In Plain Sight

by Susanne Matthews

  “Hello, Mrs. Starr. I’m Naomi. I hope you slept well. Why don’t you get cleaned up, and I’ll make you some coffee. We brought muffins and bagels if you’d like something to eat.”

  Misty swallowed the fear she’d felt and approached her daughter, hoping to keep her concern hidden. She knelt on the floor beside her and pulled the child into her arms, giving her a fierce, possessive hug. She kissed her forehead and reluctantly let her go. “What are you watching?”

  “Christy and I are watching the new movie Naomi brought us. It’s about a cat that fights with a sword. He’s helping the lady musketeers. It’s really good, Mommy. Want to watch it with us? We can start it again.”

  “No, sweetie, it’s okay. I’ll watch it the next time. I need to get cleaned up and talk to Mr. Nick.” She turned to the woman on the couch. “I’d love a cup of coffee, thanks. Where are the others?”

  “Charlotte, Nathan, and Eli — you’ll meet him a little later — have gone into town for groceries. Sarah’s downstairs with Vince and Nick; I think Nick told you about them. The others are outside.” She looked at the girls playing on the floor near her and indicated them with her head. Obviously, she didn’t want to say anything else.

  “Mommy, did you know daycare is closed? We get to stay home and play, and Naomi is our babysitter. And we have doggies, too. I was scared they’d eat my bunnies, but Mr. John says they won’t hurt them.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be a good girl for Naomi. It’s a holiday this week for Charlotte and me, too. I’m going to get dressed. I’ll be right back.”

  Debbie and Christy were already involved with their dolls and the movie. The resiliency of children never ceased to amaze her. Twenty minutes later, freshly showered and dressed, Misty walked into the kitchen where Nick was in conversation with a man and woman she didn’t recognize.

  “Here she is now,” said Nick, standing and walking toward her. He stopped, gave her a quick kiss, and turned to the others.

  “Vince Lerue, let me introduce you to Misty Starr.” The love in his voice warmed her. “Vince was my bodyguard and is now the head of his own security company. With him is Sarah Reynolds, who’s going to replace you at the school. Charlotte called in sick for you. Sarah will start this afternoon. She’ll see if anyone seems overly concerned about your absence.”

  “Won’t that put her in danger?”

  “Sarah can take care of herself. We won’t be staying here much longer. We’ll be going back to the penthouse in the city. Vince says this place is too open, too hard to monitor.”

  “I can’t defend the back of the house, the riverside. The riverbank across the way is a good fifty yards from us, but that wouldn’t be a problem for a sniper,” Vince clarified.

  Misty shivered. “I see.” She swallowed her fear and turned to Nick. “What happens in New York? Nick, we can’t spend the rest of our lives locked in your apartment. I won’t be a prisoner no matter how beautiful the cage is, and I can’t let Debbie be one either.”

  “And you won’t be.” He put his arms around her. “As soon as we flush Doherty’s successor out of the woodwork, we’re going to set a trap, and I’m going to make your dreams come true.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You and I are going to give a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall. If whoever is after you wants you, they’ll have to come after you there.”

  • • •

  Misty and Naomi sat at the table in the play area watching Christy and Debbie bouncing on the trampoline. She heard the sound of footsteps and turned.

  “How are you feeling, Misty?” asked Nathan. He, Charlotte and Eli, another of Vince’s men, had returned with groceries a little earlier.

  “Confused, afraid, unsure,” she said and sighed. “Pick any emotion you like, I’m probably feeling it or have felt it since last night. Add to that the fact that I’ve caught a head cold and feel miserable and achy.” She blew her nose to emphasize the point.

  “You don’t have to worry about anything. Nick and Vince have everything under control. Nick’s a good man, one of the best, and if he’s determined to protect you, then he will.”

  Or die trying. The unspoken thought made her shudder.

  “I know, but I’m not sure I’m ready to be the cheese in the trap. I’ve run from these people for five years; I’m not sure I can run toward them now. And singing in Carnegie Hall! Is he out of his cotton-pickin’ mind? How can he expect me to perform there? I’m nobody!”

