A long black limo sat outside the front doors. Grady glanced at Lauren. “Stay here with Lucy, I’ll tell him to go.”
“Earl isn’t going to listen to you.” Lauren rolled her eyes. “Lucy, wait here by the main desk. I’ll be right back.” She strode to the main doors. Grady made sure to stay close at her side. A cold wind blew in as she stepped out to the limo. Grady scanned the street on the off chance the black SUV was still out there somewhere, but it was too dark to make out the make and model of the vehicles driving past. Traffic was still congested, and he was struck again by how different Chicago was from Cody, Wyoming.
“Ms. Lauren.” Earl looked to be in his early seventies, but the way the older man eyed him suspiciously was oddly reassuring. Grady was glad she had someone like Earl looking out for her.
“Hi, Earl, I’m so sorry, but I won’t need your services today.”
The older man scowled. “Are you sure about this?” There was no doubt Earl didn’t like the change of plan.
“I’m Grady McFarland.” Grady stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m sorry for the switch, but I’ll be driving Lauren and Lucy to the charity tonight.”
Earl gripped his hand strongly, nodding slowly. Maybe because of the handshake, but the older man’s suspicions had eased off a bit. “Nice to meet you. Okay, then. I’ll be here tomorrow, Ms. Lauren, unless you change your mind.”
“Thanks, Earl. You’re the best.” Lauren flashed Earl a warm smile, then turned to go back inside. Lucy stood waiting by the front desk as requested.
Grady escorted them to the elevator, where they went down to the underground parking garage. As he had earlier, he scanned the parked cars around the rental. He recognized a couple of cars as being there the day before, likely people living in various apartments within the building. No black SUVs with tinted windows, though.
Maybe Agent Braun had the right perp in custody. It could be that Curtis Handover had been the mastermind behind the kidnapping and shooting events, driven by revenge along with more cash than the guy could make in his lifetime. And with Handover out of the picture, his accomplice may have skipped down.
Or be hiding somewhere, waiting for Handover to be released on bail. Depending on the evidence the feds had on the guy, it was possible Handover would be released until the feds built their case against him.
A possibility he wasn’t about to confide to Lauren. She’d been through enough trauma at this point. He’d wait until they heard from Agent Braun with an update.
Hopefully no later than tomorrow morning.
He opened the car doors for Lauren and Lucy, then slid in behind the wheel. He kept a keen eye out for anyone suspicious, just in case Handover’s accomplice was waiting nearby with the intent to finish the job.
“Do you know where the Chicago Cultural Center is located?” Lauren asked as he exited the parking garage.
“Not exactly.” He belatedly realized they should have replaced their phones while they were in Lake Geneva. “Can you give me directions?”
“Yes. Turn left at the next intersection.”
They inched with maddening slowness through the congested city streets. There were several black SUVs, and he found himself tensing up every time one of them got too close. But the drivers behind the wheels didn’t look at them twice.
After the third false alarm, he tried to relax, flexing his fingers from the deathlike grip on the wheel. He doubted a high-profile charity event would be considered a good time to try kidnapping a child.
By the time they arrived at the Cultural Center, Grady understood why Lauren had a car service pretty much on standby. He figured he could have walked the distance in the same amount of time it took to drive there.
As they waited in line for the valet attendant, he glanced at Lauren. “Anything I need to know about the people who will be here tonight?”
She glanced back at Lucy, then shrugged. “There are a few persistent men who I’d love for you to keep away from me. But otherwise, it’s just a fancy dinner.”
“I hate fancy dinners,” Lucy muttered.
Lauren sighed. “I know you do, and I appreciate you being on your best behavior, young lady.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Lucy reluctantly agreed. “Smile and be polite.”
“Exactly.” Lauren nodded at the red taillights moving up ahead. “You’re next.”
“I know.” He eased forward. When the next valet attendant bent to look inside, the kid’s eyes widened when he saw Lauren.
“Ms. Chandler.” The kid ran around to open her door. “I didn’t realize you were arriving on your own tonight.”
“Hello, Tony. Yes, my fiancé, Grady McFarland, wanted to do the honors.” She smiled brightly at the kid. “And we’ve brought my daughter, Lucy, with us too.”
The young kid hastily opened the back door for Lucy. Grady had to admit it was nice that Lauren was so well known by the people who worked at these venues. No doubt she’d been there dozens of times before.
