by E B Corbin
"Gabe and Ron should arrive soon." Callahan turned sideways to look at her. "We'll hook up with them and make a plan."
"What about Pete?" Roxanne would much rather be with the cop she didn't completely trust than spend any more time with the annoying female agent.
"Pete had a few things to finish before he could leave," Callahan said. "He'll meet us for dinner tonight."
"I'd like to check out the yacht club." Roxanne raised her voice to be heard from the back seat.
"That's not going to happen," Tiffany snapped.
"It's not your call." Callahan's mild reproach surprised Roxanne. "It's not a bad idea. Roxanne is the one who'll be making the drop and we need to find the best spot to set up surveillance."
He programmed the GPS for the yacht club. Tiffany remained silent but her grip on the steering wheel turned her fingers white. Roxanne bit her lip to refrain from making a comment. Still she couldn't hold back a grin. Let them disagree. She only hoped Callahan remained in charge because if she was expected to obey Tiffany's commands, she might just ignore them.
Tiffany followed the GPS instructions, driving faster than necessary. In ten minutes they approached the entrance to the yacht club. "Now what?" She threw on the brakes and turned to Callahan.
"Now we drive slowly past the docks, until the road ends," Callahan said. "Keep an eye out for the Maria Elena. Roxanne can scan the boats on the left, I'll take the right."
Roxanne slid to the driver's side of the SUV and stuck her nose to the window. Tiffany slowed the vehicle but not enough to be helpful. They were still traveling too fast for Roxanne to check out all the yachts. "I don't see it," she said. "But I can't catch all the names."
"Can you slow down just a bit?" Callahan asked.
"If I go any slower, we'll attract attention." Tiffany ignored the censure. "There's not much activity at this time of year. We're the only fools driving around."
"Let's make one more pass," he said. "Give Roxanne your cell. She can video her side and I'll do the same. We can check out both sides in slo-mo when we get a motel room. If the boat's not here yet, we'll check tomorrow."
They didn't spot it the second time around. As they pulled onto the main road from the yacht club, Tiffany stared into the rearview mirror. "We've picked up a tail," she announced. "I knew this was a bad idea."
"Lose them." Callahan adjusted the side mirror to take in the car behind them.
Tiffany stomped on the gas and shot along the road, turning right, then a quick left. They took the ramp to the Interstate and flew through the curve.
"Shit," Roxanne mumbled as she flopped around the backseat. Her suitcase, shoulder bag and all the empty plastic bags rolled from one side to the other. As she scrambled to keep everything in place, she peeked out the back window. "I don't see anyone."
"That tan Toyota, three cars back." Tiffany's concentration never left the road.
"Well, if they didn't know who we were, they sure do now." Roxanne sighed as she tried to maintain her position in the rear seat. "Taking off like that kind of gave us away."
"You would rather have them shoot us?" Tiffany asked.
Callahan interrupted in a smooth voice. "She's right. We don't want to lead them to our rendezvous with Gabe and Ron. Let's concentrate on getting away from them. We can debate the relevance of our action later."
Tiffany snorted, her foot pushing the gas pedal to the floor. Roxanne sat back and kicked the suitcase off her feet onto the floor on the other side, squishing the plastic bags beneath it. She held on tight to her purse, her gaze fixed out the window.
The Toyota kept pace with them until an ancient Fiat pulled into the passing lane directly behind their SUV. It caused a pileup of traffic to the rear. The Toyota cut into the right lane only to get trapped behind a slow moving eighteen-wheeler.
Tiffany used the temporary blind spot to maneuver in front of the truck and fly down the exit ramp. She tapped the brakes briefly at the stop sign and cut to the left, then left again, where an access road led behind several large warehouses. She stopped between the buildings to watch the traffic on the Interstate.
The Toyota, still trapped behind the truck, was frantically trying to get into the passing lane. Roxanne saw two men in the front seat but couldn't make out their faces. When they flew past the exit without a sideward glance, she relaxed a bit and tried to bring her breathing under control.
