Back at the office, with Harley safely inside, I began emptying Nelly. I carried the small TV upstairs and set it on a table, then pulled the sheets and blankets out of the plastic bags and made up the cots. I settled her into her makeshift bed and then gave the bathroom a quick wipe down. The place looked almost livable. Almost.
Chapter 9
By the time I was done, it was past dinnertime. “I’ll hook up the cable,” she said, “why don’t you go get some takeout.”
“You should stay in bed,” I said, “and I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“Better now than after Carl realizes I’ve left the hospital. And I do not intend to stay in this bed!”
“Okay, what sounds good?”
“Surprise me,” she said.
Before I went out I checked and double checked the parking lot, vowing to park closer to the building on my return. It didn’t help that I was in a neighborhood where an extra gunshot or mugging would go unreported for a good amount of time. Now, with Carl about to learn of Harley’s disappearing act and Danny Stearns on my mind, I decided to have Miller add some lights in the parking lot.
A quick trip to a nearby pizzeria, netted me a large pie with everything and a six pack of soda. I nestled Nelly in close to the door, locked her up, and went inside with our hot and aromatic dinner. We ate and watched the news. Within half an hour, coverage of Sean’s press conference began. He was great – emotional, angry, and deadly serious all at the same time. But when the camera pulled back, I was horrified to see myself standing near the platform, next to the podium.
When I gasped, Harley asked, “What?”
I explained the whole story about Danny Stearns running into me, how I’d recognized him on TV, and how now maybe he’d seen me. “Do you think he’d recognize me after all this time?” I asked. “Because if he did, and he knows I could be the one to ID him, I think he’d come after me. And seeing me on the news in Syracuse would certainly narrow the search area for him.”
“Why didn’t you say anything about this before?” she asked, looking more upset that I’d expected her to. I didn’t want to add more stress to what she was already shouldering.
“It’s not exactly a story I’m fond of telling,” I said. “It’s one I’d hoped would stay in my past.”
“So you just happened to be standing in his path,” she said, almost to herself. “How does a thing like that happen? I mean, what are the odds?”
Talking to Harley made me more convinced that Danny Stearns would try to find out who and where I was. I could only hope that he hadn’t seen the report, but these 24/7 news outlets replayed the same stories over and over for days. He would have lots of chances to see me. I got up and examined my two medicine bottles, trying to decide which one to take. I went with the happy pill, knowing that anxiety was my worst enemy, and that I didn’t really want to sleep heavily anyway. I wanted to hear any creaks or other noises that may occur during the night, and I cursed myself for having had carpeting put on the stairs.
I threw out the paper plates, took a shower, jammied up, and dropped onto my cot, facing Harley. “Listen,” I started, “we’re going to have to tell Jack that you were not attacked by a man in a ski mask. We can’t have the cops out looking all over the place for some phantom thug. You can get in trouble for that. They can make you pay for the cost of the investigation and you can’t afford that.”
She put her hands over her face, shook her head, and took a deep breath. “The last thing I want to do is get myself in more trouble – especially with the police. I didn’t even think about the repercussions of lying to them; I was just trying to protect myself.” Then she stopped and looked at me. “Who’s Jack?”
“Oh, sorry. Officer Morey. He was one of the responding officers at Ferdy’s, and here too. He’d given me his card, so when I saw Danny Stearns on TV and got upset, I called him. He was also at Sean’s press conference, and I had lunch with him earlier today.”
“So, you’re dating him now?”
“No, no, we just keep bumping into each other and like I said, we had lunch today. I mean, he’s a big guy and good looking; I’d be lying if I said a little chemistry couldn’t develop between us, but there’s a downside too.”
“Like what?”
“Like he wants me to talk to the police in Rochester and tell them I saw Danny Stearns there the day the bank was robbed. He wants me to get all involved in that, and I don’t want to. And now we’re going to have to tell him about Carl.”
“I knew this was too good to be true,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me you were dating a cop before you brought me here?”
“We’re not dating! And what would you have done – gone back to Carl?”
“I don’t know! You didn’t really give me any time to think! I might have gone back, but maybe I would have decided to disappear, instead.”
This was as close to a fight as Harley and I had ever come. Our emotions were running high and we needed sleep. “How about, first thing in the morning,” I said, “we eat a big breakfast, gas up Nelly, and drive her over a big cliff holding hands – just like Thelma and Louise? Wanna?”
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny,” I said. “Come on, you know we have to tell Jack.”
“Your new boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend! But he’s the only police officer I know. Maybe he can persuade his brothers-in-blue that you were protecting yourself when you lied about the guy in the mask – that Carl is a violent person. They know all about domestic abuse and you have the bruises to prove it.”
“That much is true,” she said, rubbing her arm.
“Jack’s already trying to figure out who’s after our clients; I don’t want to have to break in another cop. He can handle this for you, we just have to tell him sooner, rather than later, to mitigate your exposure. He can try and keep you alive and stop me from going under at the same time,” I smiled.
