The woman was definitely mad if she thought she could go up against the might of Hopeworth and win. "Just what do you intend to do with me in the meantime?"
"You will help us more than you can know." Rose regarded him steadily for a moment. "Shall I show you how?"
Amusement mingled with the madness, and his gut clenched. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.
Her body began to shift, to mold itself into a new form until what stood before him was his own image. Rose wasn't just a shifter. She was what they'd long thought impossible — a cross-gender hybrid.
"So what do you think, Assistant Director?"
Her voice was his. That's why she hadn't minded answering his questions. She'd wanted to hear how he talked, the inflections in his voice, the way he used words.
"I think you're mad." Mad enough to get away with it. He sawed desperately on the last few strands of rope. He had to stop her here, now, or the adoptees would die. The agents watching them wouldn't question his sudden appearance or his need to check each adoptee personally. They were all too used to his eccentric ways.
She smiled. "I don't intend to hold the disguise long. Just long enough to get to the rest of the adoptees and kill them."
"You'll never find them."
"Your computer doesn't have their location? I very much doubt it."
It did. And as good as her disguise was, she'd probably get past the voice and eye scans. If he got out of this alive, he'd have to talk to Finley about finding another way to secure vital information.
She glanced at her watch, which, like her now too short clothes, hadn't changed. "Time runs away from me, unfortunately. As much as I enjoyed our little chat, I now have to go. Be good, Assistant Director. I'll be back in a few hours."
She turned and walked to the door. The last of the rope strands fell from his wrist. He jerked upright as Rose opened the door. He threw the rope to one side, and lunged for the door.
It slammed shut in his face. He punched the metal in frustration. Her laughter ran around him, fading as she walked away.
* * * *
Sam climbed out of her car and studied the house opposite. A red brick, single story house with a metal picket fence and well-tended garden, it looked no different from its immediate neighbors.Only it was. Evil resided inside.
She rubbed her arms and then reached back into the car to collect her coat. The viaphone buzzed against her side. She slipped on the coat and answered the phone.
"We're in position, agent Ryan."
"Give me five minutes, Briggs, and then move in around the back." She glanced down the road, studying the gray Ford parked several houses down. She pointed toward the side of the house and saw an answering nod from inside the car. Taking a deep breath, she walked across the road and opened the front gate.
The front curtains moved. Evil had been watching.
She climbed the front steps and pressed the doorbell. When there was no response after several minutes, she banged her fist against the door. "SIU. We know you're in there, Mr. Whittiker. Please come out."
King and Francis climbed over the front fence and edged down the side of the house. She fisted the door again. "I have a warrant for you arrest, Mr. Whittiker. Please, come out, or I'll be forced to break in."
Again, no response. She drew her weapon, took aim at the lock and fired. The door smashed back against the wall. The head of the armory hadn't been kidding when he'd said it would stop an elephant. The damn thing hadn't even been set to full.
She edged into the shadows lurking in the hall. There was a door to her immediate left and another further along the hall to the right.
Evil waited near the right door.
"Stop playing games, Orrin, and come out. We just want to question you." She ducked into the left-hand doorway.
Footsteps moved away. He was trying to circle around her. She turned and studied the room. Heavy drapes shrouded the window, keeping the room locked in night-like darkness. And yet she could see as clearly as if it were day. A vidscreen dominated the far wall. In the center of the room were several old chairs, separated by a coffee table. To the left of these, another doorway.
It was to that door evil headed.
She walked across the room and stood in the obscurity of the far corner. After several minutes, she heard a whisper of breath. He was close, so close.
She waited. The air stirred again. Orrin appeared, mouse quiet as he ducked through the doorway and padded forward. For a moment, she could only stare. His damn fists were bigger than her entire head. He was beyond huge.