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forefinger.!“That’s!a!lot!of!conjecture.!You!seemed!quite!sure!of!
yourself.”!
!
“I!get!a!little!impulsive.!Bad!habit.”!
!
She!opened!her!mouth,!but!craned!her!head!at!the!sound!
of!the!door!opening.!The!butler!was!back.!
!
“Yes,!Stephen?”!
!
“Sorry!to!disturb!you,!ma’am,!but!Thomas!Colby!is!at!the!
gate!with!some!of!his!men.!He!says!that!Ms.!Radcliffe!sent!him.!
Apparently!she’s!concerned!for!your!safety.”!
!
“I’m!perfectly!fine,!as!you!can!see.!Please!tell!Mr.!Colby!that!
Keely’s! concerns! are! admirable,! but! we! don’t! need! his!
services.”!
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!
“Thank!you,!ma’am.”!
!
He! gave! a! short! nod! and! silently! backed! out,! closing! the!
door.!
!
“Colby!is!one!of!my!husband’s!security!chiefs,”!she!said.!
!
“That!would!be!my!cue!to!leave.”!
!
She! waved! a! thin,! well6manicured! hand.! “They’re!
supposed! to! do! as! I! say! when! they’re! on! personal! detail.! But!
they! could! barge! in! if! they! want! to.! They! have! security! codes!
and!keys!to!all!our!properties.”!
!
I!stood.!“Thank!you!for!your!honesty.”!
!
“Don’t! abuse! my! trust,! Mr.! Sanders.! I’m! sure! you! know!
what!will!happen!if!she’s!hurt.”!
!
“I’ll!do!my!best!to!see!that!Keely!comes!out!of!this!as!well!
as!she!can.!But!she!may!have!dug!herself!in!too!deep!already.”!
!
“I!understand.!You’d!better!go.”!
!
I!briefly!clasped!her!hand!between!mine,!and!hurried!for!
the!door.!In!the!hallway,!I!nearly!ran!into!Tucker.!!
!
“They’re!coming!for!you,”!he!said.!
!
“I!know.!Stephen!announced!them.!Your!mother!told!him!
to!send!them!away,!but!they’re!likely!to!be!persistent.!I’m!out!
of!here.”!
!
He!grasped!my!elbow.!“Hang!on.”!
!
Stepping! back,! he! let! his! eyes! climb! from! the! tips! of! my!
shoes!up!to!the!top!of!my!head.!
!
“Look,!I!think!I!better—”!!
!
The! low! chime! of! the! doorbell! reverberated! down! the!
hallway.!
!
“Yeah,! you! better,”! he! said.! He! spun! me! around,! pointing!
with! his! other! hand.! “Go! down! to! the! end.! Last! door! on! the!
right!is!the!kitchen.!Back!door!leads!toward!the!tennis!court.!I!
live!in!the!guesthouse!next!to!it.!Take!the!car!in!the!drive.!The!
black!one.”!
!
He!fished!in!his!pocket!and!held!out!a!set!of!keys.!!
!
“Why…?”!
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!
“I’ve! never! been! much! enamored! with! my! father’s! little!
Gestapo.!It!pisses!me!off!when!they!show!up!here.”!
!
“I!couldn’t—”!
!
He!pressed!the!keys!into!my!hand.!“Just!go.”!
!
“Thanks.”!I!swapped!my!keys!for!his!and!broke!into!a!run.!!
!
A! Hispanic! woman! in! an! apron! standing! at! a! kitchen!
counter!glanced!up,!startled,!as!I!flashed!by,!but!said!nothing.!I!
smiled!and!waved!to!reassure!her.!She!shook!her!head,!giving!
me! no! reassurance! whatsoever.! I! flew! out! the! back! door,!
squinting! in! the! blazing! sunlight! until! I! made! out! a! swatch! of!
green!and!brick!red!tennis!court!through!the!trees.!A!heavyset!
man!in!blazer,!slacks!and!tie!rounded!the!corner!of!the!garage!
off!to!my!left.!They’d!sent!someone!to!cover!the!rear.! Fight*or*
flight? !I!ignored!him!and!kept!going.!Maybe!he’d!go!away.!
!
“Hey!”!!
!
From! the! corner! of! my! eye! I! saw! him! change! direction.!
Flight. !I!broke!into!a!trot.!
!
“Hey,!you!”!he!yelled!again.!!
!
I!stopped!and!turned.!“Who,!me?”! Fight. !
!
“Yeah,!you.”!He!stabbed!at!me!with!a!finger!as!he!came!up!
to!me.!“Who!are!you?”!
!
My! surprise! was! genuine.! They! hadn’t! been! given! a!
description.! Shit!*Fight*or*flight? !