“Maybe you don’t even need Jack,” she said. “You could probably stop the attacks on your clients by yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
“All you’d have to do is just close up shop before anything else happens.”
“Close? And do what?” I picked up the file I needed to read in preparation for tomorrow’s meeting with Miller, but after fifteen minutes, realized that I was not going to be able to concentrate on it, and put it aside. We tried to watch a movie, but my mind kept wandering. “I’m calling Jack, okay? You have to get this thing settled.”
“Fine,” she said. “I just hope you’re right about him.”
I picked up my cell and punched in Jack’s number, realizing I was looking forward to hearing his voice. And to seeing him again. He answered on the second ring. “Jack, it’s Audrey,” I said. “Can you meet with Harley and me sometime tomorrow? At my office? There’s something you should know.”
Chapter 10
I opened my eyes the next morning and Harley’s bed was empty. Immediately, I thought she’d decided against meeting with Jack, had called a cab, and skipped out. But the aroma of brewing coffee from downstairs brought sweet relief, and I grabbed a quick shower, dressed, and headed down for a cup.
It was already 10:30 – Jack would be here in half an hour. After tossing and turning last night, I’d given in and taken a sleeping pill; I guess I’d needed the shuteye, because I remembered nothing after taking it.
Harley had all the shades drawn and was busy working on the computer. “I had calls from six of Tony’s eight stations,” she said, “they’re all bailing on him.”
“I figured they would,” I said. “Bastards. And guess who gets to tell Tony?”
“And Carrie Ashton called. She wants to know if I can go up there today. No one had an intern to spare and she’s in a panic. You know, Audrey, Carrie’s computer problems are probably just glitches – not connected to the others at all.”
“I hope you’re right, but we can’t afford to lose her in
any case, so go ahead; take Nelly. I’ll meet with Jack and talk to him about Carl, all right?”
“Really? You’d do that for me?”
“Of course I will, but I’m sure he’s going to want to talk to you when you get back,” I said, as I tossed her my keys.
She gathered up her paraphernalia and took a good long look outside before she opened the door. I walked out with her and waited until she was safely in Nelly, then I went back inside, locked the door, and set the alarm.
Even though I was looking forward to seeing Jack, I was nervous about exposing Harley’s lie, and hoped there would be no repercussions for her. She’d gone through a lot, and I completely understood her actions; I couldn’t help but wonder if I would lie the way she had under the right circumstances – out of straight-up fear. I shivered, knowing that if Carl found out that Harley was living here, I’d no doubt end up in his crosshairs, right along with her.
When Jack knocked on the door, I couldn’t get there fast enough to let him in. I surprised myself – and him – when I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek. “Sorry,” I said, immediately embarrassed, “I shouldn’t have done that.” He shut the door, then turned back to me and swept me into his arms. He kissed me hard and I leaned into him. All muscles. All man. Big hands. Soft lips.
“Wow,” he said. “Good ice breaker. I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I first laid eyes on you.”
“You have?” My face got hot, and I hoped that if I was blushing, he wouldn’t notice.
He kissed me again. “Good thing the other guy isn’t here yet,” he laughed. “He’d probably want a kiss too.”
“What other guy?” I asked, trying to regain my composer.
He took off his hat. “Matt St. John. He’s the Liverpool cop working Tony’s investigation. He has a couple of questions, that’s all. Where’s your Jeep? When I drove in, I thought you might not even be here.” He looked around. “Where’s Harley? I thought the two of you wanted to talk to me.”
“I had to send her to a client this morning, but she said I could speak for her.”
“Sounds serious.”
“It is. And I need you to let me tell you the whole story before you ask me any questions, okay?”
He nodded. “Come on – let’s sit. What is it?”
I explained about Carl, Harley’s fear of him, and how she’d made up the story about the man in the ski mask to keep from being beaten. “I understand you can’t have men out there looking for a guy who doesn’t exist, but she lied out of fear for her own safety. That should count for something, right?”
“Will she press charges?”
“I doubt it. She’s staying here because she’s scared to death of him.”
“That’s no good – he’ll look for her car in your parking lot, first thing.”
“We left it in the hospital garage. She’s got my Jeep right now.”
“Well, I’m telling you that he’ll eventually find her. And he won’t be happy to learn you’re sheltering her.”
A knock on the door told us that officer St. John had arrived. “We’ll talk later,” said Jack. “I want to ask around first and see what can be done.” He gave me a wink that filled me with more than a warm feeling; it gave me hope, and I went to open the door. The two men greeted each other and then Jack introduced me.
By my guess, Officer St. John stood about six foot six; the perfect picture of someone who’d probably had his criminal justice degree paid for by a basketball scholarship. He sat down, looking like a parent forced to park himself in a child’s chair, at an elementary school open house. “I need to ask a few questions about your relationship with Tony Bravada, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to get started.” He pulled out a notebook. “How long have you and Mr. Bravada been working together?”
“About eight years,” I said.
