The Watchman: A Joe Pike Novel
By Robert Crais
4.5/5
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About this ebook
Larkin Conner Barkley lives like the City of Angels is hers for the taking. Young and staggeringly rich, she speeds through the city during its loneliest hours, blowing through red after red in her Aston Martin as if running for her life. Then suddenly she sees another car’s metal-on-metal explosion of a terrible accident and, dazed, finds herself the single witness in a secret federal investigation.
For maybe the first time in her life, Larkin wants to do the right thing. But in doing so she becomes the target for a relentless team of killers. And when the US Marshals and the finest security money can buy can’t protect her, Larkin’s wealthy family turns to the one man money can't buy―Joe Pike.
Pike lives a world away from the palaces of Beverly Hills. He’s an ex-cop, ex-Marine, ex-mercenary who owes a bad man a favor, and that favor is to keep the uncontrollable Larkin alive.
Pike commits to protecting the girl, but it becomes clear someone in their circle is selling them out. Taking matters into his own hands, Joe drops off the gird with Larkin and follows his own survival rules: strike fast, hit hard, hunt down the hunters. With the help of private investigator Elvis Cole, Pike uncovers a web of lies and betrayals, and the stunning revelation that even the cops are not who they seem. As the body count rises, Pike’s biggest threat might come from the girl herself, a lost soul in the City of Angels, determined to destroy herself unless Joe Pike can teach her the value of life...and love.
Robert Crais
Robert Crais is the author of the bestselling Cole & Pike novels. A native of Louisiana, Crais moved to Hollywood in the late 70s where he began a successful career in television, writing scripts for such major series as Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues. In the mid 80s, Crais created a series of crime novels based around the characters Cole & Pike. In addition, Crais has also written several bestselling standalone thrillers. Robert Crais lives in LA with his wife and family.
Read more from Robert Crais
Chasing Darkness: An Elvis Cole Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Two Minute Rule Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elvis Cole and Joe Pike: A Mysterious Profile Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
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Reviews for The Watchman
59 ratings31 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Their roles have been reversed. Instead of being the sidekick of Elvis Cole, Joe Pike is the lead in this book. Pike has a debt to pay, so as payment he accepts the job as bodyguard of a young heiress who finds her life in jeopardy after a traffic accident.What I liked best was learning more about Pike's past and the appearances of Elvis Cole, but other than that, I wasn't too impressed. The plot seemed drawn out, and I didn't develop any connection to the characters.Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I liked the Joe Pike book a lot more than I thought I would. Nice change of pace from an Elvis Cole stand alone. Looking forward to the next one.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5action packed novel
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Semper Fi Joe Pike
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A good story, but it dragged in the middle with an ending that felt rushed. Joe Pike as a lead character seemed too one-dimensional to really be interesting. Not sure I will continue with this series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fully developed characters and a lot of action. I didn't want to put it down!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love Joe Pike. That is all.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent read. Fast paced edge of your seat drama. Joe Pike is a Bad Man. Elvis Cole rocks.. Love these guys.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53.5 starsLarkin is a spoiled rich girl who gets in a car crash and apparently has witnessed something due to this crash so that someone wants her dead. Joe Pike is brought in to protect her and keep her alive. The car crash itself was a bit confusing at the start. It happened fast and I had trouble figuring out who was who right off! (And I still had trouble sorting out some of the characters later on, as well!) However, once I figured out the gist (even if I didn’t have the characters straight) of what was happening, some parts were fast-paced, while others weren’t as interesting. I really didn’t like either of the main characters, though, Larkin or Pike (mostly he’s called by his last name). I don’t plan to seek out any more books with Pike in them; I won’t necessarily rule them out altogether, but I won’t go looking for any.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 11th entry in the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series is the first to focus on Pike as the central character. Larkin Barkley, the daughter of a wealthy developer, has become the target of assassins. Her father's private security arrangements and those of the U. S. Marshals service have both been penetrated. Joe owes a favor in return for help he received earlier in rescuing a kidnap victim and his marker is called.Larkin is a very frightened rich girl who doesn't trust Joe and expects to be pampered and entertained. Joe is not even willing to engage in conversation, let alone entertain, and a bored and resentful Larkin does her best to undermine the restrictions Joe established for her safety. Add the fact that the government's theory of the identity and motivation of the person directing the assassination attempts is flawed and Joe's is in for a rough time.With Elvis providing investigative service and Joe handling the paramilitary action, Pike and Cole attempt to protect Larkin and find out who wants her dead. And - spoiler alert - for once they manage to pull off the job without either of them getting shot.Although not Crais' best effort, The Watchman is entertaining from start to finish. In contrast to some of the other entries in this series, the motivation and identity of the person orchestrating the assassination attempts remains a mystery until close to the end. This keeps the reader in the dark as well as Pike and Cole. Crais' plotting is good but like most writers he seems unwilling to take on the challenge of a committed relationship for his central characters. Pike's personality is fleshed out in greater detail but he still remains an enigma. For example, why won't he talk? Here's hoping we see further development of the Joe Pike character.As always, Crais' careful descriptions of person, place, and mood bring the story to life and his use of simile and metaphor is superb. They are the reason Crais is one of my favorite authors.
