“Valet parking,” Link muttered. “Swanky.”
“Alumni are big donors,” Liza said. “Nothing is too good for their reunions.” The valet opened her door and gave her a hand to help her out. She hoped he didn’t note the way her hand trembled with nerves, but then why would he? He was just a kid.
Link took up where the valet left off, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm and giving it a reassuring pat.
“Link, I forgot to ask if you dance,” she said.
“I dance,” he said. “Do you?”
“Not well.”
“Me, neither.”
“But I like it,” she said.
“So do I,” he said.
She smiled. At least she would have dancing to look forward to tonight.
The school really had spared no expense for the reunion, or so it seemed to Liza. The event was being held on campus, so they didn’t have to pay for a room, and they had most likely used their own staff to cater the event. But there was a lot of food and an open bar, along with a waiters, valets, and decorations. The evening felt like her senior prom, except now the room was filled with sophisticated grownups and not pimple-faced teenagers trying vainly to escape the awkward stage of development for one magical night.
Liza’s hand tightened on Link’s arm as they entered the grand hall. Her eyes quickly scanned the room. There was no sign of Dirk, but Scarlet was easy to spot. Not only because she was wearing red, but because she was the center of a group of about thirty people. All of them were laughing and fawning over her.
Link noted the direction of her gaze. “That her?”
“Yes,” she said tightly.
“Hey!” Marion’s booming voice called from across the room, startling Liza and snagging her attention. She and Puck bustled over. Well, Marion bustled. Puck ambled. Marion and Liza exchanged hugs while Link and Puck shook hands and attempted to make awkward small talk as the women exclaimed over each other’s appearance.
Liza thought Marion looked the best she had ever seen her. Her discipline the last three weeks had paid off because, though no one would accuse her of being thin, she looked slimmer and more toned. She had taken Liza’s advice and gone to Tina for a new hairstyle and makeup. All in all, she looked amazing, and Liza told her so repeatedly.
“Please,” Marion said, waving her hand dismissively. “What am I compared to you? You look gorgeous, Liza. I think you’re the prettiest woman in the room.”
“I don’t,” Puck said loyally. His arm extended to settle on Marion’s shoulders before giving them a squeeze. “Liza looks very pretty, but she’s got nothing on you, Babe.” Liza noted with satisfaction the adoring look that Puck gave Marion. He really did love her. She was happy to see her friend with someone who actually appreciated and cherished her.
Liza felt someone’s eyes on her, and she knew before she turned that it was Dirk. There was a warning part of her brain that told her not to look, but as if she had been pulled into a tractor beam, she found herself pivoting until she found him.
He stood across the room from her, staring with an unwavering gaze. He didn’t smile, but neither did he frown. He simply stared unblinkingly. Something in his intense gaze made Liza nervous. She licked her lips before remembering the expensive gloss she was wearing. Reaching in her bag to apply more gloss would give her something to do, but she couldn’t look away from Dirk. Why was he staring at her that way? As if she was the one who had done something wrong? As if she was the one who had hurt him? And why wasn’t he part of Scarlet’s adoring fan club?
“Just ignore him,” Marion urged.
“I’ll try,” Liza promised. She wouldn’t succeed, but she would try.
“Let’s dance,” Link suggested.
Liza finally tore her gaze from Dirk to look questioningly at Link. Why did he sound so surly? It didn’t take long for her to find out.
“I can’t believe you’re mooning over him,” he said a few beats into their dance. “The guy’s an assassin, Liza.”
Liza’s eyes flashed fire. “He’s not.”
“Why are you still defending him? Why do you refuse to believe the truth when the proof is insurmountable?”
“The ‘proof’ is circumstantial and you know it or you would have arrested him by now.” She didn’t realize they had stopped dancing until a familiar voice spoke to her right.
“Liza, is something wrong?”
She whirled to see Dirk, concern mixing with blazing anger to make his expression fierce.
