She raised an eyebrow at him as they wove between the tables filled with customers sipping hot brew, salting scrambled eggs and cutting up French toast. A nervous laugh threatened in her throat. She was almost in disbelief that just yesterday she was looking forward to a fun summer weekend with Lily.
He hunched and peered at her with a suspicious look, then straightened and smiled as if he was trying to lighten the mood. “Bad guys have to eat, too, so you never know where they’ll show up.”
“That’s true, Sam.” Lily fist-bumped Reid.
Samantha pinched her lips at him and took her seat. His levity fell short, his comment only serving to remind her that those bad guys really could be lurking anywhere. That sneaky, nervous laugh choked her, and she sputtered, grabbing for a glass of water.
They quickly ordered pancakes, and Reid filled her in on his conversation with Derek. She breathed a sigh of relief that Reid’s former police buddy was helping them, but they were still left without any answers or any idea about how to move forward.
She looked around the restaurant in what felt like a ridiculous attempt to see if anyone looked suspicious. She wasn’t trained in surveillance and had no idea what to do except hide. A slurp from Reid as he held his water glass to his lips caught her attention, and she slumped her shoulders. Despite his reputation, he had been kind and protective. In fact, she and Lily probably wouldn’t be here waiting for blackberry pancakes for breakfast if not for his efforts. There simply was no other recourse but to muddle through under his guard and pray they all came out of it alive.
Quiet sounds drew her attention to Lily sitting on the inside of the booth. The girl was smooshing a honey packet against the table until it threatened to burst.
“Lily, enough, before you spray us all with that sticky stuff.” Samantha tried not to let her weariness show in her tone, but her instruction still came out as irritated.
Lily slouched in the booth and returned the packet to its holder. She rummaged around in her pocket and retrieved her spy sunglasses. She quickly put them on and popped her head above the booth. “Look, Sam. I can tell you when our breakfast is coming.”
“Hey, Lil. Maybe you’ll be a police officer someday. Detective even.” Reid’s eyebrows shot up like question marks.
A grin spread across Lily’s face. “Maybe a secret agent. I could do surveillance.”
Samantha rubbed her fingers together under the table, trying not to pick at a fingernail again. At this rate, she would soon be down to nubs. Could she stomach a child working in such a dangerous field? “Lily, you really shouldn’t wear sunglasses inside. It’s rude.”
“I’m just trying them out, and you wouldn’t let me squish the honey.”
“While we eat, I can give you some pointers on catching bad guys,” Reid said. “Give you a head start above the others who apply to the police academy.” He smiled at Samantha as if they shared a secret.
Samantha ripped at a fingernail until it tore, the quick pain slicing through her fingertip. What was he doing, getting all chummy with Lily? Sure, they could have polite conversation, but it wasn’t in the child’s best interests to get attached and form a relationship that would just have to end. She shook her head no at Reid, a sadness of surprising intensity soaking through her, and the smile slipped from his face.
“Here comes our breakfast,” Lily announced.
Reid leaned out of the booth and gazed past Samantha. “Thanks, kiddo.”
A moment later, the waitress was placing steaming plates of pancakes and eggs and bacon in front of them. The aroma of breakfast meat assaulted her, and her stomach growled in impatience.
Reid thanked the server, and before she could pick up her fork, he bowed his head. “God, we thank You for this breakfast and for the security of this booth. Keep Your guiding hand on us and show us to safety. Amen.”
It was over before Samantha could even lay down her fork. She sat there stunned, staring at the stubble on Reid’s chin, unable and unwilling to make eye contact. His fork scraped his plate, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts.
It didn’t take long for the ten-year-old next to her and the grown man across from her to finish their breakfasts. Reid sat with a second cup of coffee while Samantha finished her hotcakes. The waitress left the bill so exactly between the two of them that it looked as if she had used a ruler to measure the distance.
He sipped and returned the cup to the table with a thunk. “I’m a little concerned about our cash supply. To keep on the move and undetected, we ought not use credit. Either of us. But quite frankly, my wallet doesn’t have much more in it.” He shrugged, seemingly nonchalant about his admission of a lack of funds.
But money hadn’t even occurred to her. She chewed slowly, buying some time as she recounted the events and the expenses of the past eighteen or so hours. Not once had she offered to pay for anything. In her defense, she had been a bit preoccupied with keeping both Lily and herself safe. But now they had Reid for protection, and the police were involved. She needed to pony up some dough.
“There’s a branch of my bank just down the street. Since I’m the reason for all the trouble, what if I stop by the ATM and withdraw some money? I’m not exactly Miss Moneybags, but hopefully all this will be over soon anyway. Would that be all right if I access my bank account?”
“Sounds fine. It’s not as if we’ll be leaving a digital trail of our whereabouts.”
Reid paid the bill, and they returned to the Jeep. A comfortable and secure feeling washed over Samantha as she slid into the passenger seat. But then, spending a lot of time in one particular place could engender a sense of belonging. She fastened her seat belt as she wondered how many more miles she would ride in that seat.
