by Gerri Hill
“Senator Michaels here. What can I do for you?”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Eleven women crowded into the hospital room as soon as the doctor allowed. Megan, dressed in her hospital gown, gave them all a smile as she squeezed Jaime’s hand.
“He said you all did a remarkable job of keeping the wound clean. And the stolen antibiotics did help.”
“Wonderful. But what did they do to you? You’ve been in there two hours.”
“They flushed the wound—which let me tell you was not pleas-ant—and then I’ve got this drain tube thing. I’ve had more shots than I can remember and he tells me I’ll sleep until morning.”
Jaime squeezed her shoulder then bent low. “I’m really glad you’re okay, Megan. I was worried as hell there, you know.”
“You saved my life, Jaime. I won’t ever forget you.”
Jaime cleared her throat. “Oh, hell, it wasn’t just me.” She stood up, motioning to the others. “Everybody had a part in this.” She looked at Sara, silently asking for help.
Sara smiled at the misting of tears in Jaime’s eyes, then moved forward, thinking this was as good a time as any to address them all.
“Ladies, we had a hell of a trip. And”—she paused—“we lost Sandra along the way.” She swallowed down the lump in her throat as she met their eyes, lingering on Celia as the older woman wiped tears from her eyes. “I won’t even bother reciting the original purpose of this trip. If you didn’t learn perseverance and self-confidence from our little trek through the mountains, then you won’t learn it anywhere.”
“Yeah, we learned it all right. I’m just not sure any of us ever want to do it again,” Abby said, and the others chimed in with laughs.
“Well, I hope this isn’t the last communication I have from you all. I know we exchanged addresses and phone numbers and e-mail addresses but once you leave here and get back into the real world, we may all fade from your memory,” Sara said, glancing quickly at Jaime before continuing. “I’ve made arrangements to get you back to Denver. And the clinic has rooms for you at a hotel just down the street from the airport. I want your last night to at least be comfortable. You all know my secretary, Tracy. She’s going to make all of your flight arrangements so she’ll be in touch with you in the morning.” She laughed. “All but you, Megan. You’re staying here overnight.”
“Can I stay with her?”
“Ashley? Are you sure?”
“Yeah. She might need a friendly face around.” She shrugged. “Besides, I don’t have anything to rush home to.”
“Thanks. That’d be great, Ash,” Megan said.
“Okay then. Let’s say our good-byes to Megan and hit the road.”
One by one, they went to Megan, wishing her well. Then each of them stopped in front of Jaime and Sara, giving tight hugs to both women.
“You saved all our lives, Jaime. Not just Megan’s. I won’t ever forget you either,” Lou Ann said.
Jaime didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded. Then Abby squeezed her hard and patted her cheek. “Thanks for the skinny dipping lessons, Chief. It ranks right up there on the fun scale.”
“Glad we could all get naked together,” Jaime said, drawing laughs from the others.
Celia was the last to leave the room. She took Jaime’s hand, shoving a camera into it. “It was Sandra’s. There’s a bunch of the two of you on it. I thought maybe you’d like it.” She shrugged. “I don’t know of any family she has. I think she’d rather you have it anyway.”
“Oh, man,” Jaime murmured. She squeezed the camera, then pulled Celia into a tight hug. “Thanks. She was a special lady.”
“She thought you were too.”
Chapter Fifty
As soon as the van pulled away, Special Agent Erickson and Agent Fielding were waiting.
“We’ll take the chopper to Colorado Springs, Ms. Michaels. Your father is expecting you. Then we’ll transport Detective Hutchinson back to Denver for debriefing.”
“The woman I was telling you about. Sandra Kellum. Have they found her yet?”
“They’re on the trail but they’ve not come upon her yet. They’ll let me know as soon as they do.”
Sara glanced at Jaime. “You gave them the coordinates?”
“They’ll find her, Sara. Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
As they walked toward the helicopter, Sara moved closer to Jaime. “I’m not crazy about flying and I’ve certainly never been on one of these before,” she yelled as the sound of the rotors nearly drowned her out.
“We’ll be fine,” Jaime said loudly into her ear. “I’ll be right beside you.”
Jaime climbed in first, then helped Sara on board. The two agents followed. After Jaime got them buckled in, she took the headset Agent Fielding handed her, slipping it over her ears. She motioned at Sara but Erickson shook his head.
Sara looked at the three of them, wondering if she should feel slighted, but as soon as the helicopter lifted off, she gripped the seat hard, watching as the ground disappeared at an alarming rate.
“So Hutchinson, this McCoy person—a former Denver police detective—she just happened to be in the area?”
Jaime met his steady gaze then shrugged. “That’s what she said.”
He smiled but it never came close to reaching his eyes. “Quite the coincidence.”
Jaime grinned. “Yeah. We were damn lucky she was out hiking today.”
“This guy, any idea who he is?”
Jaime shook her head. “I thought that was your specialty.”
“We’ll find out soon enough. The county coroner has released him to us.”
Jaime nodded, glancing at Sara. She was white as a sheet. Jaime reached over and squeezed her arm. Sara met her eyes and offered a weak smile. Jaime leaned closer, covering the mouthpiece on her headset. “You okay?” she yelled.
