by Susan Finlay
“We’re okay, I think. I’m just focusing on the school right now. I’ll have more time, soon. I promise.”
“Please know that regardless what John says, I’ll help with the school as much as possible. I really do wish you’d trust me more.”
“Thanks. And I do trust you, Steve.”
He smiled. “Glad to hear it. But I can’t always tell with you. Back to the dating. I’ve arranged for us to go on a picnic Saturday, if it’s okay. I thought perhaps the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It’s a beautiful park with huge red rock spires and hiking trails.”
“That sounds lovely, but isn’t it still too cold for a picnic?”
“They’re predicting warm weather—fifty-five degrees. Can you believe that in Denver at this time of year? I figured we should take advantage of it. What do you say?”
Claire’s mobile phone rang. She pulled it out and checked the caller ID: Brad. Finally! She said, “Excuse me, Steve. I have to take this call.”
He nodded as she answered the phone and walked a few feet away, turning her back to Steve.
“This is Leo Paulson, Claire. I’m taking Brad’s place. We need to meet and talk about new procedures. This evening—at a restaurant. I know a quiet place not far from where you live.”
“Uh, I don’t know what to say, Leo. I mean, what happened to Brad?”
“Brad is no longer your handler. He’s not here anymore.”
“What do you mean ‘he’s not here’? Where did he go?”
“Meet me at The Cove. It’s a hole-in-the-wall café on—”
“I can’t meet you tonight. And I don’t even know if I should anyway. I don’t know who you are or if you’re legitimate.”
“Okay, okay. You can check to see I’m genuine by calling the arranged number. Meet me tomorrow, then. Same place.”
“Give me the address.”
He gave her the information.
“I can’t come in the evening. What about lunchtime? Is one o’clock all right?”
“That’ll work.”
“I’ll see you then, if you check out.” She hung up and turned back around. Steve was watching her, one eyebrow raised.
“Is everything okay?”
“Oh, sure. Sorry about that. Where did we leave off?”
“I was inviting you on a picnic on Saturday.”
“Actually, that sounds really nice.”
ON THURSDAY, CONSULTING friends of Ron and Steve were at the school talking to teachers and arranging meetings. Claire began preparations for an evening meeting for the following week, and sent out a robocall to all students’ parents inviting them to the Thursday evening meeting. Her goal was to get the parents involved in the school.
She tried to stay focused on work, but she couldn’t shake a feeling of dread. Though Leo Paulson had checked out when she called the prearranged number, no one would tell her what had happened to Brad. Sure, they hadn’t always gotten along well, but he understood her and she could count on him to be honest, if nothing else. What would having a new handler mean?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CLAIRE LEFT THE school at half past noon on Thursday. Luckily, it had been a quieter than normal day as far as problems go, allowing her to actually leave the building early without feeling overly guilty. Sitting in her car, she typed the address Leo had given her into her car’s GPS and waited for the on-screen map to appear.
As she drove the displayed route, she wondered what to expect of Leo. Would he be allowed to move her to another city or would his hands also be tied, like Brad’s had been? Of course that thought brought up the question of whether she was ready to move again, considering Steve and her school plans. Could she really leave both of them hanging?
Claire maneuvered slowly through midday traffic, half watching the road ahead and half watching her rearview mirror like usual. Near the entrance to Lakeside Mall she noticed a grey sedan behind her. It was following her closely. Her heartbeat sped up. A second later she shook her head. Probably just an impatient driver. Normally, she would speed up so as not to irritate the other driver, but she wasn’t about to risk another speeding ticket. Instead, she turned onto another street. The sedan followed. She bit her lip, then gave the car a more in depth look. It was familiar, or not? Why do all these bloody American cars look the same? She sighed. Was there ever going to come a time when she didn’t think she was being followed? Not bloody likely. After someone shoots at your car, you can’t ever feel safe.
The steering wheel felt slick under her palms. She wiped one palm on her jacket, then switched hands and wiped the other hand, while her eyes flicked back and forth between the rearview mirror and the road. She muttered under her breath, “Was he there when I turned at the lights—well, was he? Think, think.”
The front of the sedan seemed suddenly to loom over her rearview mirror—it was so close. Back off, she wanted to shout. She glanced over her shoulder. He was a middle-aged man, nondescript, and she didn’t recognize him. Her heart pounded in her chest and she could hardly breathe. Maybe she was being paranoid like Brad said.
The voice on the GPS spoke, pulling her attention away from the other car. It was recalculating, after her unplanned turn off, directing her to turn left onto a small side street, the kind that almost no one used. She could finally get out of the car’s way and not worry about him anymore.
The sedan made the same turn, and she began hyperventilating and freaking out. Take a deep breath, hold it, let it out. Now think back. How long has the car been following? Was it behind me when I was on West 64th Avenue? Think.
Yes, she’d noticed the car on 64th when they were stopped at a red light, but another car had pulled in between them and she’d dismissed the grey car. All right, the guy could be simply heading in the same direction. Bloody hell, it could even be Leo for all she knew. She didn’t know what Leo looked like. Surely he wouldn’t pull a stunt like that on someone in witness protection. If it was him, she was going to be really pissed.
