[Tanner 16.0] To Kill a Killer Read online

  He cleared his throat and put his head on a swivel as his training and survival instincts had conditioned him to do. He had more enemies than he could remember and if he kept zoning out in public he might find himself lying in a puddle of his own blood.

  It seemed that Sara Blake was harmful to his health whether friend or foe. Less than a minute later, he was staring again.

  The meeting took place inside another hotel, in a room on the fifteenth floor.

  They were there to talk with a woman named Sabella Barbieri, who was the assistant of former Interpol agent Jacques Durand. Durand was a contact Sara had made during a previous trip to California.

  Durand, who was currently a true crime writer, seemed to be well-connected with current agents of Interpol, as well as other unnamed sources. Sara had asked him if he had any further information concerning Maurice Scallato, and Durand had come through. However, Durand had to fly to Europe to attend to another matter, but he had left behind his assistant to meet with Tanner and Sara.

  Sabella Barbieri looked to be about forty-five, had a good figure and intelligent blue eyes. Those eyes widened with interest when she saw Tanner, as he and Sara entered her room, but they drifted away when they met the intensity of Tanner’s gaze.

  “You have very unusual eyes, Monsieur Tanner, and sexy as well.”

  “You seem to have all the usual parts, Sabella, but they’re arranged very nicely,” Tanner said.

  Sabella let out a delicate laugh, then touched Tanner on the arm.

  “I think we could be friends.”

  Sara stepped closer to Tanner.

  “Friendship will have to wait; we’re here on business, right?”

  Sabella smiled at Sara even as her eyes looked her over with disdain showing in them. After looking away, Sabella produced a set of file folders from a slim black briefcase.

  “The information you asked for concerning Maurice Scallato. It’s not much, but I hope it helps you, Tanner.”

  “Tell Jacques that we thank him for his help,” Sara said.

  Sabella smiled, and this time it seemed genuine, although it was birthed by amusement.

  “Jacques speaks of you fondly, Miss Blake. I know it grieved him that he missed an opportunity to see you.”

  “I like Jacques as well, and I look forward to seeing him again someday.”

  Sabella moved in on Tanner and kissed him on the cheek. It did not go unnoticed by Sara that the woman was pressing herself against him.

  “I look forward to meeting with you again, Tanner. Perhaps next time we’ll meet alone. My contact numbers are in the files.”

  “Maybe we’ll make that happen, Sabella.”

  “I would like that very much.”

  “Are we finished here?” Sara asked.

  “Oui, and I wish you both luck.”

  On the elevator ride down to street level, Sara used a tissue to wipe Sabella’s lipstick off Tanner’s cheek.

  “She was throwing herself at you, and she looks old enough to be your mother.”

  “She looked fine to me.”

  “Oh really? So, what, would you like me to wait in the hotel bar while you go back upstairs? She’d welcome you right into her bed, the slut.”

  “I think I’ll stay by your side.”

  “And pass up a sure thing?”

  Tanner turned to face Sara.

  “The uncertainty of what might happen with you is worth a hundred Sabella Barbieri’s.”

  With that said, Tanner turned back to face the doors, which opened onto the hotel lobby.

  No more words passed between them until they were back on the road, and it was Sara who spoke.

  “You can be certain of one thing when it comes to me, Tanner.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “I’m a woman of strong emotion and I don’t do anything halfway.”

  “I have noticed that about you.”

  “That goes for love as well. I don’t know how to give half my heart away. It’s all or nothing.”

  “I hear you, Sara.”

  “And?”

  “And, you might have noticed that trust comes hard for me, and I haven’t exactly been lucky in love.”

  “Maybe, but you have a way to go to match my track record. At least most of your ex-loves are still alive.”

  There was silence again, but this time Tanner broke it.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?”

  Tanner pulled over to the side of the road, placed the car in park, then turned to her.

  “I’m sorry I killed Brian Ames. It was work, not personal, but it hurts me now to know how much I hurt you.”

  Sara looked down at her hands, which were clenched together in her lap.

  “It took me a long time to admit to myself that Brian was no saint. He involved himself with The Conglomerate and reaped one of the penalties of that life. You killed him, yes, but I no longer hold you to blame for that. Like you said, it wasn’t personal.”

  Tanner reached over and gently lifted her chin until their eyes met.

  “Thank you, Sara.”

  She nodded slightly, then picked up the files they received.

  “I guess I should read these.”

  Tanner placed the car back in drive and merged into traffic. As he drove along, he felt like he was leaving more than miles behind them, and that they had said goodbye to the shared hatred of their past.

  What the future would bring, only time would tell.

  2

  Angel Of Mercy

  Tanner drove as Sara perused the reports of the police investigation into the disappearance of John Doe.

  John Doe was the name given the survivor of an earthquake that had buried the man under a mudslide for days. Thanks to the science of Ear Print Analysis, Tanner was aware that John Doe was a Sicilian assassin named Maurice Scallato.

