Mr. And Miss Anonymous

by Fern Michaels

  “No. I got lost, then I panicked. I thought you led me out here to the kitchen. Someone whispered, ‘follow me,’ and I did, then he went out the kitchen door. I thought it was you. Oh, God, it was Josh, wasn’t it? He was right here with me, and I didn’t even know it. Oh, Pete, I am so sorry.”

  Pete kept his arm around Lily’s shoulders as he led her out of the school into the dark night. Within seconds, Winston bounded to his side, followed by Zolly.

  “He got away, boss! Winston tried, but he tripped on some roots, and the kid was like a streak of lightning. At least I think it was the kid. Man, can he move! He’s gone!”

  “Yeah, I know. C’mon, we might as well join the others. I hope they’re waiting for us. He’s not going to come back here, that’s for sure. Jesus, what does he know? Why did he help Lily, then run?”

  “He doesn’t know who to trust, Pete. Hey, he could have left me back there blithering like an idiot or bopped me on the head, and he didn’t. And, he’s afraid.”

  “Not as afraid as I am,” Pete muttered as he followed Zolly and Winston to the area where they’d invaded the school grounds. “Are the guards okay, Zolly?”

  “Yeah, they’ll be waking up soon with bad headaches. This has been a hell of a night, boss. Someday you have to write a book and send it to your stockholders at Christmastime.”

  “Smart-ass,” Pete mumbled.

  “Takes one to know one, boss.”

  “That’s the truth,” Lily said, weighing in.

  Chapter 18

  Tessie Dancer parked her red Taurus in the dimly lit parking lot of the Belly-Up Bar in a less-than-desirable location in town. She looked around at the rows of pickup trucks and battered cars the Belly-Up’s customers arrived in. It was a strip bar with pole dancers who were shy about removing their clothing, saying they danced for the art of dancing. Tessie considered the dump educational because she had visions of wrapping herself around one of the poles and going for it. Not that she ever would, but every girl deserves to have a fantasy. Little Slick hated the place, but he was the one who found it and said it was the only safe place in town for people like him and Tessie to discuss business.

  The Belly-Up Bar had a private room for such discussions, and for forty bucks, it was theirs for a solid hour. One free drink each and a bowl of peanuts came with the deal.

  Little Slick, who really wasn’t so little at six two, climbed out of a Jeep Wrangler and walked toward Tessie, who was just getting out of her car. “Evening, Tessie,” he drawled.

  “We have to stop meeting at dumps like this. It’s not good for my image,” Tessie drawled in return. She looked pointedly at Little Slick’s hands, knowing full well the hacker never carried anything with him. Among other things, Little Slick had a photographic memory.

  The Belly-Up was smoky. The patrons, as they were called, didn’t give a shit about ordinances and the people who issued them. Anyone brave enough to enter the Belly-Up with the intention of enforcing any of the ordinances was never seen or heard of again. Or, so said the owner, a barrel-chested ex-wrestler who kept not one but six guns under the bar.

  Tessie and Little Slick waved to the owner behind the bar as they headed for the private room that was so in demand a reservation had to be made in advance. Usually ten minutes prior to arriving qualified as a reservation.

  Knowing the rules, Tessie and Little Slick went in and sat down at an old Formica-and-chrome table with bright red chairs, complete with brass nail heads, and waited. There was a certain ritual that had to be adhered to. Little Slick said it was the owner’s version of a class act. A knock sounded and the door opened. A bowl, as big as a watermelon, filled with peanuts was placed in the middle of the table. Five minutes later two bottles of BUD LIGHT were on the table, along with two skimpy cocktail napkins.

  The moment the door closed, Little Slick leaned across the table, his eyes boring into the reporter’s. “Tessie, what the hell are you involved in? Girl, this is not good. Are you listening to me?”

  Tessie bristled. “Well, I would if you’d tell me what you’re talking about. What?”

  “Give me some background. I’m not divulging anything that’s going to get you wiped off the map until I know how you…how you got involved in whatever this is.”

