by F J messina
“So?” Sonia wasn’t sure where this was all going.
“Well, that’s really how it goes. We pour over information and pour over information and then sometimes something new comes in that brings it all together. Or sometimes, it’s just that somebody looks at something differently and sees it in a new light. Yeah, you could have told me right away about the Lincoln, but you got there. That’s the important thing, you got there.” He turned and smiled at her, a big smile. “Now we can plug into one of my old colleagues and find that car. That just might lead us to this Sofia guy . . . person.” His head was bobbing up and down. “Great job Sonia, great, great job. I just might have to hire you to work for me at Semper Fi, you and your crackerjack computer skills.” Another quick glance. Another big smile.
Sonia enjoyed the smile. She even enjoyed the notion that they might work together again after all of this was over. But what made him think that he would be hiring her to work for him?
41
By a little after five-thirty, Sonia and Brad were approaching Nashville when the GPS locator program indicated that the feed and hay truck had left the interstate and stopped.
“Probably stopped to get some dinner,” said Brad.
“Does that mean we can get some dinner too? I hate to say it, but I’m a little hungry.”
Brad looked at her and raised his eyebrows, but Sonia could tell he was just teasing. “Fair enough.” He gave her a quick smile. “Let’s pull off at the next exit and see what we can find. But it’s going to be another fast food meal. We can’t afford to get caught doing anything else if he’s only stopped for a quick bite.”
Sonia rolled her eyes, making certain that Brad could see her reaction.
“Isn’t this what you signed up for? The glamorous life of a private investigator?” He gave her a little smile. Dinner turned out to be an Arby’s sandwich.
“Now what?” Sonia asked as she climbed back into the car.
“Now we wait.” He sighed. “We wait until our friendly truck driver has had enough to eat and takes off again.” It made Sonia think about the hours she had spent surveilling Dahlia Farm, hoping to catch Marcos Torres cheating on his girlfriend.
An hour and ten minutes later, the alarm on the GPS program went off. Brad gave Sonia a quick look. “There’s our boy. He’s rollin’. Here we go.” Brad took off, following the GPS signal, watching the truck move from I-65 South to I-40 West. “Looks like our boy is heading in the direction of Memphis. If he’s going all the way there, it’s going to be a while. It’s about three hours to Memphis from here.”
“And so it shall be,” said Sonia softly.
Sonia was whipped and needed to close her eyes. She was aware, however, that Brad wasn’t the least bit weary or worn out. She could tell that this kind of operation was exactly what brought him to life.
Moments later, or so it seemed, Sonia opened her eyes and looked at the car’s clock. The bright green digital display read 9:14. “I guess I fell asleep there for a while.”
“Well, you were quiet for a while, and then, about an hour ago, I heard your breathing change. When I looked over, I saw that you were conked out, head back, mouth open, a little drool trickling out of your mouth.” His tone was totally snarky.
“No, it wasn’t,” said Sonia, quickly checking both her cheeks.
“Yeah, yeah, it was. Flowing like a river down onto your clothes. It almost filled that whole side of the car.” Then Brad let go a hearty laugh.
“You bastard.” But she couldn’t resist the urge to pull down the passenger side visor and look at herself in the mirror. She smiled at the camouflage smudge her fingers had left the night Brad had sent her on a wild goose chase through the fields of Dahlia Farm.
“Don’t worry about it, babe.”
She gave Brad a quick look. Is he talking about the smudge or my drool?
“You look great . . . for a woman who just passed out and snored herself through a few hundred miles of Tennessee.”
Sonia reached out and smacked Brad, playing pissed. This was fun. It was like . . . Suddenly, she remembered long car trips with John Eckel . . . when they were in love. It sent a chill through her. She took a quick breath. “So, where are we?”
“We’re coming into Memphis.” He pointed through the windshield. “You can see the lights ahead. And I’m damn curious about this guy. Is he going to blow through Memphis? Is he going to stop for the night? There’s really not much past Memphis until you get to Little Rock, and that’s another two hours or so.” He gave her a quick glance. “Or maybe, just maybe, this has been his destination all along. We’ll just have to stay with the boy and see what happens.”
