“Was this dress in with the other dirty clothes? Was anything else cut up?” Chloe noticed T.J. standing at the entrance, scanning the room.
“Yes, it was with the other clothes. This was the only thing ruined. The dress is—was—my favorite one. Paul gave it to me on our last anniversary. Twenty blessed years. He picked it out himself. I even wore it to the event in Paris.” Eyes glistening, Mary took a deep breath, then another, raising her quavering hand to comb her fingers through her hair. “I must look a mess. I...I...”
Chloe placed her arm around Mary. “You look fine. Why don’t you let me pack the rest of your clothes? You can sit downstairs with Officer Bryant. When we wrap up everything here, we’ll move to a new house. I don’t want you to tell anyone—” she looked up at Paul, then back to Mary “—where you’re staying.”
“But my family needs to know.” Mary blinked the tears from her eyes.
“I’ll get you a number they can call. It’s my employer’s. She’ll relay all messages to me. Remember, do not tell anyone, even family, where you’re staying,” she repeated, not sure the couple fully understood the importance of keeping their location a secret.
“But this isn’t my family’s doing.” Mary’s voice quavered with each word.
“They might accidentally let something slip. It’s very important. No one should know.” Chloe stood.
Paul moved to the bed and sat on the other side of Mary, wrapping his arm around his wife. “How about the publicist for the publisher?”
“She can use the same number. We’ll set up a network so your whereabouts can’t be traced, but you’ll still be able to stay in touch if you are needed.” Chloe walked to T.J. “We’ll give you a few minutes, but please don’t touch anything in the closet until Detective Matthews gives his go-ahead.”
T.J. stepped into the hallway. “Matthews should be here soon. I want him to dust for fingerprints and take Mary and Paul’s to rule them out. Maybe we’ll get something from that. But the question I want answered is how did the person get inside to destroy the dress? I know the alarm system isn’t the best, but unless they knew the code, the alarm should have gone off.”
“But as we talked about earlier, some systems can be circumvented if a person knows what he’s doing. Were the windows wired?” Chloe asked. “I found two unlocked on the second floor when I did a walk-through earlier.”
“No. Why didn’t you say something?”
“Both weren’t easily accessible and nothing seemed out of place. I thought maybe the owner left them unlocked. On the second floor, some people aren’t as vigilant about locking them. Every closet and hiding place was checked, so no one was in the house after we came home.”
“Which means they were here while we were away.”
“Since the Zimmermans’ schedule was public knowledge, that wouldn’t be difficult to coordinate.”
Footsteps coming up the stairs interrupted their conversation. Chloe glanced down the corridor as Rob and the police officer made their way toward them. Rob scowled, his long strides eating up the distance between them.
He stopped a few feet away from her. “What happened?”
“Someone cut up Mary’s dress. It was in her suitcase with some other dirty clothes.” Chloe observed the officer who moved around them and positioned himself at the bedroom door. Rob was taking this very seriously, which pleased her. Someone was toying with the Zimmermans. No one had been harmed—yet. But it was only a matter of time. She couldn’t shake the feeling a lot more was to come. Ripping Mary’s dress was personal. Had they known it was her favorite? “Just a sec.” Chloe parted from the group and stepped back into the bedroom. “Paul, have you checked all of your clothes and belongings?”
“Not everything. Mary brought the suitcase out first and opened it on the bed—” Paul gestured toward the bag on the other side of the couple “—so I haven’t had time to check. Should I now?”
“Wait until Detective Matthews talks with you two and gives the go-ahead. I want you both to make sure you have everything and your items and clothing are intact.”
Rob entered, surveying the bedroom before bridging the distance to the Zimmermans. Chloe had intended to stay and listen, but T.J. clasped her hand and pulled her out into the hallway.
“I’d like to check the two windows that were unlocked. Also the ground below them.”
“The first one is at the end of this hall.” She pointed to the window on the side of the house that was well lit. “It’s a straight drop with no trees or way to climb up to it unless a person uses a ladder.”
“Maybe they did. A lot of people don’t think anyone can get into their house through their second-story windows. They leave them unlocked and not wired to an alarm. That may be the case here. The Zimmermans arrived early this morning and didn’t have a lot of time before they had to leave for the church. Where’s the other window?”
“In the corner bedroom at the front of the house, which, if someone was using a ladder, wouldn’t be their first choice.”
T.J. walked to the first window at the end of the hall and examined it, without touching it, then checked out the second one nearby in the bedroom. “I’m assuming you didn’t see anything unusual or you would have said something to me, but let’s check outside. It rained yesterday, so the soil would be soft. If the intruder used a ladder, it would leave an indentation in the ground.”
“I’ll tell the officer where we’re going and grab a flashlight.”
When she went outside with T.J., they first checked the window facing the front of the house. An intruder would have to put the ladder on the driveway. “If he entered here, there’s no way for us to tell.”
“This wouldn’t be the one. This entry is too obvious. They would check each window in the back of the place first.” T.J. opened the gate and let Chloe go through ahead of him.
She stood under the window and inspected the ground around a bush directly under it. “This looks like someone put a ladder here.”
