Chapter 13

When Felicia walked into Hank's front hall, the first thing that she saw was a bloody handprint on the wall. There were forensic analysts everywhere, one of them telling Hank and Felicia to stay on the tarp that covered the wood floor.

The further in that Felicia walked, the more that it started to look like a bloodbath.

Looking into one of the rooms, she saw a bunch of people surrounding a body, or what was left of it.

Hank stopped, staring into the room, and Felicia grabbed him by the arm, tugging him until they reached his bedroom. "Get the stuff that you need, and then we'll get the hell out of here."

She helped him to pack some clothes into a large duffel bag, and they quickly made their way back to Felicia's car.

By this time, Hank's eyes had started to water, and a few tears dripped down his face. "She didn't deserve to die this way."

Felicia wasn't sure how to comfort her close friend. "Agatha was a great woman Hank, one of the best, and we will get justice for her, I promise you."

Felicia pulled away from the house, Hank looking out the window towards the house until it disappeared from view.

~

Felicia wasted no time in getting what she needed from her house, since she didn't want another grenade incident. Luckily she didn't need much, just her computer and a few other things, since she already had clothes at Kirk and Eddie's.

Felicia had Hank wait in the car, just in case something were to happen, and she didn't even take ten minutes before she was headed back to the car.

"There's someone watching us," Hank muttered as she got into the car. "Silver Chevy a little bit behind us. I can't tell if it's a man or woman because they're wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap."

Felicia glanced into the rearview mirror, and sure enough, she saw the car that Hank was talking about. When they pulled away from the house, so did the other car.

"Grab my phone and get Detective Reynolds on the line," Felicia told Hank. She took a couple of random turns to make sure that the car was following them, and it stayed right on their tail.

When Reynolds answered the phone, Hank put it on speaker.

"Yeah, I don't think that motel is going to work, Detective. We're being followed."

"Are you sure?"

"This car is taking every turn that we are," Felicia responded. "And it's staying close to us. I can't tell much about the driver, they're wearing a baseball cap and some sunglasses."

"What about a license plate?"

"There isn't a front plate. It's a silver Chevy, smaller car, four-door."

"Alright, don't do anything out of the ordinary, just keep driving. Are you on your way to the motel now?"

"Yeah."

"I'll meet you there."

After hanging up with the detective, Felicia then got on the phone with Kirk and Eddie. "You guys at the motel yet?"

"We're on our way there now," Eddie replied. "We would already be there, but I had to convince Kirk that he didn't need to take his entire wardrobe with him. We've got your stuff, too."

"Thanks. Look, you guys need to be careful, Hank and I are being followed."

"What?"

"I already called Detective Reynolds, and he told me not to do anything out of the ordinary, and to just keep heading to the motel as planned. He's gonna meet us there."

"It's a good thing that I packed my pistol, then."

Felicia's eyes widened. "Since when do you own a damn pistol?!"

"I've had one for years."

"Eddie, please tell me that you have a license to carry that thing."

"Relax, I've got a concealed carry permit. How much longer until you guys get to the motel?"

"I would say about fifteen minutes."

"We'll probably get there before you, so we'll wait for you guys in the parking lot."

"Sounds good."

Felicia then hung up the phone. "We still being followed, Hank?"

"Looks like it," Hank replied. "What the hell is so important that it's worth killing over?"

"I don't know. Hopefully, when I go to the lab tomorrow to talk to Sabine, she'll be able to shed some light."

~

Eddie and Kirk were already waiting for them when Hank and Felicia arrived.

"We've got a couple of rooms booked," Eddie told Felicia. "The rooms are a bit small, but they'll do." He gestured with his head. "That the car that's been following you?"

Felicia turned around, watching as the silver car drove slowly past the motel. "Yeah, that's the car." She answered. She could see whoever it was in the car watching them before peeling away.

"Who has the money to hire a hitman?" Eddie asked, causing Felicia to look at him. "What makes you think that a hitman is involved?"

"Whoever it is knows what they're doing, some regular guy wouldn't be able to track you with such precision. Whoever that person is, they always seem to know where you're at."

"So what do I do, then?"

"Don't go anywhere alone, for one. Take either Kirk or Hank with you when you go to the lab tomorrow. Do you know how to shoot a gun?"

Felicia nodded her head. "I know the basics, but I'm not a sharpshooter."

"That's better than nothing. When you leave tomorrow, take my pistol with you."

"But won't you need it?"

Eddie shook his head. "It's not me that they're after. And you may not even have to use it, but just take it with you as a safety precaution, okay?"

"Alright, but Kirk's driving in case there's a shootout."

"Thanks," Kirk replied as he rolled his eyes. "Hey, looks like your little detective just pulled into the lot.

Detective Reynolds parked next to Felicia's car. "Were you followed the whole way here?" He asked as he got out of his own car, a Ford Taurus.

"Hello to you too," Felicia replied sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, we were followed all the way here. They watched for a few seconds before driving off."

"Give me your keys."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me your keys," Reynolds repeated. "We're going to swap cars."

"And what good is that going to do?"

"Whoever was following you is still in the area. We swap cars, they'll follow me and won't know what car you're driving."

"Now I see why you're a detective."

The smallest of smiles appeared on Reynolds' face.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to smile for once," Felicia added. "You don't have to act like a grumpy old man all of the time."

Reynolds glanced at the other men. "Is she always like this?"

"You haven't even seen the half of it, yet," Hank replied. "Just be glad that she's not on her time of month."

Reynolds shook his head as he and Felicia exchanged keys. "You all get inside your rooms, and none of you leave the premises unless you have to."

Felicia didn't say anything about her planned trip to the lab the following day, knowing that the detective wouldn't be too happy with her plan.

The detective drove off, and Felicia turned towards the others. "Let's get inside, we've got a lot of research to do."