  “Nobody with the voice of an angel.” For the first time in their brief acquaintance, Nick wore sunglasses. He stood behind her chair and put his hands on her shoulders.

  “I thought you were busy on the phone with your agent in New York.”

  “I was. I came out to tell you that our performance will take place in a month’s time. The posters will be created early next week, and Sylvia, my photographer, will be here to take photos in the morning — well, probably afternoon, since Sylvia isn’t a morning person.”

  “Are you sure about this, Nick? I don’t want anyone getting hurt. I’m not sure I’m ready to perform in front of that kind of crowd, especially knowing there could be people in the audience who want to kill me.”

  “You’ll be safe on stage. There’ll be such a heavy police presence in the place, they won’t dare strike while you’re on stage; they’d never get away. They’ll come after us after the show, but we won’t be where they expect us to be. Trust Vince; he knows what he’s doing.”

  • • •

  The weather stayed warm and clear. Misty stood next to the enclosed play area talking to Eli. Her cold wasn’t as bad as it had been, and after two days of bed rest, insisted upon by Nick, she’d decided she couldn’t face another moment inside. Naomi, who never let Debbie and Christy out of her sight, sat watching the girls bounce on the trampoline. According to Sarah, many people had asked about Misty’s health, but no one more than another. One of the high school teachers had sprained her wrist and was off for a few days, but other than that, everything seemed fine.

  “Mommy!” yelled Debbie. “Look at what I can do!” She bounced twice, sat down, and then stood again, a little shaky, but definitely back on her feet.

  “That’s wonderful,” cried Misty and clapped her hands. She dropped the tissue she’d been holding and bent down to retrieve it just as the unmistakable crack of a gunshot echoed across the river.

  “Stay down, Misty!” yelled Naomi, running toward the trampoline to grab Debbie, whose last attempt to bounce and stand up had failed.

  “Crawl behind the chair, and stay down!” yelled Eli, taking cover beside her. She did as she was told. Someone was shooting at them from across the water, just as Vince had predicted! She strained to see Debbie, but from this angle she couldn’t see the trampoline’s mat. She couldn’t see Debbie; couldn’t hear her. Had she been hit by the bullet? She was about to run to her daughter when Naomi’s words reached her.

  “Good girl, Debbie, stay on your belly like I showed you and slither like a snake to the opening. Christy, stay under the trampoline until I get there,” called Naomi. “I’m coming for you. Under no circumstances should either of you stand up.” Her voice was calm as if she was repeating a series of instructions with which the girls were familiar.

  A second shot rang out and hit the dirt near the chair, and Misty jumped.

  “Stay down!” cried Eli, pulling her closer to him. He had his phone in his hand. “Vince, we’re under fire at the play yard. The shots are coming from across the river. Have someone bring the SUV over to the play area and pick us up.”

  Misty looked over at the trampoline and saw Naomi duck walking toward her with Debbie and Christy following her like good little ducklings. As soon as she reached Misty and Eli, she ordered the girls under the table, and then Naomi stood and ran a zigzag pattern across the grass to the shrubs at
the edge of the house. She began firing at the opposite riverbank.

  The SUV reversed from its position near the side door and stopped, blocking them with its bulk from whoever was shooting at them. Vince and Bill climbed out of the protected side of the SUV, and started firing across the water.

  “Get into the vehicle! Now!” Eli yelled, pushing Misty toward it. “Come on, girls, follow Misty and get in the car!”

  Eli insisted they stay down, and as soon as the three of them were in the backseat, he yelled at Vince, who climbed into the driver’s seat, threw the vehicle in gear and drove toward the front of the house. Misty’s heart was pounding. She was terrified, but to the girls it seemed like a game — some kind of great adventure.

  “Go inside now and stay away from the windows like we practiced. You ladies were great today. Well done. Ice cream for dessert for sure.”

