by Lynsay Sands
Chapter Five
"How are we doing?"
Jane was silent for a moment, debating how to answer Abel. They'd whizzed through the border without a problem thanks to two things: 1) Jane had kept her mouth shut about the dog and cat sleeping in the back of the van; and 2) she'd slipped her government-issued high-clearance card into her passport when she handed it over to the border guard. He'd hardly even glanced at Gran's and Abel's passports after that. One eyebrow had gone up, he'd glanced at her speculatively; then he'd handed the IDs back, given a slow nod, and waved them on.
Once through customs, Jane had pulled over and switched seats with Abel, allowing him to drive so she could check on Edie's position. The news wasn't good. While the border guard had waved them through quickly, the line to get to him had held them up for better than half an hour. Edie's tracker had moved out of range. They'd lost her.
"Jane?"
She closed the laptop and prepared for the explosion. "She's out of range."
As expected, Abel jerked in the driver's seat and cursed.
"We'll catch up," she assured him soothingly. "They'll have to stop for gas or something eventually. The important thing is not to do anything that might get us pulled over or slow us down further. Like speed," she added pointedly. Abel eased up on the gas at once.
"You're right." He didn't sound happy to admit it. They were both silent for a moment; then he asked, "So, how long have you known Edie?"
Jane knew he was just trying to distract himself from worrying, but she decided to indulge him. "We met the day she transferred to Vancouver and moved into the building. We got along from the start. She's fun."
He nodded, a small smile pushing the gloom from his face. "She is fun. The best sister a guy could ask for. I've missed her."
"She's missed you, too. She keeps hoping you'll fall for one of her friends, marry her, then move back to Canada."
"Yes." He gave a laugh. "She told me. In fact, you must be the Janie she was positive would bowl me over. She had high hopes for us, I think."
Jane choked and felt her face flush. Edie hadn't said anything to her. She peered shyly at Abel, the idea of them matched up now planted in her head. He was handsome and seemed intelligent and nice.
"Silly, huh?" He glanced at her briefly, then back to the road.
Jane cleared her throat. "Yes. Silly." Her gaze moved to the window and the passing scenery. Of course, it was silly. Why would he be interested in her--some techie geek with no makeup and wearing an old T-shirt and disreputable jeans? Jane began to pick unconsciously at the frayed hole at her knee. She wasn't at her best and knew it. But what the heck, she thought, forcing herself to sit up straight. She wasn't looking for a man, anyway. Her work was very satisfying, and she had both friends and Gran for company. Who cared about the conclusion she'd come to during the D & C meeting just the day before, that she needed to get laid? Thinking it and actually doing it would be two different things.
Jane wasn't the sort to just have sex without a relationship and, frankly, she worked long hours and didn't really have time for one. Or, at least, she had. If this debacle ever got back to B.L.I.S.S., long hours might not be such a problem anymore.
Jane wrinkled her nose at her reflection in the van window. The trouble she would be in should anyone find out that she had allowed Edie to take the tampon trackers--highly secret, expensive trackers, still in the development stage--well, she was pretty sure she'd lose her job. Not that she'd exactly let Edie take those trackers. But that wouldn't matter to the higher-ups in the agency.
Her fear wouldn't have stopped Jane from calling into the office and seeing if B.L.I.S.S. couldn't help with all their high-tech gadgets and specialized agents, except that the organization was an international unit concerned with world issues. They frowned on using company time and resources for personal matters. And Jane didn't have proof that Edie was in trouble. As Jane herself had pointed out, Ensecksi Satellites was based in California; Edie might just be on an unexpected business trip. She might have left a message to that effect that had been misdirected. She may even have sent someone to the airport to pick up Abel, but the two never connected. Jane didn't think any of this was the case, but she didn't want to bring her bosses in until there was no other option.
Trying to distract herself and Abel from worry about Edie, Jane decided to draw him into conversation. "So, Edie mentioned that you work in the accounting department of some firm in England?"
"Yes." Abel frowned at the road ahead. "Ellis and Smith Construction. I started at the home office in Ontario but got transferred to head up the accounting department in the London branch last year. I didn't really want to move, but it was a step up the ladder."
