Goodbye, Good Girl

by Renee Blossom

  “And the good news is what? That my dad doesn’t have a twenty-year-old second wife and new baby?”

  “Uh… no, that your dad is on a plane and should be on the ground at LAX within an hour. Maybe less.”

  Kandace paused a beat to process. “How? How do you know for sure?”

  “I’ve seen a photo,” Markus said.

  “What does that mean?”

  “I saw a photo of him through Shanghai customs and immigration. I think they detained him when he left the country.”

  What the hell? He was in China?

  “K? You there?”

  “Sorry. Markus, you’re saying he was in China… and he’s here now?”

  “He’s either in the air, or landing. And I’ve got another address. And a really crazy idea.”

  “I’m like twenty miles north of crazy,” Kandace said, starting the car.

  “Follow him,” Markus said.

  “Wait… what?”

  “Follow Clayton. He might have a better lead than me and if he finds your dad first, then… it’s a problem. You can stay back, maybe a couple hundred yards. He’d never see you.”

  “What if he’s got my phone? What if he’s hearing this call?”

  “Then we’re fucked anyway. This is a hail Mary. Your dad might not know he’s got Clayton on his tail.”

  “You want me to follow a hitman? Are you out of your mind?”

  “K, this is your best option. If you tail Clayton and he finds your father, you’ll at least have a chance.”

  “A chance at what?”

  “I dunno. Call the cops. Hope they’re fast.”

  “Fine. I can’t believe you’re talking me into this. Where is Clayton?”

  Markus gave the highway mile marker, along the 110.

  “Okay, I’ll go where you tell me.”

  “Drive. I’ll direct you. I figure your dad lives at one of these properties. They’re both owned by a holding company.”

  “Why the hell didn’t I go there first?”

  “Easy, Cheetah. Because I just got them. It’s been a nuthouse rush since he surfaced at immigration under the alias he’s using. I couldn’t believe it until I saw the photo. Total revelation.”

  “I’m driving. Give me a location.”

  Kandace passed her phone to April to enter Markus’s new address, started navigation and said, “No worries, girl. Life is an adventure. I’ve been afraid of skydiving but after all this, I’m thinking that’s nothing.”

  “Thanks… I think.”

  The drive was short. The street was active, the house quiet. The curtains were away from the windows and Kandace peered into the living room—a much larger house than the last. No one answered the door. The interior had clean tile, furnishings, family photos on the walls.

  She dialed Markus. “No one’s home and this place looks lived in. I can’t see my dad here.”

  “Get ready. Clayton is four minutes away. Park down the street and stay hidden,” Markus said. “If he sees you or thinks anyone is following him, you’ll need to run. Fast.”

  “Awesome. I’m moving the car. I’ll leave you on speakerphone,” Kandace said.

  She dropped her phone on April’s lap and put the car in gear, driving one hundred yards down the road and parking so they faced the house. “We’re in place. Where is he?”

  “Maybe two minutes,” Markus said.

  April unbuckled and crouched down, so her eyes peered over the dash toward the house. “Why didn’t you park the other direction?”

  “Because he could see our Nevada temporary tag. We would totally stand out,” Kandace said.

  “K, you’ve got company?” Markus asked.

  “My friend, April,” Kandace said, “You can say hi.”

  “Hi, Markus. I’ve heard so much about you,” April said, her eyebrows making fun angles. “Kandace had so much to say.”

  “I didn’t say anything. I swear.”

  Markus cut in, “I’m sure K said verynice things about me, but she hasn’t said a word about you… and I must confess I’m dying to learn.”

  Kandace rolled her eyes. “I’m telling Liz. So, where is he?”

  “Maybe two blocks. You should have a visual on him any second.”

  A short man riding a Harley-Davidson came into view at the far end of the street, pulled to the curb at the property and killed the engine.

  “That’s the guy? Your thug?” April asked, peering over the dash.

  “Yes.”

  “Seriously? He’s like… my height.”

  “But he’s like a tank up close.”