Sara nodded, then gasped as the helicopter lurched to the side. She clutched Jaime’s hand, squeezing hard.
“Got some turbulence,” the pilot said. “Going to drop her down a little. Hold on.”
Sara leaned back, watching as the trees got closer again. She saw a river and noted they seemed to be following its path.
Jaime nodded, following her gaze. “Arkansas River,” she yelled. “We’ll be in Colorado Springs in no time.”
Chapter Fifty-One
He paced quickly in his office, his feet moving back and forth across the carpet. It was the worst possible outcome. Not only was Sara still alive but the FBI had the body of their hired killer.
“It’s not that bad, Senator,” Dodds said again. “He’s dead. He can’t tell them anything.”
Peter Michaels turned, glaring at Dodds. “Not that bad? We’ve paid him half a million dollars. Don’t you think they’ll trace that?”
Dodds shook his head. “It’s been transferred so many times through bogus accounts, there’s no way it’ll come back to us.” He moved closer. “We can still do this. The FBI is dropping her in our lap. We’ll say thanks and a job well done, then send them on their way.”
Michaels shook his head. “I had no problem with your plan, Dodds. In fact, it was genius. But if you think we’re going to bring her here and then carry out our plan here, you are sadly mistaken. It’s too risky.”
“I doubt we’ll have another chance. Ramsey can handle it.”
“No. We can’t take a chance.”
Dodds smiled. “Peter, it’s not really your decision to make. We have millions and millions of dollars invested in you. If you don’t win the presidency, it’s all for nothing. All these years will have been wasted. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Peter squared his shoulders. “Do you understand what I’m saying? It’s too risky. We had our opportunity and we missed.” He straightened, standing to his full height, dwarfing Dodds. “I’m still in charge here.”
Dodds laughed then turned away. “No, Peter, you’re not in charge. You’ve never been in charge.” He opened his cell phone an
d pushed a number, waiting only seconds. “Ramsey? Come up here, please.” Dodds turned back around. “No, Peter, you are not in charge.” He smiled again. “We own you, Peter. We own every single bit of you.” He walked to the window and pulled the drapes aside. “We’ll still take her out. We have to take her out now. Once the press gets wind of this, everyone in the nation will know you have a lesbian daughter.” He turned, looking pointedly at Michaels. “And it will be such a shame that she survived an assassin’s bullet but couldn’t survive a car accident.” His smile vanished. “We took care of your wife’s affair all those years ago, Peter. It’s only fitting his daughter should die the same way.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Sara’s relief as Colorado Springs came into view was short-lived as the helicopter passed over the city and headed to the east. Years ago, her father’s estate had been miles out of town, sprawled out on the plains, far from neighbors. Now, the city crept closer and closer, inching mere blocks from the guarded estate.
As they approached the helicopter pad, Sara involuntarily reached over and clutched Jaime’s hand. She had a bad feeling, a feeling she couldn’t put into words. She didn’t want to see her father. She didn’t want to be interrogated by him. And she didn’t want to be left here alone. She hadn’t been to the complex in years and she hadn’t had a face-to-face meeting with her father in more than five years. The last one had been so disastrous, she was thankful her mother had not pushed for them to work out their differences yet again, something they’d been trying to do ever since he found out she was gay.
“We’ll drop Ms. Michaels off here, Detective. We’ve got a car waiting. You’ll go back to Denver with us,” Erickson said, his voice filling the headset. “We’ll need a complete debriefing, start to finish.”
“Sure. Whatever,” Jaime said. She held Sara’s hand tightly as the helicopter touched down, jolting them only slightly as it came to rest on the pad. The constant hum of the overhead rotor blades eased somewhat as the engine idled. Their door was opened from the outside and when Sara fumbled with her strap, Jaime reached over and unbuckled her.
“Thanks,” Sara said nervously.
Jaime only nodded and followed Sara from the chopper, both ducking their heads as they were led away. They stopped beside a shiny black Lincoln with darkened windows. Agent Fielding opened the back door and held it, nodding at Jaime.
“Can you give us a second?” she asked.
“Sure. But just a second. Special Agent Erickson will escort Ms. Michaels to the senator. He’s waiting.”
When they were alone, Jaime shyly took Sara’s hand. She smiled gently, knowing Sara was still spooked by the whole ordeal.
“Are you trying to hide the fact that we’re holding hands?” Sara asked with a wink.
Jaime blushed. “I didn’t want everybody talking about you. I mean, your father’s out there.”
Sara walked closer. “He knows I’m gay, Jaime. And I couldn’t care less what any of these other people think.”
Jaime nodded. “Will you be okay?”
“I don’t really want to be here,” Sara admitted. “I certainly don’t want to be left here. I have this terrible feeling they’re going to lock me away for security reasons and I’ll never see the light of day again.”
Jaime squeezed her hand. “They’re not going to do that. They just want to make sure you’re safe, that’s all. And they want to find out who this guy was and who hired him.”
Sara nodded. “I know. But this isn’t my life. I never wanted any part of it and it pisses me off now that I’m affected by it.”
