare?"Her expression made him smile."Sweetheart, baseball has all the answers.Now, are you going tolet me think?""Baseball?""Okay, they've got home field advantage.It's bottom of the ninth, and you've got a slim one run leadthat you have to preserve.""Wait a minute.Why does he have home field advantage?""Because he knows who his opponents are, but we don't know him.""And why do I have a lead?""Because he hasn't caught you yet."She shivered, delicate but unmistakable."Okay.""All right, back to the game.If you can shut 'em down in this last at bat, game's over.You win.Butit's not going to be easy.Bases are loaded.The count is full, three balls, two strikes.""So he's the batter and I'm the pitcher?""Correct.He's the guy with the big stick who can hurt you.You're the one who has to out-thinkhim.""Great," she muttered."So, what do I do?""Bases loaded with a 3-2 count, he's sitting dead red on a fast ball.""So I throw him a curve ball?"He shook his head."He knows you can't afford to miss with a breaking ball.If you do, game'sover."A frown pleated her brow."So I throw him a fast ball?""Hell, no.You really can t afford to miss.""And God knows my slider is rusty."He grinned."Smartass.""Okay, coach, what do I do?""Throw him a change-up.""Huh?""Something off speed.Same arm action as a fastball, same plane of delivery, but you take a littleoff.He's sitting on a heater, thinks he's gonna get it, and then wham, he's way out in front of it, offbalance.At your mercy.""That's all well and good, but what are we going to do?"He barely heard her words, her voice drowned out by the turbulent rush of thoughts colliding,coming together.Of course!"Come on." He spilled her off his lap and leapt up."We have to find Ray.I have a plan."* * *It was harder than she thought it would be.Hard to kiss John goodbye and watch him load Bandyinto the Taurus and drive away.Hard to be alone in her own house, even with the alarm armed.In thesilence, the ticking of her kitchen clock was oppressive.She stole a casual glance out the window.There it was, the cable TV van she knew housed four officers.Four highly trained members of theemergency response team.Taking a deep breath, she went directly to her study, turned the computer on and settled to work.Orrather, settled to pretending to work.Not that she didn't have plenty to do - the DeBoeuf files Vincehad given her still sat on her desk like a reproval, but no way could she concentrate with her nervestwanging like this.Forty-five minutes later, it happened.A scratching at her side door, so faint she'd have missed it ifshe hadn't been straining for it.Then the alarm, shrill and piercing.She ran to the living room to see a man pelting down her drive way, a blur of black clothing andspeed as he turned onto the sidewalk.Then the doors of the van flew open.Flak-jacketed and armed,the ERT team hit thepavement running."Stop! Police."Suzannah heard the shouted command even from inside her house, even with the intermittentsquawking of the alarm, so there could be no doubt the suspect heard it to.All he did was glance backonce, then sprint faster.Another command to stop, accompanied by a warning that shots would befired.Still, the suspect raced on, zigging and zagging, making a desperate bid for the cover of thedeciduous woods at the end of the street.Then a cruiser, its lights strobing, pulled onto the streetblocking his escape route.Officers sprang from both sides of the car, taking separate beads on thesuspect from behind the cruiser's doors.The suspect surrendered then, throwing his arms up in the air.She saw him mouth something, but hewas too far away now for her to hear.She saw the suspect put his hands on his head, fall to his knees,stretch out on the pavement, following commands she couldn't hear.Then the ERT team fell on him.She'd watched scenes like this play out a hundred times on television, but the reality was different.Despite herself, she gasped at the violence of it.No, not violence.That wasn't the right word.The whole operation was controlled, professional,textbook [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]