  “I’ve broken hearts bigger than he is.”

  Kandace faced her. “Quit it. We’ve got to follow him. To my dad.”

  “Give me pepper spray and a candlestick holder. You can help drag the body. Dig through his pockets for the address.”

  “You’re crazy. Keep it down.”

  His face, hidden by wide aviator sunglasses, Kandace would recognize anywhere. Black ball cap. Black leather jacket and jeans. He slid off the bike and went to the front door, hit the bell and waited, taping his foot. He dug into his pocket and removed a slim black device, stared at it several moments, then walked back to his bike and revved the throaty engine before pulling away.

  “What did he do?” Markus asked.

  “He rang the bell, waited and then left. Should we follow him?” Kandace said.

  “Yeah. Keep your distance, though. He probably saw your car.”

  Kandace started the engine. “He didn’t look our way.”

  “What color is it?”

  “Greenish metallic.”

  “Oh, fantastic. You might as well have gotten out and waved to him.”

  “Just tell me where to go,” Kandace said.

  “He’s a quarter mile north. Stay this course. If he’s heading where I think, he’ll get back on the highway, out to the bay.”

  “And where’s the house?”

  “It’s in Long Beach. If your dad lives there, I’m buying a plane ticket.”

  “You are so not.”

  “He needs a partner to go fishing with.”

  April cut in, “Hey Markus, I need you to track my boyfriend. Can you hook me up?”

  “You don’t need to track me,” Markus said. “I’ll tell you my location any time.”

  The girls cracked up.

  “That’s cute. Be sure you write that one down for when you need a pickup line,” April said.

  “Stop, I’m gonna barf. I can’t see the motorcycle.”

  “He’s on a bike?” Markus asked. “What kind?”

  “Why does that matter? It’s not like you can see him. Where is he? Did he turn?”

  “If I access the highway camera systems, then I can,” Markus said. “Is it a street bike or one of those hypnotic rice burners?”

  “Street. Black. Harley, I think. It’s kinda like Dad’s,” Kandace said. “We’re out of time if my dad is on his way. Clayton isn’t onto my phone. He’s onto my dad and… I bet he knows Dad’s on his way here.”

  “Quit wondering and drive faster. You’re almost a mile apart and he’s gaining.”

  “I’m going over the limit. I can only drive as fast as traffic lets me.”

  “Weave. You’ve gotta change lanes,” Markus said.

  April asked, “Do I need to intervene?”

  “Uh, you might. Won’t he get farther away when we switch?”

  “Nah. I’ll come over top of you and take over driving, you’ve just gotta get your belt off and squeeze out from under me to the passenger seat. Here,” April said, straddling the center console, then squatting over top of Kandace, taking the wheel. “Go. I’ve got it.”

  “Won’t I come off the gas?”

  “Problem solved. Cruise control.”

  Markus cut in over the speakers. “I so wish I could watch this!”

  Kandace reclined the seat and grunted, pushing off with her forearms. The car beeped incessantly, as she had unbuckled her safe
ty belt. She forced a leg over the center and threw herself at the passenger seat, her head hitting the door as her weight took momentum on the lunge. April sat, adjusted the seat and belted herself in, while downshifting and changing lanes.

  “You’ve done this before. How long has it been?”

  “Damn, I miss driving. This ain’t my Audi, but it will do.”

  “Much better. You’re catching him now, just try not to get yourselves killed.”

  “He’s driving that fast?” Kandace asked.

  “He probably caught the lights while you, Miss Daisy, did not,” Markus said. “Okay, slow it down now. If you get too close, then he’ll know.”

  “You don’t think he knows already?” Kandace said.

  “I’ve got his phone. He wouldn’t cruise at seventy-three if he knew.”

  “You’re scaring me,” April said. “Like big brother shit in the movies.”

  “Oh, the movies are way too tame. The only privacy you have is inside your head.”

  “I’m impressed by your driving skills, but I don’t want to die,” Kandace said, clutching the door’s handle.

  “Oh, relax. In a prior life, I was a race car driver.”