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- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fast-moving story about Joe Pike being hired to protect a young woman who is needed as a witness in a Federal investigation. Things aren't as they seem. We learn a bit more about Joe Pike and his past and his motivations in this story. Elvis Cole takes a secondary role in this story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Although fairly predictable, I enjoyed this book. I liked Joe Pike's character and found the ending satisfying.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pike is asked by his former police partner to protect a young woman on whom three attempts have been made on her life. After another attempt is foiled by Pike, he & his partner, Elvis Cole, feel there must be a mole amongst the people who know Pike is guarding her. Following Pike's usual plan which is to attack rather than wait for the criminal to come to him, he & Cole use all their sources to find out who is really behind the attempt assassination and why. A drug cartel and terrorist funding are part of the plot.In this story, we learn much about Cole's background including his abusive father, and his first years as a police officer and why he left the force to become a military contractor. Cole also falls in love.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Damn, I enjoy a cheap, fast thriller every now and then and this book delivers.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It was an action packed thriller, no doubt about it. Pike is pretty over the top, not even taking well deserved money, too perfect for my taste. It was interesting to find out his back story, though. Elvis had a good part & I liked him better in a secondary role. His wise cracks were more fun in small doses. I appreciated not getting quite as much of a tour of LA as I did with the first Elvis Cole book, too.
I have the next Joe Pike book & will probably read it at some point soon. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Larkin Conner Barkely is carefree, young, and very wealthy. When she is involved in a car accident one night in Los Angeles, she has no idea the chain of events which will follow. Suddenly Larkin’s life is in danger and she is running from people who want her dead. Joe Pike, an ex-cop and ex-mercenary, is tasked with keeping Larkin safe…which is much harder than anyone could have predicted. When it appears that someone is leaking information as to their secure whereabouts, Pike takes Larkin and goes off the grid, returning to his own network of trusted individuals.The Watchman is the first book in the Joe Pike series and it is fast-paced, edge of your seat entertainment. Robert Crais does not clutter up his novel with extraneous information – instead his writing is direct, plot-driven and high action.I first was introduced to Crais’s writing in his newest novel, Suspect, which I loved. I went right out and bought the first three books of the Pike series and finally decided to read it.Joe Pike is a thrilling character with a dark background. He reminds me of the protagonists which people Robert Ludlum novels – strong, fearless, and with extraordinary capabilities. But don’t let that fool you – beneath his cool interior, Pike has a heart and it is that touch of humanity which makes him not only a character to get behind, but one to love.I’m eager to read the next book in this series.Readers who love plot-driven novels with lots of action, won’t want to miss this one.Recommended.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the first novel from Robert Crais that I have read and I enjoyed reading it. Joe Pike is an interesting character, a bit strange and not exactly someone with an effervescent personality, but he was very different than your typical novel hero, and that's a good thing. The story itself is well done if a bit on the convoluted side. My guess is that the victim in the story is based on Paris Hilton, and I didn't find her to be very likeable. I also wasn't crazy about the possible love angle that the novel was brewing toward, but at least it never materialized. In all a good read.Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I've only read the first Elvis Cole book, in which Pike was a minor character, so I wasn't sure what the characters would be like in the reverse position. Overall, the story was fast and furious. It wasn't particularly deep, or even very violent (though there is a lot of "talk" about being violent, but mostly it was just people getting shot)...I wanted a replacement for Reacher and Pike nearly is. He's quiet and doesn't waste time being nice or talking when he can just act and get stuff done. I think the "relationship" between him and the woman he was protecting was just too jarring. The story wasn't long enough or deep enough to justify them having a "developing" relationship of any type, and, on top of that, the reader was lead to believe that the girl was young-ish, and Pike is middle aged, so it was creepy on that note.All in all, not a bad book, and I'd read more in this series if someone dropped off a copy at my door.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not the best of Crais's. Never could understand how the character such as Joe Pike would put up with the young woman.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you like the Elvis Cole novels you will love the first of the Joe Pike books - if you haven't read any Elvis Cole this is a great option for a starting point with Robert Crais. Crais is a master of the mystery genre and a great read. I am now going to read the second of the Joe Pike books.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Totally engrossing crime thriller book on tape. Very well read by James Daniels. Joe Pike and Elvis Cole are great characters from Crais books and Daniels reads them well. This one is about protecting a young rich girl and finding out why someone is trying to kill her.