“I’ll have Matthews check for fingerprints here especially on the outside and the upstairs windowsill. You didn’t touch that or the screen, which would have been removed to allow someone to climb inside, did you?”
“No, not other than the lock which I clicked shut.”
T.J. made a full circle, taking in the surroundings. “That elm near the property blocks much of this side of the house from the next-door neighbor, but it wouldn’t hurt for Matthews to talk to them in case they saw something like an unfamiliar car parked near here.”
“Rob is thorough. Maybe he’ll find evidence to help ID the person stalking the Zimmermans after he talks with them.”
“Until then, let’s get them moved to a safer house and let him do his job.”
“Sounds like a good plan. None of us are going to get much sleep tonight, but tomorrow is a rest day and I figure we’ll all need it.” She headed for the front of the house. “Of course, that’s only if no one discovers where we’re going.”
* * *
“This is a fortress,” T.J. said and took a long sip of his coffee, relishing the jolt of caffeine. He turned from the window overlooking the large front yard of the new safe house, bathed in the morning sunlight.
Chloe closed the few feet between them. “And what’s even better, no one knows about this place except the Zimmermans, you, me and Kyra. Paul and Mary are taking a nap. Paul was quite upset about his computer being wiped clean by the intruder. Apparently he and Mary have been working on another book in the series. It seems someone doesn’t want them to write it. Fortunately, they have a backup.”
“Going after a writer’s computer is as personal as Mary’s dress. Have we found out how anyone could know the significance of that piece of clothing?”
“Good question. I asked Mary about that. She opened the anniversary present at a party attended by a group of
close friends. She made a big deal out of it because Paul actually went out and bought it. She called it her power dress. He usually has Mary’s cousin who lives with them buy her gifts.” She faced the window, side by side with T.J.
Her presence charged the air around him. Distracted a few seconds, he stared at her as she swallowed some of her drink. He pulled his attention away and continued his perusal of the yard, enclosed all the way around by an electrified six-foot fence. “I like that this is a much smaller house. Easier to defend.”
“No one in our agency has used this yet. Kyra amazes me with her connections.”
“Well, I’m in love with the security system. Everything is wired and will go off if someone tries to circumvent it.”
Chloe chuckled. “Only someone in security would get excited about that.”
“Or someone running for his life.”
“The only thing we’re missing is dogs patrolling the grounds.”
“I guess we can’t have everything.” T.J. shifted toward her. “You wanted to talk about who should be the lead in this detail.”
“Not anymore. The publisher contacted you about this job. You should be it.”
He stuck his forefinger into his ear and wiggled it. “Did I hear correctly or has no sleep finally sent you over the edge?”
“Cute. I’m being practical. There needs to be one person in charge, and I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t suggested it to Kyra. We can’t debate tactics in the middle of a crisis. I trust you.”
I trust you. Those words reverberated in his mind, leaving a warm feeling in their wake. He didn’t trust. What had happened to him? His job certainly had taught him to be cautious, but he was even questioning the Lord. Was this innate distrust the reason he hadn’t tried to stay in Chloe’s life even after she didn’t come to Washington? Had he been afraid in the end she would disappoint him, as so many people had in his line of work?
She grinned, two dimples showing. “Besides, if the publisher needs to talk to anyone about the security, that’ll be your job.”
“I’ve got big shoulders. I think I can handle it,” T.J. said, forcing a laugh. He pushed his thoughts into the background. This wasn’t the time to contemplate his trust issues.
“You’d better. That’s the part of the job I don’t like. Thankfully Kyra does that task.”
“The publicist will be at the event tomorrow. I’ll make sure she doesn’t corner you.”
“See, we’re already working better together by talking about this.”
A strand of her hair had come loose from her ponytail. T.J. clenched his hands tightly to keep from hooking it behind her ear. He moved toward the kitchen. “Do you want some more coffee?”
“No. I’m going to lie down while the Zimmermans are asleep, if that’s okay with you. Then you can rest after me.”
“I was going to suggest that very thing. We both need some sleep, and although this place is a fortress, I think we should take turns guarding tonight, especially since there are only two bedrooms.” As he entered the kitchen, he glanced back at her following him. “Okay?”
“Great. I feel so much better that we don’t have a limousine service involved. Thanks for using your car to come here. It’s been a long twenty-four hours since we started on this assignment.” Chloe finished her coffee and put the cup in the sink. “I’d better snatch some sleep or I won’t be able to keep my eyes open tonight.”
“I know better. Kyra told me about one of your cases where you had to stay awake for over forty-eight hours and be alert until help got to you.”
“I was younger then.”
“Yeah, by a whole six months. That would make a big difference. See you in a couple of hours. Do you want me to wake you up?”
“No,” she said quickly, her eyes widening slightly. “I always bring an alarm clock with me. I’ll use that.” She backed away. “See you in a few.”
When she left, she seemed to take some of the energy with her. There was something vibrant about Chloe. He took his mug of strong coffee and walked through the small house, rechecking all points of entry before he stood at the large window in the living room and stared outside.
