Friends In Spy Places

by Diane Henders

  It was only a five-minute drive to Spider’s house, but my eyelids kept closing of their own volition every few seconds. His tiny car churned heroically through the snow on the street, but the small incline of his driveway defeated it. After a few attempts that ended in fruitless wheel-spinning, I said, “Why don’t you just park it at the curb tonight?”

  Spider frowned. “We’re not allowed to park on the street if it’s snowing. The plow goes by first thing in the morning. I’ll just try again. I almost made it last time.”

  As he reversed into the street, I said, “I’ll get out and push. It only has to be on the driveway, right? We don’t have to get all the way up to the garage?”

  “That’s right, but you drive and I’ll push,” he countered.

  I grinned. “I don’t want to be a smartass, but… which of us do you think is heavier and stronger?”

  “Oh, I know I’m heavier,” he said hurriedly, flushing. “I’m four inches taller than you…”

  “And as big around as a toothpick,” I finished fondly. “Trust me on this. You drive. I’ll push.” I got out of the car before he could argue.

  Our first attempt landed the small car safely on the bottom of the driveway, clearing the sidewalk by several inches.

  Spider hopped out and hurried around to inspect its position. “That’s good enough,” he said. “Come on.”

  We plodded up the snowy drive and he let us quietly into the house. Several minutes of whispering and tiptoeing later, I was installed in the nursery-to-be, warmly cocooned in blankets on a makeshift bed made of scavenged sofa cushions.

  Sweet darkness and blessed silence enfolded me.

  Every exhausted muscle relaxing, I floated into…

  Hell.

  Trapped in a cage barely bigger than my own body, my arms pinned by my sides. Beyond the bars, faceless things shrieked evil laughter, stabbing me over and over with bright steel-

  My first strangled cry woke me and I bolted up to sitting position, panting and clutching the blankets.

  A tap at the door preceded Spider’s quiet voice. “Aydan? Did you call? Do you need something?”

  “No, I, um… I just sneezed,” I lied. “Sorry about that. I hope I didn’t wake Linda.”

  “No, she’s a pretty sound sleeper. I wouldn’t have heard you myself if I hadn’t been on my way by. Sorry to bother you. Good night.”

  “Good night.” I fell back on the pillow, fists pressed to my forehead.

  Thank God I hadn’t been so deeply asleep that I did my usual crazed screaming. Poor Linda’s sleep would have been shattered; and so would Spider’s nerves.

  I stifled a groan. I knew from long experience that this wouldn’t be the last of my nightmares. And the harder I tried to suppress them, the worse they got.

  Dammit all to hell.

  I couldn’t sleep here.

  Chapter 17

  Fists still grinding into my forehead, I stared wide-eyed into the silent darkness of Spider and Linda’s nursery-to-be.

  Damn, damn, damn.

  I didn’t dare fall asleep again, but I was too exhausted to stay awake.

  Trapped. Just like Rebecca inside the internet…

  My chest tightened, panic skittering under my skin.

  I sucked in a breath and sat up. Settle down. It was only a short walk back to the office. Fifteen or twenty minutes, tops. I could leave Spider and Linda a note and go back and sleep in my office…

  Shit.

  I didn’t have a key to their house. I couldn’t just wander off in the middle of the night leaving the door unlocked.

  Trapped.

  Fighting claustrophobia, I sprang up to pace the small room. Three strides. Turn. Three strides. Turn…

  Like being in a prison cell.

  Dammit, stop thinking like that.

  Maybe a drink of water would help. And I’d step outside for a breath of fresh air.

  Nerves twitching, I got dressed and eased the door open. I tiptoed down the hall to the kitchen, navigating easily in the dim illumination coming from the streetlight outside the front window.

  As I headed for the sink, a small object on the kitchen table caught my eye. Memory flared. Spider had let us into the house and put his keys on the table while we wrangled sofa cushions.

  My muscles went limp with relief. I could leave a note, let myself out, lock the door, and drive Spider’s car to the office. I was already reaching into my waist pouch for a pen when a closer look at the key fob made my heart sink.

