Chasing Shadows

by C Paradee

  Megan felt a chill. Lifting her head and meeting Tony's eyes, she said, "I really needed to hear that."

  Tony felt a flicker of fear for her partner. After what she had witnessed tonight, she knew her pursuer would stop at nothing to get to her. It greatly distressed her that Megan had been inadvertently drawn into this mess.

  Concerned she met her partner's gaze. "He’s right. Do you think you could stay at Ashley’s tonight? I don’t want you staying at the apartment all night by yourself."

  "Probably. I’ll call her." Megan felt a sense of relief at the suggestion. The idea of spending another night in the apartment alone was not appealing at all.

  Megan pulled the cellular phone out of her purse. After extending the antenna, she pushed the on button and dialed her sister’s number, relieved when she heard the familiar, "Hello."

  "Hi, Ashley. Would you mind if I stayed there tonight?" Megan asked.

  Ashley set down the glass she was holding, her attention completely on what her sister was saying. "You know you can stay here any time. What's wrong?"

  Megan had never called at 10pm wanting to stay at her place. Something had to be going on.

  "Remember what we were talking about at lunch Friday?" Megan didn't want to elaborate over the phone.

  "You mean about Tony’s accidents?" Ashley asked, remembering how distraught her sister had been. "Are you both ok?"

  Hearing the worry in her sister's voice, Megan said, reassuringly, "Yeah, we're fine and it’s about that. I’ll fill you in when I get there."

  "Ok. See you in a few," Ashley said, before hanging up. At least they were both ok.

  Megan turned off the phone, lowered the antenna and put it back in her purse. Looking up at Tony, she said, "I guess you're going to work."

  Tony looked at her partner, puzzled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

  "I just thought with everything going on… you did get punched in the face… and let me see your head. You hit it pretty hard. From what I could see it looked like you almost got knocked out." Megan had reached up and was feeling the back of Tony's head. "Yeah, you got a welt back here, all right."

  Tony grinned at her partner. "Nice try, Love. But a little bump on the head isn't any reason for me to call off."

  Megan had figured it might be worth a shot and smiled back at her partner. "Wait until you look in the mirror and see that nice bruise on your jaw," Megan quipped, exaggerating the injury.

  Tony ran her fingers along her jaw. "It’s not very swollen. Can't be too bad."

  Megan’s eyes were twinkling, and she said, "It's not. I was just kidding. I thought maybe I could get you to stay home."

  Tony smiled, "Now there’s a thought. Wish I could, but you can bet I’ll be by to pick you up first thing in the morning." Tony paused and then added, "Unless you’d rather sleep in. Ashley could probably bring you home later."

  "You better be there when you get off," Megan said, grinning, but only partially joking. Tony had to work evenings tomorrow and would have very little time to sleep, and Megan intended to keep an eye on things while she did.

  Tony chuckled, and said, "Yes Ma'am. Let’s go see if Kris can take you to Ashley’s. I don’t want to take any chances just in case he’s still around and follows me when I leave."

  "What about you? You still have to get to work," Megan said, worried.

  Tony met Megan's eyes. "Don't worry. I’ll have my usual escort. I’ll be fine."

  "There’s Kris," Tony said, spotting the policewoman. "Let’s see if she can take you over there now."

  PART 6

  SHERMAN LAY STRETCHED out on his bed in the hotel room, his head resting on his hands. He felt invigorated. Damn that had been fun. It had been so long since any of his cases offered a challenge, they had become almost boring. But not tonight. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so alive. What a rush! He had been set up and they still couldn't catch him. He had to give Viglioni a little credit. She wasn't too bad after all. At least she offered up a challenge. But the local cops were so inept, and talk about out of shape. They had been left in the dust.

  His thoughts turned to the tape he had listened to. He knew she was working second shift tomorrow, and she was still being escorted to and from the surveillance site by the local cops.

