by Joan Rylen
“She was in D.C. for a State dinner and we believe Craig and an accomplice broke into her hotel room and stole jewelry and cash.”
Lucy fanned Vivian with a brochure. “Why would they travel with those kinds of valuables? Seems like poor judgment.”
“They had it in the room safe. But it wasn’t enough.”
“Why didn’t Agent Tucker in Fort Worth know this?” Wendy asked. “And how do you know about it?”
“I was friends with one of the agents on the original case and she showed me pictures of the pieces taken. It bothered her that the leads had dried up. The team identified a suspect right away, a hotel employee, but hasn’t been able to prove he did it. The pieces never surfaced on the black market and an accomplice hasn’t been identified until now. Until I saw Vivian wearing the pendant.”
Vivian sat up. “So it’s real?”
“Actually, the one he gave you was real, but I switched that out yesterday when you went for the bike ride. What you’re currently wearing is a fake.”
“Oh.” Disappointed.
Lucy leaned close to Vivian and looked at the pendant. “How’d you get a fake made so quickly?”
“We didn’t. Replicas of all the jewelry came out shortly after the theft. It’s typical in a case of this profile. I simply had Cervantes deliver one to me that was in FBI custody.”
Wendy looked out a front window. “But why send these guys down the river with us and not tell us? I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’ve been a little stressed about Craig today.”
He looked at her and his eyes softened, ever so slightly, at the corners. “We did not believe Craig was violent and had hoped to catch him while he was attempting to catch up with you. But this is a high-profile case — stealing money from a foreign dignitary — and now that we know Craig is tied to the crime, this investigation has now been kicked into high gear.”
Vivian’s stomach flipped. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Wendy reached around the counter and grabbed a trash can. “Can we get some water over here please?” she shouted.
Vivian stared into the white plastic bucket. Snippets of torn receipts and old chewing gum stuck to the bottom. She took a few deep breaths and handed it back. “I’m okay. I’m okay.”
Kirsten came over with a bottle of water.
“Thanks,” Wendy said, cracking the cap open and handing it to Vivian.
“So what do we do now?” Lucy asked. “He has escalated about as high as you can in terms of dangerous.”
“I’ve got people searching the area near those rapids, but it’s been more than an hour since the incident,” Nelson said. “I doubt they’ll find anything.”
“But what do we do?” Kate asked.
“Right now I’ve got to collect some evidence, then make some calls. Shick and Smith will stay with you for the time being. Hayes and Finck will be close by. I don’t want you going back to the hotel until I can be there.”
“How long will that be?” Wendy asked.
“At least an hour.”
“I need a drink,” Vivian said, standing up. “And I’m still freezing.”
Wendy and Kate flanked her.
“There’s a burger joint down the street about a block,” Kirsten said, then handed Agent Nelson an envelope containing the rafting pictures. “You could totally walk, it’ll probably help warm you up.” She handed another envelope to Vivian, smiled gently and winked her bright blue eyes. “On the house.”
They walked outside, where Shick and Smith were waiting. Nelson pulled his colleagues aside and spoke to them quietly while the girls got their purses from the SUV.
Smith shook his head when Vivian started to walk away from the SUV. “No walking. Take the car.”
The girls piled in and followed Shick and Smith for the two-minute drive, then they parked next to Hayes and Finck, who stayed in their car.
“I can’t believe this is the same Craig I know,” Vivian said, kicking a rock in the parking lot. “He’s way worse than I could have ever imagined and now he’s trying to kill me.”
“Maybe he missed on purpose,” Kate said. “And he’s just trying to scare you.”
Wendy stepped around a pot hole. “He wants that necklace, that’s for sure, and it’d be harder to get if you were dead. Besides, he wants you to run away with him.”
Vivian saw Shick cut his eyes to Smith. She kicked the rock again.
Wendy linked arms with Vivian. “Let’s not think about it anymore. They’re going to find him, I know they will. Wade is not going to let anything happen to you.”
