“Help yourself to whatever you want to drink.”
She walked around me and opened the refrigerator. “What do you want to drink?”
“Just a diet soda for me, please. That’s my coffee in the mornings.”
She reached in and pulled out a can of soda. “You know, diet sodas are very bad for you with all those chemicals they add to them. Chemicals that have been proven to cause cancer.”
“Well, it’s better than smoking, I guess,” I countered, knowing how lame it sounded.
“Uh-huh. My friends in college all smoked and drank those high energy caffeine drinks. I never acquired the taste, thank God.” She pulled out the container of milk and carried it to the counter.
“I never smoked but I did have an affinity for the energy drinks,” I explained as I added the ingredients on top of the eggs. “I weaned myself off of them because sometimes they made my heart flutter. Of course, it didn’t help that I downed two or three cans at a time.”
“You must have been bouncing off the walls,” she surmised.
“Yeah, I was, but it got me through finals every time. So, what are your vices?”
“Chocolate. I’m a chocoholic who only exercises so I can keep eating more chocolate.”
“Alrighty then. I know what I’m getting you for Christmas this year.”
She turned and smiled at me. “And Valentine’s Day, Columbus Day, Independence Day, and—”
“So, basically every holiday of the year, right?” I kidded her.
“Absolutely,” she chirped. “And don’t forget the state holidays; Texas Independence Day, San Jacinto Day, Emancipation Day in Texas, and—”
“Damn,” I exclaimed, holding up my hands, one of them holding a spatula, in surrender. “I may need to get a second job.”
She laughed and then gazed at me as if she were trying to decide something. She looked back at the milk carton and I could tell that she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. She got a glass from the cabinet and filled it with milk. Then she put the carton back in the refrigerator.
Say you want the same thing I do. I wanted to say it, but I didn’t have the courage. I didn’t want the feeling of being close to her to end.
“We should call in and see if there have been any new developments,” she said, carrying her glass into the dining room.
I guess that is my answer. “Yeah, we should,” I agreed. “But we should wait and map out the plan better before we tell anyone.”
“Agreed,” she said, walking back into the kitchen. “The first thing we should do is eat breakfast. I’m starving.”
I scooped an omelet up and placed it on a plate, then handed it to her. “Agreed.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Getting to Know You – Ruby Grace Sutherland
With the dishes done and put away, I was about to suggest we get back on the couch and take a nap… or other more enjoyable things, like the incredible urge I had to kiss her, but the cell phone on the counter interrupted me.
“That one’s yours,” Trina said, pointing at her phone on the table.
“That has to be Jack calling, then,” I said. “Only Emily and Jack have my number.” Picking up the phone, I accepted the call. “This is Ruby.”
“Ruby, it’s Jack. I need to see you, when can we meet?”
“How about in an hour?”
“Good. Remember where we first met before you joined the agency?”
I could feel my shoulders stiffen with tension. “I do. And Jack, we’ve got a plan, so could you bring a couple of thousand dollars with you?”
“Better be a damn good plan,” he replied.
“Trust me, it is. I’ll see you there.”
“Come alone and watch your back,” he warned, ending the call.
“Something’s wrong,” I stated, staring at the phone. “He’s being very cautious, more so than usual.”
“When did you two first meet?” Trina asked.
“At career day when I was in high school,” I replied. “You know, when the different businesses, military, and law enforcement agencies come to the school to recruit senior high students.”
“Yeah, we had the same thing in our school,” Trina replied.
“Where did you go to high school?” I asked.
“Sugar Land. But I was into sports, soccer mainly, and even tried out for the Olympics.”
“You were that good?”
“I was good, but there were twenty-three other contenders who were better.”
“So, you decided to become a detective instead?” I asked.
“I’ve always wanted to be a cop, but I wanted to go the Olympics, too.”
I rubbed my hand up her arm. “Aw, honey. I’m sorry you didn’t get to go.”
“Oh, I still plan to go, one day,” she said. “But as a spectator.”
“That would be too much fun.”
She gazed at me with a longing that caught my breath. “It would be if I had someone special like you to share it with.”
“Ask me again after we close this case, okay?” It’s not that I was afraid to commit to her. In my heart I already had. It’s just that I had a maniac targeting me, and I didn’t want Trina to get hurt or to grieve for me if I was killed. I was realistic. I had been left to die once, and Joey wouldn’t make the same mistake again. That was to say, Joey’s hired gun wouldn’t.
“Count on it,” Trina said.
“I’m going to take a shower, care to join me?”
“It’s like you can read my mind,” she joked.
Laughing, I pinched her arm as we walked toward the bathroom.
High School Reunion – Ruby Grace Sutherland
We pulled into the visitor’s parking lot at Mount Saint Ursula High School, which was approximately thirty minutes from our hideout condo downtown. We parked closest to the gym and farthest away from the student parking. I remembered how hazardous parking there used to be. Surprisingly, there were very few cars in either parking lot.
“Where is everyone?” Trina asked as we walked up to the gym.
“Must be a teacher’s conference or something?” I guessed. “I just hope the doors are unlocked.” I reached for the door handle and stopped. “Sounds like some kids are inside playing basketball.”