  A plan began to form in his mind. The more he thought about it the more he liked it. Why shouldn't he have some fun with this case? He deserved it. Who knows how long it would be before he found another worthy adversary.

  Sitting up, he played different scenarios through his mind. Yep. It was perfect. Chancy and bold, but plausible. This would definitely be a challenge to pull off, and it would make the thrill of the kill so much more satisfying.

  * * *

  Tony unlocked the apartment door and opened it. Once they were inside, she locked it and walked straight into the kitchen. Megan followed her. The kittens appeared from parts unknown meowing loudly.

  Megan smiled at them. "Oh. Poor babies. You probably thought we deserted you. Are you hungry?" She took a can of cat food out of the cupboard and emptied it into their dish. Placing it on the floor, she chuckled when the kittens attacked the food with relish. She put fresh water in their dish and after placing it on the floor turned to watch Tony.

  Pulling a chair away from the table Tony kneeled down looking under the table. She reached for the tiny bug that had been secured there. Once she had it, she stood up and walked into the living room and plucked the ladybug off the silk plant. Megan followed her into the bathroom and watched as she flushed them both down the toilet.

  "I’m so glad those are gone," Megan said, relieved.

  "So am I. I’m going to check and make sure he didn’t put any more in here," Tony said, walking out of the bathroom toward the bedroom. A thorough scan with the bug detector revealed no other bugs, much to Megan’s relief.

  Megan walked over and hugged Tony. "You need to get some sleep."

  "I will. I’m going to take a shower first," Tony said, meeting Megan’s lips for a fleeting kiss.

  Megan made a pot of coffee. She would put off errands until tomorrow when Tony was off. She was not about to leave the apartment while her partner was sleeping.

  Looking at her ‘watch,’ she felt better. One press of the small button and help would be on the way. Megan hoped he had been scared off after last night. She knew Tony didn’t think so, but she could hope couldn’t she?

  The ringing of the phone surprised her. Who would be calling this early on Saturday? Picking up the phone, she said, "Hello."

  Huey had expected to hear Tony’s voice and paused for a moment before speaking, prompting Megan to say, "Hello," again.

  "Is Tony there?" Huey asked, enjoying the sound of the pleasant voice.

  "She’s a little busy right now. May I take a message?" Megan asked, wondering who the caller was.

  "Yes. Tell her to call the shop."

  "Ok," Megan said, before hanging up the phone. Tony had explained the phone code to her and when he had mentioned the shop, she knew the caller was Huey.

  When Tony got out of the shower, Megan said, "Huey called. Isn't it kind of unusual for him to be calling on a Saturday?"

  "Yeah, it is. He must have found out something," Tony said, picking up the phone and attaching the scrambling device before dialing Huey’s number.

  When he answered, she said, "Viglioni here. I’m secure."

  Huey wasted no time filling Tony in. "All hell has broken loose here. Sarah remembered who pulled your record, and when we put the screws to him, he sang. You have a very deadly wet operative after you. His name is Jess Sherman and he is good. Thought you’d better know whom you’re dealing with. I'll fax his picture to you."

  Tony digested the information. She wasn’t really surprised. She knew her assailant was professionally trained, even though he had ceased to be a professional in her mind. "Any idea what this is all about?"

  "He doesn’t want you to testify. He has a personal stake in this case. That’s all
I can tell you right now." Huey had full confidence in Tony's ability to take care of herself, and knew she would use this information to her advantage.

  "Thanks Huey. I appreciate it," Tony said, before hanging up the phone. So it was another agent and not a mercenary. In Tony's mind, the worst thing an agent could do was to turn against one of their own. There was an unwritten code of honor among the operatives.

  Megan looked at the far away expression in Tony's eyes, and asked, "What’s wrong?"

  Leaving her thoughts behind, Tony said, "It seems our "friend" is a rogue agent. I had hoped I was wrong about that."

  Megan looked at the pensive expression on Tony's face. "You seem… disappointed or something," Megan said, watching her partner closely.