Jaime raised her eyebrows teasingly. “You got to meet me.”
Their eyes held.
“Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” Sara cleared her throat. “Have I thanked you properly for saving my life?”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“Of course I do.”
Sara moved closer, her hand sliding up Jaime’s chest to curl around her neck. She closed her eyes as she pulled Jaime to her, their mouths meeting slowly, gently. She still wasn’t used to the way her body reacted from Jaime’s kisses. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart.
“Wow,” Jaime whispered.
Sara nodded. “Will I ever see you again?”
“I thought we had a dinner date? You were going to cook for me, remember?”
Sara laughed. “Oh yeah. It’s still a date then?”
“Absolutely.”
They pulled apart at the subtle clearing of the throat behind them. Agent Fielding stood waiting.
“Ready?”
Sara nodded. “If I must.” She glanced once more at Jaime, their eyes meeting for a brief intense second, then she pulled them away.
Agent Fielding pointed. “If you’ll go with Special Agent Erickson, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Agent.”
As she walked away, she glanced to the west, seeing the hulking shape of Pikes Peak as it hovered over the city, much like a sentinel standing guard. As a child, she used to love looking at the giant mountain. She always felt protected by it. She hoped it still held that same magic for her.
“Wow.”
Jaime glanced at Fielding. “What?”
“That was some thank-you kiss. I’ve never gotten one like that.”
Jaime slapped his shoulder with a laugh. “Then you’re not doing something right, man.”
As she followed Fielding into the back seat of the car, she watched Sara being greeted by three men. She assumed one to be her father but she did recognize the other agent, Special Agent Ramsey. Bastard. Going to take all the glory, no doubt. She shook her head and closed the door behind her.
Sara managed not to flinch from the angry glare of her father. She met his gaze head-on.
“Well, Sara, I see you still know how to cause a scene.”
Sara laughed. “Was that a scene?” She shrugged. “I thought it was pretty mild.”
He clenched his jaw. “You call kissing another woman in my presence mild? Don’t you have even one ounce of respect in you?”
“Respect? You expect me to show you respect?”
“No, Sara. I expect no such thing.” He turned to Special Agent Erickson. “Thank you for bringing her here safely. You’ll keep me informed of course?”
“Yes, sir. As soon as we know something, I’ll be in touch.”
“Then have a safe trip back to Denver,” he said dismissively. He gripped Sara’s elbow hard. “I’m sure you want to see your mother.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
“So, what kind of investigation will you do?” Jaime asked as they maneuvered back to the interstate.
“With what, Detective?”
“With what? With our dead guy, of course. He was obviously a hire. Surely you have some idea as to who’s been calling the shots.”
Erickson looked over his shoulder from the front seat. “That’s nothing you need to concern yourself with, Detective. It’s an FBI matter.”
Jaime laughed. “Oh, I see. But it wasn’t an FBI matter a couple of weeks ago, I guess?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that you solicited a lowly Denver detective’s help, that’s what.”
“Oh, yes. I forgot about the alleged agent who needed your help. I suppose we should be thankful you and your captain fell for it.”
Jaime leaned forward. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Your captain said some guy claiming to be an agent coerced you into finding Michaels’ party on the trail.”
“What? What do you mean, claiming to be an agent?”
Erickson shrugged. “They used you to lead them to Michaels.”
“They? You mean Ramsey? Ramsey’s not FBI?”
He shook his head. “Don’t have an Agent Ramsey on this case. Don’t even know a Ramsey,” Erickson said. “Told your captain as much.”
Jaime gripped the back of the front seat hard. “Turn the god-
damn car around!”
Chapter Fifty-Four
“You remember Mr. Dodds, of course,” Peter said. “This is Ramsey.”
Sara nodded as she followed the three men toward the mansion. “Where’s my mother?”
“She’s resting in her quarters.”
Sara’s eyes lifted to the second floor balcony which was her mother’s suite. It appeared to be closed up.
“Her room down in the bunker, Sara. Not up there.”
Sara frowned. “The bunker? Why?”
“Your mother has not been herself lately,” Mr. Dodds said.
“She’s under a doctor’s care,” Peter added.
“What’s wrong? Why wasn’t I told?”
“You haven’t exactly been accessible, Sara. But not to worry. She’s being taken care of.”
Sara paused beside the door as Ramsey held it open for them. She frowned. Ramsey? Something was nagging at her, something just below the surface but she couldn’t quite grasp it. She paused at the door, her head tilted sideways, brows drawn together.
“Sara?”
She shook her head, then turned toward the sound of her father’s voice.
“I’ll have Arthur take you to your mother. I’ll be along shortly.”
Sara nodded, feeling a genuine smile form as Arthur approached. Arthur had barely been out of college when he’d joined her father’s very first campaign, that for city council many, many years ago. She’d always gotten along well with Arthur, finding him to be a buffer between herself and her father during her awkward teenage years, years when she was noticing girls instead of boys.
“Well Miss Sara, how are you?”
“Hello, Arthur. Good to see you again.”
“Your mother has been asking for you.” He grasped her hand and linked it in the crook of his elbow. “I’ll take you to see her.”