by Margaret Kay
“When we’re together, no, I don’t have a problem with it. It feels right. It feels comforting. But if I think of having to explain it to anyone, that’s when I feel it’s wrong.”
Joe smiled a compassionate grin. “You deserve to be happy you know. You deserve to feel comforted, to be loved, to have a satisfying sexual relationship if you’re attracted to Anthony. Can you really say you had that the past few years with your husband?”
That was when she looked the guiltiest. Bingo, that was it, Lassiter knew.
Lima
Anthony saw a renewed peace in Sienna when she reentered the kitchen. The laptop was closed. The call with Lassiter must be over. He watched her closely as she got herself the last cup of coffee. When she sat back at the table, her eyes swept over the four of them.
“I feel much better now. I’m ready to do this.”
Garcia gave her a supportive smile. “Of course, you are.”
Doc came to his feet. “I’m going to head to bed now. Wake me if you need me.” Then he disappeared into the hallway and they heard the stairs creak as he mounted them.
The four of them headed out. Sienna sat in the back seat with Madison. First, they went to the grocery store, where Cooper stayed in the SUV. Both Madison and Garcia had their comms in, as did Cooper. Ops was listening in as well. Every member of Shepherd Security was surprised that in nearly every isle, Sienna ran into someone she knew. It was the same with each person, hugs, questions, concern for her, offers for help for whatever she needed.
“She has to know everyone in this town,” Cooper said, entertained by what he was hearing through his comms. “Either that or Saturday morning is when everyone she knows goes to the grocery store.”
Anthony smiled at that comment. He was already getting that Sienna Andrews was well liked by everyone she knew. Her gentle nature and genuine smile when she greeted everyone was wonderful to see and reinforced for him that she could not run away from her life. Hopefully, she would move to the Chicago area with him, but she could never hide herself. She was too outgoing, and she obviously connected with everyone she met, not qualities that worked for anyone living in hiding.
“The population of Fairfax is only about twenty-four thousand,” Jackson said from Ops. “She probably does know everyone.”
Madison and Garcia tried to hurry her along, when their time in the grocery store reached an hour.
“Not even Angel has ever taken an hour in the grocery store,” Jackson complained. “I didn’t know it was possible.”
At the check-out lane, the checker greeted her by name, came around and hugged Sienna, the same routine as with everyone else. Anthony had to chuckle to himself. Sienna introduced the woman who scanned her groceries to them by name, explaining that she taught both the woman’s children, when they were in kindergarten.
“Will I see you at early service tomorrow?” The checker asked as she bagged the last of the many groceries.
“Most likely,” Sienna said. “I think we’ll be up and able to make it to early service.”
The dry cleaner was the next stop, to pick up several clothing items that had been there since just after Greg was killed. Within, Sienna and Cooper ran into one of her neighbors. Same routine. When Sienna introduced Cooper as Greg’s brother, the woman asked how he was doing since his surgery. “Appendicitis, huh?”
“Yes,” Cooper replied. “I felt terrible I couldn’t make it to my own brother’s funeral, especially because our sister couldn’t make it either. Her company wouldn’t pay for her to fly back from Singapore early. You won’t believe how much a last-minute flight was going to cost!”
“We were all there for Sienna,” the woman said. “Sienna, the police were all over your house a few days ago. New crime scene tape was up. What happened?”
“There was a break-in,” Cooper answered for her. “Greg and Sienna’s alarm tripped and dialed the police like she set it up to when she came out to my place. I thank God she wasn’t there alone. That’s why we came back with her. I still have some time off work from the surgery and my sister, and her boyfriend can work from anywhere.”
“Two break-ins in a little over a month? What the hell, Sienna?” The woman said. “I always thought our neighborhood was safe.”
“The police think it was known that the house was vacant, and it could have just been kids looking for a place to party, or an opportunist who wouldn’t have broken in if they knew someone was home,” Cooper said. “I’m sure the neighborhood is perfectly safe, but make sure you call the police if you see anything suspicious.”
As they drove back to her house, Madison asked if there was anyplace else, she’d normally go on a Saturday that they should, to advertise that she was back.
“Just the gym to a drop-in yoga class on occasion, or the nail salon once in a while. Once a month or so, Greg and I would go to our favorite restaurant in town on a Saturday night.”
“We could go get our nails done this afternoon,” Madison said. She held her fingers up, gazing at them. It had been forever since she had had a manicure.
“That’s a good idea. And get reservations for the four of us tonight at that restaurant,” Cooper said. “The more people who know you’re back, the better.”
All outings went well, but each time they were out, Sienna ran into people she knew and had to go over the story for everyone. At the nail salon, Cooper and Anthony stayed in the SUV in the parking lot. At the restaurant, Anthony gazed across the table, from the booth he sat in with Madison pretending to be her boyfriend. It was an Italian restaurant with authentic homecooked food and good red wine.