  It was only the car key. No house key.

  Fighting the urge to punch something and scream, I checked the kitchen counter and hallway table. Even the front closet yielded no house key. He must have pocketed it.

  After a moment of frantic frustration, I blew out an irritable breath.

  Fine. To hell with it.

  Silverside was a small town and the crime rate was practically zero. In another two or three hours the neighbourhood would be awakening, and any potential burglar would be thwarted. And what were the chances that somebody would choose to break into this particular house on this particular night, in the next three hours?

  Returning to the table, I scribbled a short thank-you note and added that I had Spider’s car and keys before snatching them up and heading for the door. A few moments later I was standing in the soft hush of nocturnal snowfall, sucking in deep breaths of cold air and freedom.

  I slid into the driver’s seat of the Smart car and fired it up, but my hand hovered over the shifter.

  Sure, the crime rate was low here. But what if the person who had left the trap outside Tom’s door had been targeting me?

  Holt’s words echoed in my mind.

  They know how to get to Kelly.

  Anybody who knew Arlene Widdenback would know her reputation. People who attacked her simply vanished. So the best way to get to her would be through her friends. What if that unknown enemy had seen me go into Spider’s house but hadn’t seen me leaving?

  Or worse, what if they did see me leaving my friends unprotected? What if they came in through the unlocked door and attacked Spider and Linda?

  Fuck, I couldn’t leave.

  With a whimper, I let my head fall back against the headrest.

  Wait a minute.

  Slow inspiration oozed into my exhausted brain, and relief eased my shoulders.

  I could sleep here in the car, where I could scream my fool head off without disturbing anyone. The heater was already wafting warmth into the cabin; and the car’s tiny engine could idle for hours on a teaspoon of gasoline. And I’d hear the crunch of snow if anybody tried to sneak past the car to the front door.

  Thank God.

  Flipping up my hood and zipping my parka up to my chin, I laid my head back and gave myself to the nightmares.

  Smart Fortwos are not designed for comfortable sleeping.

  By the time the snowplow roared past an hour later, I had woken myself screaming twice, and my back and knees ached from their enforced immobility. When I tried to straighten my legs I accidentally kicked the gas pedal, making the little engine yelp in protest.

  Groaning, I dragged myself out of the car into the cold and did a few stretches before creeping back into the cramped interior. Squirming in the seat, I sighed. Five AM. I probably wouldn’t sleep any more now anyway…

  The sound of approaching footsteps jerked me awake.

  But the footsteps were coming from the direction of the house…

  I groaned and powered down the fogged-up side window.

  “Is everything okay?” Linda frowned in at me. “Your note said you’d gone to the office. Did you get stuck?”

  “What time is it?” I mumbled.

  “Six-thirty.” She shivered, hugging Spider’s parka around herself. It skimmed her knees and she wore tall snow boots, but her legs were bare between the boots and parka. “I just got up and found your note,” she went on. “But then I looked out and saw the car idling here. What happened?”

 
“Shit, I’m sorry. You’re freezing out here. Go back inside and I’ll be there in a minute to explain.”

  I turned off the ignition and pried myself out of the seat as she hurried back into the house.

  Trudging up the driveway at as slow a pace as I could reasonably use, I racked my brain for a plausible explanation for my bizarre behaviour. Nothing came to mind.

  I sighed and stepped into the house. The truth would have to do, embarrassing though it was.

  “Would you like coffee?” Linda offered as I shed my boots and parka. “I just put some on.”

  “No, thanks…” My words trailed off into a groan as I stretched the kinks out of my shoulders and back and knees.

  “So what on earth were you doing out there?” Linda demanded, her expression a mixture of amusement and concern.

  “Long story. Um…”

  My tired brain refused to manufacture a usable lie.

  I sighed. “Okay, no; it’s a short, stupid story. Spider and I worked late and I don’t have my car; he was going to drive me home but couldn’t because of the snow, so he invited me here; and then I-was-having-nightmares-and-didn’t-want-to-wake-you-so-I-slept-in-his-car.” I spoke as quickly as possible but no matter how fast I spoke, it didn’t get any less humiliating.