  Scallato made a practice of hunting down and killing any assassin he deemed to be in his illustrious league. Tanner had attained such a reputation when he not only survived a Mexican cartel’s best attempts to kill him, but wiped out the cartel leader, Alonso Alvarado.

  Scallato had targeted Tanner for death, but Tanner survived, and instead of hiding, Tanner was on the hunt for Maurice Scallato.

  Sara finished reading the initial police reports and stuffed them inside the large purse she carried.

  “There’s not much to tell since John Doe wasn’t under arrest or suspected of committing a crime. The investigating officer worked missing person cases. She was looking into John Doe’s disappearance because it was believed he needed more care to have a proper recovery.”

  “And did they put Homicide on the case once it was established that he was Maurice Scallato?”

  “Actually, it was an FBI agent named Vince Callahan. He and his team conducted the interviews with the hospital personnel but came up empty. It’s Callahan’s opinion that Scallato has left the country.”

  “Is there anything useful in the personnel interviews?”

  “I haven’t read them yet; I’ll do that next.”

  “Exactly what was wrong with Scallato?”

  “Mostly dehydration, but he had also injured his—”

  “—Right ankle,” Tanner finished. “He had a slight limp in the hospital security video I saw of him.”

  “Yes, he hurt his ankle, but I watched that video ten times and never detected the limp.”

  “I watched it fifty times and will probably watch it again, the subconscious sometimes needs repetition to catch the subtleties.”

  Sara turned in her seat and stared at Tanner.

  “Is that something you’ve learned or something you were taught?”

  “I was taught that by my mentor.”

  “Tanner Six?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’d like to meet him.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m dying to see if he’s anything like you.”

  “He is, and he isn’t.”

  “I�
��d still like to meet him.”

  “Maybe someday.”

  “Fine.”

  They drove along in silence for a moment as Sara studied the witness statements. When something struck her as interesting, she shared it with Tanner.

  “I understand now why the sketches that were made from the recall of the hospital staff were so vague. After being trapped in the dark for such a long period, Scallato had a sensitivity to light and wore sunglasses. Add to that the full beard he had and there weren’t many details of his face showing.”

  Tanner nodded his understanding and Sara read on. Twenty minutes later, she raised her head up from the paperwork.

  “There was a nurse named Claire Newport caring for Scallato while he was at the hospital. In her FBI interview, she states several times how nice Scallato was and how she can’t believe that he’s capable of violence.”

  “It sounds as if she took a liking to Scallato,” Tanner said.

  “Yes, it does. And Tanner, we owe Jacques for all this, he did a good job of gathering intel for us. There are even pictures of the hospital staff included in this report, as well as pertinent background.”

  “Let me see the nurse’s picture,” Tanner said.

  Sara held up the page for him to look at as he momentarily took his eyes off the road. It was a photo of nurse Claire Newport that was included in her hospital ID. It showed a thirtyish woman with blond hair and brown eyes. She was somewhat pretty and wore a tentative smile.

  “She was accused of stalking a doctor at the hospital where she was formerly employed, but a plea bargain was worked out. Apparently, her obsessive behavior toward the doctor was blamed on an addiction she had to a prescription drug called Triazolam. She received treatment for the addiction and six months of mandatory therapy, but she had to seek employment elsewhere. That happened three years ago.”

  “Hmm, I thought Scallato might have crawled into a hole somewhere to hide until he was strong enough to travel, but this nurse could have seemed too good to pass up. Where does she live?”

  Sara checked Claire Newport’s info and looked for an address.

  “Ah, here it is. She lives in a town called Robbinsville that’s close to where we’re headed. Do you think it’s worth checking out?”

  “Why not? It’s the only possible lead we have.”

  “I’ll program her address into the GPS,” Sara said.

  “Do that, and also add the address for the hospital where she works. There’s a good chance she’s there and we can follow her once she leaves her job.”

  Sara had to lean over to access the buttons of the GPS that was set into the vehicle’s dashboard, as she did so, her face moved close to Tanner and her blouse gapped open slightly. When she was done programming the device, Sara saw that Tanner was watching her.

  “Were you checking me out just then?”

  “I always keep at least one eye on you.”

  “Seriously? What Tanner, you still don’t trust me?”

  “I just like looking at you.”

  Sara’s anger faded as she sat back in her seat.

  “Tanner.”

  “Yes?”

  “You’re not too hard on the eyes either.”

  Tanner laughed.

  “As I recall, you once said that you’d rather bed a dog than sleep with me.”

  “Did I really say that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, you weren’t exactly my favorite person back then.”

  “And now?”

  “Let’s just say that you’ve moved up considerably.”

  “Do I rank above canines?”

  Sara laughed.

  “Yes, I would pick you over a dog.”

  “That may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  Sara laughed again, then, she took out her phone to check motels and hotels in the Robbinsville, California area. There was a chance that they would have to stay overnight, and Sara wanted to know what accommodations the town offered.