Making a split second decision she spun the steering wheel and the car whipped into another side street. The calm voice of the GPS rang out into the tension, “Recalculating.” Tears sprang into her eyes, blurring the view as the car sped forward. She made another right turn and another. Her breathing quickened, and she felt her gut clench as the sedan appeared round the corner. Still there. Crap!
Out of the corner of her eye, as she made another sudden turn and sped onto the main road, she spotted a blue pulse of lights atop a police car that was parked on the shoulder of the road. The police car pulled away from the shoulder and caught up to her.
Claire slowed down and pulled over as the grey sedan slid past. The driver glared through his side window. Angie’s description flashed into her mind: “An average Joe. Middle-aged, wavy blond hair, clean-cut, dressed in jeans and lightweight jacket.”
It was him, the man everyone else had seen.
The officer stepped out of his car, walked over to her, and motioned for her to roll down her window. “Did you know you were speeding?”
Shaking, Claire replied, “I—I did, Officer.” She wiped away tears and tried to compose herself. “I’m sorry, but I had a good reason. The gray car that turned behind me and just passed you was following me. I was attempting to get away from him.”
“Someone you know?”
“No. I don’t know who he is. I do know that he’s been watching my home and my son, and he has been stalking me for days. He must have followed me from work.”
The officer studied her a moment. “I’ll fill out a report, but I will need to see your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance.”
She gave him the documents and waited as he walked back to his squad car. A few minutes later he returned.
“I see you were cited for speeding yesterday.”
“I was. I was on my way to an important meeting and I was late.”
“Uh huh. I’m giving you another citation.” He handed her the ticket and tol
d her to drive safely and have a nice day.
She sat there with her mouth open. He obviously thought she’d made up the story to get out of a ticket. Nothing to be done about it. She started up the engine, pulled away, and followed the GPS’s directions again, this time without anyone following, as far as she could tell.
In the dark café, Claire told the greeter that she was meeting someone. Before the woman had a chance to ask for the name, a man jumped up from his seat and motioned to Claire.
He looked totally different from Brad. Instead of a balding older man, Leo was young, with dark brown slicked-back hair and brown eyes. Claire reached out her hand to shake hands. His grip was firm, almost too firm.
“We finally meet,” Leo said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Really? I’ve heard nothing about you.”
“Didn’t you call to verify?”
“Yes. They confirmed that you’re my new—wait a minute. Could you please identify yourself? I need to see your badge, please.”
“Fair enough.” He pulled out his badge and held it out for her to see.
“Forgive me for being cautious but someone was following me on my way here. I tried to lose him, and he chased me. I ended up getting a speeding ticket. I’m pretty sure he’s the man who was seen watching my home and my son and asking about me at a school bus stop.”
“I read Brad’s notes. He mentioned your paranoia.”
“My paranoia? It’s really happening. Many people have told me about the man and gave descriptions. The man today matched their descriptions. I can give you names and phone numbers of people who can verify my story.”
“Did you tell the police officer that you were being chased?”
“Yes. He didn’t do anything except give me a citation.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“When? While I was being chased or after the policeman pulled me over?”
“When you got pulled over.”
“How could I do that? Should I have said, ‘Excuse me a minute, officer, while I call my handler and ask him what I should do?’”
“Do you always come up with excuses for why you can’t think quickly? I read your file. You’re supposedly a genius. Seems to me you’re not any smarter than the rest of us. Hell, you might be less smart. I sure as hell can think on my toes.
“Just because I can’t think fast on my feet doesn’t mean I’m stupid.” Claire paused to calm down, then continued. “All right, I think we haven’t gotten off on a good note. That’s partially my fault and I apologize. Can we start over?”
“I don’t see any problem between us. This is a typical introductory meeting. In case you need to contact me you can call me at Brad’s old number. Also, I have a temporary office in the FBI building in downtown Denver. I’m meeting with another new witness in the metro. In a few weeks, I’ll return to Virginia and take Brad’s old office. Nothing else has changed regarding your case. I can’t move you and you’ll have to make do in your situation for the time being.”
Claire leaned back in her chair. All right, she wasn’t sure she was ready to move again, anyway, but what about the watcher? Why wasn’t Leo paying attention to that?
“What happened to Brad? I can maybe see why he isn’t on my case anymore. But you say he’s gone from his office and his cell phone. Why?”
“It’s not something you need to know.”
“Where were you before this? How long have you been a handler?”
“That’s not really any of your business, either.”
“You seem young for this position. I can say that because people say it to me all the time.”
“I’m old enough to know my job. I started in the Department of Justice fresh out of college and I’ve been there five years. My recent move into the U.S. Marshals Service will put me on the fast track up the ranks. I do my job, follow rules, keep my nose clean, and in no time I’ll move up.”
“Is that what happened to Brad?”
“Brad didn’t follow the rules.”
SATURDAY MORNING, CLAIRE dragged herself out of bed. Worries about Leo and the watcher kept her tossing and turning all night long. She made a pot of coffee, and after finishing a second cup, she remembered her date with Steve. The digital clock read 8:30, and he would be here in an hour and a half. Steve hadn’t mentioned bringing Marcus along and she’d forgotten to arrange for a babysitter.