"How do you like England?"
He shrugged. "The people are nice. More polite."
"Such enthusiasm," she noted with amusement.
"I miss Edie and the rest of the family," he admitted. "And some things there seem strange to me and are hard to get used to."
"Like?"
"Driving on the wrong side of the road."
"Ah." She chuckled, then, having reached the end of her bag of small talk, allowed the silence to drop over them again. A glance into the backseat showed Gran sleeping upright. The woman could nap anywhere. Jane knew she woke easily, however.
Apparently, Abel had reached his limit of small talk as well because he suggested, "Maybe you should rest so you can take over driving later."
"Okay. Wake me when you start to get tired, and we'll switch again." Jane eased her seat back and closed her eyes. She wasn't really tired, but she knew that the ride would lull her to sleep if she allowed. And she suspected she'd need the rest. Jane didn't really expect that Abel would last more than a couple of hours driving. She was pretty sure that it was already late night in England. After a day spent in and out of airports and planes, she suspected, he'd soon tire and then the rest of the driving would fall to her. Resting now was a smart idea.
Much to Jane's surprise, Abel lasted a good seven hours behind the wheel. She saw by the dashboard clock that it was almost midnight when he nudged her awake. Sitting up, she wiped the sleep from her eyes, then glanced around. A double line of red car lights shone from the darkness, curving along the bend in the highway ahead.
"I'm sorry," Abel said. "I was starting to nod off, so thought I should wake you."
"No. That's all right," Jane assured him. "I'm surprised you lasted this long. Just pull into the next rest stop and we can switch." She glanced around the floor for her laptop, frowned when she didn't see it. "Where--"
"Your gran has it. She checked to see if Edie was back in range a couple of times while you were sleeping."
"Was she?" Jane twisted in her seat to see her laptop resting next to Gran's slumbering form. She stretched to grab it then set it on her lap.
"No," Abel admitted unhappily. "We talked it over, and I just stayed on the highway heading south. If they really are going to California, we'll catch up."
His words were more confident than his tone of voice, and Jane felt a moment of sympathy. She knew that his apparent calm hid a wealth of alarm and anxiety over his sister's wellbeing. He was trying to be strong, but his fear for Edie showed in the strain on his pale face as it was illuminated by the lights of oncoming traffic.
"Sam, open the BT tracking system," she instructed as Abel maneuvered into the right-hand lane, preparing to take the off-ramp to the next rest stop. She almost winced at the sharp look she felt Abel cast her way. Jane had resisted using the voice program while checking for Edie's tracker in his presence until now, but it was so dark she feared mistyping. She ignored Abel and went through the other necessary orders until the map appeared. She recognized the state of Oregon and realized they'd left Washington behind. Then the map switched to encompass both Oregon and California. An excited breath slipped from her lips when a red blip appeared.
"What is it? Is she on there again?" Abel asked anxiously as they reached the rest stop parking lot
. He slowed the van and parked.
Jane turned the laptop in his direction and beamed. "You made great time. They're only 150 miles ahead of us." Her eyes narrowed as he turned off the engine and turned to see for himself. "Were you speeding?" she asked.
He shook his head, looking bewildered. "No. I shouldn't have made up that much time."
Jane turned the laptop back and peered at the screen. "Hm. They must have stopped."
"Have we made up enough time that we can visit the facilities?" Gran's voice floated from the back. "And Tinkle is awake and whining. She could probably use a walk."
Jane glanced around to see her grandmother straightening on the backseat. Her gaze slid back to Abel just in time to see his unhappy look at the idea of stopping and perhaps losing ground, but he nodded.
"We'll make it quick," she assured him.
Abel nodded again as he undid his seat belt. "I'll pick up some coffee and sandwiches while we're stopped. Any preferences?"
"Surprise us," Jane suggested.
As she'd promised, Jane and Gran were quick about their business in the ladies' room. Still, Abel was faster. He'd purchased the sandwiches and coffee, set them in the van, and was walking Tinkle when they returned.
