This Doesn't Happen in the Movies (16 page)

She twisted away from me.  “Wait, Reed.  I’ve got to talk to you.  They’ve contacted me again.”

“The X Women?”

“Yes.  They want me to meet them in Castle Rock at a restaurant called The Snake Pit, tonight at seven.  They know something’s going on.  I have to go, or they’ll kill me.  I know they will.  But I’m scared.  What do they want from me?”  Tears welled up in her eyes.

I stared at her.  “I can’t help you.”

She nodded her head vigorously.  “Yes, you can.  You’re the only one who can.”  She gripped my arm tightly.

I hung my head for a second.  The current of this case was sucking me under.  “Call me in an hour at this number.”  I wrote my cell phone number down, ripped off the sheet, and handed it to her.  Pressing the elevator button, I said, “Call from a pay phone.  Go to the mall or somewhere where there are a lot of people.  Make it hard for the feds to keep their eyes on you.”  The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

Amanda stepped onto it, holding her hand out to block the doors.  “You’ve got to help me.”

“You’re in a lot of trouble.  You know that, don’t you?  The feds know that you hired the X Women.  They’ll arrest you.”

Her lips quivered.  “That’s better than being killed.  And the FBI can’t keep me from getting killed.  You can.”  She took her hands away and the elevator doors slid shut.

“I doubt it,” I whispered to my reflection in the doors.

I returned to the office, grabbed my cell phone, and sprinted back into the hall.  No one was to be seen in either direction.  I passed by the elevators again and the windows that faced the street.  The sedan hadn’t moved.  At the end of a side hall, a large window opened onto a metal fire escape on one side of the building.  I pushed the window open and climbed onto the little platform, then dialed the number.  In the alley below, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  Only the sound of traffic on the streets nearby.  I chose a number from the cell phone memory and called Cal on his cell phone.

“Why this number?” he asked when I said hello.

“I’m hot,” I said.  “We’ve got company listening in at my office and probably at home.”

“Shit.”

“You said it.”  I quickly explained everything that had transpired.  “Those guys last night threatened to expose you if I don’t stay out of this thing, and I’m sure they can do it.”

“They’re threatening me, huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

Cal grunted.  “Bastards.  But I’m smarter than they are.”  I believed that, but still worried about him.

“She’s still in trouble,” I said.

“I figured that.”  A pause.  “So you bring her in and let the feds prosecute her.  Is that what you’re going to do?”

“Can I let her die?”

“You?  No.  You wouldn’t do that.”

I took a deep breath of the brisk morning air.

“You’re in big trouble, pal.  You sure you want to do this?” Cal asked.

“No.”

“What do you need from me?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll call you when I need you.”

“Watch your back.”

“You too,” I said and hung up.  I hurried back to the office and turned off the music.  I grabbed my coat and ran to my car.  I had a while before Amanda called, so I drove around, mulling over my situation and letting the FBI guys waste gas tailing me.  As I drove, a plan formed in my mind.  I was headed west, so I circled the block and drove to St. Joseph’s Hospital.  I parked in a metered space and dashed across the street, laughing because I’d taken the last available space.  The sedan passed me and turned the corner.

The emergency room doors slid open,  Star-Trek style, and Willie looked up from behind the admissions desk.  “What brings you here?” she said with a smile, her green eyes dancing.  “Do you have an emergency?”

I nodded, sat down, and explained what I needed from her.   Inside of five minutes, I was back in the 4-Runner.  The FBI vehicle was double-parked near mine.  I waved at the agents and peeled off.  They followed me to City Park, where I pulled into a space and waited for a phone call.  The sedan pulled in across the street, the agents clearly watching me.

My cell phone rang twenty minutes later.  I peeled out of my parking space, putting distance between the sedan and me.

“I’m at a pay phone at the Cherry Creek Mall,” Amanda said.

“Be ready at six,” I said.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll come through the back yard.  Don’t say anything.  Leave some loud music on in your living room.”

“Music?”

“To help muffle any sounds.  And stay sober.”

“Reed,” she said.

“Just do it.  Okay?”

“Okay.”