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Every sensitive detective needs a tough-guy partner to do his dirty woork, and just as Spenser has Hawk, Elvis Cole has Joe Pike. Pike is an interesting character, with his own quirks and demons to battle. Larkin is not quite the spoiled righ kid she seems on the surface (although I still found some of the ending to be pretty out of character). If you're an Elvis Cole fan, you'll enjoy this - there's a lot of expanding on Elviss background, his relationship with Joe and the way they started working together. If you've always like Joe Pike (and I always crush on the sidekicks), this is a great chance to get to know him better.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Joe Pike novel.Normally, I’m not one for the hard-boiled hero type of either police procedural or thriller. I do have my exceptions, however, such as Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch and Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus. Both series are so well written that they transcend, it seems to me, the genre.I now can add Robert Crais’s Joe Pike/Ellis Cole series to the list. Joe Pike is a co-partner, along with Ellis Cole, of a private investigative agency. In a way, he’s your standard no nonsense, tough guy, hard a nails protagonist: ex-marine, ex-L.A. cop, and ex-mercenary. He has the entire skill set necessary for such a protagonist: go for 36+ hours without sleep, stand in one place without moving for 12 hours, drop a fly with a bronze-tipped arrow at 600 yards—the whole shmear.Yet somehow, in this novel where Joe has taken on the protection of a Paris Hilton type figure, he comes out far more interesting. As does Larkin Barkley, the “wild young heiress,” by the way, and I am no fan of celebrities. I put it down to the writing, which is very good, and the plotting, which is also very good. Pike has an interesting background, and Barkley has appealing intelligence. I wouldn’t make such an extravagant claim as to say there is terrific character development within a novel that is clearly thriller-type entertainment, but there is some and it adds to the appeal of the book.All the characters, from the protagonist on down to the major baddies, have distinct voices. This is not a wooden book depending simply on body count (which is significant) and gore and atrocities (of which there is hardly any) for its appeal. It moves nicely, its characters are appealing or repellent as necessary, and the plot resolves well.All in all, a very good read and one that left me eager to read more in the series. Highly recommended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is Crais's best book, and that's saying a lot (all of his writing is very high quality). Every single library patron I have recommended the book to loved it. The main character of the Watchman is Joe Pike, who appears in most of Crais's other books as Elvis Cole's partner (like Hawk to Spencer). Action, mystery, great characterization, great writing. (Note: Joe Pike is very much like Lee Child's Jack Reacher--if you like Lee Child you'll love this book, and probably all of Crais's books.)
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5My mom has been a Crais fan for years, so when the airport bookshop failed to offer anything in my typical reading genres I decided to give this one a try. I was disappointed.Which isn't to say that this is terrible. It may be just the ticket, if you're in the mood for a mindless, quick-paced, "shoot-'em-up, "Lethal Weapon"-ish sort of escapism, with a made-to-order Paris-Hilton-trying-to-act-like-she-has-some-substance-and-an-excuse role. But somehow I expected more from this author.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5good twists and turns
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Apparantly fans have been clamoring for Pike to get his own book, and this one reads very much like the result. I was talking to my brother who read this book last week and said that while he enjoyed it, he can't remember the plot. Well, yeah. The plot is completely superfluous to the point of this book, which is to indulge Pike fans in a long, taut, movie-trailer-like series of tableaus where he gets to kick ass and be inscrutible behind those dark glasses. If you accept that premise, then it's hard to find fault with this effort.RC did a great job of setting this story up, going back a few books...Cole wrapping up his personal life and getting conveniently injured to within an inch of his death - he'll need a few pike books to recover. And I think that's what RC does best: know his audience and respond to it. Two-Minute Rule seemed like a little reward to himself - leaving the franchise for a smoke, so to speak - and now he's back in giving the people what they want.Not sure if there's enough Pike there to sustain a series, though. His demons from the past, only hinted at in the Cole books, are now laid bare and they're pretty flimsy to build a complex character on. Pike won't be able to sustain a love interest or grow fundamentally unless he changes, and that will take away all his charm.Pike's the perfect sidekick, and I hope he'll go back to being that in the future.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Joe Pike, a supporting character from Robert Crais' popular Elvis Cole detective series gets a starring role in this action packed thriller. Spoiled rich girl Larkin Barkley is on the run from shadowy killers after spotting an escaped fugitive, and strong, silent Joe Pike can protect her. Simultaneously on the move from the crooks, the cops and the feds, Pike needs to solve a complex mystery before time runs out. While the story does suffer from some central-casting stereotyping like the gruff, monosyllabic hero and the whiny, complaining young woman, the narrative moves along at a brisk pace and the action should keep most thriller fans well interested.