“Everything okay in here?”
“Yeah.What’s happening out there?”
“My boys just got here and were suspicious of a vehicle sitting in front of that little park down the road.It’s dark out, they figured; why would anyone be hanging around a park at this time of night?Anyway, one of them went to check on it, the other kept an eye out, and then suddenly your dog started going crazy in the backyard.It alerted my crew, they came running, heard a crash at the back of the house and one stayed at the front, banging on the door and calling me.The other went around back, just in time to see two guys in your backyard, scrambling to get over the fence.”
“Descriptions?”
“Dressed in black, average build, one around five nine, five ten, the other maybe six feet.”
“And?”I prompt him for more, all the while keeping Bess sheltered in my arms.
“He was on their tail to the edge of that small ravine and then they split up.He says he followed the shorter of the two, but lost him in the dense brush.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.Your deputy is checking out that vehicle by the park.It’s still there, so either it wasn’t theirs or they abandoned it.”
“How the hell did they find her here?”I voice my thoughts out loud.
Roy shrugs.“I bet you they had eyes on the hospital, saw Bess leaving and followed.Waited here at the park until they saw KC’s patrol car leave, not knowing we had a security team monitoring from across the street.”
That makes sense, but it brings me back to my earlier thought that we cannot stay here.That means I need to draw back from the investigation completely and pack our bags.Next, I need to get us out of here unseen.
“Have you met Special Agent Mancuso?”I ask Roy.
“He came out and introduced himself.”
“Can you ask him to come up here?”
Roy nods and backs out, closing the door.
Then I put my hands on Bess’s shoulders and set her back a step.
“We can’t stay here.”
Her eyes are wide, but she nods her understanding.I’m sure she’d come to that conclusion on her own.
“I know a place, but we can’t take any chances we’re being followed.I’m pretty sure whoever was trying to get at you had or has eyes on the house, which means we have to create a diversion and move quickly.”
She nods again, a little firmer this time.“I’ll start packing.”
There she is, a spine of steel.
Chapter23
Bess
“Morning.”
Squinting against the bright sunlight streaming in, I peek at Hugo sitting down on the edge of the bed, already dressed.In his hand he has a mug that says,Rock On, and is emanating the most beautiful aroma of any morning.
I push myself up and hold out my hand.
“Coffee…”
I close my eyes and take a sip, letting the memories of last night’s frantic scramble flood back.The rushed packing, sneaking into the garage and hiding in the old pickup with Ragnar’s panting steaming up the windows until one of the security guys and a female deputy pretending to be us drove off in Hugo’s cruiser.They were supposed to head for a roadside motel outside Winston, about halfway between Silence and Spokane.The hope was for them to lure the bad guys right into the arms of Special Agent Mancuso’s colleagues, who would already be waiting at the Riverview Motel.
By the time we got the signal the coast was clear, the street was quiet, and there were no vehicles parked outside the house, other than a single patrol car.