  Tessie could feel her stomach start to churn. “It fell in my lap. I got a phone call and I responded. Credible people. What, Slick?”

  Instead of answering the question, Slick asked one of his own. “How credible?”

  “As credible as they come,” Tessie snapped.

  “Who? I need names, Tessie.”

  “Well, you aren’t going to get any names. You know better than to ask me something like that. Either you trust me or you don’t. For God’s sake, what?”

  Little Slick moved his beer bottle on the table, making round wet circles, his eyes cloudy with worry. “Call your friend or whoever it is and ask him or her if you can give me their names. I’m not giving up a thing until I know what this is all about. It’s for your own good, Tessie. Mine, too. This is all too far up the food chain for either one of us to go off half-cocked. The retaliation could be deadly. Either you do it, or I’m outta here.”

  Tessie couldn’t believe her ears. In all the years she’d known Little Slick, this was the first time she’d ever seen him so concerned, looking this worried. She bit down on her lower lip. “I guess I can do that. Why don’t you go out to the bar and buy us another beer while I make the call.”

  Little Slick stood up. “Don’t even think of snowing me, Tessie. I’ll know if you try to put one over on me.”

  Tessie waited for the door to close behind Little Slick before she pulled out her cell phone. She pressed in Pete Kelly’s cell number. When there was no answer, she tried Lily Madison’s cell. She picked up on the third ring.

  “Lily, it’s Tessie Dancer. Listen, I’ve run into a bit of a problem. If you know anything about reporters, then you know we don’t reveal our sources and don’t mention names unless we have permission. I have a long-standing source right here with me who has information Pete needs, but he’s telling me he won’t give it up until he knows who it is that wants it besides me. Are you following me here? Good, now, can I talk to Pete?”

  As Lily handed the phone to Pete she told him who was on the line.

  “Tessie! I was just going to call you.” Before Tessie could tell him why she was calling, Pete launched into the happenings at the California Academy of Higher Learning. “Lily was that close to him, Tessie. He actually led her out to the kitchen. He’s gone now. So for now he’s lost to us again. I was right, though, he did go back to the school, where he felt safe. That bastard shot up the ceiling, so I’m assuming the boy was crawling through the ductwork. There were hundreds of shell casings in the hallway floor. Somehow or other the kid got away, thank God. I hope you’re calling with better news.”

  Tessie digested the information, sifted and collated it with her reporter’s brain. She cleared her throat. “Listen, Pete, I’m meeting with one of my best sources. At the moment he’s not with me, so he can’t hear what I’m saying. I want you to believe me when I tell you this guy is the best of the best. He has something, but he won’t divulge it unless I tell him who you are and how I came by the story. My thinking, and he pretty much verified it, is that this is so far up the food chain he’s afraid. And, trust me, I did not think there was anything in this world that could scare this guy. I’ve gone to jail twice to protect my sources, and I’ll go again. It would just make it easier if you give me the okay to mention your name. He’s not going to do anything with the info. It’s strictly for his ears only. What say you, Pete Kelly?”

  The sudden silence on the other end of the phone caused Tessie’s stomach muscles to crunch into a tight knot. When Pete finally started to speak, she felt light-headed with relief.

  “You’re the reporter, Tessie. Whatever you decide is okay with Lily and me.”

  “Okay, I’ll get back to you in a bit. Tell Lily to think a
bout the shooter and the changes to his appearance. I’ll bring the drawing she made, and she can sketch in the changes. You’re telling me there isn’t going to be any fallout with the FBI over your visit?”

  “So far so good. Other than a mess of flat tires and a bunch of tow trucks, we got away clean without being hauled in.”

  “Okay, good. We’ll talk in a bit.”

  Tessie clicked her cell phone shut and stared at the only picture on the wall. It had a black velvet background with a glow-in-the-dark image of Elvis Presley decked out in a white rhinestone-studded, one-piece suit. A true work of art. She really loved tacky crap.

  Her eyes glued to the artwork, Tessie heard rather than saw Little Slick enter the room, two bottles of beer in hand. His eyes questioned her.