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The tone of this novel was definitely different from those featuring Elvis as lead. The pace was faster and there was less ‘sniffing the daisies’ going on. Pike has no capacity for self-doubt and just acts. Elvis, on the other hand, is riddled with self-doubt and it changes the character of the story. One thing that didn’t work out as well as I thought it might was the establishment of Larkin’s character. She’s portrayed as a party girl a la Paris Hilton on the flap, but inside she is much steadier and willing to slow and adapt to the new situation. Whenever she has a flare up, it seems like a false note as a result. Strange, but I never thought of Larkin as a flighty, celebutaunt. In the end she ends up seriously falling for Pike and makes the very adult decision to leave him be when her play for him falls flat. In one sense I’m glad that Pike and Larkin (constantly referred to as the girl) didn’t end up connecting. On one hand, Pike needs to be solitary and focused. He can’t stand the distraction that comes with domesticity. And we all know what that does – it neuters; just look at Davenport. On the other hand, Pike is empty inside and it would be nice to see part of that space filled with something that can bring him joy and fulfillment. Elvis made a few appearances and saved Pike’s butt just as Pike usually does in Elvis’s adventures. Pike really loves and respects Elvis and his abilities. He says that Elvis is the one person who’s inside persona and outside persona are nearly identical. He doesn’t know how he does it, but he’s determined to study Elvis closer until he discovers how it’s done. It was interesting to see Elvis through Pike’s eyes. The plot unraveled as such; terrorist guy needs to clean and raise money. He contacts real estate guy B. Real estate guy B gets funding through Berkley company C. Deal sours. Terrorist wants his money. Terrorist doesn’t get his money. Kills real estate guy B. Still wants money. Goes after Berkley not knowing that daddy has no idea of this transaction. It’s lackey D who is engineering the whole thing. Lackey D sets Larkin up as the leverage point to get the money out of daddy Berkley. At first Larkin thinks daddy is in on it, but a dangerous and stupid move during a tense situation reveals him to be ignorant. Gunplay ensues. Bad guys are killed. Good guys are wounded. Lackey D escapes. Later, Pike and a friend hunt down and kill Lackey D.I think this could be read as a stand-alone novel in some respects – it rehashes a lot of Pike’s story surrounding his time on the force and his time with Bud Flynn. It goes into great detail of his final assignment, shooting of his partner and subsequent resignation. He and Bud surprisingly work well together despite no communication for something like 20 years. All in all, I prefer Pike as a shadowy, mysterious guy. I prefer Cole-focused stories where Pike is the back up. He doesn’t belong in the limelight when he performs best in the dark.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In this book, the author continues the exploration of his mysterious character Joe Pike which began in earnest in the book LA Requiem (though it could be said that the exploration has been there in all the books). For the uninitiated, this is the first Joe Pike novel - Pike normally playing second string to the author’s main character Elvis Cole.Joe Pike is an enigmatic character, while being a classic tarnished knight. He had an abusive childhood, is an ex-Marine, is a martial arts expert, is an ex-policeman and is a sometime mercenary. He is also very intelligent and capable of extreme gentleness and compassion. He is, on the surface, a similar character to Win in the Myron Bolitar Stories (Harlan Coben) or Bubba in the Gennaro/Kenzie stories (Dennis Lehane). He is there to move the story along, to take the actions our detective cannot/will not take - he’s the big guns brought out for extreme circumstances.The Elvis Cole novels are known for their characterisations and the humour the author can bring to the story. he continues this in this novel. Pike is asked to bodyguard a spoiled rich girl and, as one would expect, things take a rapid turn for the worst. In this novel the plot almost takes second place to the characters and to the gradual drawing out of Joe’s backstory and that of Larkin Barkley.Reading any Robert Crais novel is a pleasure and reading this one especially so. Joe Pike, already solid in the minds of the fans, is further fleshed out in this novel. The Daily Mirror said “Read this, then read all his others” and I have to agree. Unless you already have all the others in which case I say read them in order and stop jumping to the end.
Book preview
The Watchman - Robert Crais
PROLOGUE
CITY OF ANGELS
City of Angels
THE CITY was hers for a single hour, just the one magic hour, only hers. The morning of the accident, between three and four a.m. when the streets were empty and the angels watched, she flew east on Wilshire Boulevard at eighty miles per hour, never once slowing for the red lights along that stretch called the Miracle Mile, red after red, blowing through lights without even slowing; glittering blue streaks of mascara on her cheeks.
Accounting for her time before the accident, she would later tell police she was at a club on Yucca in Hollywood, one of those clubs du jour with paparazzi clotted by the door. She had spent an hour avoiding an aging action star while seeing her friends (trust-fund Westsiders and A-list young Hollywood; actors, agents, and musicians she had no problem naming for the police), all taking cell-phone pictures of each other, blowing air-kisses and posing with rainbow drinks. The police sergeant who interviewed her would raise his eyebrows when she told him she had not been drinking, but the Breathalyzer confirmed her story. One Virgin Cosmo which she did not finish.