Sonia was hoping it would be the last option. She was ready for this part of the trip to end. “Wait,” she said, looking down at the laptop. “Something’s happening.” She lifted the computer to her lap and studied the screen. “It looks like the truck is leaving the interstate. He’s taking the exit for South Parkway. I think we need to move up closer to him. It’ll be harder to follow the GPS once we get on local streets.”
“Yeah, it will.” Brad checked his mirrors then moved into the faster lane. “My guess is that he’s not just looking for a quiet place to stay. This might be it, his home base.”
A few minutes later Sonia was watching the sights and sounds of downtown Memphis go by. “There’s a sign for the South Main Historic District. Do you know where that puts us?”
“I really don’t.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know Memphis all that well.”
A few more moments went by, and Brad had pretty much closed the distance between the ‘Vette and the truck.
“According to the GPS,” Sonia squirmed in her seat, “he’s right up ahead. Are we getting too close?” She was afraid to look at him. It had been less than a week since she had been scrunched down below the steering wheel of her car, wondering if she would survive the next few minutes. She didn’t want her eyes to betray the fear she couldn’t shake.
Brad seemed confident. “Well, we can’t see him, not for real, so he can’t see us. And I don’t want to lose him if he turns into some building or something.”
Sonia’s voice rose involuntarily. “This is it. He got off here. Take this ramp right here.”
Brad looked at her. “Yes, Captain. Whatever you say.” He gave her a little grin.
Sonia didn’t mind the tease. She was telling him what to do because she was the one who knew what to do . . . and that felt good. She was also glad that Brad hadn’t picked up on the fear that she was keeping in check.
Brad pushed the ‘Vette down the ramp and onto the surface street. “What street are we on? Can you tell?”
“Florida Street. We’re on Florida Street.”
Brad drove on past a number of warehouses and commercial buildings. “This must be what we’re looking for. His base has to be right around here somewhere.”
“Hang on.” Her voice was terse. “This might be it. He’s stopping, and it’s not at a cross street.”
Brad pulled the car to the curb and stopped. He stole a look at the laptop. “Now comes the tricky part.”
“What do you mean?”
He looked down the street. “Well, you can follow someone with a GPS locator, but you can’t catch them that way. In order to really know where he’s stopped, and what he’s doing, we’re going to have to drive right down this street, right past him.” His gaze never shifted. “Let’s hope the truck is still outside, and that the driver is too busy getting out or getting into the building to notice us as we drive by.”
Another shiver ran through Sonia’s body. “I’m with you on that.” But then she had an idea. “Look, let’s just blow on by like you’re some stupid teenager driving his daddy’s ‘Vette. You drive. I’ll keep my eye out for the truck. It’ll work. I’m sure of it.”
Brad turned to her. He smiled, and the look on his face told her he agreed. He shifted in his seat. “Ready?”
Sonia took a very deep breath
and let it out. “Ready.”
Brad started down Florida Street, while Sonia kept her eyes on the GPS monitor. They approached the blip that represented the truck.
Sonia spoke softly. “One more block.”
Brad hit the gas and started cruising down the street─fast.
Sonia shifted her gaze from the laptop to the street. She hoped that if anyone noticed the car, they would think the people inside had no interest whatsoever in the buildings they were passing.
“There it is,” Sonia whispered, “on the left.”
As they passed the truck, however, Sonia’s heart flipped. At that very moment, one of the men near the truck turned and looked directly at them. She almost screamed.
A block later Brad slowed down. “Did you catch the address.”
“1800. 1800 Florida Street.” Her voice quivered. “But one of those guys looked right at us.”
Brad’s head whipped around to look at her. “Really? Right at us? Did he look . . . concerned, suspicious?”
“I don’t know. I just know he looked right at us.”
