“Over here.” A whisper reached her ears.
Around the stairway, there was a small waiting area she hadn’t noticed before that contained two armchairs and a coffee table, which was covered in brochures and magazines about the campus. Joe pointed to a map in front of him. “I needed to refresh my memory and the darkened windows here offer a prime—” He noticed the bottle of water and ice in her hands. “Thank you.”
She took the seat next to him and gulped down her water faster than intended. The smell of dust and mold had yet to leave her sinuses fully, or maybe the memory of it had grown so strong it’d become permanent. What a horrible thought.
Joe secured the zippered bag of ice against his ankle by placing it inside his sock. The small waiting area didn’t lead to anywhere but the two restrooms. It seemed like an afterthought as a way to use the space.
She sat up straight, unwilling to relax in the soft-cushioned back. “If I let myself rest, I’m scared I won’t be able to get back up again.”
He nodded. “What did you find out?”
“Dead end. The Pirate got to them all first.” She waved the business card. “And law enforcement is looking to ask Audrey Clark questions. Apparently, I don’t have much time before they request a warrant.” She blew out a breath. “If we need to go off the grid, I need to make it clear Audrey has a twin before I disappear.”
Joe’s hung his head. “We don’t have much time, then. We have to go back to Audrey’s apartment before that warrant is issued.”
“What? No. We avoided it all day yesterday for a reason. That’s the first place the police will look to find Audrey for questioning.”
“That’s the first place they likely have looked. How likely will they try again this morning? You said yourself they don’t have a warrant yet to enter. I need to get there right away.” He avoided her gaze. “I left my real driver’s license in Audrey’s place. It’s in my go bag.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” A rookie mistake that Kendra had no right to scold him about. He never asked to work covertly, and he’d saved her enough times she needed to give him grace. If they were about to live the rest of their lives on the run together, there would be time to teach him everything she knew.
“It’s possible Masked has already identified me as the guy who took down Beverly’s guard, but if there is a chance they don’t, I want to keep it that way.” He exhaled. “Aren’t you worried about your family? About them being used as leverage? I’m wondering if we should warn them.”
“Anyone who goes after my family will regret it. I have two brothers that still live at home. Darryl is the only one who moved...three blocks away. I think it’s because they’re too lazy to get their own places, and Mom is a pretty good cook.” She shrugged. “They say their rent is helping Mom and Dad pay off their mortgage faster. The point being that the Pirate wouldn’t be so foolish as to target an entire family of police officers including the chief, right?”
Joe didn’t reply but furrowed his brow.
“Joe? I’m asking you if he would risk it.”
“I studied the campus a lot for possible hiding places.” He pointed at the map. “There are four libraries at Caltech. All but one doesn’t open until later this morning, but this one—Sherman—is open twenty-four hours a day if you have an ID to scan.” He glanced up. “You still have Audrey’s?”
It was still attached to the lanyard around her neck, so she pulled it out from underneath her shirt. “Yes. But why? And don’t think I haven’t noticed you avoided my earlier question.”
“You’re probably right, but I don’t want to get your hopes up. The only thing I do know is the very next step to take.” He tapped the map. “Our next stop is here. This library is also where they store lost and found items.”
She crossed her arms, fighting back irritation. She wanted a positive answer, not a probability, but she took a look at the map. “I don’t know about the found part, but I definitely feel lost.”
THIRTEEN
Joe’s ankle felt on fire, but this time from the extreme cold the bag of ice provided. The library stop had proved very useful to provide a disguise. “Hats suit you,” he said. They emphasized her eyes, but he kept that to himself.
Kendra grimaced as they strode across campus. “Orange is not my color, and it certainly doesn’t go with red.” They’d found her a gray cap with the university logo in orange, and a red sweatshirt with the logo in white. With her shiny, dark hair hidden in the hat, Joe thought she’d prove unrecognizable to those looking for her. She could certainly pass as a graduate student.
He, however, had only been able to find a pale green pullover with a hole in the armpit that fit him. A knit puce cap over his head completed his makeover. “I never thought I was one for fashion, but I’ll admit this ensemble is hurting my delicate sensibilities.”
“There’s nothing delicate about you, Joe.” She smirked. “I’ll be glad if we can both get our bags before we’re forced to move on. I had some cash in my bag that will come in handy.”
“We can’t go into a ghost protocol yet. We have Audrey. She’ll be able to identify everyone who was in that room. We at least have a place to start.”
“Audrey didn’t know everyone from DARPA or those other researchers.”
“Yes, but that should be easy enough to track down. At least easy enough for someone from NCS.”
“I don’t want to get Audrey involved.”
“She’s already involved.”
Kendra shook her head. “Even if I need to take a billboard out, it will be made clear I acted alone while she went on an innocent trip home. She’s not to be in danger. She already did that once because of me.” Her voice shook ever so slightly and Joe almost stopped right there and pulled her into his arms. “At least one of us should get a happily-ever-after.” Her eyes darkened, as if making it clear the vulnerable wall had been fortified.