  “You might have ended that prior life in a car accident,” Markus said. “Traffic won’t let you exceed eighty, even though every lunatic in that state wants to.”

  Kandace cringed, then gasped, “It’s not the same experience over the phone, trust me.”

  “Oh, just relax. You should see how this feels in my Audi. I’d be tearing this bitch up. Markus? Is traffic clearing at all?” April asked.

  “No. It’s LA.”

  “How far to the house?”

  “Six miles. And Clayton is merging to the 47. Follow the sign to the Vincent Thomas Bridge. He’s… point three miles.”

  “Is that him? On the bridge?” Kandace asked, pointing to a distant man on a motorcycle. “Looks just like him.” He must be armed. Could Dad handle him?

  Sun rays flickered through the moonroof, intermittently bathing the car in brightness. Kandace adjusted the thermostat to make the car colder. “We have to go faster. Or slow Clayton down. Any ideas, Markus?”

  “If I can get a traffic cam shot of him, then I can use that for a 10-32 report.”

  “And what does that get me?”

  “Decent odds that police arrest him.”

  “Then I can’t follow him,” Kandace said. “Don’t I need to know where he’s going?”

  “He won’t be a danger. That’s worth more than his location.”

  “I’ve got to get to Dad first.”

  The VW rose with the elevation change as they entered the Vincent Thomas Bridge on the CA-47. Traffic left little space between bumpers.

  “Can you reach him on the phone?” Markus asked. “Hate to ask the obvious.”

  “I’ve called and called. Voicemail is full. No reply. That says he’s in trouble,” Kandace said.

  “Or just held up,” April said. “I’m dying to know his story.”

  “At this point, I just want him safe. I just need to get to him. Then everything will be fine.”

  “K, you’re a sweetheart, but you’ve got to be pissed, even a little. For your mom, if not for you. No one’s that forgiving.”

  Markus chimed in, “I love your dad and I have to agree. It’s like he doesn’t exist.”

  Kandace threw up her hands. “Okay. I am mad, but I’m not. It’s hard to explain. I’m so confused.”

  “Man, the traffic on this bridge is psycho,” April said, braking hard. “For real, though. Your mom is in rehab and your dad won’t go home? Something’s wrong in that family photo.”

  “Can everyone stop berating my dad for a fucking minute,” Kandace said. “We’ve gotta get to the house before Clayton does. When his life isn’t in danger then everyone can voice their opinion about him.”

  “Traffic stopped ahead.” Markus sounded tense.

  “You’re serious? I’m going slow, like… forty. Is he close?” April said.

  Several moments passed, then April hit the brakes and downshifted to second gear. The engine revved hard, the car lurched forward as she released the clutch. “Why?”

  Markus said over speakerphone, “There’s a wreck, at the end of the bridge.”

  Kandace groaned. “So, we could be stuck here on this bridge for how long?”

  “Depends on the accident,” April said. “How far we got now, Markus?”

  “Clayton is stopped about three hundred feet ahead of you. The house is two point eight miles away, assuming that’s where he’s going.”

  “You were right about the last house. How did you find it?” Kandace asked.

  “Timing. Once your dad hit immigration, it was simple because we got his passport. We’d had what we needed from the Federal Procurement Data System, so we knew enough that once we had a solid lead, we could find him.” He paused a moment, typing in the background. “Son of a bitch.”

  “What? Spit it out,” Kandace said.

  “He’s through customs.”

  “When?”

  “Maybe forty minutes ago… yeah.” Clacking in the background. “I’ll bet it’s at least that. Maybe longer. Shit. He’s here.”

  Kandace felt overjoyed and terrified at the same time. “So he’s home.”

  “Don’t get excited. If Clayton arrives before you, your dad might run—and then we’ll lose him all over again.”

  “Why do people want my dad dead, Markus?” Kandace asked.

  “Dead is worthless. Your dad is valuable for information.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “The overwhelming activity since he popped up. Man is in demand.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “Well, it’s job security. So there’s that.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Kandace whimpered and checked her phone for the umpteenth time. No messages from him. No replies. The text messages she’d sent him showed only delivered. Not even read.