Brad pulled the car to the curb and waited a moment to speak. “Don’t worry about it. Could have been anything. Maybe he just likes ‘Vettes. Nothing we can do about it anyway. Just don’t worry about it.” His voice sounded reassuring but did nothing to calm Sonia.
Sonia took a deep breath. “Now what Kimosabe?”
Brad looked in the rear-view mirror. “Now we wait . . . again.”
“Wait for what?” Sonia’s foot started tapping. She just wanted to get the hell out of there.
“We keep watching the laptop, waiting to see if this is just a pick-up or something, or if he’s really in for the night.”
She hated asking the question. “That could take a long time, couldn’t it?” She knew what the answer would be.
“It always does, babe.”
An hour and a half later, it was Sonia who spoke first. “Are we done? Have we waited long enough? It sure looks to me like he’s shut it down for the night.”
“Yup. Now we find a place to spend the night ourselves. I’m bushed, aren’t you?”
Sonia was grateful to hear his words. “Yeah. Long day.” She closed her eyes. She couldn’t get the picture of the man standing next to the truck, looking directly at them, out of her mind. It was going to take quite a while for the knot in her stomach to go away.
Sonia felt those blue eyes smiling at her. She opened her eyes and turned to him. Somehow, the knot in her stomach began to unravel.
“Nice job.” Brad’s voice was warm.
“No, really, you did a great job . . . babe.” Sonia all but choked on the last word. She had so wanted to end with a term of endearment, but it certainly didn’t come naturally to her yet. She turned and looked out the passenger window. Babe? That’s what I came up with. Geez, how lame. Couldn’t I have done better than that?
42
Brad pulled the ‘Vette into an empty parking lot. “Why don’t you get your phone out and see if you can find us a place to stay?”
“Do you want something cheap?”
“No way we’re going to find something cheap in downtown Memphis. And no way I’m driving too far away from that truck. You never know what could happen. Hell, they could load up and move out in the middle of the night. This could just be a stopping point on the way to Mexico. Just find something decent, a Holiday Inn or something.”
Sonia used her phone and finally found a Holiday Inn not too far from Florida Street, on Union Avenue.
“What is it?”
“Holiday Inn Downtown.”
“That’ll do, especially if it keeps us close to our prey.”
“You got it, boss.”
Brad had to drive several blocks, down to Kansas Street, before he could get them turned around and heading back downtown. He certainly didn’t want to drive past the truck on Florida Street again. After a few more minutes, and with a few turns, he got them to the Holiday Inn on Union Avenue, close to the famous Beale Street music clubs.
As they walked into the colorful lobby, Brad said, “Wow, really nice.” When he went up to the front desk to check them in, Sonia overheard the associate behind the desk ask, “One room or two?” Her heart moved up into her throat, unsure of which answer she preferred.
Brad turned to her and smiled warmly, then he turned back to the desk clerk and said, “Two please.” Sonia sighed. She was both relieved and disappointed.
Brad carried Sonia’s light green duffel and his own black overnight bag to the elevators and down the hall. It took only a few minutes for them to be standing outside Sonia’s room. “Listen, you’d better give me the laptop. I need to be listening for that alarm on the GPS program just in case they decide to move out sometime during the night.” A warm smile crossed his face. “Who knows? You may be seeing me well before for morning.” He slipped the electronic key into the card reader on the door to her room. "Maybe in just a little while.” He turned to her, leaned forward, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, just the way he had on that deserted street in Rocky Top. His bright blue eyes twinkled. “Later.” He walked down the hall to the next room and stepped inside.
Sonia pushed her door open. She stepped into the plush room, with its huge king-sized bed. All warm reds, yellows, and browns, the empty room still had a chill in it. She threw her duffle on the duvet. What the hell did he mean by that? Might see me before morning? Later? Damn him, can’t he just be straight with me?
Sonia took out her phone, turned it on, and left Jet a voice message. She told her about the trip to Memphis and following the truck to what seemed to be its final destination. She shared a little of her frustration with Brad. “God only knows what’s going on in his mind? Listen, I’ve got to get some sleep. I’ll check in with you again tomorrow.”
