The first glance in her car made Ellie glad she’d skipped breakfast. There were lots of pictures. Everyone who was important to her was captured in multiple snapshots: Janice, Phillips, Joe, Phil, Anne and her husband along with each of their children, the neighbor who lived in the apartment underneath Ellie’s, several agents she’d never spoken to but they still looked familiar, and even Nicole from behind the counter. Her picture must have been taken through the window of the shop, because the glass reflection caused some of her piercings to shine as though they were somehow iridescent. Knowing how much she loved all things black, Ellie doubted she would appreciate the rainbow effect captured on her face.
Janice had been seen driving her car, entering the club, and even laughing at a social hour inside. Despite her details, someone had gotten close to Janice on three different occasions, based on the various outfits depicted. Phil’s pictures all showed him with different canes, going into the office, getting out of his car at his house, and at a Pee Wee football game cheering for his grandson.
Just as she was about to ask somebody to open the car, the techs arrived and roped off a scene to begin processing it. Phillips took charge handing out orders as though this were his case. “Document everything, but don’t move anything yet. I want Agent Michaels to have a chance to go through the paper on the seats before it’s collected as evidence.”
It was strange to hear him refer to her in such an official way. He must have caught her looking at him funny, because he winked at her and tilted his head toward the shop, inviting her to go inside while they got started in the parking lot.
Knowing it could take a while before they even opened the doors, she went inside and took a deep breath, letting the soothing familiar smell wash over her. It was strange how this small shop felt homey. The parking lot held several bad memories, but inside was still a safe space. She looked at the counter where she and Luka, the yoga master, had shared a cup of tea when he was still a murder suspect. If he were here, he would tell her to relax her shoulders and breathe from deep within. “Shallow breaths that only fill the chest don’t help you relax; the air must get down to your waist.”
“That coffee must have done you some good,” Joe called out from behind the counter. “You look a lot more awake and relaxed now.”
She smiled in response, curious as to when he’d gotten so good at reading her.
“Do you want to look at the security footage?” he offered. “I brought it up when I came inside.”
Ellie nodded. “Please.”
“I know I’ll need to provide a copy, but I thought you might appreciate a sneak peek first.”
They went into Joe’s office, leaving the door open so he could hear if someone entered the shop, and he pulled up a viewer on his computer. “It’s hard to see unless you’re at the right angle,” he commented, taking her hand in his and moving her around to stand in front of him before pulling her down to sit on his leg so they were at similar heights to see the monitor.
He hit Play once she relaxed a little, and they watched as someone wearing a dark ball cap, low on his face, drove in, carefully backed the car into the space where it now sat, and then got out and redistributed the paper so that it covered all the available surfaces: the seats, floorboards, and even the dash. Satisfied, he stood up tall, stretched his back slightly, and then appeared to search for something on the building. He made some kind of motion with his hand at the side of the parking lot and then looked right into the camera and waved before walking away in a carefree manner.
“Can you play it again?” Ellie asked, wanting to understand what he was motioning.
Joe scooted closer to the desk to use the mouse, causing his arms to come around her. When he sat back, he pulled on her slightly so that she would lean into him as they watched.
During the fourth viewing, Ellie was curious how many more times she could make him repeat it before he’d either get tired of the loop or his leg would fall asleep. She couldn’t remember ever sitting like this with a man, and even though she was acutely aware of how her body was touching his, she was comfortable and not in a hurry to have to get up.
“Oh come on, man,” Phillips called out from the doorway.
Joe looked behind him but tightened his arms around Ellie to keep her from standing up. Despite knowing they hadn’t done anything wrong, she still felt guilty for having such a good time inside when there was a team outside processing her car for evidence.
“We’re in the middle of an investigation, so if you don’t mind letting go of your teddy bear, I need my chief detail expert to come do her thing out here,” Phillips announced, sounding very amused. When he finished talking, the door closed behind him.
“My cousin has the worst timing of anyone I’ve ever met,” Joe nearly growled.
“We’d seen all there is to see on the video,” Ellie offered.
“I quit watching it after the second time through,” he admitted.
“What were you doing?” She turned so she could better see his face.
“Watching you.” He looked directly in his eyes and didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed to have admitted that.
Ellie instantly blushed. “I’m not as interesting as the security video.”
“As much as I don’t want to argue with you, I completely disagree with that statement.” Then he tilted his head a little, as though considering something. “This is nice.” He tightened his arms around her waist to make it clear what he was talking about.
She nodded her agreement. “I should probably get back outside before they start pulling the evidence apart, though.” Despite saying it, she made no effort to stand up.
Joe pushed some of her hair behind her shoulder, and she realized in her haste to get out of the house, she’d dried it but never styled it or pulled it back.
“I like it when you wear your hair down,” Joe commented, letting his fingers run through her hair.
A loud knock at the door made Ellie jump and Joe swear under his breath.
