“I’m not sure,” Rusty said with a shrug. “I plan to work here remotely, but there will be times I’ll have to go into the office.”
“That could work,” Kirsten said with a grin.
“What’s working?” Mona glanced back and forth between them.
Kirsten laughed. “Momma, meet my new girlfriend, Rusty Martinez.”
“So this isn’t casual anymore, y’all are serious. Is that what I’m hearing?” Mona asked.
“Very much so,” Rusty said with a smile.
Mona gazed up at Kirsten and shook a finger. “You should’ve told me that sooner. I don’t like all the secrets you’ve been keeping from me lately.”
“I think this was a new development,” Stella added. “Kirsten, you want your flowers back? I know they really weren’t for me.”
Rusty gazed at Kirsten all doe-eyed. “You got me flowers?”
“I did yesterday,” Kirsten said goofily. “But I’m gonna get you some new ones.”
Stella rubbed her face and said, “Why do I feel like I’m watching Bambi?”
“Oh, boy,” Mona said with a laugh.
*******
Rusty rode with Kirsten back to her house where she picked up a fresh uniform, then they went back to Rusty’s place where she made them lunch. Kirsten barely had time to take two bites of a sandwich before she was called out to help Antoine work an accident on the highway. She returned that evening after the shift change meeting smelling of diesel with a duffel bag flung over her shoulder. Rusty wrinkled her nose the moment she opened her door and said, “Shower, now.”
Kirsten took off her boots before stepping inside. “Sorry, that accident involved an overturned semi. I did go by the house and pack a few more things.”
“After you strip out of that uniform, I’ll put it in the wash, and by the time you get out of the shower, I’ll have your dinner on the table.”
Kirsten was on her way to the bathroom and stopped to gaze at Rusty. “Do you have any idea how good it feels to be taken care of like this?”
Rusty smiled and placed a kiss on her lips without getting too close to Kirsten’s smelly clothes. “Yes, I do because you make me feel that way.”
“I can do a better job. My work life is hectic right now, but it’s not always like this. Once it goes back to normal, I will fully dedicate myself to making you blissfully happy, that’s a promise.”
“You’ve already fulfilled it,” Rusty said, genuinely touched. “What I need, you give me.” She wrinkled her nose and laughed. “We’re so mushy.”
Kirsten laughed. “I like it.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
“I don’t really jog. I tried it a few times when I first moved here and discovered that it sucks,” Rusty said. “I can walk briskly, though.”
“As long as you keep up with Tom and stay out of sight. You need to wear this.” Stella handed Rusty a headset with two giant padded earmuffs, and there was an antenna sticking out of one of them. A long cord and a box with a belt clip dangled from the antique gadget. “You put the mic in front of your mouth and push the button on the box and hold it to talk. I’ll be wearing the other headset.”
Rusty gave it back to Stella. “I…am so not wearing that. It’ll make my head too heavy, and I’ll lose my balance.”
“We need to stay in constant communication.”
Rusty waved her phone. “I have one, you have one, let’s exchange numbers, and problem solved.”
“Fine, but you’re getting a serious lesson on protocol when this mission is complete. I’m gonna ask you again, you’re sure that Kirsten is working all night?”
“That’s what she told me. Something about stolen auto parts.” Rusty wiped herself down with bug-repellent wipes.
Stella tapped her watch when Mona drove up. “We’re on a schedule, and you’re late.”
“My dash clock says five till,” Mona argued.
Stella gave her a stern look. “You show up fifteen minutes before go-time for a briefing, everyone knows that.”
“Okay, brief me,” Mona said with a sigh.
“The plan is the same one we went over earlier today. All right, let’s move.” Stella hoisted her gear bag with a grunt and got into the passenger’s seat of Mona’s car and rolled down the window. “All right, Achmed, get to stepping.”
“Don’t you want my number?” Rusty asked with a smile.
Mona had to add Rusty’s number to her phone. After all pertinent data had been transferred among the three of them, Rusty started walking down the sidewalk. Mona and Stella gave her a good lead, then moved up a block.