Maybe she should cancel. But it wasn’t fair to Steve to cancel at the last minute. And she really could use a distraction, especially since the weather was exceptionally nice for this time of year. All of the snow was melted off, and the temperature forecast was upgraded to reach sixty degrees. More importantly, she really wanted to see him. No sense pretending otherwise.
She stood and went into the bedroom to retrieve her mobile phone, then dialed Angie’s phone number.
“Of course, I’d love to watch the little tike,” Angie said. They talked for several more minutes. After Claire hung up, Marcus came out of his bedroom rubbing his eyes.
“Who were you talking to, Mommy?”
“The lady from next door. Angie. Do you remember her?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m going out for the day and I’ve arranged for you to spend the day at her house.”
“At her house?”
“Yes. She promised to teach you how to bake cookies, as long as you promise to help her eat them.”
“I can do that,” he said, all smiles and nodding his head. He pulled a chair away from the kitchen table and sat down, dangling his bare feet.
“Oh, and she said she’s taking you out to McDonalds for lunch and to play in their playland.”
“Yay!” He wiggled and then wiped the sleep from his eyes. “But I’m hungry now.”
“What would you like for breakfast?”
“Cinnamon toast. That’s my favorite. Nanny Kate sometimes makes it for me.”
“I know she does,” she said. “Cinnamon toast coming up.”
During breakfast, Marcus told her that he liked Angie a lot better than Kate. Claire tried to find out why, but he wouldn’t say. She’d heard a few minor complaints from him over the past few weeks, though nothing notable.
After breakfast, she helped him dress. Then, looking at the clock, she decided there wasn’t time for a shower. She dressed in a comfortable pair of blue jeans and a red plaid cotton blouse, and then looked in the mirror at her messy hair that had begun to curl overnight. She gave it a quick brush through, not worrying about straightening it, and decided it looked presentable enough for an outing.
Claire had to admit she was more eager about seeing Steve again than about sightseeing.
Ten minutes before Steve was due to pick her up, Claire walked Marcus over to Angie’s condo and thanked Angie again for watching him on short notice.
This time, when Steve knocked on her door, she greeted him with a warm smile and invited him inside. He glanced around her living room, and smiled. “If it’s okay with you, I figured we’ll stop and get chicken and fixings in Colorado Springs to take to the park.”
“Of course. That sounds good. Let me grab my handbag and jacket and then we can go.”
“Where’s your son?”
“Oh, he’s next door. My neighbor, a retired lady, is watching him for the day.”
Steve nodded, pulling the door shut behind them.
They entered Steve’s Jeep Cherokee, and once they were seated and ready to pull away from the curb, Steve asked, “Have you ever been to Colorado Springs?”
“No. I’m not even certain where it is.”
He smiled. “It’s about an hour’s drive south of here. The scenery along the way is beautiful, though population sprawl has taken its toll the last few years. Do you snow ski?”
“I’ve been a few times, but I’m very much a novice.”
“I love skiing. Maybe we can go up to one of the ski resorts together sometime. Your son could even try skiing on the bunny slopes. They have good ski ins
tructors for kids up there.”
“I’m sure he would love that,” she said, pleased that Steve was thinking of including Marcus.
As they turned onto the freeway, Steve told her about his summer vacation driving across the U.S. She was fascinated listening to him described the places he’d been. When they arrived in town, the ‘Springs’ as he called it, they stopped momentarily to purchase their picnic lunch, then got underway again. Steve told her their destination was just a few minutes away.
When they arrived at the entrance to The Garden of the Gods, Claire was enthralled with the scene. The mountains in the background were picturesque, but she’d seen mountains before; but the stunning red rock vertical monoliths, stretching skyward here in the park, took her breath away.
After Steve parked and gathered the food and a blanket, they exited and walked a short way. They were not the only ones taking advantage of the warm day. Apparently many other souls had come out with spring fever driving them to enjoy a respite from Colorado’s long harsh winter.
Claire loved standing in the midst of this garden of rocks, soaked in the scenery around her, smelling fresh pine in the air, enjoying the deep blue sky backdrop against the red-orange rock pillars, making the panorama look like some artists surreal oil painting.
“What do you think?” Steve asked. “Should we eat first or explore first?”
“I’m fine either way.”
“In that case, let’s eat first. I’m starved. Looks like a good spot over there.” He pointed to a cottonwood shade tree.
“That looks inviting,” she said.
Standing under the tree, Steve handed Claire the red and blue plaid blanket. She unfolded it, shook it out, removed a few small rocks from the target area, and then laid it down on the sparse grassy ground. She knelt on the blanket, smoothed it out, and then looked up at him with a smile.
“Looks perfect,” Steve said, smiling. He handed the basket with the food to her, and then he dropped down next to her as she began spreading out their meal. While they ate, Steve pointed out Pike’s Peak in the distance, and related some of the history of the area. He’d learned a lot about Colorado in the few years he’d lived here. He’d learned a lot about the geology of the area, too.