!
I!put!a!look!of!annoyance!on!my!face.!“Friend!of!Tucker’s.!
Why?!Who!the!hell!are! you?”!
!
“Security,!sir.!We!were!told!there!could!be!an!intruder!on!
the!grounds.!If!you’ll!just!wait!here!a!moment,!I’ll!check.”!
!
He! pushed! aside! the! flap! of! the! blazer! and! reached! for! a!
walkie6talkie!on!his!belt.!!
!
Fight! ! I! whirled! and! landed! a! spin! kick! high! on! his!
shoulder,!just!missing!the!side!of!his!head!as!he!pulled!away,!
reacting! instinctively.! He! lost! his! balance! and! stumbled.! I!
swarmed!over!his!broad!back,!wrapped!a!forearm!around!his!
throat! and! grabbed! hold! of! my! wrist! with! the! other! hand,!
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cutting!off!his!windpipe.!He!went!down!hard,!and!I!almost!lost!
my!grip.!His!hands!clawed!at!my!arm!as!he!bucked!and!heaved,!
trying!to!throw!me!off.!I!pulled!back!harder.!He!flung!an!arm!
out!and!rolled!us!both!over!putting!me!beneath!him.!His!weight!
squeezed!the!air!out!of!my!lungs,!too.!
!
Fear! tightened! my! grip.! He! reached! back! and! dug! his!
fingers!into!my!face!trying!to!gouge!my!eyes.!I!buried!my!face!
in!his!neck,!the!smell!of!locker!room!and!musky!cologne!nearly!
overpowering.! He! got! hold! of! my! ear! and! started! to! pull.! I!
twisted!my!head!violently!to!prevent!him!from!getting!a!good!
grip,! and! yanked! my! forearm! back! against! his! throat.! Finally,!
his!fingers!let!go!and!he!went!slack.!!
!
I!rolled!his!bulk!off!me,!and!got!up!unsteadily.!The!scuffle!
hadn’t!attracted!attention,!but!I!knew!I!didn’t!have!much!time.!I!
left! him! where! he! lay! and! ran! toward! the! guesthouse! past! a!
fence! enclosing! one! end! of! the! tennis! court.! Two! cars! sat!
parked!in!the!drive,!one!black,!one!blue.!I!headed!for!the!black!
one,!a!BMW,!unlocking!it!with!a!button!on!the!key!fob.!Quickly,!
I! climbed! in,! started! it! and! backed! up.! A! ball! cap! lay! on! the!
passenger! seat.! I! grabbed! it! and! yanked! the! brim! down! low!
over!my!eyes,!scrunched!down!into!the!seat!and!pulled!out!of!
the! drive.! The! blue! car,! I! noted! with! a! degree! of! envy,! was! a!
Murcielago.!Tucker!must!have!made!expensive!wine.!
!
A!large!black!SUV!and!gray!sedan!boxed!in!the!rental!car!in!
front! of! the! house.! I! drove! around! the! opposite! side! of! the!
circle,!exerting!all!my!willpower!to!keep!from!tromping!on!the!
accelerator.! The! gate! opened! automatically,! but! I! still! had! to!
stop!and!
wait!while!it!trundled!across!the!drive.!I!pounded!the!
top!of!the!steering!wheel!with!a!fist.!Nervously,!I!kept!one!eye!
on!the!rearview!mirror,!and!nosed!the!car!forward.!
!
Just! as! the! gate! cleared! the! road,! the! front! door! of! the!
house! behind! me! opened! and! two! men! stepped! out.! As! they!
came!down!the!walk!another!man!ran!around!the!far!corner!of!
the! house,! looked! at! the! BMW! and! gesticulated! wildly.! The!
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other!pair!ran!for!the!SUV.!I!gunned!the!BMW!down!the!drive!
and!hauled!the!wheel!to!the!left,!cornering!onto!the!road!with!a!
shriek!of!protest!from!the!tires.!The!car!leaped!ahead!when!I!
stepped! on! the! gas,! winding! down! the! hill! to! another!
intersection.!Ignoring!the!stop!sign,!I!took!another!left!and!shot!
down!the!road!like!a!rocket.!!
!
A!quarter!mile!down,!the!car!headed!into!a!small!curve!at!
seventy6five.!Lights!turning!onto!the!road!behind!me!flashed!in!
the!mirror!just!before!I!left!the!straightaway.!Pressing!my!foot!
down,!I!watched!the!speedometer!needle!crept!up!past!eighty,!
eighty6five,! ninety…! Trees! and! bushes! alongside! the! narrow!
road!closed!in!like!the!walls!of!a!tunnel,!rushing!by!in!a!blur!of!
green!and!brown.!