“I don’t think it was a good idea to have her dress completely in black if she’s gonna be walking the streets after dark. The yoga pants cover the only reflective stripe on her shoes.”
“That’s the point, she needs to be unseen by Tom. We can’t very well follow him in the car, and he walks a lot. She’s gonna be just fine, we’ll keep an eye on her,” Stella said, sounding confident.
“Kirsten seems very enamored with her. If anything happens to that girl on our watch, there will be hell to pay.”
Stella received a text and put on her glasses. “Achmed says Tom just walked out of his house and is on the move. He didn’t see her, she’s tailing now.”
“Why do you insist on calling her that name?”
“It’s a sign of affection.” Stella took off her readers, stuffed them in her pocket, and put on her other pair of glasses. “I’m enamored too. You’ll be the same way once you get to know her.”
“We need to get your bifocals fixed, and you need to learn to quit leaving your glasses in your chair.”
“I’ve got a scar on my butt that reminds me of that, you don’t need to.” Stella fanned a hand at Mona. “Go on to the next block, but stop halfway down.”
As far as patrols went, a few overnight stays in the comfort of Stella’s living room were tolerable, but being in the car with a woman wearing a trench coat in the last days of August was something altogether different. Mona regretted her choice of lightweight clothing and directed all of the AC vents toward Stella. The garlic pills that Stella liked to take because she claimed they warded off mosquitoes was also an issue. Stella’s breath was pretty offensive, and Mona was certain that was why the bugs avoided her.
Mona moved her car into the new position and said, “So you think Rusty is enamored with Kirsten?”
“Yeah, or else she wouldn’t be doing this. She’s got a mouth on her when she’s mad. Before you got to the house, she pulled out all her naughty words when she was talking about the council and the mayor trying to railroad Kirsten out of a job. She’s as protective of Kirsten as Kirsten is of her.”
“They better not mess with my baby,” Mona ground out.
“If they do, we’ll burn the courthouse down,” Stella said casually.
*******
Tom didn’t seem to know he was being followed. Rusty kept a safe distance and ducked behind hedges and cars. She sent Stella an update text on her location when she was able to hide behind a wooden fence and noted the time. She’d been tailing him for an hour and a half.
“Get tired and go home, asshole,” she said lowly as she continued on.
Tom kept his casual pace and led her to a convenience store where he went inside. Rusty hid across the street and watched as Tom made himself a cup of coffee, picked up what looked like a muffin, paid for his treats, and sat at one of three tables near the large windows.
Rusty slinked to the next intersection scowling and called Stella. “That butthole is at the little store with a deli in it eating a snack.”
“Where are you?”
“The corner of Sycamore and Pecan Court.”
“We’ll be right there,” Stella said.
Rusty waited a minute or two, then she saw Mona’s car turn on to Sycamore. She got into the backseat when the car pulled up beside her. The leather seat felt like ice against her butt. “Are you two playing freeze out or something?”
“Someone insists on wearing a trench coat, I won’t mention names, Stella.” Mona huffed. “I think I have frostbite.”
Stella stared through her binoculars. “He’s eating a muffin…blueberry. He’s taking his time too.”
“That’s a sure sign of a pervert,” Mona said snidely.
“What is your problem? You’ve been grumpy all night.” Stella lowered her binoculars and stared at Mona.
“I’m cold, and sitting around like this is making me sleepy, and quite frankly, I’d like a muffin too.”
Stella sighed and dug into her gear bag. “I have snacks. The coffee in my thermos already has sugar and cream in it.” She handed Mona a bag of chocolate doughnuts. Next, she handed Mona and Rusty two ceramic coffee cups.
“Good Lord, Stella, what else do you have in there?” Mona asked as she ripped into the bag of doughnuts.
“Everything we need.”
Rusty filled her cup when Stella handed her the thermos and accepted a doughnut from Mona. “How long do you think he’ll continue to walk?”
“Sometimes it’s just a couple of hours, but I’ve seen him out at the wee hours of the morning too,” Stella said and took a drink of her coffee.