When the police officer had finally taken them to T.J.’s house to pick up his car early this morning before the sun was up, he’d grabbed an untraceable cell phone for communication with Kyra, Detective Matthews and the publisher. Then as he’d driven to this safe house, he and Chloe had kept an eye out for any car that might be following them. With less traffic at that time of day, it would have been easier to spy a familiar vehicle behind them.
And yet, beyond the six-foot chain-link fence, he sensed someone watching the place. Nothing concrete. Just a gut feeling.
Maybe that was his problem and the reason he distrusted so easily. He was always looking over his shoulder, always scanning the crowd searching for someone who had evil intentions. He’d been taught to suspect everyone. He’d left the Secret Service and gone right into private protection. What was it like to have a normal life? To go to a nine-to-five job and come home—to a family. Would he ever do that with someone like Chloe?
Whoa. Where had that thought come from? Seeing Chloe again? He’d given up on having a family years ago when he was so often on the road with his job after his relationship with Chloe ended. He was still doing the same type of job—still gone from home a lot—which made him realize he needed to press Kyra about taking on a partner. Maybe then he could consider a life outside his job if he didn’t travel much.
* * *
The next morning after showering and getting dressed, Chloe came into the kitchen for her first cup of coffee. The scent of it brewing drew her to the room. “Good morning. Did you two sleep all right?” she asked Mary and Paul. She’d slept soundly for four hours. She’d known T.J. stood guard and trusted him. That was a good feeling.
Scrambling eggs at the stove, Mary glanced over her shoulder. “Like a baby. I knew there was a reason we planned a couple of rest days in our month-long speaking tour. After all that has happened, I feel reenergized. How about you?”
“I slept as well as I usually do on the job.” She was thankful she could operate on little sleep for short periods of time and still perform as she should.
“I hope you’re hungry. I love to cook, but I don’t get to as much as I used to. I thought we would have a big breakfast before we left. We have a long day ahead of us.” Mary turned back to stir the eggs.
“Where’s T.J.?” Chloe crossed the kitchen and filled a mug with coffee.
“He’s in our bedroom, looking for bugs,” Mary said.
“Bugs?”
“Listening devices.” Paul buttered the toast after it popped up from the toaster.
“Be back in a sec.” As Chloe moved through the six-room house, she scanned her surroundings, checking outside as she passed a window. When she arrived at the entrance to the bedroom the Zimmermans were using, she leaned against the doorjamb, took a sip of her coffee and asked, “Do you suspect there is a bug in their belongings?”
T.J. shrugged while running his bug sweeper over the couple’s room. “Just a gut feeling we’re being watched. I can’t shake it. But if that’s the case, how did they find us?”
“How did you get that?” Chloe gestured toward a black rectangular box on the end of a long, black pole.
“Kyra brought it to me first thing this morning. I think I woke her up.”
“Why didn’t you get me up?”
“Because it was your turn to sleep and you needed to. I’ll wake you when we have a problem. Kyra talked to Matthews about the case late last night. It seems she knows him, too.”
“Yeah, years ago they worked together on the police force. He’s one of the reasons I went to work for her. What did she tell you?”
He walked toward her. “What prints they gathered we
re either Mary’s, Paul’s or an unknown person’s.”
“Were there any on the outside windowsill or the pane?”
“Surprisingly, those areas were clean of any prints.”
“Like they had been wiped off?”
“Exactly. At least that’s what Matthews thinks, or else gloves were used.”
“Or they didn’t use the window. There generally won’t be prints on an upstairs outside windowsill that has a screen.”
“That still is the most likely way they got in and out. The alarm wasn’t set off or tampered with, so the intruder didn’t come through the door unless he knew the code.”
As he moved through the doorway, his arm brushed against hers. She caught a whiff of his lime aftershave. Her heartbeat revved for a few seconds. She stepped away while T.J. crossed the hall to the bedroom she’d slept in.
“I’ve already checked my bag. Yours is the last one. Oh, by the way, I’m having Kyra call the limo company and check for a GPS tracker on the one we used. It would be nice to find out if that was the way they discovered where the Zimmermans were staying.”
“The limo company the Zimmermans were using wasn’t public knowledge.”
“But certain people knew—like the publicist who set it up.”
“Why would the publicist do this?” Chloe tensed as he approached her suitcase on the floor on the other side of the bed.
T.J. ran the bug sweeper over her belongings, but it didn’t sound. “That’s it. Nothing on any of the items we brought from the other house. But I still feel something isn’t right.”
“Maybe you’re being overzealous. Of course, I’d rather you be that than the opposite.”
He strode into the hallway, inhaling a deep breath. “I’m sure glad Mary likes to cook.”
“So am I, since I don’t do much but the basics. Cooking for one doesn’t inspire me to learn more.”
“I feel the same way. Living in hotels will do that to you.” T.J. waited for Chloe to go into the kitchen first.
Paul sat at the table while Mary carried the platter of scrambled eggs and bacon and put it in the center next to the stacked pieces of toast and the coffeepot.
Bodyguard Reunion Page 5