!
An!in6dash!navigation!screen!glowed,!a!red!arrow!tracking!
along!a!line!on!a!shifting!map.!A!quick!glance!showed!a!freeway!
entrance!a!little!more!than!half!a!mile!south.!A!stop!sign!at!a!T6
junction! up! ahead! loomed! in! the! corner! of! the! windshield.! I!
took! my! foot! off! the! accelerator,! but! waited! to! apply! brakes!
until! the! last! minute.! There! was! nothing! in! the! mirror! but!
pavement.! Checking! for! cross6traffic,! I! swung! into! the!
intersection! without! stopping! and! powered! through! the!
corner.!If!I!hadn’t!been!so!nervous!I!would!have!shouted!with!
the! sheer! joy! of! what! a! hundred6thousand6dollar! car! will! do.!
Especially!compared!to!the!beater!I!still!drove.!
!
Three! minutes! later,! I! headed! north! through! the! valley,!
traffic! now! diminished! to! independent! contractors,! yard!
service!trucks!full!of!immigrants!and!tools!and!soccer!moms!on!
the!way!to!yoga!or!pilates!after!dropping!kids!at!school.!Rush!
hour! had! ended,! making! it! possible! to! hold! my! speed! to! five!
over! the! limit! with! some! creative! weaving! in! and! out! of! the!
gaps.!It!never!occurred!to!me!that!they’d!anticipate!where!I’d!
end!up!after!coming!down!from!the!foothills.!
!
The!sight!in!the!rearview!mirror!of!the!black!SUV!weaving!
in!and!out!of!traffic!behind!me!came!as!a!shock.!
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!
!
Chapter&45&
!
!
Traffic!bunched!as!it!slowed!for!a!traffic!light!ahead.!I!shot!
into! an! open! space! and! weaved! around! a! couple! more! cars,!
trying!to!put!as!many!as!possible!between!the!Beemer!and!the!
pursuing! SUV.! The! parade! of! red! brake! lights! came! to! a! stop.!
Stupidly,!I!followed!the!rules!and!waited!my!turn!in!line.!A!few!
car6lengths!behind!me!a!truck!blocked!my!view!and!any!sense!
of! how! far! back! the! SUV! was.! I! drummed! the! wheel! with! my!
fingers,! checked! the! mirror! again.! Finally! had! the! sense! to!
check! the! side! mirror,! too,! and! saw! the! black! SUV! maneuver!
into!the!bike!lane!along!the!shoulder.!I!felt!a!jolt!in!my!chest!as!
if!someone!had!pressed!a!jumper!cable!against!my!skin,!and!my!
hands!got!sweaty.!!
!
I! cranked! the! wheel! hard,! and! with! a! chirp! of! the! tires!
swung! into! the! bike! lane! and! accelerated.! The! SUV! did! the!
same!as!soon!as!the!driver!saw!me,!bearing!down!as!I!slowed!
at! the! light.! Barely! glancing! left! for! cross6traffic,! I! squealed!
around!the!corner,!hugging!the!curb.!A!car!swerved!around!me,!
horn! blaring! as! it! narrowly! missed.! I! merged! into! the! lane!
behind!it,!saw!the!SUV!turn!the!corner!in!the!side!mirror,!and!
quickly! edged! over! another! lane,! squeezing! into! traffic.!
Vehicles! headed! the! opposite! direction! were! clearing! the!
intersection! behind! me.! A! little! more! than! half! a! block! away,!
another! phalanx! of! cars! cruised! toward! us.! But! the! gap! was!
enough.!
!
I!swung!into!the!oncoming!lanes,!did!a!U6turn!across!four!
lanes,! and! ended! up! in! a! right6hand! turn! lane! that! would! put!
me! back! on! the! expressway.! I! glanced! across! the! street.! The!
SUV!pulled!into!the!lane!I’d!just!left,!forcing!a!car!to!slam!on!its!
brakes! to! avoid! a! collision.! With! horn! blasting,! it! pulled! into!
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oncoming!traffic.!I!turned!away,!too!busy!now!accelerating!into!
the! merge! lane! back! onto! the! expressway,! but! I! heard! no!
thumping! crunch! of! metal.! Gunning! the! engine,! I! leaped! out!
ahead! of! the! cars! at! the! intersection! just! as! they! got! a! green!
light.!!
!