A couple of blocks down the main drag, Reid steered the Jeep into the drive-through lane. As he approached the machine, he reached over to her. “Got your card?”
She dug it out of her billfold and handed it over. He slid it into the reader, then turned to her when the machine prompted him for the security code. “What’s your PIN?”
“PIN?” She hadn’t anticipated having to give him such personal information. She should have driven or just gone into the bank.
“Yeah. Personal identification number.”
“I know what it stands for.” Still she sat, unable to speak it out loud.
Reid pleated his lips at her. “I’m not going to do anything with it. I couldn’t anyway without your card, and you can always change it later.”
He had a point. She stated the number slowly, in a half whisper, watching as he punched in each digit.
A moment later, the screen went blank. No card and no cash were ejected. Then the welcome image returned, as if they had never attempted a transaction.
“Where’s my card?”
Reid tapped the screen and pushed the clear button a couple of times.
Nothing.
“What’s going on?” Panic clutched at her insides, twisting her lungs into a knot. If the machine ate her card, didn’t that mean something was terribly wrong?
“I don’t know. Let’s go inside and find out.” He drove around to the front and parked. “With all the security and cameras, we’ll be fine.”
An armed guard stood at the entrance. Maybe they could just set up camp in the vault?
Samantha approached the closest teller just as a woman in a trim navy blue suit with the bank logo emblazoned on the jacket pocket rounded the corner. The teller offered a practiced grin. “Good morning. How can I help you?”
Samantha wanted to collapse on the counter and finally let the tears she had been holding go, but instead she glanced around to see who was listening. “I was just at the ATM, and it kept my card. I’d like to withdraw some cash.”
The woman in the suit stepped forward, and the teller withdrew, her gaze on the floor.
“Samantha Callahan?”
“Yes?” She looked like a manager, but why would she know Samantha?
“Let’s have a seat in my office.”
She led them to a cubicle and gestured to two chairs, pulling in a third for Lily. Behind the desk, she unbuttoned her blazer and sat, leaning her elbows on the counter. “The ATM kept your card because our computer shows a hold on your account.”
NINE
Dizziness threatened to overtake Samantha, and she stared at the ceiling until it passed. “What do you mean, a hold? I have a checking and a savings, with nearly three thousand dollars combined, and I need to withdraw some of my money.” She cast a glance at Reid. No money meant no food, no shelter, no gas.
“The system will not allow me to access your accounts, and the ATM is programmed to keep the card of anyone suspicious.”
“I’m suspicious? I’m a loyal customer.”
“Of course.” Her patronizing smile burned in Samantha’s chest. “But we don’t keep any paper records, so I only know what the computer shows me.”
Reid leaned forward, a deep crease across his brow. “Who authorized the hold?” He glanced toward Samantha, and she nodded her appreciation to him.
“I don’t know who placed the hold, sir. All I can see on my monitor is that it came from the highest level.”
“And what happens now? Why would a hold be placed on the accounts?”
The manager picked up her phone. “No reason is given here, sir. I can call our technical department and see what they can find out.”
“Yes, please.”
As the woman dialed and then transferred her attention to that conversation, Samantha turned to Reid. His brow remained furrowed as he stared at the carpet. “What’s going on here? Does this have anything to do with the guys who want to kidnap us?”
He slowly veered his attention to her, as if she was pulling him out of deep thought. “Probably. And that means that they are much more sophisticated than I thought.”
“But what would be the purpose of this?”
“To get your attention. To limit your options for running and hiding. To draw you out. To make you suffer.”
“Okay. Enough.” She cast a glance back at Lily, who was drawing on a piece of copier paper. “I get it. Can we keep it quiet?”
“I think we’ll find answers faster if we involve her. She’s got a great mind, and she might know something that you don’t, especially if this has to do with her past. And you might be the key to drawing it out, since you’ve been her friend and guardian all this time.” He glanced at the bank manager, who was still deep in her phone conversation. “I’m almost sure now that those thugs are hired or on the take. Whoever they’re working for probably cleared your account.” He turned to Lily. “Hey, kiddo. Can I ask you some questions?”
Lily looked up from her paper. “Yeah.”
“You said your father was an accountant.”
“Something like that. I know he worked with a bunch of boring numbers on the computer.”
“What company did he work for?”
Lily looked quizzically at Samantha. “I can answer that,” Samantha said. “It was the local pharmaceutical company, Zigfried Pharmaceuticals.”
“Did he have any difficult coworkers? Did he ever mention any run-ins with anyone at work?”
“I don’t know.”
Samantha licked her lips. Maybe she could ask the same question in a way Lily would understand. “When you were living with him, did your father ever act strange or different after he came home from work? Or did he work long hours? You know, come home really late for supper?”
Lily shrugged. “Yeah, all the time. But that was how it was after Mom died. Dad was just so sad all the time. I figured he didn’t miss her as much if he stayed at work.”
Samantha pressed her fist to her aching heart. She renewed her vow to make as normal a home as possible for Lily. No child should have to endure the loss of both parents.
