Despite Greening and Martinez’s casual attire, they stood out to Zo? and probably to anyone else who was paying attention. Their jackets bulged awkwardly where their weapons hung. They both moved with a cagey gait, not like visitors unfamiliar with the layout. They looked like what they were—a conspicuous security team trying not to be conspicuous. Zo? didn’t let it bother her too much. She had numbers this time. Three of them to his one.
They took an elevator to the street level and emerged on the back side of the hospital, away from the main entrance. They headed toward a green Ford Expedition parked in a red zone, beyond another cop standing idly by.
“We good?” Greening asked as they passed.
“No one went near it.”
Martinez went ahead, unlocked the SUV, dumped her bag in the trunk, and opened a rear passenger door for her. She climbed in while Greening and Martinez got into the front, Martinez taking the driver’s seat.
As soon as they got moving, Greening and Martinez talked in cop speak, cutting her off from the conversation. Greening kept his gaze centered on the vehicles around them. Martinez made a number of circular maneuvers and doubled back on himself twice before pronouncing, “We don’t have a tail.”
“OK, let’s get out of here,” Greening said.
Martinez picked up US 101 and headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite his pronouncement, Greening kept a lookout until they were across the bridge, then he relaxed.
It didn’t take long to reach Napa. When Jarocki had said he had a family home there, Zo? had pictured someplace surrounded by vineyards. Instead, they ended up in a residential neighborhood backing on to a park. Martinez turned into the driveway and stopped the car in front of a large, ranch-style dwelling.
Jarocki emerged from the house with a smile and a wave. He hugged Zo? and shook Greening’s hand. The street was quiet with no one passing by, but he said, “Let’s get inside. I don’t want to make a spectacle.”
The house was cool with the air-conditioning churning. Zo? guessed Jarocki was around fifty, but the place seemed furnished by someone much older. There were lots of floral prints and furniture that predated IKEA by a few decades.
“I’ll show you to your room,” Jarocki said, and led them to the master bedroom. “You’ve got your own bath, so you’ll have total privacy.”
“I don’t want to take yours. Any one will do for me.”
“This isn’t mine,” he said. “It was my parents’. Now it’s the guest room.”
Martinez put Zo?’s bag on the bed.
“Dr. Jarocki, Officer Martinez needs to go over some security precautions for the property, and I need to go over some things with Zo?.”
Jarocki nodded, and Martinez led him out of the room. Zo? followed Greening inside. He perched himself on the window ledge, looking out at a secluded backyard.
“OK, this isn’t witness protection, and you’re free to do as you want, but here are some ground rules,” he said. “Stay inside. Don’t answer the door. If you need anything, ask Dr. Jarocki to get it for you or text me—you have my number. If you take precautions, you won’t come to any harm.”
Zo? sighed. “It doesn’t sound like fun.”
“It’s not meant to be. Look, I know this sucks and it’s going to drive you crazy, but please be sensible. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
She dropped down onto the corner of the bed. “Are you or Officer Martinez staying here?”
He shook his head. “You aren’t in protective custody.”
“I’m just hiding out.”
He frowned. “Yes. I wish I could have someone here with you at all times, but to be honest, you’re better served having every possible officer working the case. I’ve asked the local PD to drop by every couple of hours, and I’ll be checking in with you throughout the day to make sure you’re OK.”
“How long do you honestly expect me to stay here?”
“I can’t give you a realistic answer at the moment. There are too many unknowns. Let’s give it two weeks, then we can reassess.”
Zo? looked around the room filled with other people’s possessions. This was her new home. Her new prison. She wanted none of it. Maybe she should do what Ogawa had suggested the night before and start over someplace else.
“Look, I know this is for my own good, but I need something to keep me going,” she said. “Did the sheriffs find anything useful out at the Tally Man’s place?”
“He shook his head. They’re still combing the area for evidence, but they didn’t find any bodies.”
“Do you think they’ll find her?” She couldn’t bring herself to say Holli’s name.
“My gut feeling is no.”
“So he buried her somewhere else?”
“Or she got away, like you did.”
“Don’t you do that,” she barked at him. “Don’t bullshit me. If Holli was alive, she would have come home. She’s dead, and that sick bastard did something with her body—don’t pretend any different.”
Greening raised his hands. “Sorry. Sorry.”
Jarocki and Martinez appeared in the doorway.
“Something wrong?” Jarocki asked, his eyebrows raised.
“No. We’re good,” Greening said.
“Zo??” Jarocki asked.
“We’re fine.”
“I’m done with the doctor,” Martinez said.
Greening pushed himself off the window ledge. “Then we’ll let you settle in. Do you have everything you need for now?”