It had been routed to Lieutenant Coble’s office, because he was in charge of the investigation and had put out the word that he was searching for Alex Parker. Coble was at home at the time, but the message was relayed to him. Cognizant of how rare it was that tips actually amounted to anything, he directed that an officer on duty drive by the house in question, which was in a fairly rural area near Montvale. The officer did as instructed, and saw a car parked in the driveway of the house. The license plate and description of the car matched what Coble had included in the information packet, and what he had received from Sam’s reconnaissance of Parker at the diner. In an instant, the unconfirmed tip had turned into apparent gold. Coble was again called at home, and he requested backup. He would meet four other officers at the barracks in thirty minutes, and together they would go out to the house and bring Parker in for questioning. Since Carpenter had emphasized how dangerous Parker was, and since the military records Coble obtained had confirmed it, he was going to be extra cautious.