Reid shifted in his chair to turn toward Lily a little more. “Did you ever see anything on his computer?”
“Just numbers.”
Samantha glanced at the manager. She was still on the phone but made eye contact and offered a plastic smile. Samantha leaned into Reid and kept her voice down. “The girl is ten. How is she going to know what she’s looking at?”
“Fine. Objection sustained.” With a slight smile, he aimed the next question back to Lily. “Ever overhear any conversations? Anything suspicious?”
“Nope.” Lily held up her paper. “But look at the cool robot I’m drawing. What do you think?”
The bank manager cleared her throat as she crashed the telephone receiver back in the cradle. Samantha flinched at the attempt to get their attention.
“So.” The woman steepled her fingers with a somber expression. “I’ve talked with tech support. To some extent, their hands are tied because of the high level of approval on this. But after I explained the confusion, they said they’ll get their security guys going on the problem. If you’d like to leave me your phone number, I’ll keep you informed.”
“That’s it? We can’t get this figured out today?”
“Something like this takes time, ma’am. We’re doing everything we can.”
Reid touched her arm, a gesture she took to be reassurance that all would eventually be well. Being comforted was nice, but since there was no knowledge of the future, anxiety threatened to consume her.
“Samantha’s phone is broken. Can you call my number?”
“Of course, sir.”
With nothing else to accomplish at the bank, handshakes were offered and Samantha found herself in the Jeep. Again. She stared at the corner of the bank building, where a surveillance camera hovered, recording all who came and went. Surveillance sounded like a good idea, but if the camera never recorded anything helpful, what was the point? She suppressed what seemed like the thousandth sigh that had wanted to bubble up since yesterday afternoon and listened in on Reid’s phone call to Derek, his officer friend.
“No, no. I understand. It’s a small department. Any chance of some help from the Indianapolis PD?”
Lily spoke up from the backseat, but Samantha shushed her. If her life and the life of her ward were at risk, she wanted to know all the details.
“Okay. Well, let me know, good or bad. Thanks.” Reid touched the screen and put the phone in his pocket. “Derek can’t promise anything because their resources are limited when it comes to finding computer hackers. It’s a small town with a small police department.”
“That makes sense.” But nothing else made sense. What did those thugs want from them? If she knew, she would hand it over and end the whole ordeal. Get back to normal life. “I have no idea what to do next. But can we figure this out? Who are these guys and what do they want?”
“We can’t keep driving around. You know the area better than I do. Is there a park with some privacy nearby? Someplace to get out and stretch our legs while staying hidden?”
“There’s a big church on the north side of town that dug a pond out behind their two-story building. They put in a picnic pavilion, the kind with a fireplace at either end, and some walking trails.” She sucked in a deep breath. “If I remember correctly, you can’t see any of it from the road.”
Confusion hazed her mind like the summer humidity. She couldn’t pinpoint why, but she wanted, needed even, Reid’s approval. She needed it like she needed that first cup of coffee the morning after a late night at work.
“Sounds like a plan. It’ll give us a moment to breathe and think. How do I get there?”
Samantha dictated the directions to the church, hoping she was right about the seclusion of the picnic area. She kneaded her palms together and pushed the panic back down to her stomach.
*
* *
As Reid steered the Jeep, he kept an eye on his female passengers. Samantha was slender and willowy and wouldn’t be difficult at all to carry off, if a large man were so inclined. And Lily? The girl was like a stick figure. She had spunk, but spunk couldn’t always hold its own against pure muscle. “Considering our circumstances, you know what you two need?”
“A hot shower?”
“A latte?”
“Some instruction on how to defend yourself.”
Samantha seemed to sag in her seat, disappointed perhaps, while Lily’s face lit with a smile. “You’re gonna teach me how to fight?”
“I didn’t say fight. I said defend yourself. In case of attack. And I’ll do my best in the confines of the car. First, when you fight back, appear strong. Don’t cower like a dog with its tail between its legs. Scream if you can. Scream as if you’re on fire.”
“I can scream real good. Wanna hear?”
“No,” Samantha exclaimed, holding her palm up to stop Lily. “Reid knows you can scream. Right, Reid?”
Reid glanced at Lily’s crestfallen expression in the rearview mirror. “I’m sure you can scream plenty, kiddo.” He offered a grin to Samantha. “You, too.”
“Hmm.” A watchful maternal look creased Samantha’s brow, as if she understood the necessity of self-protection but worried about her child’s response to the instruction.
No matter her comfort level, Reid continued, convinced of the appropriateness of the training. “Your elbows and your knees are your strongest hitting points. You have lots of power there. When you hit, aim for the weak spots on a man.” He paused. This was foreign territory to him. How to approach delicately? “Do you know where those are?”
Lily giggled, an effervescence that bubbled out of her current state of childhood. It was a pleasant tinkling in his ear that made Reid glad he had dared to ask.
Samantha pinched her lips. “She does. We’ve had similar talks before.”
Under Duress Page 9