Three was her witching hour. She dropped a hundred on the valet for her Aston Martin, and red-lined away. Five blocks later—alone—she stopped in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, shut the engine, and enjoyed a cashmere breeze. The scents of jasmine and rosemary came from the hills. The engine ticked, but she listened to find the silence. The stillness of the city at this hour was breathtaking.
She gazed up at the buildings and imagined angels perched on the edge of the roofs; tall slender angels with drooping wings; standing in perfect silence, watching her without expectation as if in an eternal dream: We give you the city. No one is watching. Set yourself free.
Her name was Larkin Conner Barkley. She was twenty-two years old. She lived in a hip loft downtown in an area catering to emerging painters and bicoastal musicians, not far from the Los Angeles River. Her family owned the building.
Larkin pushed the accelerator and felt the wind lift her hair. She bore south on Vine, then east on Wilshire, laughing as her eyes grew wet. Light poles flicked past; red or green, it didn’t matter and she didn’t care. Honking horns were lost in the rush. Her long hair, the color of pennies, whipped and lashed. She closed her eyes, held them closed, kept them shut even longer, then popped them wide and laughed that she still flew straight and true—
—85—
—90—
—101—
—a two-hundred-thousand-dollar Tuxedo Black convertible blur, smudged by alabaster skin and Medusa copper hair, running wild and free across the city. She flashed over the arch at MacArthur Park, then saw the freeway coming up fast, the Pasadena; a wall guarding downtown. She slowed, but only enough, just barely enough, as cars appeared and streets narrowed, flying over the freeway into the tangle of one-way downtown streets—Sixth, Seventh, Fourth, Ninth; Grand, Hill, and Main. She turned where she wanted, went the wrong way, ran hard for the river; slowing more, finally, inevitably, as everything rippled and blurred—
She told herself it was the dry night wind and lashing hair, the way her eyes filled when her lonely race finished, but it was always the same whether the air was dry or not, whether her hair was down or up, so she knew. For those few minutes running across the city, she could be and was herself, purely and truly herself, finding herself in those moments only to lose herself once more when she slowed, falling behind as her true self ran free somewhere ahead in the empty night—
She lurched across Alameda, her speed draining like a wound.
—65—
—60—
—55—
Larkin turned north on an industrial street parallel to the river. Her building was only blocks away when the air bag exploded. The Aston Martin spun sideways to a stop. White powder hung in the air like haze; sprayed over her shoulders and arms. The other car had been a flashing shape, no more real than a shadow in the sea, a flick of gleaming movement broken by the prisms of her tears, then the impact.
Larkin released her belt and stumbled from the car. A silver Mercedes sedan was on the sidewalk, its rear fender broken and bent. A man and a woman were in the front seat, the man behind the wheel. A second man was in the rear, closest to the impact. The driver was helping the woman, whose face was bleeding; the man in back was on his side, trying to pull himself up but unable to rise.
Larkin slapped the driver’s-side window.
Are you all right? Can I help?
The driver stared at her blankly before truly seeing her, then opened his door. He was cut above his left eye.
Larkin said, Ohmigod, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I’ll call 911. I’ll get an ambulance.
The driver was in his fifties, well dressed and tan, with a large gold ring on his right hand and a beautiful watch on his left. The woman stared dumbly at blood on her hands. The backseat passenger spilled out the rear door, fell to his knees, then used the side of the car to climb to his feet.
He said, We’re okay. It’s nothing.
Larkin realized her cell phone was still in her car. She had to get help for these people.
Please sit down. I’ll call—
No. Let me see about you.
The man from the backseat took a step but sank to a knee. Larkin saw him clearly, lit by the headlights of her car. His eyes were large, and so dark they looked black in the fractured light.
Larkin hurried to her car. She found her cell phone on the floor, and was dialing 911 when the Mercedes backed off the sidewalk, its rear fender dragging the street.
Larkin said, Hey, wait—!
Larkin called after them again, but they didn’t slow. She was memorizing their license plate when she heard the man from the backseat running away hard up the middle of the street.
A tinny voice cut through her confusion.
Emergency operator, hello?
I had a wreck, an auto accident—
Was anyone injured?
They drove away. This man, I don’t know—
Larkin closed her eyes and recited the license number. She was scared she would forget it, so she pulled out her lip gloss—Cherry Pink Ice—and wrote the number on her arm.
Ma’am, do you need help?
Larkin felt wobbly.
Ma’am—?
The earth tilted and Larkin sat in the street.
Ma’am, tell me where you are.
Larkin tried to answer.
Ma’am, where are you?
Larkin lay back on the cool, hard street. Dark buildings huddled over her like priests in black frocks, bent over in prayer. She searched their roofs for angels.