“You can’t ask her that,” Link snapped. “You lost that right.”
“Because of you,” Dirk said, his tone menacing.
“That’s right,” Link said, equally as furious. “I told her the truth about you. She knows everything.”
For Liza, who had never enjoyed confrontation, the scene was too much. She spun on her heel and fled the room. Unfortunately she sought refuge in the ladies’ room just as Scarlet was drying her hands. She tried to back out of the room, but didn’t make it before Scarlet caught sight of her in the mirror. Her face lit with a smile of delight.
“Liza,” she exclaimed. She whirled, strode forward, and enveloped Liza in a hug, all in one fluid motion. “I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you.” She released Liza and took a step back, apparently not noticing that Liza was upset and stood stiffly and awkwardly in her embrace.
“What’s new with you?” she asked before quickly continuing and dropping her voice to a conspiratory whisper. “Who’s the guy you’re with? I about fell over when I looked up and realized you weren’t with Dirk.”
Liza’s brow drew together at Dirk’s name emitting from the enemy’s lips.
“I mean, I just saw Dirk a few weeks ago and all he could talk about was Liza, Liza, Liza. You didn’t break up, did you?”
Liza blinked in confusion a few times. “What?” she said dumbly.
“Which part?” Scarlet said.
“Dirk mentioned me?” Why would he mention her on his super-secret liaison with Scarlet, unless Scarlet was simply throwing her off the track? But Scarlet had never been good at subterfuge; she was too open.
Scarlet laughed and rolled her eyes. “Well of course he did. You guys have been together as long as my husband and I have been married: forever. I can’t believe he hasn’t proposed by now. When we met up in Cleveland, he said he…” She stopped and clapped her hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I almost let that slip,” she murmured behind her hand.
“What? Let what slip?” Liza asked, feeling a little desperate.
Scarlet shook her head furiously back and forth. “No way. Wild horses couldn’t drag it out of me,” she said. Or at least that’s what Liza thought she said. It was difficult to tell with her hand still pressed firmly to her mouth. She dropped her hand and searched her bag for her lip gloss. “Suffice it to say I’m stunned to see you here with someone else.”
To Liza’s further humiliation, she burst into loud, uncontrollable weeping.
Scarlet looked up sharply, stunned into speechlessness for once. Liza wasn’t the type of person to suffer a wild emotional outburst in public, or even in a public bathroom.
“Liza…” she began, but Liza turned and fled that room, too. If she kept sprinting out of places, she was eventually going to make it all the way home on foot.
She burst through the bathroom door and stopped short, looking wildly left and right for reprieve. Sunlight filtering through the door toward the right beckoned to her, and she turned that way. She was almost there, almost free, when someone stepped out of the shadows, blocking her path.
This time when Liza stopped short it was because she ran into the solid form. Bouncing off, she would have fallen over if he hadn’t put out his hand to catch her.
“Liza,” he said calmly.
“Sal,” she said, her tone too full of dismay to register her surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk,” he said.
“Now’s not a good time,” sh
e said.
“Too bad,” he said.
Alerted by his cool tone, she searched his face, but it was his hands she should have been looking at because suddenly a gun was pressed firmly into her side. “Come on,” he said.
They walked two steps before Dirk called from behind. “Liza, Sal, wait up.”
Sal didn’t stop. His arm firmly gripped Liza’s elbow and practically dragged her toward the door. “Don’t stop and don’t look back,” he warned.
“No, you’re going to stop.” This time Link was the one who spoke, and his voice was so full of authority, Liza knew he had his gun trained on him before she heard the telltale sound of the safety being switched off.
“What the…” Dirk began.
“Stuff it, Xavier,” Link said. “Get over there near your cousin where I can keep an eye on you. Slowly, and keep your hands where I can see them.”
Dirk edged toward Liza, his gaze fastened worriedly on her face. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “Do what he says, and he won’t shoot you.”