Vivian, Kate and Lucy all stopped walking.
“Ooooohhhh…Wade.” Vivian said.
Wendy pulled her along and opened the door. “I meant Agent Nelson.”
“Mmm hmmmm, sure you did,” Lucy said.
The small restaurant was nearly empty, and a sign at the door told patrons to seat themselves. The girls took a booth away from the windows near the back. The two agents sat adjacent to them at a square table.
A woman who looked to be in her 70s ambled over. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, and she wore a blue and white checked cotton dress and apron that pictured one hand holding a rolling pin, smacking the other hand. It read, “Don’t kiss the cook, he’s mine.”
“What can I getcha?” Her dentures flapped a little.
“I’d like a double rum and Coke, please,” Vivian said.
Wendy ordered a draft beer. Lucy and Kate got water.
“I’m not really hungry, but maybe we should get cheesy fries or something,” Kate said.
“That sounds good,” Vivian said. “Can we get some fried pickles, too?”
“Mmmm, yes,” Lucy said.
Kate looked over the menu. “I think I’ll get a salad, but I’ll share.”
“Yippee!” Vivian joked.
The lady brought their drinks and took their order, then went over to Shick and Smith.
Vivian listened as they ordered burgers with the works. She took a long sip of her drink and grimaced. That’s strong.
“This trip is getting worse and worse,” Vivian said. “Maybe we should go home.”
Wendy slammed her beer down. “And risk dipwad going back to Fort Worth? No way.”
“Yeah, we’re going to get him here,” Lucy said.
“I just feel so bad. Y’all could have gotten hurt, hell, even killed, out there today. I can’t ask you to do this anymore.”
“Listen, Vivian,” Kate said, “there’s no way we’re letting you go home to deal with this by yourself. We have the chance to catch this asshole, and dammit, we’re gonna do it.”
Strong words from Kate.
Vivian didn’t say anything for a while. The other girls talked about their adventure on the river until the appetizers came.
“Holy crap, the fried pickles are fantastic,” Lucy said as she dunked one in the homemade ranch dressing. “Mmmmmm.”
“Damn, they are good,” Wendy said and doused a pickle slice in Tabasco.
The burgers were delivered and Vivian ordered another double.
The door opened and a young couple walked in. Vivian watched as Shick and Smith eyed them, then went back to work on their burgers.
The door opened again and Agent Nelson appeared. He sat at the table with Shick and Smith, talking to them briefly, then he grabbed a few fries and walked out the door.
Vivian slid out of the booth and walked over to Shick and Smith’s table. “What’d he say?”
Smith wiped his mouth with his napkin. “We’re to meet him back at the hotel when we’re finished. No stops.”
“Did he say anything about what he found?”
“He’ll debrief you back at the hotel,” Smith said, then took another bite.
Vivian sat down with the girls and picked at the remnants in her basket.
“What’d Agent Nelson say?” Wendy asked.
“Wade said he’d see us at the hotel and give us the LD there.”
Wend
y ignored the jibe and finished her beer.
“Let’s pay out and hit the road,” Lucy said. “I’m watchin’ you two yahoos drink and I can’t cuz I’m drivin’, not to mention I’m under constant FBI surveillance. I’m ready for a glass of wine.”
Smith walked over, apparently hearing Lucy’s comment. “I’ll be driving your car, actually. Nelson’s orders.”
“You mean I could have been drinking this whole time?”
“Looks like,” he said.
They paid their waitress and gave her a nice tip.
“I hope she’s workin’ cuz she wants to and not cuz she has to,” Lucy said.
“I have a feelin’ she’s working because the cook kisses her,” Kate laughed.
They gave Hayes and Finck a five-minute head start, then left the restaurant.
Smith adjusted Lucy’s seat all the way back, cramming Vivian’s space. Lucy and Kate were in the back with her, Wendy having claimed shotgun.
“You’d have more room back there if one of you wanted to ride with Shick,” Smith said.
