She winced. “What about their car? They must have left it somewhere.”
He shrugged. “Maybe they went hiking and got into trouble.”
“Maybe.”
“If it’s on the side of the road, nobody may check for several days.” He looked out the window. “But Carter Frederick’s car is still outside.”
She nodded.
“I’ll drive it back to the city with him in it.”
“Is that safe?”
“We’ll tie him up again and lay him on the backseat, just to be safe. You drive the car we came in. And we’ll meet up . . .” He paused to think.
“In the parking lot between the French Market and the river.”
“Kind of a conspicuous place.”
“But not too far from a police station.”
Rachel walked back to the bed and bent over Carter Frederick.
We’re going back to town now, she told him.Everything’s going to be all right. You’re going to turn yourself in to the police. You’re going to tell them that you were hired to get information from Evelyn Morgan, and she got killed when she was fighting with you. You didn’t mean to kill her. It was an accident. You’ll feel so much better when you explain it to them.
He moved restlessly on the bed, and she reinforced the suggestions she’d given him.
“Let’s go,” Jake said aloud.
“I’d better put my wig back on,” Rachel answered.
“Yeah. Right.”
He waited while she made herself look like the woman who had driven here with him. When she was ready, he stepped to the bed and helped Frederick up. She steadied him on the other side, and together they walked to the kidnapper’s car.
After they’d laid him on the backseat and secured his hands and feet, Rachel told him to sleep on the ride back to the city.
When she was finished, Jake closed the back door and opened the front.
Rachel came into his arms, and they held each other tightly for long moments.
“I don’t like separating,” she whispered.
“I don’t like it either, but we’ve got to drive both cars back to town.”
“Unfortunately.”
Jake backed out of the space in front of the cabin. She did the same, then followed him down the access road to the highway. When she lost sight of him around a bend, she sent him a mental message.
Everything okay?
She felt his startled reaction.You can still reach me?
Yes.
That’s good. We won’t be out of touch on the road.
She followed him onto the highway, keeping him in sight. It took too much effort to stay with him the whole way, but she checked in with him from time to time, until they’d both pulled into parking spaces beside one of the pavilions of the French Market where vendors sold produce, hot sauce, Mardi Gras masks, tee shirts and other New Orleans souvenirs.