“Does he have any enemies you know of?”
“Of course not. He’s one of the nicest people I know.”
“How about you – anyone who might want to get to you by harming Mr. Bravada?”
“I can’t think of anyone.”
“So, how often do you see Mr. Bravada in an average week?”
“We meet for coffee every Monday morning before he goes up for his first round of traffic reports. We go over new contracts and the week’s work.”
“Where?”
“Mike’s Diner on Route 11 – it’s close to the airport.”
“When was the last time you met him there?” he asked.
“Like I told Jack,” I said, “the day of his accident.”
“What time did you get there?” I threw Jack a look.
“Around 6:45.”
“Did he leave the same time you did?”
“No, he stayed to finish his coffee.”
“So, you didn’t see him after that?”
“Not until after the crash.”
“Okay, well that’s it for now. I may have more questions for you later. You’ll be available?”
“Of course,” I said. I walked him to the door and then watched him get into his patrol car. I turned to Jack. “What the heck was that? He was asking questions I’d already answered for you.”
“Just police work. It’s his jurisdiction. Don’t worry about it. When will Harley be back?”
“Not sure. She’ll have her hands full at Carrie’s.”
“Okay,” he said, “I’m going to take off and see what I can do with her situation. I wish you could talk her into pressing charges, but she probably knows that Carl wouldn’t spend more than a few days in jail, if any, and then he’d be out looking for her. She may have to consider leaving town altogether.”
“She’s convinced he’ll find her no matter how far she goes. She’s been totally controlled by him and now that she’s trying to leave, he’s still there, in her mind. She’ll be looking over her shoulder until the day she dies, unless he dies first.”
“Keep your door locked,” said Jack, as he put on his hat and headed for the door. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He took me in his arms and kissed me, leaning back until my feet left the floor. “Who would have thought I’d find someone like you at a crime scene?” he laughed.
I watched him drive away, sad to see him go. Seconds later, Miller pulled up in his van. Just as I expected, he got out carrying all kinds of crap I knew I would have to read about, understand, appreciate, and figure out how to market. Business-to-business. Business-to-consumer. Suddenly I wanted to run away.
After an hour or so, Miller sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. My head was pounding and I reached into my desk drawer for a bottle of aspirin. “Want something?” I asked him.
“Please,” he said.
My bottle was empty, so I went to Harley’s desk and found that hers had only two pills left in it. I handed them to Miller without letting on that I needed them as badly as he did. He swallowed them, and then packed up the few lousy scraps of paper he was taking with him. The bulk of it would remain with lucky me.
“Everything okay with the system so far?” he asked.
“I guess so; it hasn’t really been tested. But I feel a lot safer since you wired me up. I’m thinking about parking lot lights now.”
“Just give me the word,” he smiled.
Once he’d gone, I went back to my desk and called Harley. After I told her what Jack had said, she seemed a little relieved, but still nervous in general. “I just hope I don’t get into a load of trouble over it,” she said. “As for pressing charges against Carl – the answer is no; it’s just too dangerous.”
“That’s entirely up to you,” I said. “I’m in your corner, whatever you decide. Will you be back sometime today?”
“Not a chance. I’ve already made reservations at a hotel. I’ll work the rest of today and hopefully finish up tomorrow. One way or the other, I’ll see you by dinnertime.”
I thought there was a chance that Carrie would try and hire Harley away from me, while she had her there. And it would
make sense for Harley. A good move for her, really. A great job with a raise (anyone could pay her more than I could), the chance to use her skills with equipment and software I’d never have, and a place Carl would most likely never think to look for her.
I almost felt it was my duty to call Carrie and suggest that she hire Harley. Who knew how much longer my agency would even be viable? Jobs were not easy to come by. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed to be the perfect way out for a really nice woman who needed a serious break. It was positively ludicrous to expect her to live here at my office, even if it was temporary. I picked up the phone and punched in Carrie’s number.
Chapter 11
When Harley got back to the office the next day, she was livid. “You told Carrie to hire me? You really want me to leave you and go work for her? Seriously? How could you do that?”
“The question is, Harley, how could I not do it? Asking you to stay here is selfish. The way things are going, I won’t even be able to pay you before long. You’re a talented techie – Carrie would be thrilled to have you full time.”
“She made that clear. But after everything you’ve done for me – and how I lied to you – I can’t leave you here all alone.”
“Two heads are usually better than one,” I said, “but not in this case. We each have our own ass to cover and it would be too distracting to try and watch each other’s as well. Besides, I think you’re safer living away from me, and way better off financially working for Carrie. It’s a no-brainer. Now call her and tell her you accept.”
“What about Jack? What about the lie I told about Carl?”
“If the police need to talk to you, I’ll tell them where you are. Jack said he was going to speak to some people and explain that you lied because you were afraid for your life. Harley, women get off of murder charges for that reason.”
“Maybe I should go,” she said with tears rolling down her face. “But I feel so guilty leaving you.”
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