  When she came across the option on a hotel’s website concerning room availability, she hesitated. How many rooms did they need, one for each of them… or just one? After a few seconds passed, in which her mind raced and her pulse sped up, Sara pressed the #2 key on her phone. As much as she was attracted to him, she wasn’t ready to offer herself to Tanner, and despite their new-found friendship, Sara wondered if she ever would be.

  “There are rooms available near Claire Newport’s home.”

  “Yeah, make a reservation. I think I’ll want to watch her for at least a day or two.”

  “A reservation, as in one?”

  Tanner chuckled.

  “Relax, I wasn’t hinting at anything. Make two reservations, one for you and one for me.”

  “I will… for now.”

  Tanner took his eyes from the road and studied Sara’s face.

  “For now?”

  “Yes, for now.”

  Tanner looked back at the road. When Sara glanced over at him, she saw that he was smiling.

  3

  Demon Of Death

  Jacques Durand’s report included information on Claire Newport’s vehicle. Tanner spotted the car as he used binoculars to search the hospital’s employee parking lot.

  After an hour’s wait, Claire Newport left the hospital by a rear door and waved to the parking lot attendant. Tanner placed his vehicle in gear and he and Sara followed the nurse.

  “She looks better than that picture you showed me,” Tanner said.

  “She’s wearing more makeup and has her hair arranged differently,” Sara said. “That’s a good sign. Perhaps it means that there’s a new man in her life.”

  After Claire drove into the parking lot of a supermarket, Tanner parked and handed Sara the keys.

  “I’m going to follow her and see what she buys. It may tell us if she’s shopping for two.”

  “Even if there is someone in her life, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s Scallato,” Sara said.

  “Yeah, but let’s hope it is.”

  Tanner entered the market and grabbed up a plastic basket from a stack near the entrance. As he moved along while keeping Claire Newport in sight, he added items to his basket to blend in. Claire had opted for a cart, and she seemed annoyed by the constant squeak that one of its wheels made. Tanner liked that squeak, it diverted her attention and made it less likely that she would spot him.

  In any event, nurse Claire didn’t seem nervous or watchful. However, she was adding a lot of items to her cart, including a can of shaving cream and a package of razors. Tanner joined a line of people waiting to pay, after Claire did the same at a different register. Tanner made it through his line first and joined Sara back in the parking lot. Sara had moved behind the steering wheel, and so Tanner took the passenger seat.

  “Any smoking guns?” Sara asked. “Did she buy the latest copy of Assassins’ magazine?”

  Tanner smiled.

  “If the magazine existed, Scallato would be on the cover. We’ll stick with her; she bought shaving cream and razors. Maybe Scallato is planning on shaving off his beard.”

  “Or Claire Newport is shaving her legs, but how much food did she buy?”

  “More than she would eat, I’d guess, and several times she grabbed two of everything.”

  Tanner handed Sara the items he’d bought. There was a roll of duct tape, some first-aid supplies, and several candy bars.

  Sara grinned when she saw the candy and tore open the wrapper of one.

  “These are my favorite; did you know that?”

  “That’s why I got them.”

  “Thanks, and why didn’t you get those hard candies you sometimes eat?”

  “They don’t carry them here.”

  Sara broke off a piece of her candy bar and handed it to Tanner.

  “We’ll share then.”

  Tanner took the piece of candy and popped it into his mouth just as Claire Newport came out of the market.

  They followed Claire h
ome but parked far down the street from her. Both Tanner and Sara used binoculars to watch her. Tanner studied the nurse carefully as she parked in her driveway, then she entered the house through a side door. There was no one in his line of sight, but he could see Claire’s lips move, as if she were greeting someone.

  “Did you see that?” Sara said. “I think she was talking to someone in the house.”

  “Yeah, and if it is Scallato, we have to be careful. I’ve been told by several people that he’s as good as I am. If that’s true, we can’t make a mistake or we’ll both wind up dead.”

  “We’ll be careful, but it’s not true that he’s as good as you. You really are the best assassin that’s ever lived. Scallato is going to find that out the hard way.”

  Tanner nodded.

  “Damn right.”

  They drove about the area. Tanner told Sara to stop when he saw that a house around the block from Claire Newport’s was for sale. It was an old home and needed paint, and likely a new roof. They stepped from the car and climbed the stairs to stand on the home’s front porch.

  After contacting a realtor, they had an appointment to look at the house that night.

  Sara lowered her phone after talking to the real estate agent.

  “She sounded eager to show it and said that she lived just twenty minutes away.”

  Tanner looked at his watch.

  “It’s late. Maybe the house is hard to move, and she doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to show it.”

  Sara pulled up the listing on her phone.

  “It looks like it’s set at a very good price for the area.”

  She clicked on the button for the virtual tour of the home and saw that there were only a few photos. They were enough to tell that the house had been neglected for a long time. All the appliances looked ancient and the walls were covered in faded wallpaper. The home’s one saving grace was that it had a balcony that sat off the master bedroom on the second floor. It was a unique feature.

  Tanner was looking at the phone over Sara’s shoulder.