“What were you doing out at that time?” Rusty asked.
“It’s best you don’t know. That way, if you’re ever interrogated, you can say you have no idea.”
“I can’t help but wonder where this sting Kirsten is working on is taking place,” Mona said as she pulled another doughnut from the bag.
Stella resumed staring through her binoculars and said, “Probably near the automotive shops. Lucky for us, that’s an industrial area and nothing for ol’ peeping Tom to see. How’re you feeling, Achmed?”
Rusty’s feet hurt, and she wasn’t looking forward to following Tom if he decided to make it a late night, but she said, “The doughnuts and the coffee are giving me some pep. I’m good.”
“The subject is refilling his coffee cup,” Stella said.
Rusty stifled a yawn. “How long does this store stay open?”
“Till midnight,” Mona said with a sigh.
Rusty and Mona had fallen asleep. Stella kept an eye on Tom, who had been joined by the store clerk at the table. They talked until eleven forty-five, and the clerk got up. Tom stood, as well, threw away his trash, and went into the men’s room. Stella nudged Mona and whispered as though she thought Tom might hear her. “Mona, back up and pull into the driveway behind us, then kill your lights.”
Mona threw the car into reverse. She backed up at what felt like ninety miles per hour and passed the first driveway, then the second. “What’re you doing?” Stella bellowed.
The car came to an abrupt stop, and Mona whipped it into a driveway. “I got overexcited, don’t yell at me!”
“I think I just wet myself,” Rusty said a little shakily.
“Okay, regroup, team. Mona, get the lights.” Stella stared through her binoculars for a few minutes. “He’s on the move up Sycamore. Achmed, do your thing.”
Rusty hopped out and jogged in the shadows until she had a good visual on Tom. He turned down a street and strolled about a block before he stopped and leaned against a fence. Rusty ducked behind a tree and watched as Tom lit a cigarette. She made sure the light wouldn’t be seen from her phone and sent Stella a message.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Mona looked surprised when Stella read Rusty’s text aloud. “I didn’t know Tom smoked.”
“Ash! Dee Jessup said there were ashes beneath Candace’s window, and that’s why everybody thought it was Noah because he smokes,” Stella exclaimed. “I told you, it’s Tom.”
“We have to call Kirsten.” Mona began dialing, and Stella snatched the phone out of her hand.
“Not yet. We have to catch him at a window for her to be able to do anything. Lots of people smoke in this town.” A chime emanated from Stella’s phone, and she snatched off her glasses after she read it. “He’s moving again, let’s go.”
“Do you think he’s going toward the new woman’s house?” Mona asked nervously.
“No, she said it was a place off Tinder Road, that’s the other direction.” Stella thought for a second or two. “Go up to Plauchet Street and hang a right, it runs parallel to Carrington.”
“We won’t have eyes on Rusty then,” Mona argued, fearing that Stella really was right about Tom.
“Fine, turn on Carrington and go down to the Maggios’ place and park in their driveway. Both of them are half deaf, they won’t hear anything and draw attention to us.”
*******
The sidewalk ended, and the streetlights became more spread out as Rusty continued to follow Tom. He stayed more in the shadows walking in the grass along the road. This isn’t exercise or a stroll, he’s up to something, Rusty thought as she began to pay more attention to her own actions. She was careful to stay hidden and not get too close. A dog barked from where it was penned up in a backyard. Tom seemed completely undeterred as he walked at a slightly quicker pace.
Rusty held her breath as she passed the house with the dog in the yard. It barked a couple of times, and she ducked into the shadows waiting to see if Tom would look over his shoulder, but he never slacked up. The houses became spaced farther apart, and Rusty was more out in the open than she was comfortable with. Tom seemed to be leading her out of town, and she worried that he was on to her.