Sonia opened her bag. She pulled out the extra white sweater she had brought along, her makeup bag, her hair dryer, her toiletries, and three pairs of shoes. She sighed, thinking about what having long wavy hair entailed. She pulled out her spritz bottle, her hair product, her pick comb, her paddle brush.
Then she came to them─two sets of sleepwear. One, from Target, the dark blue, two-piece cotton pajamas with pink fringe around the neck and the bottom of the legs. The other, from Victoria’s Secret, a white, silky pajama top that she could wear with its matching silky pants or just the silky white panties she’d also brought along. She laid both sets out on the duvet. Now, what the hell do I put on?
Sonia picked up the silky pajama top and held it up to her body. The top would look really sexy on her─especially if she also put on the small, black, lacy bra she’d stuffed in her bag at the last minute. She crossed to the mirror beside the door. But as her eyes slid upward from the bottom of the pajama top to her face and her hair, she was dismayed. She’d run out of the office over twelve hours ago, pulled a dog around in a crazy theatrical display, eaten two fabulous fast-food meals, and fallen asleep in the seat of a car. Her hand unconsciously touched her face to check for any drool. And her hair─it was terrible. Not actually dirty, but certainly flat and stringy.
Screw it. He’s not coming. She folded the top and slipped it back into her duffle. He never said he was coming. He was probably just thinking about that damn truck and following it to Kingdom Come if need be. Screw it. She slipped on her cotton pajamas.
Sonia went into the bathroom, washed her face and began to brush her teeth. As she stood there brushing, more energetically than usual, she saw herself in the mirror. Hair mussed up, toothpaste foaming out of her mouth. Not a stitch of makeup. “No . . . . No . . . . Not like this. If that bastard comes, he’s not going to find me looking like this.” She spit out her toothpaste and rinsed. “And you know what, he is coming.” She marched back into the bedroom. “ ‘Might see you in a little while. . . before morning . . . later.’ Oh, he’s coming, damn it. He’s coming, and I’m going to be ready.”
Slipping out of her cotton pajamas, Sonia spent the next fifteen minut
es doing the best she could with her hair. She put on just enough makeup so that her complexion had a nice subtle blush and her chocolate-brown eyes were magnified.
Satisfied that it looked like she didn’t have a bit of makeup on, she slipped into the silky pajama top and bottoms. She liked their feel on her skin.
Then she slipped off the bottoms, slipped on the silky panties, and slipped the bottoms back on.
A moment later, she took off the silky top. She put on the lacy bra. Yes.
Finally.
She looked at herself in the full-length mirror, wearing just the bottoms and the bra. How do you like them apples, Captain Dunham? Sexual desire ran through her body.
Too much?
She put the silky top back on over the bra. Looking back into the mirror, she opened the top one more button.
She pulled down the covers, crawled into bed and turned off the light.
A few moments later, she turned the light back on, slipped out of bed, took off the bottoms and put them back into her duffel bag.
Crawling back into bed, wearing only the bra, the top, and the panties, she turned off the light and lay back in bed, hoping the pillow wasn’t flattening her hair.
Sonia lay perfectly still. The bed seemed to absorb her body. Her breathing deepened.
Suddenly, she shot up in bed. “Just a minute.” She’d heard a noise at her door. Stumbling to the bathroom, she turned on the light and pulled the door mostly closed. In front of the full-length mirror, in which she could barely see herself, Sonia fluffed her hair, used her index finger to check her mascara, breathed into her hand to check her breath, and fluffed again. She turned to the door. “Who is it?” she asked. There was no immediate response, so she asked a little more loudly, “Who is it?”
Getting no response a second time, Sonia stood on her toes in order to look through the peephole in the door. She saw nothing. She moved around, trying to use different angles to see more of the hall. Finally, keeping the safety chain hooked to the door, she opened it and looked into the silent, empty hallway.