“Good. I’ll pretend to watch the game while you talk with Jack.”
“Not this time. You’re risking your life, too. Besides Jack, you’re the only other person I can trust. You should be with me.”
“Okay, I’m right behind you.”
“Funny, that’s what you said in the shower earlier,” I teased.
Grinning, Trina replied, “Alright now, get your head in the game.”
“Funny, that’s what you said in—”
She clamped her hand down on my mouth and put a finger to her lips to quiet me.
“Did you hear something?” I mumbled through her fingers.
“No, I just wanted you to stop teasing me. I’m having enough trouble concentrating with you this close to me.”
“I know what you mean,” I agreed, glad that she admitted it first. “Okay, I’ll make a deal with you. If you’ll stop wearing that cologne while we’re on duty, I’ll stop teasing you. Just while we’re working, though, deal?”
“Deal.”
Trina was right in her unique way. We really did need to stay focused on the case, both professionally, and defensively. I had never acted like this before while working a case. If I were a nurse or secretary, it would be all right. But our lives depended on us being alert and ready for anything.
“The gym looks just the same as when I went to high school,” I said as we walked in and looked around.
“Looks bigger than my gym,” Trina said, pointing at the stands. “Mine had the collapsible stands that came right down to the floor. Your bleachers are raised up on a half wall where even the front row is looking down on the floor. Nice.”
There was a game going on but without a full team of players. In fact, the stands w
ere almost empty, and I spotted Jack right away. He looked like any father on a lunch break, dressed in a suit and watching his kid play ball. If it weren’t for the kids playing, he would stand out like a sore thumb in his dark blue Fed suit.
He saw us and frowned, obviously not pleased that Trina was with me.
“Were you followed?” he asked before we could even sit down.
“No, Trina is an expert at losing tails,” I explained. “We weren’t followed.”
“I told you to come alone,” he said gruffly.
He was really spooked about something.
“Detective Trina Wiles, this is my boss, Jack Gray, Special Agent in Charge.”
“Nice to meet you, Jack,” Trina said, extending her hand. He didn’t take it. “Ruby and I are working together on this case so where she goes, I go.”
“What’s going on, Jack?” I asked, sitting down beside him.
He rubbed his brow and exhaled raggedly. “Someone tried to run me off the road last night after we met.”
“Oh, my God. Are you all right?” I asked, genuinely concerned. Jack had been the SAC for as long as I could remember. He wasn’t out in the field like his agents were, so I could see why something like that would rattle him.
“I’m fine. I also found a tap on my phone in my office, but I can’t be sure that it’s related to the case you’re working on.”
“They tried to run you off the road right after I met with you. Of course, it’s related,” I argued.
“Have you checked your cell phone?” Trina asked. “They could be tracking you by your GPS app.”
“They were. I think that’s how they found me last night. I had forensics tear it apart this morning. I called you on a burner phone. They’re also checking my office, and my computer and laptop for bugs.”
“Why go after you instead of me? I mean, I was right there with you.”
“I think I can answer that,” Trina said with a concentrated look on her face. “I was pretty sure that we had picked up a tail when we left the restaurant, so I took precautions and lost them pretty quickly. They must have doubled back or maybe there was more than one of them.”
“Like I said, she’s an expert,” I bragged.
He nodded. “It sounds like things are intensifying.”
“Agreed.” I looked at Trina, and she nodded. I looked back at Jack and said, “Trina and I have an idea to catch Joey in the act and put his whole human trafficking ring behind bars.”
“Let’s hear it,” he ordered.
“It hasn’t been planned out yet, but we’re going to crash the auction dressed as a father and son with a lot of money to burn.”
“So that’s what this is for, I guess,” he said, pulling a brown envelope from his inside jacket pocket and discreetly handing it to me.
I peeked inside the envelope and saw a stack of one-hundred-dollar bills. Without counting them, I tucked the envelope in my jeans and covered it with my blouse. “Does this mean we have your approval?”
“Yes. But don’t take anything for granted. They have gone undetected for a while, and that gave them plenty of time to infiltrate any number of agencies.”
“Have you made any progress on that front?” I asked.
“I have a few suspicions but I’m waiting on subpoenas to get a look at their bank accounts.”
“Get one for Gregory Moore, too,” Trina suggested. “He suddenly turned up at the squad room to see my partner after years of not having contact.”
“What? No,” I insisted, shaking my head angrily. “Gregory Moore used to be my partner. It can’t be him.”
Trina turned to me with a surprised look on her face. “Then why didn’t he acknowledge you when he was there? You didn’t have your memories back yet, so you didn’t recognize him. But he pretended not to know you as well. Why is that?”
I still didn’t want to believe it. “Greg was my mentor, my friend. It can’t be him.”
“He was on my list to check out anyway, so I’ll move him to the head of the list,” Jack stated.
“What made you suspicious of him?” Trina asked.