I hung up and drove back to the office.  I suddenly had a lot of work to do.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“All right, I don’t see anyone.”  I was standing at the edge of Amanda Ghering’s back yard, scanning the perimeter of her property with night-vision goggles purchased earlier in the day from an Army surplus store.  I had no way of knowing if the feds had Amanda’s house surrounded or if they only had a car out front.  Or did they have someone watching at all?  I had come prepared.  But after a careful look around, I didn’t see anyone.  Just houses, trees, and an occasional fence, all neon green from the goggles.  “Let’s go,” I whispered.

“This is exciting,” Willie whispered back as she followed me.  She looked really cute in black slacks and sweater and a heavy navy blue jacket, her short blond hair tucked into a Rockies baseball cap.  “My life needed more adventure.”

“Shh,” I hissed.  We’d made it this far unseen, and I wanted to keep it that way.

A couple of hours earlier, I’d gone with the Goofball Brothers to B 52’s.  Thursday nights there are fairly crowded.  I started a game of pool with the brothers, then left them there and managed to lose my FBI tail by sneaking out the back, where Willie had been waiting with her car in the alley.  Forty minutes later, we had arrived at Amanda's house.

We ran in a crouch up to the back porch.  I took a quick look behind us, but didn’t notice anything.  No dogs barking, no people in their yards.  Music drifted out to us.  I tapped quietly on the rear door.  Nothing.  I rapped a little harder and the door opened.  Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony blared out.

I put my hand up to my lips.  Amanda, decked out in red designer jeans and white sweater, gestured for us to come in the house.  The back door led into a darkened kitchen, the white walls and cabinets glowing eerily from an overhead light in the front entryway.  On the gray granite countertop next to the sink were a blond wig and a long fur overcoat with a high collar.  Willie took off her cap and donned the wig, peeled off her own coat, then shrugged into Amanda’s fur coat.  I fixed the collar, pulling it up around her ears.  I turned her to the side, sizing up the disguise.

I mouthed “perfect” to her.  She smiled, kissed me lightly on the cheek, and took the car keys that Amanda offered her.  Amanda led the way to the garage, and Willie tiptoed out in the dark.  She got in the Lexus and waited for my signal.  Amanda strolled into the living room, shut off the stereo, slipped into a black leather jacket, and came back to join me.  I signaled to Willie.  As I shut the inner door, she opened the garage door.  Amidst the rumble from the automatic door opener, Amanda and I tiptoed out the back door.

We sidled up to the side of the house, just in time to see the Lexus turn out of the driveway.  Willie was doing her job well.  It was impossible to tell who was driving the car.  In a few seconds, a dark sedan drove down the street after Amanda’s Lexus.  The feds were watching, and they bought our ruse.  I turned around and gave Amanda a thumbs-up sign.

I took a moment to scan the yard with the field glasses.  All clear.  Amanda and I grabbed hands, bent low, and ran for the edge of the yard.  We reached a tall pine tree.  I pulled us around it and stopped.  We were both breathing hard.

“I think we fooled them,” I whispered.  “But we don’t have much time.”

“Where is she going?”

“I don’t know.  She’ll drive around, get a burger or something and head back.”

“I would never do that.  Especially just to get a burger.  Yuck!”  Amanda made a gagging motion with her finger in her mouth.

“It doesn’t matter, as long as she keeps the FBI away from us.”  I leaned close to her, smelling her breath.  “Have you been drinking?”

“I needed something to calm my nerves.”

I glared at her.  “I told you not to drink.  If one thing goes wrong…”  The sentence hung in the air.  If one thing did go wrong, I would be getting a lot of people in trouble.

“Come on.”  I climbed the waist-high chain-link fence, helped Amanda over, and ran off through her neighbor’s yard, over to the next street.  We ran two long blocks, past huge houses, heading east.

“Wait,” Amanda halted abruptly.

“What?” I said, gasping for breath.

“I have to pee.”  She looked miserable.

“What?”

“I’m nervous, and I have to go.”

I threw up my hands in exasperation.  “Hold it.”  I started running again.

“I can’t.”

“Well,” I smiled sweetly.  “You have plenty of choice trees and bushes.”

She gave me a withering look and stalked off between two houses.  I prayed no one would choose this moment to look out their windows.  In two minutes she was back, looking relieved.

“Come on!” I said.

“You don’t need to get so mad,” she said, dashing after me.