Liza sighed. “Of course he won’t shoot me. He’s a federal agent. It’s you he’s after.”
“Me?” Dirk said, his shock making his eyebrows rise almost to his hairline. “What did I do?”
“He’s not after you,” Sal said impatiently. “He’s after me, although he shouldn’t be. Can I?” he asked Link. He indicated his suit jacket where presumably his identification was kept.
“Slowly,” Link said, never taking his gun off the trio opposite him.
“Here, hold this,” Sal said. He handed his gun to Dirk and slowly reached in his pocket. He took out his wallet and held it open so only Link could see it, shielding the view from Dirk or Liza.
Liza therefore had no idea what it said, but whatever it was it caused Link to slowly lower his gun and slip it into his holster.
“I can’t believe this,” Link said disgustedly.
“Can someone tell me what’s going on here?” Dirk said. He held the gun uncertainly, as if not sure if he should point it at Link or not.
“It was the pajamas,” Liza explained when neither Link nor Sal made a move to answer.
“The pajamas?” he echoed.
“The message taped in my pajamas was a code. It was a message ordering a hit.”
Dirk looked around, clearly waiting for the punchline. “What?”
Sal sighed. “It’s all a big mixup,” he explained. “She was never supposed to find the message. Who wears flannel pajamas in June?” He turned to scowl at Liza.
“What are you guys talking about?” Dirk reiterated. He sounded ready to explode.
“Your cousin is an assassin,” Link said bluntly. “Liza came to my office at the FBI and asked me to look into her, er, pajama problem. I uncovered the assassination, but didn’t realize until today that he and I are on the same side.” He gestured toward Sal.
“You work for the government?” Liza said, tipping her face up to study Sal.
Sal shrugged, looking clearly uncomfortable.
“Wait a minute,” Dirk said. “You kill people?” He looked at Sal, openmouthed.
“Only the bad ones,” Sal replied cagily.
“Then what does Liza have to do with any of this?” Dirk said.
“I was using her house as a drop point,” Sal said.
“Why?” Link asked. “What possible reason could you have for involving her in this?”
“I wasn’t trying to involve her,” Sal said. “She was the least likely way to pass messages. Who would suspect a mousy schoolteacher as a go-between? We’ve been using her house as a drop point since I met her five years ago, and never had a problem until now.” He paused, chuckling to himself. “It was kind of funny, when you think about it.”
“You put my girlfriend in danger,” Dirk said. Before Sal could open his mouth to respond, Dirk stepped forward and struck him in the face so hard that Sal fell to the ground and cupped his jaw, working it back and forth a couple of times as he sat up.
“You’d better stay down unless you want another,” Dirk said as he towered over him, his hands fisted at his sides.
“If you’re one of the good guys, then why did you shove a gun in my side and try to abduct me just now?” Liza asked as some semblance of reason began to return to her shocked brain.
“You held a gun on Liza?” Dirk thundered. He would have gone for Sal again, but Liza laid a restraining hand on his arm.
“There’s been a breach,” Sal said. He gingerly tested his jaw again before frowning at Dirk.
“What kind of breach?” Link asked, alert all over again.
“Someone intercepted some intel and performed the assassination on his own. Now he’s demanding payment. I thought Liza might have some information,” Sal said.
“Me?” Liza squeaked. “Why would I have any information?”
“Because you’ve been a loose canon ever since you discovered the code. You’ve talked, and I want to know who you’ve talked to.”
“No one,” she said. “Except Link and Marion.”
“What about me?”
Everyone spun to see Marion and Puck standing a few feet away at the end of the hall. “What’s he doing here?” she nodded toward Sal. “And why is he on the floor?”
“Because I put him there,” Dirk said, still seething. Liza tried to touch him again, but he jerked away from her and crossed his arms over his chest.
“What’s going on?” Marion repeated.
“Sal’s the assassin,” Liza said.
