at the end of the block. We spotted the van in the garage around back."
"That was a good spot."
"If you call peeking into two hundred windows and crawling through alleys overgrown with weeds that were being used as mattress dumpsters a good spot," retorted Delgado. "I need to wash my boots."
Solomon looked down at the passenger floorboard where Delgado rested his boots. "And while you’re at it, my car. I wondered what that smell was."
Delgado looked affronted. "You did not think that was me!"
"You know Serena will insist you disrobe in the street rather than letting you inside the house smelling like that," I told him, reasonably sure that would be the case. My sister kept a neat house and there was no way she would let the foul stench of Delgado's boots violate her rules.
"I'll walk in through the garage. She'll never know."
"You're a brave man," I said, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll miss you."
Solomon smiled as Delgado shook his head before picking up his cellphone and making a call. "Any movement?" he asked, then, "I'll call you back." Turning to us, he said, "It's getting late and we haven't seen anyone enter or exit the house. No lights came on. No television."
"Maybe the bad guys are taking a nap?" suggested Delgado.
"At this hour? That's amateur level napping," I said. "No one takes a nap at this time of night. It's almost nine PM!"
"There's a good view of the house. You haven't seen anyone get up for a drink or a snack?" asked Maddox.
"No," replied Solomon.
"Maybe they ditched the van and took off. Is the house abandoned?"
"I took a walk past the mailbox and it's empty. Someone mowed the lawn in the last month," said Delgado.
"Perhaps they ditched the van and went out?" I suggested. We were all quiet for a moment, staring at the silent house.
"I have a bad feeling," said Solomon.
"Has anyone notified MPD?" asked Maddox.
"We didn't even notify the Feds, yet here you are," said Solomon without looking around.
"In an unofficial capacity," said Maddox, unperturbed by the small show of irritation from Solomon. Having worked together before, they knew each other well enough. For a while, it got a little rough, but that soon settled into a friendship of sorts and a level of respect that grew less grudging as time went on. I was responsible for part of that, given my relationships with both men, but I made my choice. Although, when Ruby mentioned polygamy...
"Why is your face screwed up like that?" asked Delgado. He twisted around to look at me again. "What did you just think of?"
"Something dirty," said Maddox. "Probably too obscene to reveal."
Solomon glanced at Maddox, then at me.
"Nothing," I said.
"Huh."
"Yeah!"
"Sure."
The three men stared at me before they exchanged looks, shaking their heads and refocusing their eyes on the house.
"Why don't I just knock on the door?" I asked, before adding, "which was what I intended to do until things got weird because of you three."
"Actually, that's a good idea," said Solomon.
"Are you kidding? You're sending Lexi to knock on the door of a getaway driver for a van full of armed men?"
"There was a woman too," I reminded him. "Do you know of any female bank robbers?"
Maddox's eyebrows drew together as he shook his head. "I'm sure that makes things much less dangerous. She'll ask the color of your nail polish before she shoots you in the head."
"I'm not going to knock, wait until they answer and ask whomever it is if they ever drove a getaway vehicle! There's a direct view into the living room from the front stoop. I'll take a peek, knock and pretend to be asking the neighbors to sign a petition. You can take a photo of whomever answers the door before they slam it in my face," I said, pointing to the camera resting across Solomon's lap. "You can even mic me for extra points."
"I don't have a mic kit in the car but everything else works," said Solomon.
"One of us should go," persisted Maddox.
"You have FBI etched into your forehead," I said. "Solomon and Delgado would scare the living crap out of the homeowner. I'm wearing nice heels, so I'm the least obvious."
"Which is exactly why I hired you," said Solomon, smiling again. He reached into the door pocket and pulled out a clipboard and a sheaf of paper, which he handed to me. "Go and do your perky thing."
"Yes, boss."
Maddox sighed.
I hopped out of the car and Solomon called our colleagues at