"Where to now?" Tiffany asked in a satisfied voice. Nothing seemed to affect her coolness under fire.
"Pull over behind those bushes and we'll walk," Callahan told her.
"Walk?" Roxanne moaned. "With all my stuff?"
"There's a car rental place across the road." Tiffany glanced at Roxanne through the rearview mirror. "I guess you missed it."
Roxanne couldn't see her expression, but easily imagined the eye-roll that accompanied Tiffany's remark. She hated that woman more every second.
"We'll get the most generic vehicle they have," Callahan said. "This SUV is a dead giveaway."
Roxanne climbed out, hauling her suitcase and slinging the large handbag over her head and across her chest. She fought the urge to rip off the wig when it began to itch. But she trudged along behind Callahan and Tiffany in silence. A frigid gust blew down the highway as they hurried to cross the road. Every time she tried to get her parka hood up the icy fingers of wind whipped it back down. At least the sun shone in the arctic blue sky, so she didn't have to deal with snow as well.
Her hands were red and raw by the time they slammed through the door to the rental place. She had forgotten to buy gloves at Walmart. Now she'd need another list. This was so not going the way she anticipated. She might have been better off coming alone, as originally planned.
The only car available was a two-door Ford Focus in white or black. Roxanne would have chosen the black as more discreet, but Tiffany and Callahan both thought the white would blend in better with all the other cars on the road.
Roxanne shrugged and accepted their choice with no argument. She wriggled into the tiny rear seat, dragging her suitcase in behind her. Her knees smacked against the back of the passenger seat when Callahan moved the seat back so that his legs would fit. Half the suitcase rested in her lap, while her purse straps nearly choked her as they pulled across her chest. She barely had time to fasten her seatbelt before Tiffany sped off back to the Interstate.
Their speed matched the flow of traffic this time, giving Roxanne time to watch the oncoming cars. She saw a tan Toyota moving slowly in the opposite direction and quickly pulled off the blonde wig while ducking her head. If those guys were looking for two blondes with a sandy-haired man, an auburn-haired woman in the back seat might throw them off. Besides, the wig was giving her a headache. "Is that them?" she asked.
"Where?" Tiffany looked in the mirror then quickly off to the side.
"Across the road. Going in the other direction." Roxanne pointed even though neither of the front passengers could see it.
Callahan scrunched low to follow the line of cars heading north. "I can't tell."
"We need to get off this road." Tiffany drummed her fingers. "And we need to find a motel with a smart TV, so we can get a good look at those videos."
"I'm on it," Callahan answered, tapping his phone to wake it. He scrolled through page after page, finally settling on a popular booking site.
Roxanne leaned forward to peer over his shoulder at the phone screen. "That's it? That's what you use to find a hideout?"
"You have a better idea?" he said.
"I thought you'd have some sort of secret government list of places to stay."
Tiffany laughed. "That would be too easy."
"We'll soon be out of the city," Roxanne said. "Should we turn around?"
"No, we'll take I-79 south to 90 east. There's an inn on the east side of town, near the Penn State Extension campus. Looks like they have rooms available. It's a direct shot to the Yacht Club and far enough away that it would take them some time to find us." Ca
llahan continued to tap the phone screen.
"We hope." Tiffany glanced in the mirror and turned her eyes back to the road. "They'll probably waste time checking out all the motels off 79 since that's the last place they saw us."
Every few minutes, Roxanne checked behind them, keeping an eye out for the tan Toyota. She saw a blue van a few cars behind them. Since it wasn't unusual to see the same model time and again on the Interstate, she made no mention of it. The van could be going anywhere, even to Pittsburgh. When they turned onto I-90, the blue van did the same. Well, it wasn't going to Pittsburgh, Roxanne told herself, but there were thousands of other possibilities.
"There's a blue van following us," Tiffany said before Roxanne brought it up. "Might be nothing, but..."
"Let's keep track of it." Callahan scrunched to look in the side mirror. "I doubt they could have changed cars as fast as we did, but it's better to be safe. Our exit's coming up in 2 miles. Roxanne, don't turn around. If it's the bad guys, we don't want them to know we spotted them."
