Protection

by Linda Rettstatt

  Her finger slid across the screen of the phone. “Okay, so when you’re finished with business, can we drive over to Seattle and see the Space Needle?”

  Lou made a hard right into the parking lot of a Dunkin’ Donuts and slammed on the brakes. “You didn’t want to come. I was fine with that. Then you decide to come along. I was fine with that. But hear this—” He turned in the seat and leaned toward her. “This is not a vacation. This is not a trip to see the tourist sights. I’m here to kill a man,” he shouted.

  Sara flinched and cowered. “Okay. I’m sorry. I just thought….”

  “Well, don’t think.” Lou shifted into drive and peeled from the lot, narrowly missing a minivan. The driver laid on the horn and flipped him a one-fingered salute.

  Lou stuck his arm out the window and returned the signal. “Asshole.”

  He thought about his life, growing up in Trenton, with a drunk for a mother and a dead-beat con man for a father. The only place he’d felt safe as a kid was at the church. He was an altar boy. Not an angel, by any means. But the priest, Father Corrigan, believed in him, thought he had potential. That priest probably kept Lou out of Juvie. His own decision to pursue the priesthood had a double motive. On one hand, he thought just maybe his having Father Corrigan come into his life at a difficult time was a sign of where he was heading. On the other hand, he saw how loved and trusted the priest was. What a great cover. He was, after all, his father’s son.

  Then he met Steve Avery. Father Squeaky Clean, all high ideals and piety. No matter what Lou did, he could never measure up, never have all the right answers. He got drummed out of the priesthood after some money went missing and Lou had been to the casino for a long weekend. He didn’t get it. Other priests got away with much worse, just a got a slap on the hand and changed to a new parish. But Lou, no, there was no mercy for Lou.

  Alvin Martin saw some redeeming qualities in Lou. The dumbass actually thought he was helping Lou to help poor orphan kids connect with good homes. Sara was a good actress, he’d give her that. She’d convinced Alvin everything was above board, at least until he was in too deep to do anything about it.

  Just Lou’s dumb luck that Father Perfect was assigned to Alvin’s parish. And he screwed up everything. Lou’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel, imagining it was Steve Avery’s neck. He sure the hell hoped Bruno got things right before he fell off the earth, that this Jake Garber was Steve Avery incognito.

  Everybody thought Avery was dead. Lou would just make that a reality.

  They’d driven in silence for over two hours before Sara said, “Lou, I have to pee. Can we stop?”

  He shook his head. Not only did they not need to take forever to get to Snoqualmie, wherever the hell that was, they didn’t need to make a lot of stops and risk finding their pictures posted on some damned bulletin board. Sara had gotten far too comfortable with their anonymous life in Utah. But they were still wanted by the Feds.

  He exited off of 86 at Twin Falls and found a fast food joint. “We might as well have lunch.”

  “What do you think happened to Bruno?” Sara asked before popping a fry into her mouth.

  “Hell if I know. He wasn’t too happy about being stuck in that town. He may have just given up and ridden off.”

  “What if he got caught?”

  “If he has any sense at all, he’ll keep his trap shut.”

  “What if Steve killed him?”

  Lou snorted. “Father Do-Right? Are you kidding?” He crumpled the wrappers from his burger and fries. “Hurry up. We need to get back on the road. I’m gonna hit the men’s room.” While washing this hands, Lou looked at himself in the mirror. He’d watched the court proceedings against Alvin on TV. The Bishop had testified and had called Lou “soulless.” As far as Lou was concerned, religion was built on the premise of the existence of both good and evil. Without evil, how would one recognize good? He was just playing a role, fulfilling his calling. Hadn’t Judas been just as important as Peter in that regard?

  When they got back into the car, Sara turned on the radio and flipped through the channels—over and over and over.

  “Pick one or turn it off,” Lou ordered.

  She turned it off and faced him. “What is wrong with you? All you’ve done is snipe at me since we left Logan. Before we left, even.”

