Backtracker (38 page)

It occurred to him that it might be a good idea to drive back to Martin
'
s home and stand watch for a while. Though he
couldn
'
t
conduct his inquiry, it might be beneficial for him to see when Larry would finally emerge.

The duration of Larry
'
s visit might provide a clue to his reason for being there. If he left after only a brief time, it might mean that
he'd
just stopped in to drop something off or pick something up; maybe Larry had borrowed something or needed to borrow something from Martin, or vice versa. A short visit might also mean that Larry had only come to keep Dave away, discourage him from interrogating Martin. If Larry had foreseen that Dave would show up, perhaps he also knew that Dave
wouldn
'
t
try again to see Martin that night; if he left before long, maybe it would be because he knew that Dave had been deflected and there was no need to stick around.

An extended visit might suggest that Larry was there for a social call, or maybe something else altogether. If Larry
didn
'
t
exit for a long time, it might mean that he
hadn
'
t
predicted Dave
'
s stopover after all, that
he'd
come to see Martin for reasons which
had nothing
to do with Dave.

Dave realized that a surveillance of Martin
'
s house might just be a waste of time, that the duration of Larry
'
s visit might ultimately prove unimportant...but at least it would give him something to do, make him feel as if the drive to that place
hadn
'
t
been completely in vain.

With a heavy sigh, he straightened in his seat. Gratefully noting that there was still no traffic to be seen, he proceeded again around the quiet cul
-
de
-
sac.

Slowly traversing the loop, he wondered where he could park. He would have to choose just the right spot, close enough for him to have a clear view of Martin
'
s house, far enough away that he
couldn
'
t
be easily seen by Larry. Some cover would be helpful; since Larry was familiar with Dave
'
s car, he would probably identify it quickly if he caught a glimpse of it.

As he approached Martin
'
s residence, Dave saw that parking
wouldn
'
t
be a problem. Five houses down from the manager
'
s house, two vehicles rested on the opposite side of the street. One was a flashy red pickup, the other a beige Lincoln Continental; they sat on either side of the mouth of a driveway which was occupied by two other cars.

Slowly pulling onto the berm behind the Lincoln, Dave flicked off the headlights and had a look at the view. The vantage point was perfect; there was enough of a curve to the street that he could see around both vehicles in front of him, had only to lean to the left to draw a bead on Martin
'
s house. He believed that he was far enough back and had enough cover so that Larry
wouldn
'
t
be able to easily spot him.

Glancing to the right, he noted with satisfaction that the house beside him was dark; apparently, everyone inside was asleep,
wouldn
'
t
be likely to peep outside at the suspicious Torino parked near their driveway.

With a sigh, Dave switched off the engine and settled in for his surveillance. He slouched in his seat, leaning against the door so that Martin
'
s home was in his line of sight.

Thanks to the light above Martin
'
s garage, Dave could clearly see the driveway and the front of Martin
'
s house. The large front window of the house was still lit, and two of the smaller, second floor windows glowed as well.

He
couldn
'
t
see any movement. Larry was still inside.

Glancing at the luminous dashboard clock, Dave saw that it was almost eleven
-
thirty. For an instant, he again considered going home, but the urge passed quickly from his mind; he was committed to seeing his watch through, learning when Larry finally left.

When next he checked the clock, it was eleven
-
forty
-
five. There had been no change in Martin
'
s house; Larry was still inside.

Midnight slid past and still there was no change. As he sat in the Torino and watched Martin
'
s home, Dave was content for a time to review all that had happened with Larry. He dragged everything from his mental files, all the pieces of the puzzle, tried to fit them within the framework of his theories. There was plenty of evidence to support his idea that Larry was psychic: the chocolate milk incident; the cop at Billy
'
s trailer; Boris
'
suicide attempt; the hints about the deaths of Ernie
'
s parents; Larry
'
s timely arrival at Martin
'
s house.
Put together, it all made sense, pointed to that one fantastic conclusion...and yet, there were so many inexplicable things, so many factors which left Dave befuddled. He
couldn
'
t
understand why Larry
hadn
'
t
given him a more explicit warning about Ernie
'
s parents; he
couldn
'
t
figure out the reason for Larry
'
s visit to Tom Martin; he
couldn
'
t
guess what Larry
'
s personnel file meant; he wondered why Larry had sought his assistance in saving Boris; for that matter, why had Larry provided any clues at all, if he was so determined to protect his secrets? There were gaps, lots of holes in the story, enough unknowns to keep Dave
'
s mind busy for a long time.