Jane got Gran back into the van, stowed the wheelchair, then walked out to the edge of the parking lot where Abel and Tinkle were indulging in a silent stare-down.
"Everything okay?" she asked as she approached. "He tried to bite me when I got him out of the cage!" Abel was obviously affronted by the attack.
"Ah, yes. I should have warned you about that." Jane bit her lip to hide her amusement at his sulky expression. "Tinkle tries to bite everyone."
"Then he nearly took my wrist off trying to chase a police car."
Jane had to bite hard at the image that appeared in her head: a fifteen-pound fur-ball yanking insanely at its leash. Hardly a threat to Abel's wrist! However, all she said was: "She. Tinkle is a bitch."
"She certainly is," Abel snapped. Jane couldn't restrain a laugh. Her amusement drew Abel's glare, and he announced, "She hasn't even done anything." He sounded both impatient and frustrated.
Taking pity on him, Jane took the leash from his hand and turned toward the van. "Time to go," she announced.
Tinkle immediately pulled on the leash and whined. Jane paused, not surprised when the dog promptly did its duty. The dog liked to annoy everyone, but not at the risk of her own comfort. Jane waited until the task was done, then she used a bag she'd brought with her from the van for collection and disposal. The three of them then returned to the van.
"Oh, leave her out, Janie," Gran said when Jane started to put the dog back in its cage. "She'll be good."
Deciding it was easier than struggling with the nipping creature, Jane let the beast go. The dog promptly hopped onto the bench seat beside Gran.
"Should we let Mr. Tibbs out too?" Abel asked with obvious reluctance as Jane closed the van door.
"He's sleeping," Jane answered. And she was fairly sure she didn't imagine his relief at not being delayed further.
They got back in the van, Jane taking the driver's seat. After a brief stop for gas they were off, and Abel busied himself distributing the sandwiches and drinks.
"Meatball," Jane said with surprise after swallowing her first bite.
"I'm sorry. I--"
"No, I like meatball sandwiches," Jane rushed to reassure him. She laughed. "They're my favorite."
"Mine too."
With her attention on the highway ahead, Jane sensed rather than saw Abel relax. Then he added, "Actually, I got two meatball sandwiches for myself and chicken salad for you ladies. I guess I handed the wrong one to you."
"Oh." Jane took her eyes off the road to glance at him uncertainly. She held out the sandwich with its missing bite. "Do you want it back?"
"No." He laughed now. "I like chicken salad too. I just didn't think--I mean it didn't occur to me that you might like meatball sandwiches, too. In my experience, most people don't."
Jane shrugged and glanced back to the road. She took another bite. "I have strange taste."
"I'll say," Gran spoke up. "She's the only person I know who likes dill pickles slathered with peanut butter."
"Gran!" Jane glared at her relative in the rearview mirror even as Abel started to laugh. She tossed an irritated glance his way. "What's so funny?"
"Does Edie know you like peanut butter and dill pickles?"
"Yes." A smile curved her lips. "She thought it was a great joke."
"She would. That explains why she thought we'd get along."
"Why?" She cast a curious glance his way, her eyebrows rising at his expression of mirth. "You like dill pickles and peanut butter?"
"Ever since I was ten years old and she dared me to eat it. I thought it would be disgusting, but--"
"The peanut butter cuts the tart of the dill, and the juice of the pickle eases the dry stickiness of the peanut butter," Jane finished for him. She nodded. "I tried it for the first time the same way. My cousin Ariel dared me to eat it. That was the most disgusting thing she could come up with at the time."
They smiled at each other; then Jane divided her concentration between eating and driving and left Gran to carry the burden of conversation with Abel. Maggie Spyrus was good at conversation. It was her spy training, Jane supposed. The older woman managed to pull all sorts of information from Abel while they ate.
Jane listened with interest, learning that the reason for his visit was to interview for a job opening at the Ellis & Smith offices in Vancouver. He was hoping to transfer back to Canada, and Vancouver was just fine with him since Edie was there and his parents were making noises about moving to be closer to Edie when his father retired next year. Abel hadn't told Edie yet, though; he didn't want to get her hopes up in case he didn't get the position. Still, he thought his chances were good. He worked hard for his company, and they wanted to keep him and keep him happy--something he managed to say with a complete lack of ego that impressed Jane.