It took every bit of willpower she could drum up to keep her head facing straight ahead while Tiffany threw glances in the rear view mirror and Callahan stared at the side mirror.
"What's happening?" Roxanne asked as they pulled up to the stop sign at the end of the exit ramp.
"Nothing so far." Callahan shifted in his seat and looked at Tiffany. "The van kept going straight."
Roxanne slumped in relief.
"They know what exit we got off." Tiffany didn't slow their speed. "There's not much around here except the college campus and one or two motels. It wouldn't be hard for them to find us."
Roxanne wasn't ready for her moment of solace to end so quickly. "But we switched vehicles. How would they know what we're driving now?"
"Probably don't." Callahan raised his voice for Roxanne to hear without having to turn around. "We still need to keep on our toes."
She sighed. "This whole situation is making me crazy."
"You're the one who wanted to see the yacht club." Tiffany made no effort to hide her disdain.
Roxanne searched for a snappy comeback. But her brain was on sabbatical and, besides, Tiffany was right. She did ask to see the yacht club. Even so, the bitch didn't need to rub it in.
"There! That place looks new enough to have smart TVs in the rooms." Callahan pointed to a sign on the right advertising Cobble Inn and Suites. "Let's check it out."
Tiffany swung smoothly into the parking lot and drove under the canopy. Callahan jumped out, moving swiftly until he was swallowed up by the revolving doors to the lobby.
It seemed to take forever, but he came back with three keys, handed one to Tiffany and put two in his pocket. "You and Roxanne share a room. I booked one for Gabe and Ron, and we'll still have room for Pete or another agent to join me if needed."
"What if I don't want to share a room?" Roxanne hated sounding like a whiny two year old but she couldn't help herself.
"You don't have a choice. Someone needs to keep an eye on you and Tiffany's the most logical." Callahan turned around to give her a smile and a wink. She saw no humor in the situation and would rather sleep on the street than share a room with Special Agent Tiffany. But she'd go along with the arrangement, at least for now.
"Suck it up, sweetheart." Tiffany put the car in gear and swung out from the canopy. "We're stuck with each other for the duration."
She pulled the car around the building to the back of the lot and parked next to a dumpster that hid the white car from the street. Callahan waited while Roxanne struggled to get out from the back seat. He offered his hand but she ignored it. She could exit a damn car by herself.
"Why don't either of you have any luggage?" Roxanne asked as she dragged her suitcase behind her.
"We travel light." Tiffany scanned the parking lot while she replied.
"Gabe's bringing our duffels," Callahan told her, taking Roxanne's arm and leading her to the side entrance. His eyes, too, took stock of the surrounding area.
Roxanne noticed a blue van across the street in the campus parking lot but since neither Callahan nor Special Agent Bitch mentioned it, she didn't bring it up, either.
- 13 -
Roxanne tossed her suitcase on the first bed.
"Nuh-uh," Tiffany said. "You take the one farthest from the door."
She started to argue but decided Tiffany was right. Even though she didn't like her, she had to admit that Tiffany knew what she was doing. If someone came barging in through the door, better for the agent to be the first line of defense.
It didn't matter which bed she chose since hotel and motel rooms all looked the same. The wall colors might differ, but the bed coverings had a distinctive generic look usually matching the curtains. This room had two double beds. The puffy white comforters appeared clean, at least. A small round table with two chairs stood in front of the window and a built-in desk against the wall held a large screen TV.
Tiffany hung her coat on one of the plastic hangers and pulled her phone from her pocket. She sat on the bed and began texting, paying no attention to her roommate. This was fine with Roxanne. The less she had to converse with the agent, the better.
Roxanne dug through her suitcase for the laptop and phone chargers. She'd used up what little battery power the new phone came with and wanted the laptop to be operational in case she needed it. She thought she might as well charge the so-called "burner" phone while she was at it. That dealt with everything she needed to do at the moment. Her few new clothes could remain rolled up in the suitcase.