  "I am. Agents don't go after each other because of personal agendas," Tony said, before adding very quietly, "no matter what."

  Megan didn't know what to say to that. "There's nothing you can do about it right now. Why don’t you go lay down? We can talk about it when you get up. I’ll get you up if anything unusual happens."

  Tony knew there wasn’t anything she could do right now, but she had one more thing on her agenda for the day. "Would you mind calling Brian and getting the name of the best locksmith he knows? I want an electronic lock installed today. We also need to call the security company and see if they can upgrade our alarm and change the code. Tell them it's an emergency and it has to be done today."

  Megan was once again hit with the seriousness of their situation. They had no idea when or how he might strike again. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it," she said, happy to have something to keep her busy so she wouldn't have as much time to worry.

  Seeing the worried expression on Megan's face, she did not have the heart to tell her that it probably wouldn't do any good. With the right equipment, a lock or an alarm could be disabled in seconds. Her hope was that since Sherman was acting on his own, he might not have the latest equipment. Until Sherman was apprehended, she would just make sure Megan was never in the apartment by herself.

  "Thanks, Love." Leaning over and softly kissing her partner, Tony said, "I'm going to bed now."

  * * *

  Megan smiled at David and Mike, and said, "That was fun. I better get going now. I don’t want to be late."

  "You’re a good player." David said, grinning at her. It had been fun having Megan over. They didn't see her much now that she had met Tony. He was very happy for both of them, but he did miss her visits.

  "Nah. No better that you guys. We all won once," Megan said, chuckling. She’d always liked Pictionary. It was fun to see who could guess what you were drawing.

  David and Mike walked with her to the door. "See you Monday," David said.

  Smiling, Megan said, "Ok. Bye."

  Pulling out of the drive and into the street, Megan looked around her. Tony had followed her to David and Mike’s house to make sure she wasn’t followed. Her partner had assured her no one had followed them, but the fact that Tony had thought it was necessary made her nervous.

  Arriving at her parents' house, Megan got out of her car and walked to the side door of the two-story colonial. The house sat on a large lot with the deck facing a large pond. Woods bordered the back yard, and the front yard was gorgeously landscaped with flowers adorning the front of the house bordered by decorative stones.

  With a light touch to the doorbell to announce her arrival, she opened the door and walked in.

  Barbara walked into the foyer, smiled and said, "Hi, Megan," and then hugged her. "It’s good to see you."

  "It’s good to see you too, Mom," Megan said, returning the hug with a smile.

  "Your father’s in the living room. Why don’t you go join him while I finish dinner? It should be ready in about a half-hour. Would you like something to drink?"

  Megan grinned, caught up in her mother's cheerfulness. "Do you have any iced tea?"

  "Made some just for you," her mother, unable to wipe the smile from her face. She had missed her daughter. "Go on. I’ll bring it in."

  "Thanks."

  Megan walked into the living room. Her father was sitting in the recliner in an upright position. Even when he was off work, he had a professional appearance about him. He wore khakis and a sports shirt with the creases still intact.

  "Hi Dad."

  "Hello Megan." Waving his arm toward the couch, he said, "Make yourself comfortable."

  Megan walked over and sat down. Knowing her father lived for his job, she said, "How’s work?"

  "Very busy. We’ve had to add some associates because the firm is in such high demand," Charles said, proudly.

  Megan smiled, and said, "That’s great. I know you’ve wanted to expand for a while now. What do Ken and Gene think about the new associates?"

  Megan knew the other two senior partners had been reluctant to add more associates. They were concerned about their own profit margins.

  "They’re ok with it. We’ve picked up some major new clients, and it allows us time to properly set them up. The associates can handle the routine clients."

  Megan’s mother walked in and handed her a glass of iced tea. "Here you go."

  "Thanks Mom."

  "You’re welcome."

  Looking at her husband and daughter, Barbara said, "Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes," before turning around and walking back to the kitchen. Barbara was pleased. It looked like Megan and her father were doing just fine.