Gran and Abel talked and Jane listened long after the sandwiches and coffee were gone, but eventually the pair fell silent and dozed off. Even Tinkle settled to sleep with her head on Gran's lap, leaving Jane alone with the road and her thoughts. Her thoughts, of course, drifted immediately to Edie. Concern quickly followed. Despite her confidence when she spoke to Abel on the subject, Jane wasn't at all sure that they'd catch up to whoever had kidnapped her friend and neighbor--or what they should or could do if they did. Abel was an accountant and Jane was a design engineer, for heaven's sake! And not a very respectable one either, she thought dismally as she considered her latest inventions. Shrink-wrap condoms and missile-launching vibrators? Dear Lord, she didn't know what she'd been thinking.
It didn't matter that Ira Manetrue and Y thought they held promise; Jane always doubted the usefulness of her inventions until they proved themselves. For instance, at that moment she was berating herself for not making the trackers capable of longer distance. True, these were just prototypes and she'd kept them short-range for testing, but...
She thought of Edie as she'd last seen her: excited to be going on her first date in a while, glowing practically. Where was she now? And why had she used only one of the trackers so far? It was well past midnight on Friday. Saturday morning now. Edie had borrowed the six-pack at around five-thirty the day before. That was well over twenty-four hours. There should be other yellow beacons for neutralized trackers that had been used and discarded.
And why, Jane asked herself, hadn't she thought to design something that could tell the state of the person being tracked? They didn't even know if they were following a live Edie or not.
"Do you think she's okay?"
Jane gave a start at Abel's Question. She'd thought he was sleeping. Apparently he wasn't, and his mind traveled a similar path to her own.
"Yes. Otherwise they probably would have dumped her body." Jane came up with that insensitive answer out of desperation, but even as she said i
t she saw the logic. As long as the beacon was moving, there was a good chance Edie was still alive.
Abel fell silent again, and when she glanced at him moments later his eyes were closed.
Night crept by in a slow haze of glaring lights endless highway. Jane slipped an Enrique Iglesias CD into the player and turned it on low. The action roused Abel enough for him to mutter, "Good tape." Then he shifted and seemed to drop off to sleep again.
When she pulled over to get gas at the next station, Gran woke up but he didn't. Jane took Tinkle for another walk, bought a chocolate bar for energy, then pulled out the laptop to check Edie's position. She was a bit surprised to find that the beacon hadn't moved since she'd last checked. They were now only fifty miles behind the red blip. Jane was grateful that Abel was asleep at that point. It was possible that Edie's captors had merely stopped for a nap, but it was equally possible his sister's body was dumped along the roadside. Jane found herself once again wishing she'd thought to include something that would inform her of the state of the trackee.
She toyed with possibilities as she drove for the next little while, then glanced down to see that the beacon was moving again. Jane nearly cried out with relief, but remembering her sleeping companions at the last moment she swallowed the sound. Edie lived! She hadn't been dumped. She had to be alive, Jane assured herself. It was then she decided that a little speeding wouldn't go amiss. There would be very little police activity on the highway at night, she was sure. And even if there was...
She spared a quick glance in Abel's direction, smiling when she saw that he was definitely asleep. No man's face looked that unguarded while awake. He looked younger, the lines of worry smoothed away. She peered at him for a moment longer than she really should have, and had the oddest urge to brush her fingers through his thick hair.
Reining in her thoughts, she kept her fingers to herself and turned back to the road, then pushed a button on the dashboard. A small screen opened above the speedometer. This was one of her earlier inventions. It had been inspired by her frequent speeding, but had turned out to be quite handy to agents over the last couple of years as well. It would be useful to her right now. It was a cop finder. Not a speed trap finder, a cop finder. It zeroed in on police-band radios rather than radar and was handy in helping to avoid the law anywhere. The screen was fuzzy for a moment, then cleared to show that while there appeared to be a police unit some distance behind them, the road ahead was clear.