Page 132 of Beyond Protection
She tapped the largest photo. The cabin sat isolated on five acres, surrounded by Douglas fir and western red cedar—one road in, one road out.
"Vanessa Kensington rented this on November 4th. Paid six months up front, cash." Clairmont's finger traced the perimeter. "No neighbors within half a mile. She's been preparing this for weeks."
"We've had eyes on the property since yesterday," the other officer said. "Gray Civic on site. Lights on in the main structure. No movement outside."
"She's waiting," I said.
Clairmont looked at me. "Waiting for what?"
"For him." I glanced at Mac. "She believes she's rescuing him. This isn't a trap—it's the sanctuary she prepared. She's expecting him to arrive, not us."
Silence.
Michael broke it. "He's right. Everything we've seen supports compulsive preparation, not random violence. She's methodical."
"So we assume she's expecting him," Clairmont said. "Standard entry protocol—three teams breach simultaneously."
"No." My voice was firm. "If you corner her, she escalates. She sees it as betrayal. That makes her unpredictable."
"She's armed," Mac said quietly.
"Then we definitely need tactical entry," Clairmont said.
Michael piled on. "I agree, with one addition. Eamon goes in with the entry team."
Clairmont clenched her jaw. "Absolutely not. This is a police operation."
"Then I don't go either." Michael's voice was level. "And you need me. I know that terrain. I trained half your tactical unit. Eamon comes too."
"Why?"
"He knows her patterns. He's studied her behavior. He predicted she'd escalate before Christmas, and he was right." Michael gestured at the maps. "More than that—he's spent the last week protecting Mac. He's earned the right to be there when we end this."
Clairmont's expression said she wanted to argue, but she gave in to Michael.
"Fine. Observer only. He stays behind the entry team. Understood?"
I nodded. "Understood."
"Good. Mac stays here with two uniforms at the door and a cruiser posted on the alley. Full briefing at 1400 hours. We move on the cabin at 2100."
Twenty-one hundred. Nine PM.
Fourteen hours.
The meeting dissolved into logistics. Ma stood in the doorway holding the coffee pot. She'd been there the whole time. Christmas lights blinked behind her head.
After Clairmont left, Michael started shutting down his laptop and turned to me. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
"You sure? Because you look like you're about to be sick."
I almost laughed. "Maybe a little."
"Good. Means you're taking this seriously." He closed the laptop. "I meant what I said. You've earned this. You've kept him safe."
Ma appeared beside me. Refilled my coffee without asking. "You barely touched your eggs."
