by Regan Black
Nobody said a word.
Finally, Rico cleared his throat. “Better get to those fish,” he said.
Laura grabbed for Hannah’s hand and quickly walked out of the room. It was only a matter of time before Hannah said something that she wasn’t going to be able to explain or dismiss. It was good that they were leaving.
But her heart still felt heavy as she walked up to the information desk in the lobby. She kept one eye on Hannah, who she’d left across the lobby, some thirty feet away, with strict instructions to watch the fish and not move. She did not want the little girl to hear this conversation.
“Good afternoon,” Laura said to the volunteer who was a woman in her early sixties, her dark brown hair nicely styled.
“How can I help you?” the woman asked.
“I’m in need of some information about bus schedules from here.”
“Where are you headed?” the woman asked.
“California,” Laura said. After all, it was as far west as she could go. “But I’ve got some time and might want to do some sightseeing on the way, so I’m open to options as to how to get there.”
“Fall is a lovely time to travel through the West,” the woman said. Then she smiled, casting her eyes over Laura’s head, toward the windows. “Once you get to a little lower elevation, the snow will disappear.”
Hannah waved at Laura and Laura waved back. The woman saw it. “Is that your little girl?” she asked.
“Yes,” Laura said, not wanting to give a long explanation. She looked at the woman’s computer. “Would you be able to pull up the bus schedules for me?”
* * *
Rico was not a private detective; he was a security expert. Two very different things. But the lines were merging as he stood in the hallway of the hospital, watching Laura converse with a woman at the information desk. Laura had her back to him.
This was the second time he’d followed Laura. The first time, he’d been intrigued by the direction she was driving and worried about Hannah. This time he’d been convinced that something was very wrong and that she was up to something. That phrase could cover a multitude of sins and he told himself that he was just being cautious, that he didn’t want her to do something that could harm his family. But in reality, he wanted to know everything about Laura. Wanted to prevent her from doing anything crazy.
Wanted to stop her from leaving. Because he was pretty sure that’s what she had in mind.
His phone buzzed and he considered ignoring it but then realized it was Seth. He’d sent a text to his partners about his dad yesterday and had heard back immediately from all of them, wishing him well. He suspected Seth was doing some follow-up.
“Hey, Seth,” Rico said, keeping his voice down.
“How’s your dad?” Seth asked.
“Came through surgery really well. Doctors are optimistic.”
“Good news, buddy. We’re thinking of you.”
“Thanks. Everything okay there?”
There was a slight pause. And that worried Rico because Seth rarely took time to think before he spoke. “What?” Rico demanded.
“Listen, man, I don’t know if I should even be bringing this up at a time like this, but something happened that just isn’t sitting right with me. I was in the office this morning and we got a call from a woman, said she was a friend of yours and needed to reach you. I told her you were out of the office but that I could get a message to you. She wanted to know where you were. Of course, I wasn’t giving out that kind of information and told her so.”
Rico listened, all the while watching Laura. The woman behind the desk keyed something into her computer and then both she and Laura looked at it. Then the woman printed something off and handed it to Laura. “Weird,” he said, refocusing on his conversation with Seth.
“You didn’t get some girl knocked up and now she’s hunting you down, did you?” Seth asked.
This was the Seth he knew and loved. “Pretty sure that’s not the case,” Rico said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I know,” Seth said. “Lots of nutcases out there. It’s just that… I really think it was Mora Rambeilla calling. There was no caller ID and I know that I only met her once, but she’s got kind of a distinctive voice and I’m pretty sure that I’m right. And she said something else, even stranger.”
“What?”
“She said it was important for you to be careful. And then she hung up, fast.”
He could not worry about Mora right now. And it didn’t make sense that she would have called the office. She had his cell phone number. She could have simply called him if she wanted to talk to him. He saw Laura walk over and stand next to Hannah for a few minutes while the little girl pointed out fish. They turned toward his hallway. “Thanks for the info, Seth. Got to go.” He hung up and ducked into the closest door.
It was the chapel. Appropriate, he thought. Maybe he should start praying that he could keep her from leaving. That she could trust him enough to tell him the truth.
After he was confident that they had the chance to pass, he eased open the door. Walked up to the volunteer at the desk. Leaned heavily on his crutches. Gave her his most charming smile. “How’s it going?” he asked.
“Very good. What can I help you with?”
“My wife was just down here and she spilled some coffee on the printout you gave her. I was wondering if you could reprint it.”
“I think that shouldn’t be a problem,” she said. “I remember exactly what it was.”
After a few clicks, her printer was whirling. “Here you go,” she said.
“Thanks so much. You’ve been really helpful.”
He kept his game face on until he was several feet away. It was a bus schedule. A damn bus schedule. And a map of how to get from the hospital to the bus depot. He’d been right. She was planning to sneak away.
He was a conflicted mess of anger, sorrow and hurt. And for unknown reasons, it made his ankle hurt worse than usual. As if that was the weak link in his body and that’s where any attack would be felt the most.