The first patrol car arrived in seven minutes; the paramedics three minutes later. Larkin thought it would end that night when the police finished their questions, but her nightmare had only begun.
In forty-eight hours, she would meet with agents from the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s. In six days, the first attempt would be made on her life. In eleven days, she would meet a man named Joe Pike.
Everything in her world was about to change. And it began that night.
DAY ONE
STAY GROOVY
1
THE GIRL was moody getting out of the car, making a sour face to let him know she hated the shabby house and sun-scorched street smelling of chili and episote. To him, this anonymous house would serve. He searched the surrounding houses for threats as he waited for her, clearing the area the way another man might clear his throat. He felt obvious wearing the long-sleeved shirt. The Los Angeles sun was too hot for the sleeves, but he had little choice. He moved carefully to hide what was under the shirt.
She said, People who live in houses like this have deformed children. I can’t stay here.
Lower your voice.
I haven’t eaten all day. I didn’t eat yesterday and now this smell is making me feel strange.
We’ll eat when we’re safe.
The house opened as the girl joined him, and the woman Bud told him to expect appeared: a squat woman with large white teeth and friendly eyes named Imelda Arcano. Mrs. Arcano managed several apartment houses and single-family rentals in Eagle Rock, and Bud’s office had dealt with her before. He hoped she wouldn’t notice the four neat holes that had been punched into their fender the night before.
He turned his back to the house to speak with the girl.
The attitude makes you memorable. Lose it. You want to be invisible.
Why don’t I wait in the car?
Leaving her was unthinkable.
Let me handle her.
The girl laughed.
That would be you all over it. I want to see that, you handling her. I want to see you charm her.
He took the girl’s arm and headed toward the house. To her credit, the girl fell in beside him without making a scene, slouching to change her posture the way he had shown her. Even with her wearing the oversize sunglasses and Dodgers cap, he wanted her inside and out of sight as quickly as possible.
Mrs. Arcano smiled wider as they reached the front door, welcoming them.
Mr. Johnson?
Yes.
It’s so hot today, isn’t it? It’s cool inside. The air conditioner works very well. I’m Imelda Arcano.
After the nightmare in Malibu, Bud’s office had arranged the new house on the fly—dropped the cash and told Mrs. Arcano whatever she needed to hear, which probably wasn’t much. This would be easy money, no questions part of the deal, low-profile tenants who would be gone in a week. Mrs. Arcano probably wouldn’t even report the rental to the absentee owner; just pocket Bud’s cash and call it a day. They were to meet Mrs. Arcano only so she could give them the keys.
Imelda Arcano beckoned them inside. The man hesitated long enough to glance back at the street. It was narrow and treeless, which was good. He could see well in both directions, though the small homes were set close together, which was bad. The narrow alleys would fill with shadows at dusk.
He wanted Mrs. Arcano out of the way as quickly as possible, but Mrs. Arcano latched onto the girl—one of those female-to-female things—and gave them the tour, leading them through the two tiny bedrooms and bath, the microscopic living room and kitchen, the grassless backyard. He glanced at the neighboring houses from each window, and out the back door at the rusty chain-link fence that separated this house from the one behind it. A beige and white pit bull was chained to an iron post in the neighboring yard. It lay with its chin on its paws, but it was not sleeping. He was pleased when he saw the pit bull.
The girl said, Does the TV work?
Oh, yes, you have cable. You have lights, water, and gas—everything you need, but there is no telephone. You understand that? There really is no point in having the phone company create a line for such a short stay.
He had told the girl not to say anything, but now they were having a conversation. He cut it off.
We have cell phones. You can hand over the keys and be on your way.
Mrs. Arcano stiffened, indicating she was offended.
When will you be moving in?
Now. We’ll take the keys.
Mrs. Arcano peeled two keys from her key ring, then left. For the first and only time that day he left the girl alone. He walked Mrs. Arcano to her car because he wanted to bring their gear into the house as quickly as possible. He wanted to call Bud. He wanted to find out what in hell happened the night before, but mostly he wanted to make sure the girl was safe.
He lingered at his car until Mrs. Arcano drove away, then looked up and down the street again—both ways, the houses, between the houses—and everything seemed fine. He brought his and the girl’s duffels into the house, along with the bag they had grabbed at the Rite Aid.
The television was on, the girl hopping through the local stations for news. When he walked in, she laughed, then mimicked him, lowering and flattening her voice.
" ‘Hand over the keys and be on your way.’ Oh, that charmed her. That certainly made you forgettable."
He turned off the television and held out the Rite Aid bag. She didn’t take it, pissed about him turning off the set, so he let it drop to the floor.
Do your hair. We’ll get something to eat when you’re finished.
I wanted to see if we’re on the news.
Can’t hear with the TV. We want to hear. Maybe later.