  “Oh, Aydan…” she began, but I kept babbling.

  “So I’m sorry for being so weird and I’ll get out of your hair now; John will be up and he can come and get me-”

  “Aydan!” Linda planted her hands on her hips in her ‘authoritative-nurse’ pose. “I can’t believe you thought you had to sleep outside! I’m sorry you were having nightmares, but it wouldn’t have bothered us, honestly.”

  “Well, um… yeah, it would have.” I concentrated on tracing a seam in the flooring with my toe, my face on fire. “I… kind of… scream. A lot.”

  “Oh, Aydan.” She flung her arms around me and held me tightly. “I’m sorry you have such awful nightmares, and thank you for being so nice and trying not to disturb us; but you look exhausted. Go back to bed, and just don’t worry about it, okay?”

  “Thanks.” I hugged her in return before disengaging and backing toward the door. “But Spider’s still sleeping, and I really need to get home. I’ll just call John and get him to come and pick me up.”

  “At least let me give you some breakfast,” she coaxed.

  My stomach responded with a ravenous growl, and I managed a smile. “Okay, sold. Thanks. I’ll call John and get him to pick me up in twenty minutes or so.”

  When I dialled his number, the phone rang several times at the other end without an answer. Worry rose. What if they were still at the hospital? What if something terrible had happened-

  “Hello.” Kane’s voice was a painful croak, and fear seized me.

  “What’s wrong?” I demanded.

  “Nothing. Just sick.”

  “Oh, no! Did you get what Daniel had?”

  “Has. We’re both sick… Berightback!” After a lengthy pause he returned to the line. “The hospital said it was only the stomach flu, but I’m willing to swear I’ve been poisoned-” An ear-splitting clatter indicated he’d dropped the phone.

  “John! JOHN!”

  The unmistakeable sound of vomiting drifted through the line, and my heart battered my chest. What if he was dying while I stood here uselessly? What if my enemies were attacking everyone around me? Should I call 911, or rush over there myself?

  “Sorry.” Kane’s voice returned to the line in a raw rasp. “Now’s not a good time. Can we talk later?”

  “Could you have actually been poisoned?” I demanded. “You and Daniel ate the same pizza…”

  “Not poisoned,” he croaked. “Only joking. Ha.” He gave up his dismal attempt at laughter after only one syllable. “The doctor assured me it’s only a flu bug that’s been going around-”

  He broke off again and I waited on the line for several long minutes while sounds of misery floated faintly to my ear.

  “I’m back.” He sounded even worse.

  “Can I do anything?” I asked. “Bring you anything? Ginger ale, or Pepto-Bismol or anything?”

  “Thank you, no. Just stay away from this plague house. Trust me, you really don’t want to be anywhere near this.”

  “But you said last night that you hadn’t been in your house in a month. You won’t have any food…”

  “I have electrolyte drink so we’ll stay hydrated; and I have soda crackers, which is more than either of us can face at the moment. Thanks for calling I-have-to-go-now-’bye!” He hung up.

  As my phone floated uncertainly down from my ear, Linda gave me a concerned look. “That didn’t sound good.”

  “No. Daniel got a flu bug so he was throwing up last night, and now John’s got it.”

  “Oh.” Her face crinkled in sympathy. “That flu bug. It’s making the rounds of the schools. It’s a nasty one, but at least it doesn’t last too long. They should be feeling better by tomorrow.”

  “Could… is there any way it could be… poison?”

  Linda frowned. “Why? Were they having other symptoms like numbness, tingling, dizziness, convulsions, passing blood…?”

  Fear clutched my chest all over again. “I didn’t ask. John said the hospital told him it was only a flu bug…”

  “Oh.” Linda relaxed into a smile. “Well, if they’ve been checked at the hospital then I’d say there’s nothing to worry about. The doctor would have told John to watch for any escalation in symptoms, and he was coherent when you spoke to him just now, right?”

  “Right,” I agreed, easing my shoulders down from around my ears. “Okay, then. I’ll try not to worry.”