Rusty ducked behind a row of azalea bushes and was about to update Stella on her location when headlights illuminated the street for just a moment before it turned into a driveway and she heard the engine switch off. She peeked around the shrubs and didn’t see Tom anywhere for a moment. She was beginning to think she’d lost him when she saw a dark figure come out from behind a tree and continue on. Rusty’s phone lit up with a text from Stella that read: We see you, and that’s us that just parked. Rusty gave them a thumbs-up and continued on.
Curiosity and adrenaline had completely taken Rusty over as she moved fast to close the distance between her and Tom. It had begun to settle in that Stella might really be on to something where he was concerned. Excitement spurred her on as she thought she might catch the peeper.
Tom veered away from the road and walked into a wooded lot. Rusty had to get a lot closer than she was comfortable with to keep him in her sight. Just like Tom’s, her feet didn’t make a sound as she crept along a well-worn trail, the dirt soft from the recent rain. When he came to a sudden stop, she ducked behind a tree and held her breath. He stood in the tree line with his hands in his pockets staring into a backyard. It felt like hours passed as he stood completely still, then suddenly, he made his way across the yard to the back of the house.
Rusty watched from behind the tree as her phone vibrated in the waistband of her pants. It was too dark to send and receive texts, and she couldn’t risk Tom seeing the light. She crept closer and watched as Tom lit another cigarette while he stood at a window where there was a light on, and it seemed he was trying to peer around the edge of the blinds.
It’s really him, Rusty thought as she crept to a better vantage point. She was still too far away to adequately capture him with the camera on her phone. She dropped to all fours and crawled slowly to the edge of the yard as Tom knelt and wrapped his arms around himself as though he were cold. Rusty was dripping with sweat and couldn’t make sense of his actions. They both held their positions for what felt like a long time, and all the while Rusty’s cellphone was vibrating in her waistband.
*******
Kirsten and Mitch sat in her car tucked away on a gravel road near the bait house. It was odd to receive a call from her mother after midnight, and she answered on the first ring. “Mom, what’s going on?”
“We’re on patrol. Rusty’s on foot following Tom, and we lost contact with her.”
Mitch was half asleep when Kirsten turned on the engine of her car and took off. “Where is she?”
“She was on Carrington Road. Tom smokes, she saw him—ashes,” Mona
said, her voice high-pitched, and she was panting. “You know what that means.”
“Mitch, get on the radio, send everyone to Carrington,” Kirsten said quickly. “Mom, where are you?”
“I’m in my car.”
“Where in your car?”
“The driver’s seat!”
“Momma! What street are you on?”
“Stop yelling. I’m circling the blocks around Carrington looking for Rusty.”
*******
Rusty figured that whatever Tom was mentally wrestling with had been resolved when he stood suddenly and started going to each window on the back of the house regardless of whether there was a light on inside or not. As he took the first screen out, Rusty decided she had to make a move of her own. She slipped the phone into camera mode with no concern for the light it made, jumped to her feet, and took a half-dozen steps into the yard holding her finger on the shutter.
The camera’s flash startled Tom, and he whirled around. “I got you, asshole!” The celebration was short-lived when Tom began running straight toward her, and Rusty yelled, “Oh, shit!”
Abject terror—and possibly the sugar from doughnuts and coffee—propelled her back toward Carrington Road. She ran in the middle of the street toward town and did not look over her shoulder to see if Tom was gaining on her, but she could hear his shoes slapping the pavement. In the distance, she saw Mona’s car turn onto Carrington and dart toward her. Questions were running through Rusty’s mind: Would she reach the car in time to get in before Tom caught her? Should she just jump onto the hood, hold on, and hope that Mona would throw it in reverse?
Tom grabbed a handful of Rusty’s ponytail just as Mona’s car skidded to a halt in front of her. She held the phone out of his reach as they struggled. They both froze when Stella yelled, “Stop or I’ll shoot!”
Mona had also gotten out of the car and pulled Rusty close to her as Tom stared at the bright red gun in Stella’s hand aimed right at him. “Ms. Stella, is that a flare gun?” he asked breathlessly.
“Yes, it is, and I’ll shoot you in the crotch, then sing Great Balls of Fire.”
Rusty Logic Page 21