Chapter 173
"Nice to meet you," she said. "I appreciate what you did back there."
A.J. nodded. "No problem."
"Within twenty-four hours of briefing Harrison on my findings regarding Kate and the drug lord," Jack went on, "I was instructed to go to Haiti, find Kate Huntley, and bring her back to the States, quickly and discreetly."
A.J. flipped on the air conditioning and rolled up the front windows. "Why the big secret?"
Jack shrugged. "I didn't ask...just doing my job...although I have more than a few questions now."
A.J. rubbed a hand over his buzzed haircut. "What about Dr. Forstin?"
"Forstin and Huntley, Kate's father, worked together years ago."
"I see," A.J. said.
"Before I was due to leave for Haiti, I was told to pay Dr. Forstin a visit at his lab," Jack told him. "I was also instructed to find out what I could and wire his phone in hopes he'd make contact with Kate after I left. Bingo. It all went as planned and we were able to zero in on Kate's exact location."
Jack refused to look at Kate because they all knew what happened after that. He didn't want to see the pain he caused. If he'd never spotted her, Dr. Forstin would probably still be alive and Kate wouldn't be running for her life.
"On the way to Haiti," Jack continued, "I received word of Forstin's death-murdered in the very lab I had just left." Jack met A.J.'s gaze in the mirror again. "It never crossed my mind that Forstin's life might be in danger."
"Why would they set you up?" A.J. asked. "And why would they want him dead? You don't believe Harrison had a hand in all this, do you?"
Jack leaned back in his seat. "I don't know what to think anymore. Harrison is the one who informed me of Forstin's death. If he was involved in any conspiracy to have me framed for murder, he gave no hint over the phone. If anything, he sounded disturbed by the news of the man's death. He sounded equally surprised when I called from Haiti to inform him that Kate and I were in imminent danger and unable to get off the island."
"Maybe Harrison's surprise stemmed from the fact that you were still alive."
That thought had crossed Jack's mind. Every time he talked to Harrison, his problems tended to double. Jack had called Harrison last night only to wake up this morning surrounded by cops. He was going to have to be more careful in the future about what he told Harrison.
"You two are lucky to be alive," A.J. added thoughtfully. "I saw what was left of that plane."
"Yeah, Harrison arranged for the plane."
A.J. frowned. "What happened to the pilot?"
"He took the only parachute on board and left Kate and I to land the bird on our own."
"No s.h.i.+t," A.J. said with a laugh. "Those people have no idea who they're dealing with."
"That's right," Jack agreed, but that didn't erase the acrid taste in his mouth or lift the heavy weight in his gut. This was no adventure, no game. He was up to his neck in some very serious c.r.a.p, and he needed to find a way out.
Kate appeared deep in thought, her eyes unblinking as she stared out at the wide-open desert. This had to be strange for her...being away from the only home she'd known for so many years.
"There's been nothing but chaos at the agency since the news of Forstin's murder broke," A.J. said. "The guys are making bets. I put all my money on you, buddy. I never doubted your innocence."
Jack raised a brow. "Never, huh?"
"Okay, maybe for a minute, but that's it." A.J.'s smile turned to a frown and the tone of his voice grew serious. "I knew you were in trouble when I arrived early at the office and found the Xerox guy rigging my computer. The technician made some lame excuse about getting lost and ending up in the wrong office. I acted like it was no big deal, a mistake everybody makes."
"Did he tap your phone?"
"And everything else in my office. They were in the middle of redecorating my condo before I left for Vegas. I have a feeling they would have wired my d.i.c.k if I'd been in my bed asleep."
"Do they know you're wise to them?"
"Are you kidding? Those dumb a.s.sholes make me look like Einstein's twin."
After another thirty minutes of catching up, Kate and Jack slept for a few hours as A.J. drove them through the dry, flat plains separating Las Vegas from Los Angeles. By the time Jack awoke, they were about an hour away from Los Angeles, heading up a gravel road bordered on one side by a rus.h.i.+ng mountain stream. A.J. stopped and waited for a wild turkey to cross the road.
"Here's the plan," A.J. said when he saw that Jack was awake. "This is Spring Valley Lake. My sister, Sharon, lives here. You met her a few times in college."
Jack nodded and tried not to wake Kate. Her head rested against his arm.
"Most of these homes are rented out for the summer. Sharon, her husband, and their kids are vacationing in Europe."
Jack nodded again.
"She won't be too thrilled with me when she learns I loaned out her house. But hey, she's been mad at me before. She has this dog that I was
"That's it?"
"Yeah, that's it. This is a quiet neighborhood...secluded," AJ said. "No cable, not too many houses with satellite, but you can never be too careful. My advice is to lay low while you're here."
Jack nodded.
A.J. drove along the gravel road, took a sharp right and drove the car up a steep driveway. Myriad trees blocked the sunlight and filled the air with a fresh pine scent.
Kate opened her eyes and sat up.
A.J. hit a remote attached to the car visor and the garage door rolled open. An old Chevy truck took up the other s.p.a.ce. He pulled the car into the garage as he talked. "My sister will be gone until next Tuesday. I figure you two can stay here until Monday at the latest. That should give you over a week to take a breather-figure out how the h.e.l.l we're going to get you both out of this mess."
A.J. turned off the engine and unlatched his seatbelt. "The closest neighbors are the Johnsons." He pointed to a row of pine trees through which Jack could just make out the wood roof s.h.i.+ngles.
Before he climbed out of the car, he had one more question. "Any idea at all who might want to see you behind bars...anybody you might have p.i.s.sed off in the last few years?"
Jack shook his head. "Can't think of a soul."