He exhaled. “Let’s grab our stuff and figure out how to get Audrey in the clear. Once that’s done we make our way back to Florida, and I’ll attempt to use the same drop system I used at my hospital visits. Hopefully, we can make contact with the NCS director.”
She flashed a smile. “Have I mentioned I’m glad I brought you along?”
For a second Joe believed the carefree, ambitious girl he met at the academy had returned, and they were on their way to an exercise, not one of the last stops before having to be on the run forever. He stopped at a glass door. “Walk thirty feet out in the open and you’ll enter faculty housing. You still have Audrey’s key?”
“Affirmative. You’ll follow in a minute.”
Each time they crossed an opening in between buildings, they’d taken turns traveling separately but they always maintained a visual until they reunited inside. Now, as soon as she entered the building, he would wait a little longer to make sure they weren’t followed. If he didn’t meet her at the apartment in the minute after that, she should assume there was a problem, grab the bags and get out.
He shifted his weight entirely to his good leg and began counting to sixty. The small break in action let his thoughts ramp up to racing again. He experienced a strong surge of thankfulness they’d escaped the demolition, but he was still confused as to why God would allow their crazy plan of escape to work—albeit barely—but didn’t stop Masked from stealing the security tapes.
He felt equipped, even if he was both figuratively and literally hobbling, to be Kendra’s right arm as an analyst at the moment. He also felt equipped for the pastorate. Both options left him filled with purpose yet drained emotionally.
Ironically, despite the situation, he felt most in his element in this very place. The halls of universities and colleges comforted him, as if he’d returned home. If he could converse with students and professors and learn for the rest of his life, he felt certain he’d be happy. But didn’t that mean it was just an escape? Mayb
e it was an excuse to stay young and carefree.
Kendra’s cap disappeared through the side door of the apartments. He twisted to check all angles. Other than a couple of students on bikes, he didn’t spot anyone else and rushed toward the apartments himself. What if there was another reason he felt at home on this campus, one that had everything to do with whom he was with?
Joe half limped the thirty feet to the building. The hairs on the back of his neck tingled from the cool breeze. People passed by, and he tried to look casual as he checked his surroundings before opening the door.
His ankle began loosening up and didn’t smart as much going up the stairs. The ice pack had helped, so if it was a sprain it must’ve been minor. The Christmas wreath on the second floor was a dead giveaway now that he’d seen it before. He didn’t need to remember the number of the apartment. He lifted his fist to knock when the door swung open.
Kendra’s face had a gray pallor, as if she was about to be sick. She didn’t say anything, just grabbed his wrist and tugged him inside, closing the door so close behind him that she almost caught the back of his sweatshirt in the door.
“What’s going on?”
She pointed in the direction of the living area and kitchen. Since it was an open floor plan, he only had to take one step to understand her horror. A bundled pack of bags filled with white powder sat between two people, spread out on the floor between the couch and the television. A male and female, black ski masks tossed to the side, stared at the ceiling with lifeless eyes.
* * *
Kendra paced behind the couch. The vinyl wood floor showed rough scratches, likely from dozens of careless tenants over the years and people not removing their shoes. She never removed her own shoes when she entered a house. She wanted to be able to run out fast if she needed to.
“The blonde woman worked in the lab. I remember her because I thought she looked like a stock model.”
“Yeah, Audrey had mentioned her. She came highly recommended but Audrey couldn’t speak to her work yet.”
Kendra kept her eyes trained on everything aside from the rug past the couch. “The man, the man with the—”
“From DARPA.”
“Actually I think he was the consulting scientist that asked to stay.” She frowned. “Why would he ask to stay if he was the one that broke into the lab that night? Perhaps he was the one that made the explosion in the chemical hood?”
“Why are you sure he was the one that broke in last night?”
She tried to point without looking. “They’re both wearing black and, judging by his height, I think he was the one that I fought in the office.”
The wall next to the closet was white, much like the current state of Joe’s pasty face. Next to an undergraduate degree and a postdoctorate degree, a framed certificate with an image of a trophy printed on it declared Audrey’s award for best student research at Duke University. The image bothered Kendra for some reason.
She may have succeeded in keeping the Pirate from Audrey’s research. She’d shipped the real drive to an address no one but her—and now Joe—knew about before buying a copy to replace it. In essence, she’d won a small victory over the Pirate, but the two individuals on the ground had lost. It wasn’t a tournament Kendra had ever wanted to enter. The person responsible for creating it was out there, nameless, faceless and ready to take her and Joe’s lives next. Her stomach churned, threatening to overwhelm her with nausea.
Kendra’s eyes drifted down until she focused on a frayed edge of the carpet. She knew how to cope with death. She’d seen, and even been responsible for, the loss of life before. In every case, she followed tried and true steps: get out of the situation as soon as possible, stay busy, focus on the mission and eventually sleep for an entire day, then follow up with hefty servings of carbs. Comfort food was a thing for a reason. Eventually the horror would fade into the back recesses of her mind.
