Deadly Ties (24 page)

“Yeah.” Jeff looked at Mark, his eyes shining regret. “She is.”

Masson had to be neck-deep in this. Because of Dutch or some other as-yet-unknown reason. But Mark was sure of one thing. This new information left by Susan proved Lisa was in double the danger they first thought: danger from her abductors and from her memories, and he dared to wonder …

Which would prove to be the more deadly tie?

17

K
arl Masson sat in a booth inside Ruby’s Diner.

He’d changed from one of his usual Brooks Brothers suits to camp shorts, a blue T-shirt advertising Seagrove Village’s fishing rodeo, and sandals. Dressed like most other locals, he’d fade into the crowd and go unnoticed. It was as easy to hide out in the open here as it was anywhere else. The key was to look and act as if he belonged. Glancing out the wide window, he scanned the parking lot. The rising sun slanted glints of light on the cars lined up like rows of little soldiers.

Ruby’s wasn’t a tourist destination. The locals in Seagrove Village came out every morning, some for breakfast, some for coffee, and most for the latest village gossip. This morning the buzz was all about Annie’s assault and Lisa’s abduction. Sitting alone in a booth with the newspaper, Karl kept his head down, ate slowly, and paid close attention.

Megan, Ruby’s friendliest waitress and gossip-in-chief of the village grapevine, refilled Karl’s coffee. Her red curls rioted, as if they’d been caught in a stiff storm. “More cream?”

“No thanks.” He pretended to be engrossed in the newspaper to avoid looking directly at her.

“All right, then. If you need anything else, just yell.”

“Thank you.” His cell vibrated against his side. Karl pulled out his phone. “Hello.”

“New cargo location is needed.”

Frank
. He was in Jackson, Mississippi, and ready to pick up the witness.

“Anything else to report?” Karl fished a couple of bills out of his wallet and dropped them on the table.

“No sir.”

“Take Highway 49 south back to I-10, then head west. Continue west until further notice.”

“Got it.”

Spotting the coroner sitting across from a sober-faced teenage boy in the far-left booth, Karl turned away and went out to his car. He’d heard the gossip on them too. The former mayor’s brother and son were about to go to court to keep the boy with Hank. They were talking softly about it but loud enough for Karl to hear the boy, Lance, clearly. He was terrified of his mother, Darla Green. Lance told his uncle Hank if the judge made him live with her, he’d run away and stay gone. He had to or his mother would kill him just like she killed his dad. The boy’s fear was palpable, and if Karl were Hank, he’d do whatever needed doing to keep the boy away from her.

When a kid was that scared of his own parent, there’s reason. Karl knew that firsthand, just as he knew the boy was right. Darla Green had killed John, and Lance would toe her line or she’d kill him too. The woman didn’t have a motherly bone in her body. She was every bit as cold-blooded as Raven.

Feeling sorry for the boy, Karl left the parking lot and pulled onto Highway 98, heading west. Nothing he’d heard had him worried that either the pug-nose detective or Mark Taylor and his team had pegged Karl or NINA as being involved. Dutch was getting full credit for Annie and Lisa.

At Gramercy, Karl hooked a right and slowed to a crawl, checking the Crossroads Crisis Center parking lot. Kelly’s SUV wasn’t in the lot.

He couldn’t go after her at Three Gables, not even with half its security force out hunting for Lisa. With Taylor’s old team in town, that would be the height of stupidity. But maybe Karl could catch Kelly leaving the grounds. Odds of his being recognized even in Seagrove Village were slim to none. Except by Kelly Walker. All they had was an artist’s sketch, and in his opinion, it wasn’t a great one.

For the most part, people saw what they expected to see, and few expected to see him on their streets. That’s why Karl stayed low-key and hid in plain sight. People ignored him. He used that to his advantage.

Again his cell vibrated. He snatched it up and checked caller ID. Blank. “Hello?”

“Raven. To whom am I speaking?”

Raven calling him unexpectedly? He hoped it wasn’t bad news. “Lone Wolf.”

“Mission?”

“Shifter.” What was she doing?

“Sorry, Lone Wolf. Headquarters has experienced minor technical difficulties. A hundred percent verifications are currently required on all communications.”

Karl spit out the mission’s authorization code. “Alpha 263891.”

“I’d like a cargo status update.”

Odd. “We’re on schedule, ma’am.”

“Excellent.” She paused. “And our client is … where?”

“On the way to the hospital. They phoned. His wife is critical.”

“Critical.”

The bitterness in Raven’s tone had Karl swallowing hard. If Annie lived and caused problems … He’d been warned. He should have just shot her and been done with it. “In a coma.”

“That’s better.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Contact the client and issue a delay order. A restraining order against him has been served on the hospital.” She went on to catch Karl up on NINA’s reaction to it.

He pulled into a bank’s empty parking lot and gave the call his full attention.

“We’re taking care of it. Just keep him away from the hospital. Have him get updates from the road.”

Something was wrong. Really wrong. Raven wasn’t worried about the client. She was worried about NINA. So why would Dutch showing up at the hospital concern her at all?

No matter how he figured it, it didn’t make sense. “Yes ma’am.”