  Nick was on the veranda and helped each of the girls, who ran ahead of Misty into the house. Misty stood there confused. What the hell was going on?

  “Hurry, Mommy,” yelled Debbie. “We have to listen and go fast, fast! You want ice cream, don’t you?” Debbie ran into the house on Christy’s heels.

  The moment she touched the top step, Nick enfolded her in his arms. “I was terrified. We leave as soon as we can, Vince. Come one. Let’s get inside.” He led Misty into the foyer where Debbie, Christy, Charlotte, and Nathan waited.

  “Nick, they know we’re here now,” said Nathan. “We’re not safe. We’ll convoy out with the dummies as we’d discussed. The six of us will take the chopper as soon as it’s dark. We have about six hours to wait. In the meantime, we’ll wait in the panic room. We don’t want anyone watching the house to know there’s anyone left in the house after the cars leave. John, Eli, and the dogs will stay.”

  “What’s going on?” asked Misty as she realized that not only had the attack been anticipated, but it had been rehearsed and their escape planned.

  • • •

  Nick looked toward the woman he loved and debated how much to tell her. He could see her shape clearly now. There was no question they’d been found. They were no longer safe. He had no choice. He’d promised to tell her the truth, and he would.

  “Someone shot at you. They’ve probably been watching the house for several days, but you’ve been sick in bed. This is the first day you’ve ventured out, and they took a shot. While you were sick, we made plans just in case. Naomi practiced survival techniques with the girls as if it were a game. John fired a starter pistol when they played so the noise of a real gunshot wouldn’t panic them. I hear they did very well.”

  “I fell on my belly right away,” said Debbie. “Then I walked like a snake and a duck. I like walking like a duck.”

  “I crawled under the trampoline and walked like a duck, too,” Christy added shyly.

  “And you did great,” said Nathan, standing behind them. “Are you ready for a surprise?”

  “Yeah!” The girls yelled in unison.

  “Come on.” He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling bookcase next to the tower room door and pushed it. The bookcase swung out three feet from the wall, Nathan moved behind it, pressed a button on the wainscoting, and a small door opened, revealing a staircase. “I found it during the renovations and thought it might come in handy. I had the bookcase brought in to hide it. I cleaned it up myself, so none of the men who worked on the renovations know it’s here.”

  “Mommy,” said Debbie, awe in her voice. “It’s a secret passage like in the musketeers’ movie.”

  “If you’ll follow me,” said Nathan, leading the way down a flight of stairs. “It looks like a smuggler’s haven, maybe from prohibition days. There’s a tunnel that leads away from the house and comes out right next to the helicopter pad. Vince and the boys checked it this week. We’ll leave that way. They’ll seal off this entrance before they leave the house.”

  The room was large. His men had brought down some chairs and the rattan loveseat from upstairs, one of the smaller television sets, and a DVD player to keep the girls occupied. There was a mini fridge in the corner.

  “If you decide to go back to espionage, Nick, this would make a great secret lair.” Nathan laughed. “There’s juice, water, beer, and some snack food in the fridge. I brought down a couple of boxes of that presweetened cereal of yours, too. I’m going to go up and see how things are going. I’ll be back when they leave.” Nathan gave Charlotte a quick kiss and went up the stairs. Debbie and Christy giggled.

  “This is amazing,” Misty said. “I feel as if I’ve stepped into a Hollywood movie. It all seems surreal.”

  “Nathan discovered the room is soundproof. We’re below the limestone foundation. Even if they somehow get into the house, once the door up top is closed, they’ll never know we’re here. Why don’t you get us some beer?”

  Nick walked over to the girls. He could see them bouncing on the camp cots Nathan had set up for them and smiled. Everything was blurry, but it was a hundred times better than it had been. “Ladies, you have time to watch some movies before my final surprise. Why don’t you have Charlotte put one on for you now?”

  “Here,” said Misty, handing a beer to Charlotte and then to him. He heard her pop the tab on hers.