  "I saw your picture in the paper. That was quite an impressive write up. It seems like a hard way to get a little recognition, though." Charles said, thinking of his personal agenda for his daughter.

  "I like my job, Dad. It’s challenging to try and find evidence and clues to link together what happened to the victim." Megan smiled, warming to a topic she enjoyed. "It’s never boring, and I never stop learning."

  She had decided to elaborate so her father would understand what she found fascinating about her job. Maybe then he would realize that she really was doing what she liked.

  Charles looked at his daughter. She did seem happy. How could be make her understand that the Donnovan’s just didn’t work in public service? That detracted from the powerful image he had spent years developing. It was a constant source of embarrassment to him that his daughter was a pathologist. If she had to choose medicine, she could have at least chosen a field that was respected like surgery.

  Charles stated his argument eloquently, the same way he addressed the court. "But Megan, that’s a gruesome job. I don’t see why you would want to work as a public servant for a pittance of money and little recognition, when you could be sitting in a nice clean office meeting with clients and making real money. It’s not too late to go back to school. With your brains you could probably finish in three years."

  Megan looked at the earnest expression on her father’s face. "Dad, I don’t want to be a lawyer," Megan smiled, and continued, "I’d rather do the behind the scenes work. My picture getting in the paper was more of a fluke than anything else."

  "If you call almost getting killed a fluke, then yes, it was. You put your life at risk helping to solve that case. You don’t make enough money to be put in that situation." Charles retorted.

  "That was an exception. For the most part, my job is quite safe. A sociopath could just as easily target a lawyer," Megan said, watching her father intently.

  Before Charles had time to formulate an answer, Barbara called from the dining room, "Dinner’s ready."

  Charles and Megan walked into the dining room, and Charles assumed his seat at the head of the table.

  Megan looked at the lavishly set table and delicious entrees her mother had made and smiled. There was stuffed Cornish hens, wild rice, asparagus and Cucumber salad.

  "This looks great!" Megan said, smiling at her mother.

  "I thought you might like it," Barbara said, pleased.

  Megan ate, thoroughly enjoying the meal. She knew her mother spent a lot of time and effort in preparing savory meals
and was an accomplished cook. She always enjoyed her mother’s creations.

  Megan realized how much she missed this part of her relationship with her parents. Serious talk had always been avoided at the dinner table and the conversation revolved around their friends and family.

  She listened to her mother talking about her plans for redecorating the den and offered her opinion. Even her father had a few ideas to contribute. Megan relaxed and began enjoying herself.

  After dinner, Megan insisted on helping her mother clear the table and put things away while Charles returned to the living room.

  Barbara looked at her daughter. "I’m glad you could make it today. We seem to have such a hard time getting together."

  Megan had enjoyed the nice quiet dinner so much, and being an eternal optimist, she had to stop a minute, and remember why she avoided visiting her parents. "I know I haven’t been over much, and I miss seeing you both. But Mom, you know why."

  "Your father’s only looking out for what he considers your best interests," Barbara said, smiling. "I know you don’t agree on that. But he really just wants the best for you."

  "Yeah. I know. But what he thinks is best for me isn’t what I want to do, and I hate to cause hard feelings, so the alternative is to stay away. Looking at her mother and smiling, Megan added, "But I will try to do better."

  Barbara smiled back at her daughter. "Good. Besides he’ll eventually come around. Just give him some time."

  Megan chuckled ruefully. "Mom, I’m going to be 28 soon. I think if he was going to come around, he’d have done it by now."

  Barbara sighed. She knew Megan was probably right. "Well, you never know. It still could happen."

  The two women walked into the living room carrying coffee cups. Barbara gave one to Charles, and then sat down on the couch with Megan.

  "Have you talked to Taylor lately? She just found out she’s pregnant," Barbara said, looking completely like the happy grandmother she was.

  "Oh that’s great! I know they wanted to start a family. When’s she due?" Megan asked grinning.