  “I’m sorry, okay. Gimme a break.” He paused. “Tell you what. Since we’re so close by, when I finish the job, we’ll go see that Space Needle.”

  Sara smiled. “Thanks. Maybe we can take the long way home.”

  Lou shook his head. Maybe Steve Avery wasn’t the only thing he needed to get rid of. They were going through the money fast now. He needed a new resource, or he needed to reduce his spending. He’d thought about moving up to Canada, but it was hard to take up residence there. Mexico, now that would be a new market for him. He already had connections there.

  It was close to one a.m. when Lou drove into Snoqualmie. He pulled into the parking lot of a closed grocery store and checked the address Bruno had given him. Looked like he was only about three miles from the Garber place. He’d check out the location tonight, then find a place to crash.

  A light misty rain had begun to fall, just enough to make the wipers necessary. “Turn right in thirty feet,” the robotic voice told him. “Drive four fifths of one mile. Your destination is on the left in thirty feet.”

  Lou slowed when he saw the sign indicating a sharp curve. Just beyond the curve, he saw the mailbox: J. Garber. He’d arouse too much suspicion if he pulled into the drive at this hour. He kept moving until he found a place to turn around. On his return trip, he discovered a pull-off just around the curve. Perfect for his morning observation.

  Sara snorted and coughed, then wakened. “Are we there yet?” She sat up and blinked. “Where the hell are we?”

  “The middle of nowhere. Garber’s place is just behind us around that curve. Let’s find a room.”

  The desk clerk at the small motel on the edge of town was not all that happy to be called to the desk. He yawned and buzzed the outer door open.

  “You got a room?” Lou asked.

  “Single, double, or king?”

  “King.”

  “Smoking or non?”

  “Non.” Lou presented his ID and a credit card. He’d purchased the fake ID for five hundred bucks. Good investment.

  The clerk ran the credit card, copied his ID, and slid a registration form across the counter for his signature. “That’ll be one twenty-nine a night.”

  “Jesus, who do you think you are? Conrad freakin’ Hilton?”

  “No, sir. It’s peak tourist season. How many nights?”

  “Two.” He filled in the form indicating two adults and signed the charge slip.

  “You’re in 206 around the back. Have a good night.”

  Lou took the small cardboard folder containing two key cards. He drove to the back of the building, removed their bags from the trunk, and followed Sara up the steps.

  Inside the room, he sniffed. “I should just bring Avery’s body here. The room already smells like something died in it.”

  “Turn on the AC. That’ll help,” Sara said.

  He was getting really sick and tired of her attitude, her optimism.

  While Sara unpacked, Lou went to take a shower. His muscles were in knots after more than twelve hours of driving. When he came back to the bedroom, Sara was already snoring softly. He opened his bag and removed his gun, checking it for readiness for morning. Lifting the weapon, he aimed it toward Sara. “Pow,” he said softly and smiled.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Shannon sat in the rocker with one knee drawn up to her chest and her chin resting on her knee. She was grateful that Abe hadn’t said a word about Jake’s truck being parked outside her place all night. She felt on the verge of tears ever since Jake’s hasty departure a few hours earlier, and the slightest thing just might cause the dam to break. After helping Helen get washed and dressed and feeding her b
reakfast, Shannon returned to her apartment. She wouldn’t be needed again until lunch.

  Now she sat and rocked, staring at the sofa and remembering the feel of Jake’s arms around her. The feel of his body skin-to-skin with hers. A warm hum rolled through her. She barely knew this man and, yet, felt like she belonged with him. Things had heated up so fast between them. She knew she shouldn’t trust that, but she wanted to. She wanted to trust Jake.

  She stretched her legs and then stood. Maybe it was time to relax and act like she belonged in this town. She was tired of running and hiding. Even Jake told her she looked nothing like the photo of the former Heather Carlson. As soon as Bailey was awake, she’d take Abe up on his offer and take the car for a spin around town. Maybe they’d stop at the café for lunch. She remembered seeing a second hand shop in town. Perhaps she could find a stroller and a playpen there for the baby.