I can turn off the sound.
Do the hair.
He peeled off his shirt and tossed it onto the floor by the front door. If he went out again or someone came to the door he would pull it on. He was wearing a Kimber .45 semiautomatic pushed into the waist of his pants. He opened his duffel and took out a clip holster for the Kimber and a second gun, this one already holstered, a Colt Python .357 Magnum with the four-inch barrel. He clipped the Kimber onto the front of his pants in the cross-draw position and the Python on his right side. He hadn’t chanced the holsters with Mrs. Arcano, but he hadn’t wanted to take the chance of being without a gun, either.
He took a roll of duct tape from his bag and went to the kitchen.
Behind him, the girl said, Asshole.
He made sure the back door was locked, then moved to the tiny back bedroom, locked the windows, and pulled the shades. This done, he tore off strips of duct tape and sealed the shades over the windows. He taped the bottoms and sides to the sills and jambs, all the way around each shade. If anyone managed to raise a window they would make noise tearing the shade from the wall and he would hear. When the shades were taped, he took out his Randall knife and made a three-inch vertical slit in each shade, just enough for him to finger open so he could cover the approaches to the house. He was cutting the shades when he heard her go into the bathroom. Finally cooperating. He knew she was scared, both of him and of what was happening, so he was surprised she had been trying as hard as she had. And pleased, thinking maybe they would stay alive a little while longer.
On his way to the front bedroom he passed the bath. She was in front of the mirror, cutting away her rich copper hair. She held the hair between her fingers, pulling it straight from her head to hack it away with the cheap Rite Aid scissors, leaving two inches of jagged spikes. Boxes of Clairol hair color, also fresh from the Rite Aid, lined the sink. She saw him in the mirror and glared.
I hate this. I’m going to look so Melrose.
She had peeled down to her bra but left the door open. He guessed she wanted him to see. The five-hundred-dollar jeans rode low on her hips below a smiling dolphin jumping between the dimples on the small of her back. Her bra was light blue and sheer, and the perfect color against her olive skin. Looking at him, she played with her hair, which now stuck out in uneven spikes. She fluffed the spikes, shaped them, then considered them. The sink and floor were covered with the hair she had cut away.
She said, What about white? I could go white. Would that make you happy?
Brown. Nondescript.
I could go blue. Blue might be fun.
She turned to pose her body.
Would you love it? Retropunk? So totally Melrose? Tell me you love it.
He continued on to the front bedroom without answering. She hadn’t bought blue. She probably thought he hadn’t been paying attention, but he paid attention to everything. She had bought blond, brown, and black. He locked and taped the front bedroom windows as he had done in the rest of the house, then returned to the bathroom. Now the water was running and she was leaning over the sink, wearing clear plastic gloves, massaging color into her hair. Black. He wondered how long it would take for the red to be hidden. He took out his cell phone, calling Bud Flynn as he watched.
He said, We’re in place. What happened last night?
I’m still trying to find out. I got no idea. Is the new house okay?
They had our location, Bud. I want to know how.
I’m working on it. Is she okay?
I want to know how.
Jesus, I’m working on it. Do you need anything?
I need to know how.
He closed the phone as she stood, water running down the trough of her spine to the dolphin until she wrapped her hair in a towel. Only then did she find him in the mirror again and smile.
You’re looking at my ass.
The pit bull barked.
He did not hesitate. He drew the Python and ran to the back bedroom.
She said, Joe! Damnit.
In the back bedroom, he fingered open a slit in the shade as the girl hurried up behind him. The dog was on its feet, squinting at something he could not see.
She said, What is it?
Shh.
The pit was trying to see something to their left, the flat top of its head furrowed and its nubby ears perked, no longer barking as it tested the air.
Pike watched through the slit, listening hard as the pit was listening.
The girl whispered, What?
The pit exploded with frenzied barking as it jumped against its chain.
Pike spoke fast over his shoulder even as the first man came around the end of the garage. It was happening again.
Front of the house, but don’t open the door. Go. Fast.
The towel fell from her head as he pushed her forward. He hooked their duffels over his shoulder, guiding her to the door. He checked the slit in the front window shade. A single man was walking up the drive as another moved across the yard toward the house. Pike didn’t know how many more were outside or where they were, but he and the girl would not survive if he fought from within the house.
He cupped her face and forced her to see him. She had to see past her fear. Her eyes met his and he knew they were together.
Watch me. Don’t look at them or anything else. Watch me until I motion for you, then run for the car as fast as you can.
Once more, he did not hesitate.
He jerked open the door, set up fast on the man in the drive, and fired the Colt twice. He reset on the man coming across the yard. Pike doubled on each man’s center of mass so quickly the four shots sounded like two—baboomba-boom—then he ran to the center of the front yard. He saw no more men, so he waved out the girl.