“Any questions?”

No way was he touching that one. She’d have a kill order issued on him before he put down the phone. “No ma’am.”

“Excellent. Raven out.”

Karl hung up, certain he’d just passed the test to determine whether or not he lived another day.

And maybe he had.

Uneasy and shaking, he called Dutch and then waited for him to answer.

Finally he did. “Yeah.”

“Stay away from the hospital.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I never kid anyone.” Karl braked for two kids waiting to cross the street on their bikes.

Dutch’s sigh crackled through the phone. “As it turns out, I have to stay away. Somebody put out a restraining order against me to keep me away from Annie. My own wife. Can you believe that?”

“The cargo?” Karl guessed Lisa. She had reason.

“No. It happened after the cargo shift.”

That could explain Raven’s call. Okay, then. Things were making more sense now. Karl watched the cars driving down Highway 98. Morning traffic was picking up. “Working on that. But even if it’s dropped, you stay away.”

“Why? She’s critical.”

Karl had told him Annie was critical. Why would he think he didn’t know it?
Good grief
. “Let me be clear. Show up there and you won’t be leaving.”

“I’m the client, remember? Don’t threaten me.”

“I’m saving your lousy backside, man. Taylor, Meyers, and the entire crew from Crossroads are looking for you. You walk in, and I guarantee you won’t walk out.”

“Taylor did it. Had to be him. Tell the boss I’m offering a million dollars. I want Mark Taylor dead by dark.”

“I’ll pass that along.” What did Dutch know about Taylor? Couldn’t be much.

“Not just wounded. I want him dead.”

“I understand. But remember my point. Stay out of that hospital, or you’ll be getting buried.”

“Taylor’s not a killer.”

“The boss issued the order. You want to complain, you complain to her.”

“The boss? Personally?” Dutch’s voice rattled. “What’s she got to do with this?”

“You can ask her that too.” Karl glanced into the rearview, wishing he’d brought a fresh cup of Ruby’s coffee with him. He hadn’t stretched out for nearly thirty-six hours. Another jolt of her caffeine would work wonders. “Do what you want, but if it were me, I’d do as I was told. The boss isn’t exactly in a good mood.”

Dutch paused. “You aren’t warning me against Taylor and his apes. You’re telling me NINA doesn’t want me at the hospital.”

Karl laughed. He couldn’t help himself. “I just told you the boss said stay away. That’s pretty straight talk. What’s wrong that you can’t get it?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. NINA doesn’t want me dead. It wants me out of the way in case it wants to take some action at the hospital.” Finally, the light dawned.

“If you’re told to stay away from the hospital, you’d be wise to stay away from the hospital.”

“I’m clear. NINA is everywhere.”

Dutch was a sorry excuse for a man.

“I’m supposed to meet with that joker Meyers about the restraining order. I’ll have car trouble—again.”

“This time, I suggest it be credible trouble. If I hear you’re cruising around in Seagrove Village again when you’re supposed to be elsewhere, you’ll have plenty of reasons to regret it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t bother lying to me. I know the truth.”

Silence.

Karl laughed. “You were more right than you realized, man. NINA
is
everywhere.” Would Dutch figure out that Tack, the caretaker at Chessman’s old house, was on NINA’s payroll? Probably not for a week or two, if ever.

Call waiting signaled. Karl checked his watch. Seven o’clock. Oh, man. Frank checking in and Karl was late getting specifics back to him. “Follow orders.”

“Where do you want me to go?”

That attitude was more like it. “Anywhere but the village. Wait. Meet me in Opp, Alabama. Usual place.”

Without waiting for Dutch’s response, Karl took the incoming call. It was Raven. He passed along Dutch’s million-dollar offer on Taylor.

“Tell him to wire the funds,” Raven said.

“Do I need to stay close pending incoming orders?”

“Continue your scheduled activities. If your orders change, you’ll be notified.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She briefed him on another matter, then abruptly ended the call. “Raven out.”

Karl dragged in a steadying breath and then phoned Frank. “How’s it going?”

“Routine. Just need directions.”

Karl gave them to him, sending Frank to a convenience store on the south side of Jackson.

“I passed that location fifteen minutes ago.”

“I got hung up. At the moment, things are not so routine on this end.” Karl pulled into a drive-through coffee shop and ordered a large leaded coffee, then pulled halfway around to the window and stopped. “The boss just called. Someone from Seagrove Village PD just called Orlando PD asking for info on Charles Harper’s case.”

“I see.”

A swallow of hot coffee burned all the way down Karl’s throat. “Any evidence the doc has remembered anything?” Frank would know he meant Lisa; he’d rather not use her name.

“None. I flashed my web. She didn’t react to it.”

“Push a little harder. Test her.”

“How? You said hands off on this whole shipment unless extreme measures were required. Now it’s beat it out of her?”

“No, that won’t net the information we want.” She might just take Frank in hand-to-hand combat. He had weight, reach, and brute strength, but she was light-years ahead of him in skill, technique, and discipline—and she had the most to lose. “Just watch her for any reaction.”

“To what?”

“Call her a shrub.”