Face of Death

There was only one direction in which Jimmy Sikes would go—that much was clear. Following it, Zoe saw a line as clear as day, cutting across the map as the crow flies, until she landed on the only place that made any sense.

He didn’t know they were onto him, not yet. He wouldn’t be looking to change his pattern in order to throw them off. They had him. She was willing to bet her career on the certainty that she knew where Jimmy Sikes was driving to.

“There,” she said, placing her finger on the spot. “If we move now, then that is where we will find him.”

Shelley peered down at the map. “The casino? How can you be sure?”

Zoe fought internally with the need to give her a plausible explanation, versus the need to keep all of that inside her own head. Now was hardly the time to reveal that she could read the numbers and patterns, even if she was intending to reveal that at all—which she was not.

“He likes to gamble,” she said, at last. “Look, see? His first pickup point, just about five days ago, was at this casino, local to his sister’s home. This was where it all began. He also passed by another casino at this point, here—though we are still waiting on the security footage from the interior, it seems likely that he went in, given his car’s appearance in the parking lot. This is the next casino on his route. They are evenly spaced out—different counties, different owners. He goes to each one that he can reach without the fear of being recognized and thrown out. I would not be surprised if he is playing the house to earn money for his trip.”

Shelley studied the three markers Zoe had pointed out, holding her blonde hair back over her shoulder so it wouldn’t fall and obscure her view. She darted up a questioning glance, but seemed to think better of it from the determination on Zoe’s face. After a pause, she nodded and straightened. “Okay, you’re the boss. You’ve been doing this longer than me, so I guess you would know better than I can guess.”

Zoe did not like the uncertainty in Shelley’s tone, but there was nothing to be done about it now. They had to move. “Come on,” she said. “We will head over now. Place a call to the casino management while we drive and tell them to be on the lookout for his vehicle and a man of his description. With any luck, we can catch him before he leaves.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

The casino was over the Missouri border, just a stone’s throw into Kansas. Not for the first time, Zoe was glad that FBI agents were not restricted by state lines.

Zoe watched as Shelley tapped on her phone screen, bringing up the vehicle’s details again. A blue car, with the license plate that Zoe had spotted on the footage. Easy enough to spot—except for the fact that it was a popular and busy casino, and the parking lot was almost full.

They pulled up into a spot of their own, Zoe mentally cursing the inevitable draw of human behavior which left only the very furthest spaces still available. Then again, maybe it was a good thing, if it meant they could find the car on the way into the casino.

“I hope he’s still here,” Shelley muttered. She was fidgeting from foot to foot, fiddling with her necklace on its chain. Zoe sensed her nervous energy, a need to get moving that she also felt. The second car pulled up a few spots away, their backup pulled from the sheriff’s crew.

They still hadn’t heard about any bodies found overnight. Either he had been thrown off from his pattern for some reason, or he had made his kill such a successful one that the victim was still out there. Waiting. Zoe did not relish the thought, because every hour that passed meant further possible degradation of the crime scene and any evidence he may have mistakenly left behind.

Zoe did not share Shelley’s hopes, for the simple reason that she had no doubts. He would be here. The records of his past few days had told her everything she needed to know. Jimmy Sikes was in that casino, and they were going to find him.

Not only that, but the security staff had called them back and told them of the car’s presence. She had told them to watch the exit, make sure he was not allowed to leave. That should have meant that he was still inside.

Except for the call she had received only a couple of moments earlier, telling her that the security guard had been called over to a disturbance—and had lost sight of their man on the cameras. They were on alert to call as soon as they spotted him again, but in the meantime, they had to be sure that he was even still there.

They got out of the car, and Zoe nodded over at the other team. They had their orders already; silently, they fanned out, moving in pairs across the rows of vehicles, scanning plates and vehicle types. They were all armed, ready just in case the man resisted arrest, and on edge with the knowledge that it could go in that direction.