Rain had been threatening Virginia all afternoon.
It never quite committed to falling, but the sky above Pine Hollow had remained the color of wet steel, and every few minutes a thin mist drifted across the streets. The sidewalks shone beneath the streetlamps, reflecting pieces of red and gold neon from the businesses that lined the avenue.
At the corner of Mercer Street stood the Pine Hollow Bar.
It was an old neighborhood establishment with dark wooden walls, a long mahogany counter, and a collection of faded photographs showing local baseball teams, fishing tournaments, and holiday parties from decades earlier. It was not glamorous. It was not trendy.
But people knew one another there.
They knew the bartender.
They knew the regulars.
And, unfortunately, they also knew Sergeant Rick Dalton.
That Thursday evening, Danielle and Dominique Carter had no idea how important that fact would become.
The twin sisters were thirty-two years old and had spent most of their adult lives learning how to remain calm when other people became unpredictable.
They had grown up together, gone through school together, and eventually entered federal law enforcement. Their careers had taken them in different directions, but they still possessed the unusual ability to communicate with one another through a glance.
Danielle was the more reserved of the two. She listened before speaking and preferred to collect information before making a decision.
Dominique was more direct. She had a sharper sense of humor and a habit of asking questions other people sometimes wished she would leave unasked.
That night, however, neither sister had come looking for trouble.
They had spent the afternoon visiting relatives outside Richmond and had decided to stop for dinner and something cold to drink before driving home.
They entered Pine Hollow shortly after seven.
Luis Ramirez, the bartender, recognized them immediately even though he had never met them before.
"Evening," he said with a polite smile.
"Evening," Danielle replied.
They chose a booth along the wall.
From there, they could see most of the room without being in the middle of it. Years of professional conditioning made Danielle automatically notice entrances and exits. Dominique noticed the same things without consciously thinking about them.
They ordered iced tea.
"No alcohol?" Luis asked.
"Not tonight," Dominique said.
"Long drive?"
"Long enough."
Luis smiled and moved away.
For nearly half an hour, nothing happened.
Then the front door opened.
Three uniformed men entered.
Sergeant Rick Dalton came first.
Dalton was a large man with broad shoulders and a heavy stride. He appeared to be in his early forties, although the years of drinking and irregular hours had made him look older. His uniform was slightly disheveled, and the smell of bourbon followed him into the room.
Behind him were Officers Mark Stevens and Kyle Boyd.
All three were off duty.
Yet Dalton had deliberately left his badge visible.
Luis noticed.
So did Danielle.
"So much for a quiet evening," Dominique murmured.
Danielle glanced toward her sister.
"Don't start."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking something."
"I always think something."
Danielle almost smiled.
The three officers moved toward the bar.
Luis greeted them cautiously.
"Evening, gentlemen."
Dalton slapped one hand onto the counter.
"Rick's here. That's all that matters."
Luis forced a smile.
"Usual?"
"You know it."
Luis poured bourbon.
Dalton took the glass without thanking him.
Mark and Kyle ordered drinks as well.
For the next twenty minutes, the three officers drank and talked loudly.
Danielle and Dominique ignored them.
That changed when Dalton noticed the twins.
He looked toward their booth.
Then he looked again.
"Who are they?" he asked.
Luis continued polishing a glass.
"Customers."
"That wasn't my question."
Luis said nothing.
Dalton took another drink.
"Don't recognize them."
"They're just having dinner."
Dalton smiled.
"Everybody's just having dinner until they aren't."
At the booth, Dominique heard him.
She turned toward Danielle.
"Ignore him."
"I'm planning to."
Several minutes later, Dalton walked over.
He stopped directly beside their table.
"Evening, ladies."
Danielle looked up.
"Good evening."
Dalton smiled.
"You two from around here?"
"No."
"Visiting?"
"Yes."
"Where from?"
Danielle looked at him calmly.
"Why?"
The question irritated him.
Dalton pulled out a chair from the nearby table and turned it around.
"I was just being friendly."
Dominique looked at the chair.
"You can be friendly from there."
Mark Stevens approached from behind.
He rested both hands on the back of Dominique's chair.
Dominique immediately noticed.