When they got home and went to bed, Garcia made up for not being able to sit beside her. They talked for hours after they made love and he confessed to her how much he had enjoyed watching her be her normal self in her normal environment. He wished he could see her in the classroom. Maybe he’d be able to sneak a peak when she returned to work. Fairfax had year-round school and school was in session. A substitute teacher had been teaching her class since she fled. She had managed to get a call into her principal to let him know that she would not be there until further notice.
She admitted she was nervous to go see her principal, unsure if after how long she’d been gone, without even a call, if she’d still have a job. The team had already decided they had to bring the principal into their confidence to get Madison and Anthony into the school. Anthony was sure their badges would go a long way with convincing the principal that it was extraordinary circumstances at play. They’d go to the superintendent or the school board, if need be.
The next morning, they all, minus Doc went to church. The community that welcomed Sienna was something unlike any of them had ever seen. Children of all ages ran to her and held her, screaming “Mrs. Andrews.” Parents addressed her formally as Mrs. Andrews too.
“Jeez, she’s the modern-day Pied Piper of Hamelin,” Jackson said through their comms from Ops.
“The who?” Cooper asked quietly.
“It’s a fable. The Pied Piper of Hamelin lured one-hundred-thirty children out of the town of Hamelin in the middle ages,” Jackson replied.
“Why did he do that?” Cooper asked.
“I have no idea,” Jackson confessed.
“It’s actually one of the Grimm Fairy Tales,” Madison corrected. “And the Pied Piper was originally hired to get rid of the town’s rat infestation. When the town reneged and wouldn’t pay him, he stole their children. It’s not a bedtime story I suggest you read to Sammy.”
Jackson chuckled. “Got it, no Grimm’s Fairy Tales as bedtime stories.”
On Monday morning, Sienna dressed as she would for work and placed a call to Cindy Hills, the school principal’s secretary. She got on his calendar for a nine-thirty meeting. She was visibly nervous as the four of them drove to her school, a kindergarten through fifth grade building.
Anthony turned in the passenger seat to view her. “It’s going to be okay. You will be back in your classroom tomorrow.�
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“I hope so. I can always call in a union rep if I need to, to force the issue.”
“There won’t be a need,” Cooper said. “I’m sure once he sees a badge, he will comply.”
The four of them parked and walked up to the building. Nervous energy crackled through Sienna with each step she took. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if Tom Bennett told her she no longer had a job. That would be one more loss that she couldn’t take, would push her over the edge she was sure.
Cindy Hills smiled wide as Sienna led the others into the main office. Sienna met her at the edge of the counter and was engulfed in a fierce hug. Through the open doorway to the principal’s office, her eye caught sight of Tom Bennett. He came to his feet and approached the door. She couldn’t read his facial expression.
“Sienna,” he said with a reserved smile. “I was glad to see your name on my calendar. Come in.” He motioned her into the office. The others followed her in and shut the door. “I’m sorry, who are all of you?”
Cooper flipped his badge case open. “John Cooper, CIA. These are agents, Miller and Garcia,” he introduced. Neither of them presented badges. Cooper motioned to the conference room table. “May we?”
“Certainly,” Bennett said.
They all sat. Cooper did most of the talking. He laid out the situation, that Sienna had been in protective custody due to her husband’s murder, without elaborating on the circumstances or reason. He also laid out the plan and what they were asking Bennett, which was to allow Madison to pretend to be a student teacher and be in Sienna’s classroom, and for Garcia to be the authorized tech guy to work on the computers in the library near her room.
“I don’t like the idea of CIA Agents in my building,” Bennett said, his apprehensive gaze sweeping over all of them and settling on Sienna.
“I have a master’s degree,” Madison said. “I have worked undercover as a teacher before and am very comfortable with the assignment.”
“And Garcia is the best IT guy we have. He will improve your computer lab,” Cooper guaranteed.
“No guns in my school,” Bennett said.
“We can abide by that,” Cooper agreed. “I’ll be in the parking lot providing cover. I’ll be the only one armed in case it is needed. I won’t enter your school with a gun if there isn’t a need.”
“Make sure that is the case, Agent Cooper,” Bennet warned. “I won’t have my student’s endangered.
Mike
Tuesday morning, everyone in the house was up early, getting ready to be at school by zero-seven-thirty, the time Sienna was required to be there. Sienna came out of the bathroom dressed in a floral cap-sleeved sundress, just in time to see Anthony slide a pistol into his boot.
“What are you doing? We promised Principal Bennett no one would be armed inside the school.”
The bedroom door was open. Cooper and Madison were just passing her room. “We lied,” Cooper said from the hallway.
“Lied?” She repeated.
“Yes,” Madison said. “We’re professionals, Sienna. No one is going to get a hold of our weapons, but we have to be armed to protect you.”