Go.
She ran as hard as she could, he had to hand it to her. Pike fell in behind her, running backwards the way cornerbacks fade to cover a receiver, staying close to shield her body with his because the pit bull was still barking. More men were coming.
When Pike reached the bodies, he dropped to a knee and checked their pockets by touch. He was hoping for a wallet or some form of ID, but their pockets were empty.
A third man came around the corner of the house into the drive, saw Pike, then dove backwards. Pike fired his last two shots. Wood and stucco exploded from the edge of the house, but the man had made cover and the Python was dry. The third man popped back almost at once and fired three shots—bapbapbap—missing Pike, but hitting his Jeep like a ball-peen hammer. Pike didn’t have time to holster the Python. He dropped it to jerk free the Kimber, pounded out two more shots and dropped the man at the edge of the house. Pike ran for the car. The girl had the driver’s door open, but was just standing there.
Pike shouted, "Get in. In."
Another man appeared at the edge of the house, snapping out shots as fast as he could. Pike fired, but the man had already taken cover.
"In."
Pike pushed the girl across the console, jammed the key into the ignition and gunned his Jeep to the corner. He four-wheeled the turn, buried the accelerator, then glanced at the girl.
You good? Are you hurt?
She stared straight ahead, her eyes red and wet. She was crying again.
She said, Those men are dead.
Pike placed his hand on her thigh.
Larkin, look at me.
She clenched her eyes and kneaded her hands.
Three men just died. Three more men.
He made his deep voice soft.
I won’t let anything happen to you. Do you hear me?
She still didn’t look.
Do you believe me?
She nodded.
Pike swerved through an intersection. He slowed only enough to avoid a collision, then accelerated onto the freeway.
They had been at the house in Eagle Rock for twenty-eight minutes. He had killed three more men, and now they were running. Again.
He was sorry he lost the Colt. It was a good gun. It had saved them last night in Malibu, but now it might get them killed.
2
BLASTING NORTH on the 101. Pike gave no warning before horsing across four lanes of traffic to the exit ramp. They fell off the freeway like a brick dropped in water.
Larkin screamed.
They hit the bottom of the ramp sideways, Pike turning hard across oncoming lanes. Horns and tires shrieked as Pike turned again up the opposite on-ramp, back the way they had come. The girl was hugging her legs, hunched into a knot like they tell you to do when an airplane is going to crash.
Pike pushed the Jeep to the next exit, then pegged the brakes at the last moment and fell off again, checking the rearview even as they fell.
The girl moaned.
Stop it. Stop—Jesus, you’re going to get us killed.
They came out by USC, busy with afternoon traffic. Pike cut into the Chevron station at the bottom of the ramp, wheeling around the pump islands and office, then jammed to a stop. They sat, engine running, Pike pushing bullets into the Kimber’s magazine as he studied the cars coming down the ramp. This time of day the ramp filled fast. Pike studied the passengers in each vehicle, but none acted like killers on the hunt.
Did you recognize the men at the house?
This is insane. We’re killing people.
The one in the front yard, you passed him. Have you seen him before?
I couldn’t—God, it happened—no.
Pike let it go. She hadn’t seen the two he killed earlier, either; just dark smudges falling. Pike himself had barely seen them: coarse men in their twenties or thirties, black T-shirts and pistols, cut by bars of shadow and light.
Pike’s cell phone vibrated, but he ignored it. He backed from the end of the building, then turned away from the freeway, picking up speed as he grew confident they weren’t being followed.
Ten blocks later, Pike eased into a strip mall, one of those places where the stores went out of business every two months. He turned past the end of the mall into a narrow alley and saw nothing but dumpsters and potholes.
Pike shut the engine, got out, circled the Jeep, and opened her door.
Get out.
She didn’t move fast enough, so he pulled her out, keeping her upright because she would have fallen.
"Hey! What—stop it!"
Did you call someone?
No.
He pinned her against the Jeep with his hip as he searched her pockets for a cell phone. She tried to push him away, but he ignored her.
Stop that—how could I call? I was with you, you freak. Stop—
He snatched her floppy Prada bag from the floorboard and dumped the contents onto the seat.
"You freak! I don’t have a phone. You took it!"
He searched the pockets in her purse, then pulled her duffel from the backseat.
I didn’t call anybody. I don’t have a phone!
Pike finished going through her things, then stared at her, thinking.
"What? Why are you staring at me?"
They found us.
I don’t know how they found us!
Let me see your shoes.
What?
He pushed her backwards into the Jeep and pulled off her shoes. This time she didn’t resist. She sank back onto the seat, watching him as he lifted her feet.
Pike wondered if they had placed a transponder on her. Maybe she had been bugged from the beginning, which was how the U.S. Marshals and Bud Flynn had almost lost her. Pike checked the heels of her shoes,