  “His name is Peter Aaron Kelly, CEO and founder of PAK Industries, and his lady friend, Lily Madison, doyenne of children’s clothing.”

  Little Slick’s expression gave away nothing. “The rest, please.”

  “Being as smart and astute as you are, I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out. Pete donated his sperm, Lily donated her eggs. A lifetime ago, nineteen years, to be exact. The kid that got away… Pete thinks it’s his kid. Which then begs the question of why would some crackpot blow away a whole classroom of kids? Somehow the shooter missed the boy and his friend. The friend, by the way, is mentally challenged and in the protection of the FBI.” Tessie leaned back and stared across the table at Little Slick.

  “Tell me the rest.”

  Tessie sighed. “With the help of Pete’s security, they broke into the clinic and sperm bank. Both places were deserted, wiped clean. The sperm bank was pretty much what you would expect. The clinic was different. In the back was a complete minihospital. Delivery rooms. Labs. Just like a regular hospital, only scaled down. Not so much as a paper clip was left behind. Both buildings were abandoned within hours of their visit, during which they asked some real serious questions. That’s it, Slick, it’s all I have. Now it’s your turn, and don’t leave anything out.”

  Slick pointed to the picture on the wall. “True art.”

  Tessie knew he was stalling for time. Well, she had all the time in the world.

  “What happened first, Tessie, the shooting or Kelly getting in touch with you?”

  “The shooting. Pete and Lily were in the airport in Atlanta, both taking a flight here for a fund-raiser at their alma mater. They met by accident, although they had met nineteen years ago. A brief encounter. Both of them have some severe problems where all this is concerned. It seems neither one of them took advantage of the counseling that was suggested back when they were…uh…making their…donations. Yes, they made those donations for money, but they also made them believing the donations would go to childless couples. That doesn’t seem to be the case, in my opinion.

  “Another thing, Slick, where are the other youngsters who attended that school? All I can find out is that they left several days before the shooting. As far as I know, no one knows where they are. How do you secret away so many kids, and why? The shooting was a contract kill. Who in the hell orders something like that? What kind of sick bastard would do something like that? Well?” Tessie asked through clenched teeth. “Do you know, Slick?”

  “Let’s just say I know where all the threads lead. Can I prove it? In time, yes, if I stay alive long enough. That goes for you, too, Tessie. You know that dream you have of getting a house on the water so you can putz and putter around and maybe write a book? That might not happen if you stick with this. Anyone capable of killing a bunch of kids isn’t going to think twice about killing a reporter and her friend. Me being said friend.

  “I’m willing to give up all I know, but then I have to back off. From here on in, you’re going to have to forget you know me. I have to think about my wife and kids. Your call, Tessie.”

  Tessie eyed her friend across the table. She’d never seen him this frightened. The Slick she knew didn’t have a bone of fear in his body except maybe when it came to one of his kids. For one wild moment she wanted to heed his warning, grab her bag, and run, but the reporter in her wouldn’t allow it. She offered up a salute to Elvis as she nodded to Slick. “Lay it on me, big guy!”

  Morgan blitzed his way down the highway, knowing he had to ditch the Land Cruiser and heist another set of wheels. An all-night supermarket was the most likely place, he told himself. He was rattled, and he admitted it to himself. He still couldn’t believe he’d gotten away with that show he’d put on back at the academy. But he was on borrowed time and he knew it.

  He had to get back to the Daniel Marley house so he could fall back and regroup. No way was he ever going to get another chance at the school and the kid. If the snot was half as smart as he seemed to be, he was already long gone. This whole thing was getting way too dicey for Morgan. He needed to distance himself from the whole scene as soon as possible. He knew how to disappear. The others involved could stay and pick up the pieces. He’d worry about the damn money later. For now he had to think about saving his own skin and getting rid of this vehicle.