When he got back to the intensive care waiting room, she was calmly sitting in the chair, chatting with his mom about his dad’s recovery. He wanted to interrupt, demand an explanation and keep demanding until her cage was so rattled that she started talking.
But he couldn’t do that without getting a whole lot of questions from his mom and from Peter, who was unexpectedly in the waiting room. After the man had finished his free lunch, he’d made a big deal about having lots to do at home. What the heck was he doing back here? Besides drinking a cup of coffee?
Rico was tempted to ask him who had paid for it. “Where’s Charro?” he asked instead.
“With her dad,” Peter said.
His dad could now have two visitors at a time. Why wasn’t Peter with his wife? Rico was instantly suspicious that the man had been badgering his mom for something but when he studied his mom’s face, there was nothing there that made him think she was upset.
He couldn’t worry about what Peter was doing at the hospital. He had much bigger things to focus on. He took a chair next to Hannah and asked the child about the picture she was coloring.
Laura would make her move. And he hadn’t quite decided what he was going to do about it.
He didn’t have long to wait. Twenty minutes later, Laura stood. “I told Hannah that if she was good today, that we could get some new coloring books,” she said. “Would you mind if I borrowed your SUV and ran to the store?”
“Of course not,” he said. He stood, fished his key fob from his pocket. Handed it to her. Silently congratulated himself when his hand was steady. “Do you need directions?” he asked.
She waved a hand. “I saw a little shopping center a few blocks south on our way in today. I’ll probably just go there. Maybe she and I can walk around a little, get a change of pac
e.”
“Good idea.”
“Hannah, get Ja-Ja,” Laura said. The doll had taken a chair in the waiting room. “We’re going to run a few errands.”
“Will I get a treat?” Hannah asked.
“If you’re good,” Laura said.
It took the little girl a few minutes to get her things gathered up. During that time, Laura stared at the television, as if the latest polling numbers on the president’s popularity were the most important news she’d seen in some time. Finally, she squatted down and helped Hannah with her coat and mittens.
Then she stood. Finally looked at him. Gave him a smile that was just a little shaky. Had he not been watching for it, he might have missed it. “See you later,” she said. And then she turned and started walking so fast that Hannah had to run to catch up.
Peter stood up. “I was just going, too. I’ll walk with you,” he said.
Rico could tell that Laura wanted to say no but that she was too well mannered. “Great,” she said. She waved to his mom.
He waited until the two of them vanished from the end of the hallway before turning to his mom. “I’m going to check on Charro and Dad.”
He made it to his dad’s room in record time. Stuck his head in and got his sister’s attention. Motioned for her to join him in the hall.
“What?” she asked, clearly disturbed.
“I need to borrow your car,” he said. “Give me your keys.”
“Why?”
“I’ll explain later.”
She stared at him. “This has something to do with Laura.”
He nodded.
“Oh, fine,” she said. She pulled them out of her jeans pocket. “What should I tell Mom?”
“Tell her that I had something to take care of and that I’ll be back later.”
“You really like this woman, don’t you?” Charro asked.
He was afraid to admit it when it appeared that he was losing her. “Now’s not the time,” he said.
“I suppose not,” she said.
“By the way, Peter left.”
“Peter?” She sounded surprised.
“Yeah, he was in the waiting room with Mom when Laura and I got back to the hospital.”
She looked confused. “I didn’t know he was coming back. I’ve been with Dad for a while.” She looked irritated. “It’s fine. I’ll catch up with him later.”
He was never going to understand his sister’s marriage. He moved quickly down the hallway.
“Rico,” she called after him.
He turned.
“Be careful,” she said.
He held up a hand in acknowledgment. At the end of the hallway, he waited impatiently for an elevator. Once he was out of the hospital, he ran, as well as one could on crutches, to his sister’s car. Be careful. Well-intentioned parting words. But like a Ping-Pong ball, thoughts were bouncing around in his head. Iterations. Fragments.
Careful. Care. Take care. Treat with care. Care too much.
Maybe she doesn’t care.
He felt dangerously out of control, as if care was asking too much of him.
He jumped in and was already pulling out of the lot as he buckled his seat belt. He didn’t need the second set of directions that the volunteer had printed. He’d looked at the route and was familiar enough with Torcak to know another way.
He drove aggressively and did not see any trace of his SUV when he pulled into the parking lot of the bus depot. He parked, got out and hurried inside, this time leaving his crutches in the car. They were too recognizable. His ankle was feeling pretty strong. He stood at the entrance, scoped out the interior, identified a seat where she was unlikely to see him and then bought a newspaper for good measure. Low-tech surveillance. Sit in plain sight with a newspaper in front of your face.
It was six and a half minutes later that Laura and Hannah walked through the door. Hannah had Ja-Ja under one arm and the other hand was in Laura’s. Laura had eyes only for the customer service windows.