“The way he suddenly took an interest in the things I was interested in,” Jack explained. “He even learned that I was Episcopalian and tried to wrangle an invitation to church. I declined, of course. I can’t tolerate suck-ups.” He stood up and smoothed down his jacket. “I’m sorry, Ruby.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, too,” I murmured as I stood up also. “You just don’t know who you can trust these days.”
“Ruby Grace, is that you?”
I looked down at the walkway and recognized one of the mean girls from high school walking my way. Alannah Livingston was a rich bitch who liked to bully the shy girls. She had two friends who were just like her. She’d put on a few pounds, which in high school would have been grounds to ridicule others. “Allie, it’s good to see you again.” I quickly turned to Trina and Jack. “I’ll be back in a second.” Wanting to spare Trina from Allie’s condescending garbage, I met Allie at the bottom of the bleachers.
“It’s so good to see you again, Ruby Grace,” she said as I approached. “I can’t believe how good you look. You’ve never had children, have you?”
Through His Eyes – Trina Wiles
I watched Ruby walk away, leaving me alone with Jack, who I didn’t think liked me very much.
“What the hell were you thinking, letting her continue on with the case?” he asked angrily.
“Excuse me? Why didn’t you order her to stand down last night?” I countered testily.
He nodded and looked down at Ruby. “Did you know I recruited her right here in this gym when she was in high school? When she finished college and applied to the FBI, I hired her on the spot. I’ve known her a long time, Trina. I know that look in her eyes that says she’ll do it anyway, with or without my permission.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to learn that look,” I conceded.
“When her parents died, I thought I had lost her, too. If not for her sister having just started the process to become a nun, I think Ruby would have quit her job and just disappeared.”
“I know they’re twins, but Ruby acts like the big sister, which is pretty cool.”
Jack suddenly turned to me with a concerned look on his face. “She’s still a victim, Trina. She may not act like it, because she tends to charge through, ignoring her own feelings to get the job done. But she is a victim, and it wouldn’t be uncommon for her to experience PTSD.” He drew in a breath and said, “You’ve got her back, right?”
I wasn’t prepared for Jack actually caring for Ruby like a daughter. I didn’t think that Ruby even knew how much he cared. “Oh yeah, I’ve got her back. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
He nodded, held his hand out, and we shook on it. “Take care of yourself while you’re at it. I may just have to recruit you, too.” He chuckled as he crossed in front of me and walked down the steps. Ruby was on her way up, and Jack stopped for a moment to talk with her before continuing on.
“Did you have a nice visit with your friend?” I asked.
“No, and she’s not my friend,” Ruby replied. “Can we get out of here before someone else I don’t like sees me?”
Laughing, I waved my hand toward the door, and we bounced down the bleacher steps two at a time.
Settling into the car, I pulled out onto the road, my mind distracted by my conversation with Jack. He seemed scared, and I thought maybe there was more going on than what he was telling us.
We spent the rest of the day hashing out the plan, which we realized needed a lot more work. We needed an exit plan and a way to sound the alarm if we got into trouble. We were going in wired but I wanted another way of calling for help. We could tell Jack to send backup if there was a fire alarm for that location. It would make a good diversion for our escape.
So, we went to the library and used their resources, including the Internet. I looked up city street plans from the library database, and Ruby did some resea
rch on her old partner. I came out ahead in the research department. She didn’t find anything useful, but I learned that the old warehouse where Jack thought the auction would take place was up to fire codes, which meant fire alarms. Then I found the pièce de résistance.
“Bingo!”
“Did you find something?” Ruby asked, looking up from the computer monitor.
“Did you know that Houston has a system of underground tunnels that are six miles long?”
“I knew there were tunnels, sure.”
“And did you further know that those tunnels have restaurants and shops in them, and connect with ninety-five city blocks?”
“Yes, I did. So?”
“So, the warehouse sits on top of one of those tunnels, a tunnel not occupied yet by the mainstream. There’s a sewer grate outside the building on the left side that connects with the tunnel that leads to the street. If we have to, we can make a run for it.”
Crinkling her nose, she said, “Ew, let’s hope we don’t have to.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
What If? – Ruby Grace Sutherland
Friday morning and there had still been no call from Eula. Trina was washing dishes after I fixed breakfast, and I was sitting in the bathroom holding the unopened pregnancy kit. What if I was pregnant? The thought of that man’s baby inside of me caused my stomach to lurch. I knew it wasn’t the baby’s fault. An innocent child borne of violence and rape.
Yesterday, after I got nowhere looking for information on Greg, I’d done some research on rape. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find any current data, but the consensus seemed to be that a rape victim would be too traumatized to conceive. I couldn’t find one female doctor or scientist to support that theory. I basically ended up with a lot of loud-mouthed male politicians using rape and abortion as a platform for their agenda. It was disgusting.
Then I stumbled onto the Catholic doctrine for rape and pregnancies. Growing up, I always believed that abortion was wrong, no matter the reason. I had good arguments for why the child should be brought to term and then given up for adoption. Did I still believe that abortion was wrong? Yes. I could not consciously decide to kill what was inside of me if it turned out I was pregnant. But I did not honestly know whether I could look at the child and not see that monster. Not feel the terror and revulsion.
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