"That's what I was afraid of."
They all climbed out. Jack and Kate followed A.J. to the door leading from the garage to the house. The high-pitched yips of a dog could be heard from inside the house. The door clicked open and A.J. nudged the little black and white ball of fur out of the way with his foot. "Come on. Give us a little room." He leaned over and scratched the dog's head. "This is Barney. He's a Havanese."
Barney did the rumba in quadruple time until Kate picked up the dog, cooing and scratching behind his ears as they moved through the house. The furniture was simple and contemporary with plain cotton curtains on steel rods covering the sliding gla.s.s doors.
A.J. gestured to the greenery in the family room and the potted plant in the dining room. "Water a few plants, feed Barney, let him out to pee every once in a while, that's all you have to do. Like I said, there's no cable, but there's a DVD player and a collection of movies in the family room. Oh, and the mail. It comes every afternoon. Just put all the mail in the office." AJ walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and told them to help themselves.
Kate was busy with Barney in the other room. A.J. gestured toward her. "Is she okay?"
Jack looked at Kate, watched her talk to Barney as if the dog might actually understand what she was saying. "Yeah, she's a survivor." Jack remembered the credit card in his back pocket, the one with Ben Sheldon's thumbprint. It was still wrapped in a handkerchief. He held it out for A.J. to take. "I have a favor to ask you. There's a print on this card that I need a.n.a.lyzed for identification. It's been in my pocket for a while, but it's all I have. Anyhow, he's a big man...goes by the name Ben Sheldon. According to his ID he works for the FBI."
A.J. made another whistling sound. "I take it you didn't recognize the face."
"No." Jack held his hands up in surrender. "And I have nothing else to go on. I've got to start somewhere. He's also the guy who showed up at the hotel this morning and shot a police officer."
"I've got a friend in forensics who owes me a favor." A.J. carefully tucked the card in his s.h.i.+rt pocket. "I'll let you know if anything turns up."
A moment of silence pa.s.sed between them. "We'll find out who's behind this, Jack. Just lay low and be patient."
"Any chance I can get my hands on a computer? Mine was destroyed along with the airplane."
"Everything you'll need is in my niece's room. I installed a wireless device last time I visited...five times faster with twice the range. You're all set."
They shook hands and Jack wished he had more than a handshake and a pat on the back to offer his friend. "Be careful out there," Jack told him. "These guys mean business."
"Don't worry about me. I needed a little excitement in my life to stir things up. Getting engaged last week wasn't enough."
"Engaged? To Becky?"
"No," A.J. said, laughing. "I met a new girl last week and proposed the next day, what do you think?"
"I think congratulations are in order." Jack shook A.J.'s hand and patted him on the back. "Becky's a great gal. It's about time."
"So everyone says." A.J. stepped outside and said, "If we can keep you alive and out of prison, I'd love to have you as my best man."
Jack smiled. "I'd be honored."
"I'll be in touch."
CHAPTER ELEVEN.
Kate stood beside Jack and watched A.J. pull the car out of the garage. A.J. seemed like a nice guy, but she had avoided him on purpose. She wasn't here to make friends.
She waited just inside the door. It was time to hit the road, take care of unfinished business. Jack would only get in her way if she stayed. The thought of getting a good night's rest held a certain appeal, but she didn't come to the States to catch up on her sleep.
Jack hit a b.u.t.ton to shut the garage door and stepped inside the house.
Kate set Barney on the ground, picked up her bag and said, "It's been fun, Jack. But it's time for me to head off."
His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't do this, Jack."
"Do what?"
"Make a big deal out of my leaving."
"Where are you going?"
"I don't know yet. I would have left this morning if those cops hadn't shown up at the hotel. I have business to take care of, remember?"
He stared at her, but he didn't say a word.
"Besides," she added, "you have problems of your own."
"Your problems are my problems," he said, placing a hand on his chest for emphasis. "n.o.body was trying to kill me before I hooked up with you."
"Thanks," she said, clutching her bag tighter to her side as she tried to get past him. "I feel much better now."
He blew out some hot air and reached out to stop her. "You can't go. Running off isn't going to save me. Although the thought that you don't want to endanger me is heartwarming, it isn't going to make the bad guys disappear. Besides, I'm a fugitive just like you, remember?"
"I wasn't leaving to save you." She looked him in the eyes. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I just don't want to be around you?"
He looked puzzled. "The thought never crossed my mind."
Their gazes remained locked, neither of them blinking, as if doing so would be a sign of weakness.
He pointed a finger her way and suddenly his features softened. "You're mad at me for this morning in the hotel, aren't you?"
Her laugh came out as a snort. "You're amazing. Every time I think you can't possibly get any more arrogant, you prove me wrong." She shook her head. "I don't know what kind of c.r.a.p your mother has been feeding you for the last thirty-eight years-"
"Thirty-two."
"Yeah, whatever. The point is...you're not that great."
He looked amused.
"For starters," she added smugly, wondering why the h.e.l.l she didn't just leave well enough alone, "you have-er-uh-a big nose..."
He laughed.
"...and a very irritating laugh."
A dimple appeared near the corner of his mouth and his blue eyes sparkled with a self-righteous pompous glee that egged her on.
"And your ears," she blurted, pointing at the one on the right, "are very small in proportion to that big head of yours." She waved a hand through the air. "And that's just the begin-"
His laughter bounced off the walls, cutting her off in mid-sentence as he went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door and pulled out two cold Coronas. "You want one?"
She shook her head at him. "If I stay, you'll get in my way. I'm used to doing things my way."
Jack nodded. "I can handle that. Whatever you say goes."