“Nah, we’re all about togetherness, thanks,” Lucy said, propping her feet up on the console between him and Wendy.
Smith kept up with Shick, who drove fast, even through the hairpin turns. A little too fast for Vivian’s heart.
They were about 10 miles from Breckenridge when Vivian’s phone resonated with “When It’s Love” by Van Halen.
“I didn’t program this ringtone and it’s a number I don’t know,” she said.
Smith glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Answer it.”
“Hello?”
“How was your rafting trip today? That water looked awfully chilly.”
40
VIVIAN’S heart raced and all she could do was hit Smith’s seat in front of her.
“You know I was only trying to teach you a lesson, right? Just show you that I’m in control here.”
Vivian tried to stay calm, but her voice shook. “Yes, Craig.”
Smith waved his right hand in circles, indicating she should try to keep him on the phone. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Good. I’m glad we’ve got that straight.”
She couldn’t think of what to say and blurted, “We should talk. Seeing you in the spa, it brought back…uh, I… I miss you.”
“Finally, you’re beginning to come around.”
“Yes, and I want to see you.” She looked at Smith in the rearview. “Can we meet?”
“There’s a place in Breckenridge called Boarders. Be there in 20 minutes.”
“Sure. Okay, Boarders.”
“And wear your pretty necklace.”
“I have it on.”
“You need to be alone.”
“Craig, you know I’m here with my friends. They’re with me in the car right now. I can’t come alone.”
He was silent.
“But I’ll talk to you alone when we get there, okay?”
He hesitated, then said, “Fine.”
“We’ll meet you there in 20 minutes.” She waited for his response.
“Vivian?” he said.
“Yeah.”
“I love you.”
She didn’t have a response to that and hung up.
Smith immediately went to work, calling Shick first, since he was only a few minutes ahead, then Nelson. Smith put him on speakerphone.
“This is not a good idea,” Nelson said. “There’s not enough time to prepare.”
“It’s all we’ve got right now,” Vivian replied. “This may be the only chance we have to catch him. We leave the day after tomorrow.”
“It’s too dangerous. He shot at you today.”
Vivian took a deep breath. “He’ll be checking my whereabouts with my phone. It’s our only option.”
A door slammed and Nelson cursed. “We don’t have enough time or manpower. I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I’m not asking you to guarantee my safety,” Vivian said. “I need to guarantee my children’s safety, and in order to do that, we need to catch this jerk. Agents Smith and Shick are with us, and Hayes and Finck are probably almost to Breckenridge by now. Can we do this or not?”
The line was quiet. Finally, Nelson said, “Smith, take me off speaker.”
Smith had a series of “yes, sir” and “understood, sir” answers, then “10-4.”
Smith gave instructions to the girls as they zoomed toward Breckenridge. “It’s got to look like the four of you are arriving by yourselves, so I’m going to pull over in a few minutes and get in with Shick. We need to get there and into position before you show up. Lucy, Boarders is on Main Street on the right side.”
“I know where it is.”
“Good, then take a few wrong turns in Breckenridge getting there, about five minutes worth, then go to the restaurant. Park as close to the front door as you can and hurry inside. Finck will cover the door, and Shick will cover the back. Hayes and I will be at the bar. Do not acknowledge us in any way. Sit at a table close to the bar but where you can see the front door. “
He looked at Vivian in the rearview mirror. “Nelson is on his way and should get to the bar shortly after you do. Our plan is to apprehend Craig outside or in the bar before you get there. In case that doesn’t happen, when he arrives, don’t go up to him. Hayes and I will secure him. You’re not to have any interaction with him.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Vivian said. The butterflies in her stomach felt like they were being dismantled by a swarm of praying mantis.
“Nelson wants you to text him the number Craig just called from. He’s going to try and trace it.”
“Okay,” Vivian said, and did as instructed.
Smith pulled up behind Shick on the side of the road and hopped out. “See you soon. And remember to get lost!”