  Bailey woke in a good mood and smiled as Shannon strapped her into the car seat. Shannon climbed into the driver’s seat, moved the seat forward, then looked in the rear view mirror. The car seemed to fill the entire garage. She’d never driven anything this big. She eased off the brake at the same time she stepped on the gas. The car leaped backward. She hit the brake again, then slowly backed out of the garage, checking both side mirrors to make sure they remained intact.

  She stopped once she was clear of the garage and pressed the remote to close the door. Abe stood on his back porch watching her with an expression that was a mixture of amusement and concern. She smiled and waved. It didn’t take long for her to get a feel for handling the larger vehicle. Parallel parking would not be on her agenda today.

  After parking in a lot behind Yesterday’s Treasures, she removed Bailey from her car seat and headed into the store. Twenty minutes later, she left pushing Bailey in a stroller and guiding one of the employees to the car to put a folding playpen in the trunk. She left the car parked there and cruised the main street, browsing shop windows.

  The café was busy, but she managed to find a small table for two and pulled the stroller up beside her.

  Millie came toward her with a menu in hand. “She is such a sweet baby. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Iced tea, please.” She grinned, realizing the waitress didn’t recognize her as Jake’s brunette friend.

  When the waitress returned, she set down the tea and pulled an order pad from her pocket. “What can I getcha?”

  Shannon ordered a grilled chicken salad. It felt good to do something normal. Seated by the window, she watched people stroll by while she ate. She felt as if she’d been set free from some invisible prison.

  When Millie returned with her check, she studied Shannon for a moment. “Do I know you?”

  Shannon shook her head. “They say everyone has a double somewhere.”

  “I guess that’s it. I love your hair, by the way. I’ve often thought of having mine cut short.”

  “Thanks. The salad was delicious, by the way.” She handed Millie cash that included a healthy tip—recompense for her little white lie.

  Outside, the sun shone brightly and the temperatures had risen into the upper seventies. Shannon donned her sunglasses and took her time strolling to the parking lot. On her way to the car, she glanced down at Bailey and ran smack into some guy with a camera. They were the only two on the sidewalk and the contact made her immediately suspicious. He apologized, she told him she was fine and kept moving so he couldn’t get a good look at her. She hated feeling suspicious of everyone.

  She had one more stop to make for groceries, then she’d head home. Abe had told her not to worry about lunch, that he’d take care of it. She wanted to make something special for dinner and share it with the couple. When she reached the turn for the apartment, though, she kept driving. She needed to see Jake. He’d never brought Bailey’s stuffed lamb to her. She could use that as an excuse, but she had to see him, to gauge his reaction at seeing her. It would only take a few minutes.

  *

  Jake couldn’t get Shannon off his mind as he drove back from Seattle. He’d been such a coward that morning. The only way he could’ve gotten out of her apartment faster would have been to jump out the window and onto his truck. He needed to apologize and explain himself. That was the catch, though. There were things he could not explain. That was a rule of the program and also something about him that, if she knew, could put her at risk.

  He was surprised to realize the guilt he felt had more to do with Shannon and less to do with the fact that he’d broken a major promise he had made to God and to the Church. Distance had not made his heart grow fonder for his priestly vocation. If anything, he’d slipped far too easily into a new life that took him away from that vocation.

  And then there was Shannon. Making love to her last night had been surreal. Their first time, he’d felt like a teenager. Unfortunately, he’d responded like one, too. Embarrassment still heated his face. He was pretty sure he’d redeemed himself the second time, though. Sex was pretty much like riding a bicycle, once he got past his nervousness. She was beautiful and had felt so good in his arms. It was the first thing that had felt right to him in a long time.

  There was no way of knowing when he could be completely honest with her, offer her the kind of life she deserved. How was he ever going to look her in the eye again? Everything had been fine. They were friends, he was helping her out. He wanted to kick himself for letting things go too far. Now he’d ruined it.

