The Killing Vision - By Will Overby Page 0,50

and searching for any small thing they could have missed. So far he was coming up with zilch.

He rubbed his eyes. They felt weak and strained. He pushed away from the desk, grabbed his cup, and headed down the hall for more coffee. As he rounded the corner, Chapman nearly ran him down. “Slow down, cowboy.”

Chapman’s eyes were bright and excited. “I was just coming to see you. We got something.” He was waving around a sheaf of papers. “The tire track we lifted by the river? The tread belongs to a Michelin Cross Terrain tire. Standard on the Lincoln Navigator.”

Halloran studied Chapman’s face. “Something tells me you’ve got more.”

“Guess who has a Lincoln Navigator? Larry Carver.”

Halloran felt his stomach drop to his knees. “You’re kidding.”

Chapman headed back down the hall. “I’m going to see the chief. I think we got enough for our warrant.”

* * *

11:08 AM

He had been planning what to say to her for the past hour. The Dr Pepper had finally run through him, and he’d made a mad dash to the nearest building to take a leak, terrified he would miss her while he was gone. He had taken as little time as possible in the restroom and had dribbled urine down the front of his shorts in his haste, but he tried not to care. He wanted to catch her when she headed back to her car. “Great day,” he was going to say, and when she responded he would ask her name. What happened after that, he had no idea. He would just go with it.

He sat up straight. The angel had emerged from the building and popped on her sunglasses, squinting in the bright sunlight. She was heading toward his bench. This was it. His heart thudded dully in his chest. He stood.

She was just a few feet from him, and Derek had opened his mouth to say “Great day,” when her cell phone rang. She stopped to dig it out of her bag and answered it, brushing past him without a glance. He watched her walk away from him, his lips still parted to say the words.

He expected her to head toward the parking lot, but instead she crossed the grassy quad toward the library. On impulse he followed. She was still chatting on the phone and laughing girlishly as she climbed the steps and pushed through the double doors.

He stood on the walk for a moment, then followed her into the library. The cool air and scent of old books greeted him. The workers behind the front desk were busy with paperwork. No one saw him. He spotted the angel as she disappeared behind the far shelves, and he headed toward her.

“Hey,” said a male voice off to his right. He turned to see a slender bearded guy with glasses and a black knit cap looking at him.

Derek froze. “What?”

“Like your shirt,” the guy said, nodding toward him.

Derek looked down and realized he was wearing a Green Day t-shirt. “Thanks,” he said.

“My favorite band.”

Derek glanced back toward the corridor behind the shelves. “Really?”

The guy leaned forward. “Are you in my psych class?”

“No,” Derek said. “Sorry.” He moved on toward the shelves, craning his neck to spot the angel.

Just when he was afraid he had lost her, he heard her laugh, and turned just in time to see her slide into one of the study cubicles in the corner. She hung up her phone and starting pulling books out of her bag. He watched her from behind one of the shelves for a moment, and when she had settled in he approached her. “Hey,” he said.

She looked up, and his breath was nearly taken away by her green eyes. She gave him a puzzled smile. “Hey, yourself,” she said, and her voice was like music.

“Great day,” he said. “Outside, I mean.”

Her smile grew wider, and she tried to hide it. “Do I know you?”

“I don’t think so.” He moved up beside the cubicle. “I’m Derek. Derek Roberts.”

“Hey, Derek Roberts,” she said. “I’m Abby.”

Abby. An angel named Abby. “So,” he said, “how’s it going?”

“Just got out of calculus.” She motioned to the pile of books and paper spread out in front of her. “Got some problems to work on before I grab a bite to eat and head to my next class.”

“Want some company? For that bite to eat, I mean.”

She smiled at him again. “Look, you’re cute, but I’m seeing someone right now.” She looked back at the desk. “And I’ve