“People are standing around wondering what’s going on in there,” Phillips announced from behind the door.
****
Ellie was repulsed at all the pictures in her car. Her initial glance had revealed enough, but when she was allowed to move some of the other paper, there were pictures underneath as well. He’d been following her for weeks without her realizing. Apparently Joe and Phillips were right to have been hovering around her. The earliest picture she could pick out was of her sitting against a tree at the singer-songwriter showcase after she’d gotten out of the hospital. Her eyes were closed and the wind was blowing her hair around, but she seemed at peace. Of course, that was before she realized the doctor was on the run and she left the park in a hurry.
“Is that significant?” Phillips knelt behind her and pointed to the picture.
She shook her head. “Only that it dates how long he’s been watching me.”
“We’re going to get him, Ellie,” Phillips declared. His voice was soft—he wasn’t speaking for the rest of the people around them to hear—but there was such a steadfast sincerity in it that she believed every word.
The paper was a combination of surveillance notes that detailed the routines of each of the people he’d followed. There was even a sketch of a map that documented her usual jogging route. With this kind of information, he certainly could have hurt her at any time and she wouldn’t have seen it coming.
When she looked at the driver’s seat, she noticed a folded piece of paper leaning against the dashboard instrument panel. Opening it, she saw that he’d handwritten a note.
I needed a vehicle briefly, so I borrowed yours because I knew you would have no trouble arranging other transportation temporarily. For the inconvenience, I have filled up the gas tank with premium petrol and added air to the front right tire. It was lower than the rest, so you should get that checked. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you while you’re driving, now would we?
She handed that no
te to Phillips and listened to him do an imitation of a sailor with some of the colorful language he spouted off.
Once she’d completed an initial scan of everything in the car, she popped the trunk. In the back was a new yoga mat with a big red bow on it. The tag was another note from Garrison.
Don’t forget to continue what you learned in California. Luka would be disappointed to think his star pupil had given up on everything he’d taught her. After all, it was those lessons that cost my sister her life; don’t you think you owe it to her to keep up what you’ve learned?
In the trunk were a few more photos of agents she recognized from her time in California. Agent Peters seemed to appear more often than the rest. In many of the snapshots, he was with women, but never the same one twice.
Ellie had heard less from Agent Peters since the case closed, but he’d still managed to send her a couple of new files to review. They were rather simple, so she was able to process them quickly, but she’d never heard back. After all the time they’d spent on the phone and e-mailing personally before the serial case, it was strange that they hadn’t spoken since.
Apparently Dr. Garrison didn’t consider him much of a family presence, since his pictures were buried in the back of the car instead of displayed in the front with the rest.
Satisfied she’d seen everything the car contained, she turned around and nodded at Phillips.
“All right, bag it all,” he announced before moving closer to her. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine… Numb, maybe,” she answered honestly. If she let herself think on it too much, she’d have to admit that because of her, everyone she interacted with was in danger. Apparently the doctor was intent on her surviving, at least for a while, but the harm he could do to her friends was beyond what she could comprehend.
“I have to call Anne,” she said softly, her mind swirling with the pictures of her friend’s children at school, at the ball field, and in their backyard.
“We can have someone watch her family,” Phillips said.
“The Bureau isn’t going to pay to have security on everybody Garrison has targeted. There are too many of them,” Ellie declared, beginning to feel panic at the idea that there was little she could do to keep them all safe. Janice already had a team. Maybe Miller would approve another couple of agents for Anne’s family, but that wouldn’t be enough to cover the house, the three different schools the boys attended, her husband’s office, and the different fields the kids might be on in the afternoon for practice. It was the middle of football season. She couldn’t ask them to stay inside until this blew over. It could take months. Anne would never allow her children to stay inside that long. But what else could Ellie do?
“Hey…” Phillips pulled her to him in a rare hug. “Wherever your mind is going, turn it around.” He held her tightly against him while she tried to get on top of her emotions. She didn’t want the techs to see her lose it at the scene. After the third breath, she realized Phillips smelled a lot like Joe. They must use the same soap or aftershave. It was warm and just a little spicy.
“Are we going back home or to the office?” Phillips asked once she’d calmed down.
“Agent Michaels,” one of the younger techs called out with something in his hands. “Do you smoke?” he asked when she was closer.
“No…”
He handed her a book of matches from a hotel on the west side of town. When she opened it, the number 210 was written in what Ellie guessed was Garrison’s print. None of the matches were missing, so she assumed this was another message for them.
“We’re going to the Red Horse Motel.” She looked at Phillips, holding up the matchbook as explanation.
He got a wicked smile on his face and nodded. “Come on, partner. Let’s go have some fun.”
Ellie had a feeling they defined fun differently, but she felt like she had to do something to bring this to a close. She owed it to her friends so they wouldn’t have to live under the constant threat of Garrison, and she owed it to herself so she didn’t have to live with the guilt of putting others in danger.