  “Don’t worry!” she commanded with a smile. “Sit down and eat some breakfast.” She indicated the table, where she had placed orange juice and whole-grain bagels with cream cheese. “And then you should go back to bed. If you’re run down, you’ll be more susceptible to catching that bug yourself.”

  “I know; but the desire to sleep in my own bed is taking on epic proportions,” I countered. “I’ll call my neighbour to come and pick me up. That way I’ll be gone from here about the same time you have to leave for work, so you can lock up.”

  She agreed, and after a quick call to Tom, I helped myself to a hot and crispy toasted bagel.

  Twenty minutes later Tom’s big half-ton growled into the driveway, and I gave Linda a hug and a fond ‘goodbye and thank you’. “Could you please leave a note for Spider?” I added as I hesitated in the doorway. “Tell him not to rush in to work. I have a ten o’clock meeting, um… elsewhere; and I don’t know how long it’ll take.” I sighed, wondering whether the queasy sensation in my stomach was anxiety and fatigue or an oncoming flu bug. “I won’t likely get to the office until at least noon, maybe later.”

  “I’ll tell him. Now go home and get some sleep. Take care, Aydan.” She waved a cheery goodbye from the doorway as I plodded down the drive.

  When I hauled myself up into the passenger seat of Tom’s truck, he gave me a smile. “Good morning…” His smile faded as he took in my exhausted slump. “What’s wrong? It’s more than just car trouble, isn’t it?”

  I sighed and buckled my seat belt. “Not really; it’s just a little more complicated than what I explained over the phone. There’s nothing wrong with my car, but it’s at home. John took us out for dinner last night but his son Daniel got sick and John had to take him to the hospital, so I stayed the night with friends.”

  “Why didn’t you call me last night?” Tom asked as he backed out of the driveway and headed for home. “I would have come to get you.”

  “I know you would have, but it was three o’clock in the morning before everything settled out. I didn’t want to wake you at that hour.” He frowned and began to speak, and I added, “I would have called you if it had been an emergency; but it wasn’t. Just an inconvenience.”

  “So is Daniel all right?”

  “Still sick, but the doctor thinks it’s just stomach
flu. John’s got it now, too, and he told me to stay away.”

  Tom nodded approval. “No point in everybody suffering.”

  “Speaking of suffering… have you had any more problems at your place?”

  I held my breath, afraid to hear the answer.

  “No. And the police called to let me know that the trap actually wasn’t as dangerous as I’d thought. It had been welded open, so it couldn’t have hurt me.” He gave me his attractive crooked smile and my stomach clenched.

  The trap hadn’t been an attack; it had been a message. A threat.

  They know how to get to Kelly…

  “Oh.” I tried to make my unpleasant enlightenment sound like relief. “Thank goodness. So do you have any more ideas about who might have left it?”

  Tom shrugged. “Probably just kids horsing around. I’m not worried.”

  Somehow I managed not to say, “You should be.”

  Chapter 18

  “Just be careful anyway, okay, Tom?” I said. “Even if that trap couldn’t have hurt you, having it left outside your door is just a little too creepy for my taste.”

  He smiled. “Don’t worry; I’m still keeping my eyes open. And I’ll check everything at your place when we get there, too.”

  Christ, that was all I needed. Another way for him to end up in my enemies’ crosshairs.

  “Oh, that’s okay,” I said as reassuringly as I could. “The sun won’t be up for another hour so you wouldn’t be able to see much anyway; and I’m not worried. In fact…” I didn’t bother to stifle the giant yawn that nearly cracked my jaws. “…I didn’t get much sleep last night and I’m going straight to bed, so as long as I make it from the door of your truck to the door of my house, everything will be fine.”

  He chuckled and dropped the subject, and we made small talk all the way back to my farm.

  It seemed as though my eyes had barely closed when my alarm sounded. Groaning, I buried my face in my pillow. Maybe I could call Nora to say I was sick and couldn’t make it.

  I sighed. I could; but after my avoidance yesterday and my ungraciousness on the phone last night, she probably wouldn’t believe me. And Stemp would have my ass if she gave up on me and left the country.