Without the promise of any relief in the future, it was hard to imagine ever getting a break. She’d worked so hard at burying the dark side of covert ops, that she’d never considered the benefits of a different position. If not in the field, she’d lose her sense of purpose and control, but after the past few weeks, she’d started to wonder if she ever had any in the first place. Was control all an illusion?
“Are you worried how Audrey is going to react?”
She looked up to find Joe staring at her. The thought of telling her sister made the wave of nausea wash over her again. She certainly didn’t want her to be murdered and framed. She resumed the pacing once more. Movement helped her from obsessing over one detail.
“If the scientists were working for the Pirate, why would they be murdered? The bag of drugs is so obvious a plant, I’m disregarding it.”
“You made sure they couldn’t access any of the research. So if these two had a directive by the Pirate, they failed last night. And...it’s possible they knew too much.”
Her mind raced. Too many questions fought for top priority. “Tell me what you see, as an analyst.”
Joe crossed his arms across his chest. “I’m starting to wonder if you think an analyst should be able to do anything you can’t. I’m not a forensic scientist. I’m not a homicide detective.”
“But we both know you’ve studied at least the basics.”
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t refute her claim. “I can make an educated guess at best.” He pointed to the throw pillow with a hole and stuffing bits all around the floor. “They were killed by a gun with a suppressor, but the shooter used a pillow for additional help in staying quiet. They really didn’t want to be heard. If I had to guess by the state of rigor mortis, their murders happened soon after our brush with them in the lab.”
He looked up at the ceiling, his skin an unhealthy pasty white when it normally had a golden glow. They’d both been exposed to dead bodies before, but they’d never had to study them before. “They were whisked away the moment they left the lab while we were being herded to the demo building. They didn’t have what the Pirate wanted so they were killed and, just in case there were questions about your eventual death, he added this as another frame.”
“So you think they were killed here?”
His eyes met hers. “I’m afraid so. It’s a frame job.”
“Like a game of chess,” she muttered. “Masked has made sure that one way or another we’ll be forced off the board.” Except these murders would frame her sister. Before she could chicken out, she stepped into the area with the bodies, bent over and reached to touch the sleeve of the woman’s shirt.
Joe reached out and stopped her. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sure my DNA is all over him already, I want to make sure it’s on her, as well. I don’t want Audrey to be framed.”
“I didn’t think I’d need to remind you that you’re identical twins.”
It took her a second to follow his train of thought. “Haven’t the police developed a new way to distinguish DNA of twins?”
His eyebrows raised. “A few years back they discovered they could melt it and look at key markers, but that’s only if they know there is an identical twin involved. If you disappear, is the FBI going to fess up when they’re trying to keep it a secret?”
Kendra wanted to scream in frustration. “I’ll have to figure something out.”
“There is a bright side.” He pointed in the direction of the living room. “These murders, as horrible as they are, can actually help us narrow down the Pirate’s identity. We just need to talk to Audrey.”
She waved at the two scientists on the ground. “Unless he was never in the lab at all. Maybe Beverly’s intelligence sources and analysis were wrong about him. What if he was just confident that he had enough people in place to keep Beverly out of the loop?”
Joe crossed the room, opened the coat closet door and retrieved his bag. “Whoever did this was quick an
d wanted to get out fast.” He unzipped and zipped it. “They didn’t find my ID.”
“Or they did and thought it would only help the frame against us.”
His face fell. “Fair enough. I’m going to check the window to make sure it’s still clear. We shouldn’t be here any longer than necessary.”
Kendra followed him into the kitchen as he peeked through the blinds of the window. “I’ll check the bedroom.” She didn’t make it over the threshold before she heard him groan. She spun. “What?”
“I think I’ve just been spotted.” Shame was written all over his face. “I don’t think they actually saw my face, but someone noticed the blinds move.”
“Are you sure? Was it a student?” Dread weighed on her spine but she forced herself to be optimistic.
He faced her. “A student doesn’t behave like that. I’m pretty sure he just sent out the news to others. We need to get out of here. Now.”
She ran to the bedroom and retrieved her own backpack from underneath Audrey’s bed. She’d wanted to clean the place and the bodies to make sure any fake evidence was destroyed, but she’d failed. Again. She ran out to find Joe with the coat closet door open yet again.
“I just remembered what was in here,” he said. He cringed. “I know you said you’re not a fan of Christmas, but considering the circumstances—” He pulled out Santa and Mrs. Claus costumes. “Fast alteration of appearance. Alternate routes. A textbook method of escape.”
She hesitated. “No agent would ever put on these. It might draw extra attention.”
“Which is exactly why it won’t.” Joe was already throwing on the gear. “Only college students would. Are you going to trust your analyst or spend time arguing?”
As if the day could get any worse. If she ever had any doubt, this sealed the deal. She definitely never had any control.
FOURTEEN
Covert Christmas Twin (Twins Separated At Birth Book 2) Page 13