When twelve
-
thirty rolled around and there was still no sign of movement at Martin
'
s house, Dave
'
s busy mind began to stray from its analytical ruminations. He grew restless, started to shift and fidget and check the dashboard clock more frequently.

By one A.M., Dave was again considering going home. Yawning, he realized that he was tired; he was uncomfortable in the car, his legs were cramped. For all that he knew, Larry might not come out of the house all night, might not appear until dawn.

Still, he waited. As restless and weary as he was, he hated to just give up and go away without achieving even the limited success of seeing when Larry would leave.

Time seemed to drag. The next hour seemed more like two hours to Dave. It was as if the hands of the dashboard clock were creeping through a thick gelatin, marking off only one minute for every five or ten.

He began to feel drowsier, and at one point, his eyes drifted shut. Before he could coast off to dreamland, he caught himself, willfully flung his eyes back open; momentarily disoriented, he jumped in his seat and gaped toward Martin
'
s house, worried that
he'd
missed something...but nothing had changed.

By two o
'
clock, Dave had settled into a bleary stupor. Though he was still conscious, his thoughts were virtually at a standstill, his usually hyperactive mind was parked instead of pivoting. The monotony had subdued him; he just sat there, his entire b
eing reduced to a simplified,
single
-
function organism, a waiting thing.

Two
-
fifteen came and went, and still there was no movement at Martin
'
s house.

Two
-
thirty slowly passed, and nothing changed.

Two
-
forty
-
five brought more of the same, as did three A.M.

Shortly after three o
'
clock, when the light above Martin
'
s garage winked out, Dave hardly seemed to notice. He
didn
'
t
move,
didn
'
t
instantly perk up at the long
-
awaited change; he just waited and watched, exactly as
he had
for over three
-
and
-
a
-
half hours.

The light above the garage winked out, and after a moment, the second
-
floor lights did the same. Another moment passed and then the large front window went dark as well.

The front door opened.

Though all the lights around and within Martin
'
s home had been extinguished, Dave could still clearly see Larry Smith walking out of the place. The man
'
s build and carriage were unmistakable, even from a distance, even in the dim moonlight.

Larry closed the door, ambled down the few steps to the sidewalk...then stopped. Hands on his hips, he looked around; he turned his face up the street, away from Dave, then slowly rotated, calmly surveying the neighborhood.

Dave slid down in his seat, dropping as low as he could without completely losing sight of Larry. He held his breath as the guy inexorably turned toward him.

Larry
'
s head continued to rotate...and then he was looking in Dave
'
s direction. Heart pounding, Dave knew that he should dive to the floor, safely out of sight...but he
couldn
'
t
bring himself to move. He felt as if he were frozen, fixed in a gunsight, dead
-
center in the crosshairs.

Larry kept looking toward the Torino.

Dave wondered what he would do if Larry started walking toward the car. It was an eventuality which he
hadn
'
t
really expected; he
wasn
'
t
ready for a confrontation or a hasty escape.

Larry looked away. He tipped his face to the sky.

Dave released a long, ragged breath.

The guy
hadn
'
t
seen him...or, if
he had
, he
wasn
'
t
going to confront him. Either way, Dave was safe for the moment.

Larry lingered briefly, gazing at the heavens, the stars as full of secrets as he...and then his head dropped. He took a last look at Martin
'
s house, then continued down the sidewalk to the driveway.

Unhurriedly, Larry got into the station wagon. Dave heard the engine cough to life, and he saw the headlights flare against the door of Martin
'
s garage.

After all the waiting that Dave had done, Larry
'
s departure was so quick and without incident that it seemed anticlimactic. The station wagon backed onto the street, then swam off around the loop. Within a minute, Dave had lost sight of the vehicle.

Dave sighed with relief and exhaustion, rubbed his tired eyes. Though he
hadn
'
t
learned anything which he felt was significant, he was glad that
he'd
stayed until the end of the
drawn
-
out venture. He still
didn
'
t
know what had transpired within the walls of Martin
'
s house, but at least he knew exactly how long the visit had lasted. That, in itself, seemed like an accomplishment.

Dave decided to wait for another minute or two before abandoning his post; he wanted to give Larry enough time to get out of the development and far enough away so that there would be no chance of crossing paths with him.

As he waited, Dave cast his gaze once more to Martin
'
s house, and a thought occurred to him; he realized that it was a bit odd that the lights had gone out before Larry had emerged. Until that moment, he
hadn
'
t
thought anything of it, had been too engrossed in Larry
'
s exit and the heartstopping scan that
he'd
made of the area...but now, with the pressure off, he remembered the details and found them unusual.