  Maybe her dad, days since Clayton came knocking, didn’t know anyone was after him.

  “What can I do, Markus? I’ve got to do something. I can’t sit here in traffic.”

  Markus was quiet. “Oh, no. He’s moving.”

  “My dad?”

  “No, Clayton. Slow, but he’s moving. Shit. He’s on a motorcycle. I’ll bet he’s riding between lanes.”

  24

  “Shit. I’ve gotta go.” Kandace tossed the key fob from her purse and slipped its strap over her shoulder. “April, call me if traffic starts.”

  “It’s almost three miles, you sure?” April said.

  “I can’t just sit in my car while Clayton’s getting closer to my dad.”

  “On foot is risky,” Marcus said. “The police aren’t letting cars out.”

  “Then I can get past them by walking.” Kandace opened the VW’s door and stepped out. Dark steel. Cars tight together. Exhaust and sea, wind and sun. The breeze felt as though it might sweep her off into the abyss. “Shit. I can’t believe I’m doing this. Markus, you’ve got to talk to me.”

  “I think you’re crazy.”

  “It’s the only way to keep moving. If traffic holds Clayton on the bridge, maybe that’s just the break I need.”

  Here goes nothing.

  Kandace ran for the bridge’s walkway along the side, about five feet from the rail.

  Just run straight. The edge is not there.

  She slowed her pace, knowing she couldn’t sprint for three miles, no matter how badly she needed to. She passed cars, horns honking, and she couldn’t tell if the noise had anything to do with her. She worried about Clayton and let that fear motivate her.

  He had to be far ahead.

  She could only hope and pray for someone, anyone, to slow Clayton down. If he got through the traffic jam, then he would have nothing to contend with and he’d get to the house and her father first.

  She amused herself at the irony, remembering when she had started running every day
at fourteen because if she ever had to run for her life, she could run the distance to her aunt V’s house for safety.

  Prepared. Her father had said to be prepared for everything.

  But she wasn’t running for her own life; she ran for her father’s. She had to win the race Markus promised to her she’d lose.

  “K? You still there?” Markus asked, on speakerphone.

  “Yeah,” Kandace said. Her feet hurt, running in designer flats. “Where is he?”

  “Stopped at the accident. It’s a mess. Three cars. Glass everywhere.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I’m watching the news online.”

  “Can’t we call my dad somehow?” Kandace asked.

  “If I could find a landline then yes.”

  “I need a break. Seriously.”

  “I thought you were in shape,” Markus said.

  “No! Not that. I’m… fine… running…”

  “I’d say you’ve gone way above a daughter’s role.”

  Kandace focused on her surroundings. Clayton wasn’t in view yet. Cars were looking all the same, as though she had run past the same vehicle three times. According to her phone, she had covered point five miles in three minutes; not bad, but hardly her best. “I can say that… after I’ve… done it. Where’s he at?”

  “You’re gonna run right past him in, like, a minute.”

  “Okay. I’ll try not to draw attention. But how can I… I’m running in a dress! No one runs in a dress! He’ll have to notice me.”

  “You’ve stopped traffic. Not every girl can say that.”

  “Ha ha. I didn’t… holy shit. That accident is horrible. I can see them… all the way… back here. But at least I’m coming down the bridge.”

  “How’s the view?”

  “I’m trying not… to look.”

  “Impressive from the helicopter view,” Markus said, clacking. “Hey, there you are! You’re on TV!”

  “What?”

  “I can see you running on the bridge. Hey, nice dress. Is that black or navy?”

  Kandace didn’t want to slow down but had to in order to look around. Where did they hide a camera on this bridge? “Wait… how… can you see me?”

  “The news helicopter. You see it? It’s to your right,” Markus said.

  “I see it,” Kandace said. “It’s farther away than you think. It’s flying out… over the water. This is crazy. It’s like I’m running on a tall building.”