  When he saw the old Buick parked in his driveway, he recognized the car as Abe’s. He’d barely stopped the truck and shut off the engine before jumping out. Something must have happened to Shannon. The he heard Bailey’s cooing and looked up to find Shannon and the baby sitting on the deck.

  “Hey,” he said as he approached.

  “Hey.”

  Jake climbed the steps and stood for a moment, grinning at Bailey in her little yellow dress and matching sun bonnet. “She looks cute. New dress?”

  “We went shopping.”

  He sat on the chair next to hers. “So, out and about in town today, huh?”

  “Yeah. You know Millie at the café didn’t even recognize me with this cut and color.”

  “You do look different.”

  She grinned. “In a good way, I hope.”

  “A good way.”

  They sat in silence for a moment.

  “Jake, I…” Shannon began.

  “I was going to…” he said. He nodded. “You go first.”

  She glanced down at her hands clasped together in her lap. “I wanted to stop by to get Bailey’s stuffed lamb. She misses it.”

  “Oh. Sure. I’ll get it.” He strode to the back door, unlocked it and retrieved the stuffed animal from the living room. Handing it to Shannon, he said, “I’m sorry. I meant to bring it to her.”

  “Thanks. What were you going to say?”

  “Nothing. Look, do you want to come in and have something to drink?”

  “Uh…maybe for a minute.”

  He picked up the baby’s carrier and held the door for Shannon to go ahead of him. As she passed, her arm brushed against him and her scent wafted around him. He felt intoxicated, the way he’d felt with her last night. But for her sake, he had to back off, let her go.

  *

  Anthony Baker, dressed in khakis and a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a camera hanging around his neck, did his best to look like a typical tourist. He glanced at any woman carrying a baby or pushing a stroller. She had to be here somewhere.

  There weren’t that many people out on the streets. He browsed shop windows, staring inside to scan the customers. He’d driven out of town to the house he’d tracked the call to, but no one was around. This town wasn’t that big. Heather had to be here somewhere or someone had to have seen her. But so far, no luck.

  What the hell? He’d had a good night at the casino and his sister was paying all of his expenses. He might as well take his time and relax a bit. The redhead he’d met at the casino ba
r said she’d be there again tonight. If he played his cards right…. Anthony laughed at the pun. He could get lucky all the way around.

  He leaned close to look through the window of a book store and, when he turned around, bumped into a cute blond. “Sorry.”

  “I’m fine.” She lowered her head and kept walking.

  He looked after her as she continued down the sidewalk pushing a baby stroller. She crossed the street and walked to an older model Buick with Washington plates. Heather drove a newer Chevy. He turned and headed back toward his motel. He probably should report in, give Corinne something to nibble on so she didn’t cut off his expense account and call him home.

  “Hey, Sis.”

  “Hold just a moment.”

  He could hear her issuing orders to someone and then heard a door close. “Do you have good news for me?”

  “There’s not much to this town. It won’t take me long to find her and the kid.”

  “You need to wrap this up fast. Are you sure she’s there?”

  “As sure as I can be. I’m watching the house she made those calls from. I’ll have her in a day, two tops.”

  “Do not screw this up. I want them both back here so we can settle this. Once she knows just how serious I am about getting that baby, I think she’ll see the wisdom of making a deal. If she resists, handle it.”

  “Tell me something. What does Mark think about your plan?”

  “I don’t give a damn what he thinks. He’ll do exactly as I say or I’ll expose him for the cheating bastard he is. Besides, I think it’s only justice that he spend the rest of his life with this child right in his face. Don’t you?”

  His sister’s coldhearted response made him shiver. If she wasn’t family and held the purse strings, he’d walk away right now, find a nice place near the beach, maybe Miami, and watch the girls play beach volleyball. “I’m sure you’ll see he gets what he deserves.”

  “You find that girl and her baby, bring them back here. Now! I have to go. I have a meeting with my pro-life constituency.”