The!next!signal!was!less!than!a!mile!away,!and!I!made!the!
best! use! of! the! distance! I! could.! The! BMW! hit! close! to! a!
hundred! when! the! sign! for! the! next! exit! appeared.! As! the! car!
drifted! right! onto! the! exit! lane,! I! saw! the! SUV! far! behind! me,!
coming!fast.!It!could!still!pick!me!up!unless!I!lost!it!for!good!on!
surface!streets.!I!skirted!around!a!huge!medical!center!and!cut!
across! acres! of! parking! lots,! passing! buildings! that! housed!
major!software!and!computer!hardware!companies!along!with!
a! defense! contractor! or! two.! After! weaving! through! a!
residential! neighborhood! with! no! sign! of! pursuit,! I! figured! I!
was!safe.!!
!
Breathe! !
!
For!a!moment,!I!focused!on! pranayama,!slowing!my!heart!
rate.!I!pressed!my!right!hand!down!hard!on!my!leg,!calming!the!
shakes!in!both.!The!navigation!screen!indicated!I!was!a!block!
or! so! from! a! major! thoroughfare! that! would! take! me! back! to!
the! road! that! leading! to! the! airport.! They! had! to! figure! an!
airport! is! where! I’d! go,! either! San! Jose! to! the! south! or! San!
Francisco! to! the! north.! They! likely! couldn’t! call! out! the!
manpower!to!cover!them!all.!They’d!pick!one.!I’d!been!heading!
north,!so!I!hoped!they’d!choose!San!Francisco!International,!far!
from!where!I!was!going.!
!
Traffic!was!light!now!and!I!made!good!time.!It!only!took!a!
couple! of! minutes! to! get! to! the! same! cross6town! expressway!
that! had! taken! me! out! to! the! Baines! estate! less! than! an! hour!
earlier.!Keeping!an!eye!out!for!the!SUV,!I!got!out!my!phone!and!
called!Toby.!!
!
“You’re!still!alive,”!he!said.!
!
I!didn’t!laugh.!“I’m!five!minutes!away.”!
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!
He!heard!something!in!my!tone.!“Problems?”!
!
“I! don’t! think! so.”! Without! realizing! it! I! stretched! the!
words!like!taffy.!
!
“I’ll!stow!my!fishing!gear.”!
!
“I!thought!you!were!going!to!catch!some!Zs.”!
!
“This! was! more! fun.! Remember! that! big! dock! when! we!
came!in?!That’s!where!I’ll!be.!I!better!not!come!all!the!way!in.”!
!
“Okay.!See!you!there.”!!
!
I! pocketed! the! phone! and! concentrated! on! driving.! The!
expressway!quickly!came!to!an!end,!traffic!slowing!to!a!sedate!
pace.!The!rental!agency!rolled!by!on!the!right.!Behind!a!forty6
foot6high!screen!on!the!left,!golf!balls!plopped!into!the!verdant!
green! of! a! driving! range.! Past! the! end! of! the! range! came! the!
golf! course! clubhouse,! parking! lot! and! entrance.! The! airport!
property! started! across! the! street,! the! main! office! tucked!
behind!a!small!parking!lot!on!the!corner.!!
!
In!the!last!space,!twenty!feet!from!the!corner,!a!man!stood!
next!to!the!open!door!of!a!gray!sedan,!scanning!the!street!over!
the! roof! of! the! car.! The! BMW! caught! his! attention! and! he!
locked!eyes!with!me!through!the!windshield.!Face!lighting!up!
with!recognition,!he!stuck!a!foot!in!the!car!and!ducked!his!head!
to!get!in.!I!noticed!a!heavy6set!man!in!the!passenger!seat!point!
at!me,!jump6started!my!heart!with!another!jolt.!
!
I! jammed! the! gas! pedal! to! the! floor! as! the! gray! sedan!
backed!up.!The!BMW’s!engine!whined!louder!and!higher!as!it!
redlined,!the!force!of!the!sudden!acceleration!pressing!me!into!
the!seat.!I!flew!past!the!lot!before!the!sedan!even!got!out!of!its!
space.!The!car!shifted!gears!and!went!even!faster!as!it!rounded!
a!small!curve!and!headed!for!the!marsh.!Ahead,!the!road!ended!
in! a! T.! Right?* Left? ! I! couldn’t! remember! which! way! I’d! come!
that!morning.! There! !I!spotted!familiar!landmarks. *Left! !
!
I! curved! around! the! top! of! the! mud! flats,! ignoring! the!
speed! limit! signs! that! screamed! at! me! to! slow! down.! A! half6
mile! across! the! flats,! Toby’s! yellow! and! white! plane! floated!
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next! to! the! big! T6shaped! dock! jutting! out! onto! the! water’s!
surface.! Pay* attention! ! I! flashed! by! a! rest! area! standing! in! a!
grove!of!trees.!On!the!far!side,!a!pedestrian!stepped!out!of!the!
shadows!onto!a!crosswalk.!I!hit!the!horn!and!swerved!to!avoid!