"Gabe and Ron are here," Tiffany announced without looking up from her phone. "I'm going across the hall to pick up my bag and touch base with them."
"Take as long as you need." Roxanne wanted to add, the longer the better, but bit her tongue. There might come a time when she required Tiffany's help and she didn't need to add to the shaky karma between them. "I'm going to order lunch from room service. Do you want anything?"
"No, I'll probably eat with the guys." Tiffany stuck her phone in her pocket.
Roxanne immediately regretted trying to make nice with the woman. Some people just weren't worth the effort.
When the door clicked shut, Roxanne ordered lunch then decided to call Sylvia while she had some privacy. The woman was probably wondering what happened and why she had not been in touch.
She had to let her know she wouldn't be in the office for a couple of days. Again she'd have to skirt around the truth, like she'd done so often since learning Roxy was still alive. Roxanne hated the subterfuge, but giving Sylvia too much info could put her friend at risk.
Of course, she wanted to check on Puka, too. The dog must have been shaken up by the fire and then being left with strangers. Roxanne hadn't even seen the poor pooch since before the inferno and she missed him. She promised herself to make it up to him once she was settled again.
With Tiffany gone, she inspected the room in more detail. The desk had an electrical strip which could accommodate several chargers, so she dug out her new computer and phones. When all her electronics were plugged in, she sat close to the desk and tapped the icon for Sylvia on the new phone. At least she had been able to get her contacts from iCloud. Since it was Sunday, she hoped the older woman was home.
Sylvia picked up on the first ring. "Roxanne, my God, honey, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, I just wanted to let you know I won't be around for a day or two. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner, I've been kind of in a daze." She bit her lower lip, wishing she could say more.
"No problem, dear. I can't imagine what you must be going through. Don't worry about a thing here or at the office. I'll reschedule the appointment with Ruthie and any others I can't handle myself. I'll be happy do whatever I can to help."
Her understanding made Roxanne even more uncomfortable with her own behavior. "Sylvia, thank you, for everything. I can't begin to repay you for all you've done for me since I moved to Oilville. You've been a true friend and colleague, to say nothing abo
ut the best neighbor anyone could want."
"Don't go making me out to be some kind of saint. Any reasonable person would do the same."
"It's more than that," Roxanne insisted. "A lot of people would never pay attention to a barking dog, catch the first flames showing at my house, and call it in without missing a beat. I owe you, big time, and I'll try to get back to work as soon as I can."
"Take whatever time you need. By the way, the arson guy was poking around this morning but he wouldn't tell me a thing. I tried to explain that I was a very close friend of yours. It didn't help. And Bud stopped by looking for you and asking all kinds of questions about where you were. I told him I didn't know where you were. I hope that's all right with you." The torrent of words came to a stop.
"That's fine." Unable to focus on Sylvia's update, Roxanne added, "I'll be out of touch for a day or two, but I'll contact you again as soon as I can."
"I'm happy that I've been of some help," Sylvia said. "That arson investigator was pretty serious about wanting to talk to you and Bud Mercer was downright rude with his snooping around. If I were you, I wouldn't fret about either of them."
"How's Puka?" Roxanne asked when she could get a word in.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that Kate Williams came by with her son. He and Puka hit it off right away. She said you were thinking about staying at the B&B for a while, and took Puka to her place...I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. You don't have time to look after a dog."
"Kate also told me a little about your encounter with those awful men. I think it's smart to drop out of sight for a while ."
"Yeah, I thought so too. It would be better for me to stay as far away from the office and the neighborhood as possible. That way, everyone stays out of trouble. Although I'm sorry I won't be around to meet with your friend."
"Ruthie can wait. She's still determined to sue those boys but a couple of days shouldn't matter."
Roxanne tried to recall what Sylvia had told her earlier. "Refresh my memory. Just what does Ruthie expect me to do?"
"Three boys have been bothering her daughter, Sandy. Ruthie wants to teach them a lesson and to leave her daughter alone."