“Liza,” Link and Sal said together.
“I don’t keep secrets from Marion,” Liza said.
“No, not from Marion,” Dirk said peevishly.
“This isn’t a secret; it’s national security,” Sal said.
“I don’t care,” Liza snapped. “I don’t work for the government. You’re the one with the problem.”
“It’s everyone’s problem if I don’t plug this leak,” Sal said. “All we have is a shady computer trail.”
“Computer trail?” Link perked up.
Sal looked up and they shared a mutual look of understanding. “Do you think he could?” Sal said.
“If anyone can, he can,” Link said.
“Let’s go,” Sal said, rising slowly to his feet.
“We’ll need to take her. He’ll be more likely to do it if she asks,” Link said.
“What are they talking about?” Marion said in a stage whisper.
“I have no idea,” Liza returned.
Link turned to look at her. “We’re taking you to see your brother.”
“Bryce? What does he have to do with this?” she said before quickly shaking her head. “No, you leave my brother out of this mess. I don’t want him getting into trouble.”
Sal and Link laughed, but not in a pleasant way. “He’s already in trouble,” Sal said.
Seeing her dismay, Link cleared his throat and tried a gentler approach. “Liza, you know when I first started on this case I did some checking on your family. The reason your brother never comes to visit you isn’t because he doesn’t want to; it’s because he can’t. He’s on house arrest with an ankle monitor.”
She stumbled back a couple of steps before bumping into the wall. “What?” she gasped.
“I’m sorry you have to find out like this, but your brother is a hacker. He hacked into the treasury department’s system and caused chaos. It took them a couple of years to catch him, but when they did, they gave him an option: a massive prison term or house arrest and working for the government. He chose the latter.”
She shook her head, pressing her palms over her ears. “No. That’s not true. Bryce is a good person.”
“That may be so,” Link said gently. “But he still got in a whole lot of trouble. Now we need his help, and we need you to convince him to help us.”
She swallowed convulsively a few times while she tried to process the new information.
“Just pick her up and carry her,” Sal said.
Dirk
stepped between them, clenching his hands once again. “You’re not touching her, and Liza’s not going anywhere she doesn’t want to go.”
“I’ll go,” Liza said after a few seconds of tense silence.
Dirk turned to face her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“Then I’m going with you,” he said.
“She’ll be with two federal agents,” Link said. “She’ll be perfectly safe.”
Dirk whirled on him and took a step forward. “One of those agents put her life at risk by leaving messages in her pajamas, and the other put her at risk by using her as bait tonight. Pardon me if I don’t trust either of you with her.”
“Fine,” Link relented, throwing up his hands in surrender.
“I’m coming, too,” Marion announced.
“Oh, geez,” Link said.
“Why?” Sal asked.
“Because I’m pretty good at research, if I do say so myself. What Bryce can’t find, I might be able to.”
“And she’s not going alone,” Puck piped up. “I don’t trust you two, either.” He and Dirk nodded approvingly at each other.
“Let’s just get out of here before we become more of a freak show and attract more attention to ourselves,” Sal said.
Together, the six of them walked to Sal’s SUV and piled in.
Chapter 21
Bryce lived over an hour away. The drive was tense, though not silent. Sal and Marion kept up lively chatter for the entire trip. They sat in the front seat while Sal drove. Puck was on Marion’s other side, staring out the passenger window.
In the back seat, Liza was wedged between Link and Dirk. She wanted to talk to Dirk, but couldn’t with Link sitting so close and listening in. Instead she remained silent the entire ninety minute trip, holding herself stiffly upright so she wouldn’t have to touch either of them. By the time she arrived, she was sore and exhausted from sitting so rigidly.
They finally arrived at Bryce’s small house, and more awkwardness ensued as Dirk and Link opened their doors and turned, waiting to help Liza out. Marion, bless her, came to Liza’s rescue by lightly shoving Link aside.
The Pajama Affair Page 16