He watched as they approached a window, then as Laura opened her purse and pulled out cash. His heart was pounding in his chest. What the hell was he going to do? He had never, ever chased after a woman. Especially not after one who so clearly said, via her actions, that whatever they’d had, it simply wasn’t enough.
She’d left without even a goodbye let alone an explanation.
He drew in a deep breath and pulled the paper in front of his face. Sometimes a man had to listen to the silence.
CHAPTER 15
Laura felt sick and hoped she wouldn’t throw up on the bus. She’d gotten her and Hannah’s tickets and the bus would board in ten minutes and leave in twenty. She directed Hannah to seats in the bus depot where she could see the doors.
She felt as if her heart had been racing since the moment she’d left Rico behind in the waiting room. It hadn’t helped that Peter had decided to walk out with her. And then the idiot had spilled some coffee in the elevator. Laura, worried that somebody might slip on it, had pulled tissue from her purse and helped to clean it up.
She’d had some crazy suspicion that he might have timed his exit to coincide with hers because he wanted to talk to her, maybe wanted to say something bad about Rico. But when the elevator door opened, it seemed like he couldn’t wait to get away from her. And she hadn’t wasted any time, either, getting herself and Hannah into Rico’s SUV as quickly as possible.
Having had the experience of being followed by Rico without her knowledge, she kept checking her mirrors the entire way. And once she’d pulled into the parking lot, had sat an extra two minutes in the vehicle before opening her door, just to make sure that nobody made the turn into the lot.
But there had been no one. Rico had no reason to believe that she wasn’t doing exactly what she’d said—running an errand. But he would ultimately realize her deceit. That was undoubtedly the cause of her stomach discomfort. She’d lied, once again, and he was going to know it. Would have no reason to believe that she wasn’t really truly just one big liar. Would never know that the last several days had been…wonderful.
“I have to go potty,” Hannah said, interrupting her thoughts.
She glanced at her watch. They had time before the bus would load. The restrooms were in the back. She stood and reached for Hannah’s hand.
Hannah was finished and washing her hands when the woman next to them at the sinks got chatty.
“Your little girl is very cute,” she said.
“Thank you,” Laura said.
“I’m not her little girl,” Hannah said, very matter-of-fact.
Laura kept a smile on her face. The woman grabbed a paper towel and dried her hands, looking at Laura with speculation in her eyes.
“It’s a stage,” Laura said. “Thank goodness we have the same chin,” she added.
“You do,” the woman agreed. Then she smiled. “I had two boys. The older one told the younger one he was adopted when he was about that age and for the next fifteen years, that kid insisted he was. Told everybody we met.”
Laura reached for the door, wanting to get Hannah out of there before the little girl could ask any questions or make any statements that would have the woman contacting the police. But her heart felt heavier than ever. She was going to have to figure out their story and then figure out a way to get Hannah to buy into it so that there weren’t any missteps.
She led the little girl back through the waiting area. Checked the status of their bus on the display board. “Time to get on the bus,” she said.
“Where are we going?” Hannah asked.
“Salt Lake City.” Then they would catch another bus until they reached California.
“Will we see Rico again?” Hannah asked.
“I don’t think so,” Laura said, her throat tight. She opened the door and the cold winter air hit her lu
ngs.
“I liked Rico,” Hannah said.
Laura didn’t answer. Couldn’t. She’d liked Rico very much. Maybe even…no, that was crazy.
She just desperately needed to get out of Colorado. Needed to get some perspective.
She stepped onto the bus, with Hannah close behind her. There were no assigned seats but the agent had told her that she shouldn’t have any trouble getting two seats together, that the bus was generally not full. She handed the driver both tickets, then turned toward the aisle that ran down the middle of the bus.
She took two steps, then stopped so fast that Hannah ran into her.
“Hey,” said the little girl.
“Hey,” Laura echoed. But she wasn’t talking to Hannah. She was talking to the man in front of her.
“Hey, yourself,” Rico said. He was in seat Six A. He had his arms folded across his chest and looked rather formidable. But then he leaned forward so that he could see Hannah behind Laura’s legs. “How’s it going?” he asked, his tone softer.
Hannah squeezed past Laura, whose feet appeared to be stuck to the floor. “Rico,” the little girl shouted. She hugged him. “Laura said we weren’t going to see you again.”
“I guess that just proves that Laura doesn’t know everything, doesn’t it?”
“Nobody knows everything,” Hannah said, her tone solemn.
She knew nothing. Didn’t know why he was there. Didn’t know what she was going to do about it.
Didn’t know what she was going to do about her heart that was beating much too fast in her chest.
But she was going to have to do something because there were other people attempting to get on the bus and she and Hannah were blocking the aisle. She stepped into the seats in row five. Hannah, proving to be quite the traitor, sat in the empty seat next to Rico.
“How did you find me?” Laura asked.
“I saw you talking to the woman at the information desk at the hospital. Saw her print something for you. After you left, waited a minute then pretended that I was your husband and that you’d spilled coffee on what she’d printed. She gave me another copy.”
