Page 135 of Hidden Nature

She laid it out as she sliced the pizza, slid two pieces on each plate, the spare two on another. She set one plate in front of Nash, one for herself, and the third in the middle of the table.

She shook red pepper over her two slices; Nash did the same.

She wound through Zach Tarrington while they ate the first slice.

“So now I’ve got three, different locations, different lifestyles, different types, even different times of day, but all with a car left behind in a parking lot, all missing without a trace.”

“Except for a woman and a white van in the last one.”

“Yes.”

“Why would a woman, apparently alone, park so far from the hotel if she needed directions?”

Sloan lifted both hands, snapped them in the air as she said again, “Yes! You’re lost, it’s midnight, most logical is a gas station, and she’d have passed more than one in either direction. Even if you decide to ask at the hotel, you pull up to the entrance.”

“Could’ve pulled in, parked to look at a map, or make a phone call.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She blew out a breath, picked up her second slice. “But she just happens to park beside Tarrington’s car?”

“Probably,” he reminded her. “But say she did. How does she get this guy into the van, within a few minutes, without a struggle, some noise? How did she know when he’d come out to his car in the first place? Same with the other two, right? The first, she’s out of eggs or whatever, runs to the store. Not planned. The second, you said he rotated motels. The last, okay, a regular sort of schedule, but they’d have to know his car.”

He drank some wine.

“You said there’s no—what was it?—intersect between the three. Like they went to the second guy to get their teeth cleaned, or used the hotel where the third one worked. No friends or relatives in common or in the other areas—you were pretty thorough. Didn’t use the same gym, shops, that sort of thing. So how does this woman know them? Has to know them to pick them, right?”

Sitting back, Sloan studied him. “You’re good at this.”

“Thanks.” He toasted her. “It’s my first time.”

“She could be cruising. They’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, she’s in the right place, right time for her purposes.”

“What’s her purpose?”

“I don’t know that yet.” So saying, she nudged the extra plate toward him.

“You’re done?”

“Two’s my limit.”

“I can do three,” he said, and took a third slice. “Okay, say she’s cruising, how’d she hit on the first one?”

“She might’ve been there already, waiting for someone else to come out, then there’s Janet Anderson, and opportunity.”

He studied her as he ate. “But you don’t really think so.”

“No, I don’t really think so. Shit. I think all three were targets, but I don’t know why. Except a lot more people than most think are just crazy.”

“I hear that. Do you really want to hear what I think?”

“I’m sharing my dinner and giving up my breakfast pizza, aren’t I?”

He smiled at her. She had to admit he had a good one when he used it. “You stock the same brand we do. I think you’re right.”

“About what?”

“All of it. I’d have to think the woman in the van has help. Like even if she forced the bellman into the van at gunpoint, wouldn’t there have been some noise? And why would he stay in the van when she walked over to talk to the second bellman?”

“You paid attention,” Sloan murmured.

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