Lucy got back onto the highway and followed them into Breckenridge. As they drove around “getting lost,” the girls tried to reassure Vivian.
“Nelson is pissed,” Kate said. “The orders to catch Craig must come from high up in the FBI’s organization.”
“Yep,” Wendy said. “Must be some political thing with Thailand.”
“Can’t say I blame them. That’s a chunk of change,” Vivian said, moving the fake pendant back and forth on the chain.
“Let’s go get our man,” Lucy said as she pulled into the Boarders parking lot.
They were not greeted by smiling agents and a shackled Craig, as Vivian had hoped. She got out of the car and looked around, then made her way to the door.
Hayes and Smith sat at the bar, and the girls took a table close by. A waitress asked what they’d like to drink.
Vivian shivered, unsure if it was still from the frigid waters or her nerves, and ordered a hot chocolate and Baileys.
Kate and Wendy did the same. Lucy added peppermint schnapps to hers.
Vivian glanced around as they sipped their liquor-laced cocoa, looking for Craig in disguise. He could not have blended in with the Generation Y crowd. For that matter, the girls didn’t fit in either, and Hayes and Smith stood out like two Aggies in an Austin blues bar.
The “dude, you totally crushed it,” “hammered it on that kicker” and “that was so dope” conversation was getting on Vivian’s nerves. Young and carefree she was not tonight. She was a woman on a mission, and on edge.
With the last sip of her hot chocolate the Van Halen ringtone started back up. Nelson walked in at the same time.
Vivian glanced at him and answered on speakerphone. “Hello?”
“You fucking bitch. Fucking slut. Did you think I wouldn’t know you’re there with cops?”
“Craig, I—”
“I see your pretty boy just walked in. You fucking him? You fucking all of them?”
“No,” Vivian tried to interrupt again but was cut off.
“You set me up, you bitch. It’s over.”
“Craig, just listen, please.”
“Say goodbye, Vivian.” Click.
Vivian’s hand shook as she stared down at her phone. Tears welled in her eyes.
“He knows you’re here,” Vivian said to him as he pulled up a chair. “All of you, actually, and he saw you come in.”
“Stay put.” Nelson hopped up and gave rapid instructions to Smith and Hayes, who ran out the front door. He sat down again. “Tell me. All of it.”
Vivian sighed and gave him a rundown of the last two conversations. “I think he’s lost it. Totally nuts.”
Nelson picked up her phone. “That’s it. We’re done with this. You’re going home.”
He had pulled up the app screen, and Vivian knew what he was about to do. She tried to snatch her phone from him but he was too quick and held it out of reach.
“It’s too dangerous,” he said. “We cannot let him track you anymore.”
“That is why we need to catch him. I can’t go home with him out there, somewhere, biding his time to come after me and he will.” Vivian slapped the table. “I won’t risk something happening to my children.”
“We’ll set up a security detail at your house, your children’s day care…”
Vivian stood up and leaned into Nelson’s face. “No. It has to happen here. You and I both know this is our best chance.” Vivian grabbed her phone, picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder. She ran outside. “Here I am, you fucker! Come and get me! And your stupid necklace!”
She grabbed the pendant and was about to rip the chain off her neck when Nelson ran up behind her, grabbed her arm and pulled her back inside. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
The girls were by the entrance, ready to take on whatever.
Vivian burst into tears and dropped her purse, contents skittering across the floor. Wendy and Lucy scrambled to pick things up with help from a nearby snowboarder.
Kate hugged her. “It’s going to be okay.”
Nelson stood back while Vivian came unhinged. Purse contents collected, Wendy went to work finding tissues while Lucy went to the bar and got Vivian a shot of tequila.
After a few minutes, and the shot, Vivian’s sobs quieted and her tears stopped. She had needed to vent the fear and frustration, but now she needed to channel her emotions into jailing that lunatic.
He’s going down, she thought just as Nelson pulled out his car keys.