Reload
Page 28
That made no sense. Penny was as gentle and tolerant as a kitten. And Jenny her best friend.
“Teacher said she’d pulled out a chunk of Jenny’s hair by the time they were separated.”
Sato scribbled a note with the short pencil. “Has Penny done this before?”
Lori frowned, then stood and slung the bag over a shoulder. She grabbed Red’s wrist. “Let’s go. We’ll finish this later.”
Sato knelt on her stool, as if trying to appear taller. “You need time off. Both of you. Then we can talk about what’s next. Make a decision. Now.”
Red stood. Lori stepped past him toward the door, but he pulled her to a halt. “School’s out in two weeks.”
The edges of her eyes glowed red. “No time right now.”
“No shit. Me either. But, if this is step one, let’s do it.”
Lori gripped the doorknob. Her fingers trembled. “OK. In two weeks, once school is out, we’ll get away. Now, come on!”
* * * *
Martina Banderas wheeled a gray plastic trash cart down a narrow hall of Westwood Psychiatry. The carpet had recently been replaced. The Play-Doh scent of vinyl adhesive still hung heavy in the air. She’d vacuumed earlier and the pile still looked new as—Oh, Saint Zita! Dark coffee had stained the rug outside an office. She bent and rubbed at the spot with bare fingers. Still moist. Good. She could spray it with cold water and dab the blemish up.
She straightened, then did a double take when she spotted the name etched into the door’s glass. Dr. Christian Sato. A chill shivered her neck, just like the ones she used to get whenever she heard the voice of her manipulative aunt Florencia. Each time the janitor saw Sato’s name, she heard it as if spoken in the annoying high-pitched voice of her dead aunt. The doctor spoke praises like honeysuckle to clients but flashed scorn to the help.
A dim light shone from behind the pane. Better knock to let the doctor know Martina needed to run the carpet cleaner. A tirade came any time Sato was working late and Martina made too much noise. She always had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing out loud at the Japanese lady.
She rapped on the glass timidly. No answer. She tried again, this time harder, the pane rattling in the frame. Still nothing. She cracked the door. “Doctor Sato?” The light on the baby-puke-colored metal desk cast a warm glow over a broken pencil and pad of paper.
Her heart quickened. This would mean an extra hundred dollars!
“It’s just a way to get a message to a good friend without his wife knowing,” Sato had told her three years earlier, blinking both eyes, as if attempting to wink but unsure how it was done.
Martina stalked inside, fearing Sato might actually not yet be gone. Another peek around, then to the desk. On the pad was written a number 3. Nice! Two months had passed since Sato had last requested a delivery, but location number three was Martina’s favorite. She was to get a French manicure from the Vietnamese nail place next to Kroger supermarket, then “pay” with only the pink note.
She snatched up the trash can and lifted out a crisply folded colored square and slipped it into her cleaning apron’s chest pocket. She stepped over the coffee stain and dumped the rest of the trash into the cart.
Martina had tried to figure out which of the nail stylists Sato was seeing. But all the men there seemed so young.... She’d always been careful not to pry, but—really? That old lady and one of those Asian hunks? Her fingers drummed against the empty can. She reached in her pocket, pulled out the note, and unfolded it.
Package headed out in two weeks. Pick up. Discard both.
About the Author
David McCaleb launched his Red Ops thriller series with Recall. He was raised on a farm on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. He attended Valley Forge Military College, graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, and served his country as a finance officer. He also founded a bullet manufacturing operation, patented his own invention, and established several businesses. He returned to the Eastern Shore, where he currently resides with his wife and two children. Though he enjoys drawing, painting, and any project involving the work of hands, his chosen tool is the pen.
Reload is the second novel in the Red Ops series. Many more are planned. Please visit David McCaleb on Facebook or at www.davidmccaleb.com.