Mack had advised she either go into hiding or intentionally go out to draw Garrison to her. Seeing the targets drawn on the faces of people she loved didn’t make hiding an option.
As they drove across town to the hotel, Ellie pulled her badge from her purse and clipped it on her belt. Then she pulled the Glock from her holster, removed the clip, verified it was loaded, and then returned it before putting it back at her belt without snapping it in place. She didn’t know if changing her routine would draw Garrison to her, but if he came, she was going to be ready.
Chapter 9
“Tell me what you got from the hotel,” Phil barked when she passed by his open office door.
“Not much,” she admitted. “The room on the matchbook hadn’t been rented in a few days, and before that, it was occupied by two women and then a couple of college guys. The manager let us look around in the room, but it seemed clean to me. If there’d been any notes left, they’ve probably been thrown out by now.”
“Look up the guest list and see what you can figure out,” Phil told her.
When he didn’t say anything else, Ellie turned to leave.
“How was it, being out with Phillips?”
“He can be annoying, but when he puts his game face on, he’s okay,” she replied, not sure what Phil was asking.
“You may as well have a seat, because Miller’s on his way down, and I don’t think it’s for my shining personality.” Phil picked up his blue cane with clouds painted on it and began to slowly twist it.
“There you are, Michaels.” Miller came in as though he owned the place, only moments after Phil invited her to sit. Ellie wondered if that were because of his rank within the Bureau or just his usual way of controlling any area he might be in. “George tells me you’ve given him some good stuff to follow up on. Every time you make a suggestion, it seems to bring up a connection of some sort. He’s convinced you’re some kind of psychic that can see things the rest of us miss.” As he said the last phrase, he laughed, making Ellie wonder if he found humor in what his nephew said or in the idea of her seeing things other people couldn’t.
“Of course she does,” Phil said firmly. “That’s what we do down here.”
“I swear you get grumpier every day,” Miller commented. “Anyway, there’s new information in the file that you can look at. I know he’s eager to keep it moving forward since whoever is holding up the carriers seems to move every Friday, which means we’re probably due for a new theft sometime today.”
Ellie was irritated that he was reminding her of facts she already knew and couldn’t understand why this case was getting so much personal attention. Sure, it was his nephew, but the total losses were less than forty thousand dollars so far. That wasn’t the scale of case that usually warranted such a push. Besides, he should be aware of all that was happening with Garrison, so it seemed strange that he would only want to talk about the freight case and not one that had more life-and-death consequences. “I’ll be happy to take a look while I’m going through my files for the day.”
She stood up and looked at Phil. “Let me know if there’s anything special I need to focus on.” Then she glanced at the man not bothering to look at her. “Miller.”
As she walked out, she heard Miller comment, “She’s starting to act more like her old man every time I come down here.”
“If you ask me, her instincts already rival his. The more she gets out, the better she’s going to get,” Phil replied, sounding a lot like her dad used to when he was describing something she’d accomplished in school or at the academy.
****
There was a part of her that wanted to ignore the file from George just to spite Miller, but after glancing over the other messages, his did seem like it would be the most interesting.
He’d jumped in after her suggestions from the day before and followed up with each of the carriers to discover they had ea
ch contracted with the same consulting firm: RMA—Risk Management Associates. When Ellie looked them up online, their website promised to help transportation firms look at their internal operations and procedures to tighten controls in order to eliminate the possibility of loss. They claimed that their services would more than pay for themselves, as companies would see an immediate decrease in the number of claims filed against their insurance and deductible, as well as less year-over-year increases in premium.
It took fifteen minutes of horrible hold music and a few missed transfers, but Ellie was eventually able to make it to Jonathan Alberts, who she’d spoken to about her car insurance claim the day before.
“Mr. Alberts, this is Ellie Michaels. You helped me yesterday to complete a claim for the replacement of my stolen car. It’s been returned, sort of.”
“I remember talking to you, Agent Michaels.” The use of her title told her he did indeed remember. “How can a car be sort of returned? Is it damaged beyond repair?”
“No, it actually appears to be in better shape than it was when it was taken,” she admitted, thinking about the air and gas Garrison had added. “But it’s currently being taken apart for evidence.”
“I see,” he said quickly. “In that case, we have to hold the claim until their search is complete. If the car can be returned to you, then we will not pay for a replacement, but if the FBI notifies us that the car will not be released, then we can reactivate the claim.”
She was embarrassed to admit she didn’t know this. “How long does that usually take?”
“That’s more your area of expertise than mine,” he replied. “But most instances like this tend to be between a week and three months.”
“Three months!” Ellie all but yelled, wishing she’d controlled her irritation a little better, because it certainly wasn’t the claims agent’s fault.
“At three months, we assume it’s a loss and move forward with paying out the claim.”
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