“I don’t like it,” Sienna said. “And if Tom finds out, he won’t like it either.”
“Then we better make sure he doesn’t find out,” Garcia said. “But we go in armed.”
The first day went by without incident. Sienna loved being back in the classroom with her students. She quickly fell back into her routine. Madison was helpful as a student teacher and Sienna was surprised how naturally she interacted with the children.
Anthony got to sneak a few peaks and listen to Sienna teaching from outside her open classroom door. He was impressed. She had more patience than anyone he knew. She glowed as she spoke. She was supportive and nurturing with each of her students, and a couple of them were a challenge.
The next morning, they arrived back at the school for day two. Nothing had sent up any red flags yet, not at school, not at home, not in the general area. No one appeared to be watching her or the house. Even the normal pattern the CIA would use to surveille, hadn’t presented itself.
Midway through the morning, Sienna and Madison ran out of worksheets for the lesson they were teaching. “I’ll run to the Teacher’s Workroom really quick and make the extra copies,” Sienna told Madison. “Keep the natives from getting too restless and I’ll be right back.” She flashed a smile at Madison, grabbed the only non-marked up copy left, and then disappeared out the door.
Garcia was out of his chair as she passed the glass enclosed library. He met her at the door near the Teacher’s Workroom. “What’s the matter and where are you going?” He asked quietly. His eyes flickered back towards the hallway that led to her classroom. “And where is Madison?” She should not have been out in the hall by herself.
She smiled as she pointed to the office door with the paper in her hand. “I just need to make a couple of copies. I’ll only be a second.”
Garcia nodded, watching her disappear behind the door that closed itself automatically.
She logged into the copier and fed the paper in. Her eyes automatically went to her mailbox. A large mailing envelope was in it that hadn’t been there earlier. Without thinking, she grabbed it and opened it. It contained a cell phone and a paperclipped bundle of pictures. A post-it note was on the top picture.
A chill washed through her when she saw the handwriting. It was the same writing that had answered her note to the home intruder. It read, ‘I’m watching you right now. Lose your guards or they die. Hit redial on the phone and follow instructions.’ She tore the note from the picture and there, in full color was Angel and baby Sammy. Red marker drew a circle in the center of Angel’s forehead. The second picture was of Anthony and Madison, walking into the building that morning with her. Red marker was on both of their foreheads as well.
Her eyes went to the door. Anthony was right outside. Her eyes flickered around the room and focused on the security camera in the corner, above the copy machine. The note said he was watching her right now. She fumbled with the phone and pressed the redial button.
“Very good, Mrs. Andrews,” the deep male voice said. He had no accent. It wasn’t a voice she recognized. “Follow my instructions and no one has to die.”
“What do you want?” Slipped from her lips. Her eyes went to the door again. She had to alert Anthony, somehow. She fought to breathe.
“You need to exit the building back by the kitchen and don’t let your guards know. Do it now. A car is waiting for you. Get in the back seat and say nothing to the driver. And bring everything from within the package with you.”
Then the phone line went dead. She shoved the photos into the envelope but kept the post-it note stuck to her finger beneath it. She exited the Teacher’s Workroom through the door that led into the Teacher’s Lounge, pressing the post-it note to the door. Then she exited the lounge into the back hallway, so Anthony wouldn’t see her. Her heart pounded with each step she took towards the kitchen.
She passed through the empty kitchen and went out the back door. A dark blue sedan pulled up and stopped in front of her. Her hand shook as she reached for the handle. Her heart was beating a million miles an hour and the realization that she was probably going to die, paralyzed her.
“Are you getting in, or what?” The driver asked through his now open window. It wasn’t the same voice that had been on the phone.
“Yes,” she forced out. Then she got into the car.
It sped away.
“Razor, I’ve got movement in Charity’s tracker,” Jackson’s voice came through his comms. “She’s left the school by car, by the looks of it. She’s moving away, headed south-west at forty miles per hour.”
“What?” Razor replied in disbelief. He went through the door into the Teacher’s Workroom. It was empty.
“She didn’t come out the front,” Cooper reported. He sat in the SUV in the parking lot.
Razor’s eyes bounced around the room. Her papers we
re still in the copy machine. He went through the door to the left, into the main office. Cindy Hills glanced up, startled by his sudden appearance.
“Did Sienna Andrews come through here?”
“No,” she said in a surprised voice.
He turned away quickly and went back into the workroom. He went to the other door beside the copy machine. The yellow post-it note got his attention. He pulled it from the door and read it. His eyes flickered to the camera above the copy machine. “Fuck,” he swore aloud. “Jax, they got her.”
He kept the note hidden as he left the workroom, went through the empty Teacher’s Lounge, and back into the hallway.
Madison approached from the Kindergarten wing. “I left the kids with the teacher in the room beside Sienna’s. I’ll let the office know on our way out.” She had both her purse and Sienna’s bag with her.