  “Come here,” he said, setting his beer down on the side table beside the loveseat and reaching to do the same with hers. “I need to hold you. When I heard that shot and realized you’d gone outside, my heart stopped.” He held out his arms to her, and she snuggled into them. He thought she might cry, but then realized she wouldn’t. Debbie and Christy were there, and she wouldn’t do anything to upset them.

  “It’ll be fine,” Nick said, holding her tightly to his chest. “We’ll be in New York and safe in no time.”

  “Safe and New York are not words I can put together,” she said and sniffled. “We could have all been killed! Oh, Nick! I need this to be over; I can’t stand this any longer.”

  He bent his head and captured her lips, tasting her sweetness and wanting more, but knowing that, like her, he had to maintain control. He pulled away from her and seemed to stare into her eyes.

  “I love you,” he said gently.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered softly. “Your vision has improved again, hasn’t it? I don’t think you’ve ever been in this room, but you can find your way around.”

  “You’re right, but everything is still blurry. I can see shape and color.” He rested his chin on her head. “When this is over, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. I have a home in France near Paris, a flat in London, a casa in Spain, and a chalet in the Swiss Alps. We can come back here if you want, and if you don’t like any of those places, we’ll buy something else. If you never want to perform in public again, you can record or we can just let it all go. The only thing I can’t do is let you and Debbie go. I love you, Misty; I want to give you and Debbie the world, but to do that, I have to get rid of this maniac. You’ll never be safe as long as he’s around, and once he’s gone, you’ll never have to worry about him again.”

  He kissed her head and then moved her away from him so he could take her face in his hands. “This is a blood feud. I may know people in high places, but Vince knows people in low ones, and we have assurances that if we take Doherty’s successor out of the picture, it’s over, and you’re free and clear. Doherty had branched out on his own. The attack on the Diamond Exchange wasn’t sanctioned, nor was the deal he’d made with the Mexican drug cartel. Once this guy is out of the picture, we’re good as gold. My men are going to put Doherty’s heir behind bars. If they can’t, then he’s as good as dead.”

  “But vigilante justice is no better than what they do, taking the law into their own hands,” she said.

  “Who said anything about vigilantes? The men and women working with us are all FBI and DEA agents on this guy’s trail. They want the person who killed thos
e marshals, and I want the woman who tried to kill you. I told you I had friends in high places.”

  Nick turned at the sound of someone on the stairs. Nathan came into the room, his arms laden with a variety of things.

  “I brought down some pajamas for the girls and a couple of their essentials.”

  “Hornakin! Green Blankie!” cried Debbie.

  “Pinkie!” exclaimed Christy reaching for the ratty pink teddy bear that had seen better days.

  “Thanks, Nathan. I don’t know where my head is! We’d have been lost without those.”

  “It’s okay. You had a lot on your mind. Nick, we’re locked in now. Everything is ready. The team pulls out in five minutes. They’re going to head to Arlington to throw them off. The inflatables are already in the vehicles. We’re assuming they know how many of us there are if they’ve been monitoring us from across the river. I called Sarah. She’ll leave for home within the hour.”

  “I take it Vince will activate the intruder sensors?”

  “He will. I called Marta. We’re good to go.”

  “Who’s Marta?”

  “She’s my housekeeper. Everything will be ready for us when we arrive. I wanted to make sure things would be there for Debbie. Vince wanted us to leave on Monday, but you were sick, and I know flying’s no fun with a head cold.”

  Misty kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “Mommy,” said Debbie suddenly. “Will the piano man be coming in the hepacopter?”

  “Yes, he will,” said Nick, walking over to the camp cot and sitting next to the child. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  Debbie giggled. “I like secrets, and I’m very good at keeping them; so is Christy,” she said, including her friend. “Mommy and I have a secret.”

  Nick smiled. “Yes, you do; we’ll here’s mine. I’m the piano man, so wherever I go, the piano man goes with me, and if I go with you, the piano man goes with you.”

  “Really?” asked Debbie. The tone of her voice showed her skepticism.