“We’re in a hurry.”  We ran for three more blocks.

“Wait,” she called out again.

“What?”  My patience was wearing thin.

“This running is hurting my feet.”

“You shouldn’t have worn heels,” I said, pointing at her spiked pumps.  “And what’s with the red?  When I called this afternoon I said to dress in dark clothes.”

“I have to look good for my meeting,” she said with a pout.

“Right, I’m sure it’s important to make a good impression now.”

She gave me another scornful look.  “That’s not funny.”

“Come on, we’re wasting time.”  One more block up I spied a beat-up Honda Civic.  I sprinted to it and opened the passenger door.  I flipped up the seat and clambered into the back.  “Get in,” I ordered Amanda, who stood looking at the car in surprise.

“I wondered how you were getting me to the restaurant,” she said as she sat down in the front seat.

“This is Cal,” I introduced him as he pulled away from the curb.

“Where to?” Cal asked, barely acknowledging Amanda.  I directed him to The Snake Pit, a restaurant in Castle Rock, where Amanda's rendezvous was taking place.

“So you’re Reed’s help?” Amanda said, placing well-manicured fingers on Cal’s arm.

If Cal knew she was flirting with him, he didn’t show it.  He kept his eyes on the road, and Amanda removed her hand and stared out the window.  She had no idea how I had to cajole Cal into helping me.  Unlike Willie, he wasn’t interested in the adventure, and even my undying friendship didn’t sway him.  This was a man who rarely ventured from his house, had his groceries delivered, and did most of his shopping over the Internet.  The outside world held no interest for him.  But when I mentioned the FBI, he changed his mind.  I don’t think he liked being threatened by them.

“So what’s with the Navy Seal look?” Cal asked, looking at me in the rear view mirror.  I had dressed completely in black: jeans, sweatshirt, socks, shoes, and knit cap pulled low over my ears.  At least I hadn’t painted my face black.

“I didn’t want anyone to see us,” I said, reaching around the seat and poking Amanda in the ribs.

“My jacket’s black, and so are my heels.”  She crossed her arms and tossed her hair at me.  I met Cal’s gaze in the mirror.  His brown eyes sparkled with humor.

We drove the rest of the way in silence.  I kept peering out the back window, but never saw a car tailing us.  Apparently we had given the FBI the slip.  That made twice for me.  And no one would pay attention to Cal's beat-up Honda.

At five minutes to seven Cal drove past The Snake Pit.  It was a small, family-run restaurant stuck in between a used bookstore and a liquor store.  Three big bay windows faced the street, with an entrance to the right of them.  Cal turned the corner and parked the Civic on a side street a block from the restaurant.

Amanda turned around.  “All right,” I said.  “Find out what they want.  Don’t do anything you wouldn’t normally do.  And don’t drink.”

“But that’s what I would normally do,” she said.

“True,” I acknowledged.  “But I need you sober so you can keep everything straight.  I want a detailed description of who meets you, what she, or he, says.  And what the X Women want.  Sit at a table near the windows if you can, so I can see who meets you.  Got it?”

She bobbed her head up and down.  “Where will you be?”

“I’ll see if I can watch from outside somewhere.  And I’ll meet you back here.”  She opened the door and got out.  I followed her, and waited while she walked to the corner.  Then she disappeared from view.

“If anything happens, meet me at that gas station,” I said and pointed to a Conoco down the road.  “I don’t know how long this’ll take.”

“Go,” Cal ordered as I slammed the door shut.

I jogged to the corner and stuck my head around the building.  Amanda had reached the restaurant, and a valet was holding the restaurant door for her.  I counted to sixty, but didn’t see anyone enter behind her.  I crossed the street and walked down the block, stopping at the street corner.  A couple came out of the restaurant and handed a ticket to the valet.  He dashed off down the street to retrieve their car, and I took the opportunity to walk back to a store directly across from The Snake Pit.  I stepped back into the shadows of the entrance and watched.

I couldn’t see Amanda in the restaurant.  I was disappointed to see that the three available window tables were occupied.  I checked my watch.  Five after seven.  The valet came back with the car and the couple drove off.  A group of four came from the direction where Cal was waiting.  They walked casually inside.  I leaned out to get a better view down the street and froze.