  Morgan was careful to stay within the speed limit so as not to attract any attention to himself. Twenty minutes into the ride, he spotted a twenty-four-hour supermarket. He pulled in, cruising up and down the aisles as he looked for the darkest section of the parking lot. Near the Dumpster was a battered rust-colored Chevy just begging to be stolen. Hell, he’d be doing the owner a favor if he hot-wired it and drove it away. He parked the Land Cruiser at the opposite end of the parking lot and, with all his gear, walked back to the Chevy, which was just waiting for him, without drawing any attention to himself.

  Morgan was back on the highway in less than ten minutes. Fifteen minutes from the Marley house, he stopped at a farm store where he bought two six-packs, six burritos, and a copy of the Chronicle. He asked for a shopping bag, paid for his purchases, and was quickly back on the road. Two blocks from his house, he ditched the Chevy and carried his belongings with him as he jogged all the way to his house.

  Morgan fell into his well-trained soldier mode as he carried his weapons to the basement to secure them. He hung his suit in the closet, careful to pull the zipper of the storage bag all the way to the top so no dust could invade the quality suit. His shoes went on shoe trees, his underwear and shirt in the hamper. He showered, dressed in a baggy T-shirt and flannel pants. He walked barefoot back to the kitchen, where he wolfed down all six of the burritos and washed them all away with three beers.

  He felt calmer, more alert, and not nearly as hyper. He flipped open the newspaper to see what was going on in the world. On page three he found what he was looking for. His jaw dropped, his eyes popped, and his fist shot upward.

  The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

  Well, damn.

  No, double damn!

  This time both clenched fists shot into the air.

  Chapter 19

  The television was on, the sound low, and the remains of a late-night room service dinner sat on the table. Winston was curled up on the couch next to Lily and Pete, who were cuddling in the corner. Pete was stroking Lily’s hair. She smelled like summer and warm sunshine rolled up together. After all these years he’d found her. The gods were truly smiling down on him. He gave her a little squeeze. Lily snuggled even closer.

  “I’m sorry, Lily. For so many things. Right now this all seems to be about me and the boy. We haven’t even touched on your…you. I just want you to know when we find Josh, we’re moving into high gear and will find all of them, and we’ll start with you and any children you might have out there. I just want you to know I never make a promise I can’t keep. The fact that you haven’t said one word about your needs is mind-blowing to me.”

  “Pete, it’s okay. Right now, Josh is the most important thing to both of us. My turn will come soon enough. But, I think we need to be realistic and recognize the fact that all the others… We might never be able to find them. We’ll do the best we can and hope it’s good
enough. We have good people watching over us and helping, so we should be grateful for that. Tessie won’t let us down. I just feel that in my gut. As a woman, with a woman’s intuition, I feel the boy is going to be okay. Josh is smart, Pete. Look at what he’s accomplished so far. If he stays focused, he’s going to come out of this okay. Now, let’s talk about something else for a little while. Tell me about your ranch in Montana.”

  Pete chuckled. “It’s great, Lily. Big Sky Country. The cleanest, clearest air in the whole world. The house is pretty big. Six thousand square feet. Perfect for a bunch of kids and animals. Speaking of animals. I have a herd of cows and nine horses there. Plus two barns and one milk barn—everything is electric and climate-controlled. In a separate building I have an indoor tennis court and a heated pool, a Jacuzzi, and a steam room. The main house has a state-of-the-art kitchen. Open beams with green plants growing all over them and up the fireplace. It has one of those racks that hangs over the island with dozens of copper pots and pans. Latest appliances. You can actually cook in the fireplace. Out-of-this-world bathrooms, stone with waterfalls and recessed lighting that makes you look really good. The floors are heated throughout the house. The master bedroom is actually a suite that’s bigger than this whole villa. The views from all the windows are totally breathtaking. They tell me that’s what women look for in a house. A glorious deck that surrounds the house for summer pleasure. The house has six fireplaces, all fieldstone. You could roast an ox in any one of them.

  “The only thing it lacks is a woman’s touch. At the moment there’s lots of leather in the place. I guess the decorator believes that myth that men like deep dark leather furnishings. I think it’s kind of cold in the winter. You might want to change all that.”

  Lily snuggled even closer. “It sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to see it. How often do you get to go out there?”