Standing spotted the second tail about ten minutes after the first, helped by the fact that it, too, was a black SUV. It was ahead of them and to the right. Like the one behind, it maintained a pretty much constant distance from them.
He tapped Kaitlyn on the knee. When she looked at him he asked her how much longer they would be on the freeway.
‘Another twenty miles,’ she said. ‘What’s wrong?’
He smiled. ‘Nothing’.
She went back to looking at the road. Standing spent the next five miles checking for another tail but it seemed as if there were just the two SUVs. That suggested it wasn’t a surveillance operation because nobody used black SUVs to tail a target, not long-term anyway. It could always be his imagination, of course. There was only one way to know for sure.
He tapped Kaitlyn on the knee again. Conversation was always going to be difficult when she was driving because the only way she could see what he was saying was to take her eyes off the road.
‘I need you to take the next turn-off,’ he said.
‘What?’ She looked back at the road and then at his lips again.
‘I think we’re being followed. Two black SUVs, one four cars ahead, the other three cars behind.’
She looked back at the road. ‘Okay,’ she said. The next turn off was three miles ahead.
He tapped her on the knee and waited for her to look at him. ‘But leave the turn to the last moment and don’t indicate.’
She frowned, then looked back at the road. ‘But we’re in the wrong lane.’
She looked back at him. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘But I want to see what they do. It’ll let us know for sure that we are being followed.’
A car was trying to push in front of them, so he pointed forward. She looked ahead and braked to allow the car in. ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I understand.’
The turn-off was two miles away. She kept glancing in her rear-view mirror. One mile. When they were within sight of the turn-off, she eased off on the speed. He tapped her knee and she looked at him. ‘Keep your speed the same,’ he said. ‘Don’t slow down.’
‘I get it,’ she said, and pressed her foot down on the accelerator.
The exit was fast approaching. He checked the wing mirror. There was a car just behind them, fifteen feet at most. The driver was a woman and she was alone in the car but talking animatedly, probably using her phone hands-free.
He tapped Kaitlyn’s knee again to get her attention. ‘Right at the last second, use your turn indicator,’ he said. ‘Make it look as if you changed your mind. Okay?’
She nodded. ‘Okay.’ She looked back at the road and her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. He wanted to tell her to relax but didn’t want to distract her. He checked the wing mirror again. The woman was driving with one hand on the wheel and waving the other, clearly totally involved in her conversation.
The SUV was still four cars behind.
The exit was a hundred yards away. Cars ahead of them were indicating that they were leaving the freeway. If the occupants of the SUV ahead of them were a tail they would be checking their mirrors looking for any signs that they were going to exit.
Fifty yards.
Kaitlyn flicked the turn indicator on and yanked the wheel to the right. Several horns immediately sounded and the woman on the phone slammed on her brakes. Kaitlyn had to brake to avoid hitting a pick-up truck ahead of her and there were more angry horns blaring behind her.
The SUV ahead of them had missed the turn and continued north but the one to the rear followed them. The driver didn’t have time to indicate as the SUV cut across the north-bound traffic and several drivers vented their anger on their horns.
The SUV followed them off the freeway but slowed to put distance between them. Standing reached over to the SatNav and used it to search for the nearest gas station. He pressed the button for the route. It was just two miles away.
Kaitlyn turned to look at him, frowning. ‘We don’t need gas.’
‘If they think we turned off for gas they might not realise we’ve made them,’ he said. ‘So drive as if you’re trying to save fuel.’
‘Clever,’ she said.
Standing laughed. ‘If I was clever I’d have spotted them at the airport,’ he said, but she had already turned her attention back to the road.
Standing reached over to the SatNav again and zoomed out the display. The next turn-off on the freeway was eight miles away, so it would take the other tail at least fifteen minutes to get back.
He checked the wing mirror. The black SUV was hanging back, matching their speed at a steady forty miles an hour. He was sure they would be on the phone to the other car and trying to work out whether or not they’d seen them.
Standing had a whole load of questions for Kaitlyn but they’d have to wait until she’d stopped driving. He saw the gas station ahead of them. Shell. There was a KFC outlet next to it.
Kaitlyn drove to the pumps and parked. Standing got out of the car, unscrewed the filler cap and shoved in the nozzle. He pulled the handle but nothing happened. Kaitlyn wound down the window. ‘You’ve got to put your credit card in,’ she said. ‘Or go inside and pay first.’
Standing took out his credit card, inserted it into the slot and tapped in his PIN number. The pump started to vibrate. He tried again and this time fuel poured into the tank. He looked around casually. The SUV was parked outside the KFC outlet. He saw movement in the back. So at least three of them. Possibly four. He looked at his watch. The others were at least ten minutes away.
It only took four gallons and the tank was full. He put the handle back on the pump and got back into the car.
‘They’re waiting to see what we do,’ he said to her. ‘Seems to me that they’ve bought the premise that we turned off to look for fuel. If we go back to the freeway that’ll confirm it for them. But we can’t go and see Bobby-Ray, not while they’re tailing us.’
‘So what do we do?’
That was a very good question. Three against one was never good odds, four against one would be worse, and this was America where guns were a right guaranteed under the Constitution. Having said that, Standing was well trained and combat ready and if he caught them unawares he had a good chance of disabling them without them doing too much damage. But Kaitlyn was with him and he was never a fan of innocent bystanders getting caught up in violence. They could lead them on a wild-goose chase, and at some point they would probably be able to lose them, but then they wouldn’t know who their followers were or why they were being followed. ‘Are you hungry?’ he asked.
‘Not really,’ she said.
‘I think we should pay Colonel Sanders a visit,’ Standing said.
She frowned. ‘But they’re watching us.’
‘Exactly,’ said Standing. ‘They’re following us, which means they’re not going to hurt us. I’m guessing it’s Bobby-Ray they’re after. If we head on over and park near them then go and eat, it’ll convince them that we don’t know they’re following us.’
‘You’re the expert,’ she said.
He grinned. ‘Hopefully.’
She started the engine and then drove slowly over to the KFC. She reversed into a parking space four slots away from the SUV. He patted her on the knee. ‘When we get inside, you get the food, I’ll get us a table so we can watch them.’
She smiled. ‘You want fries with that?’
He laughed. ‘I’ll have the works,’ he said. ‘I’m a big fan of KFC. Get me the beans and coleslaw, as well, please.’
They got out of the car and went inside. There were half a dozen tables occupied but there were two free by the window and Standing took one. He could see two shapes in the back of the SUV. So four against one. He wondered what they would do next because four men sitting in a parked vehicle looked a little off. He took another look at his watch. The other SUV would be here in a few minutes. If they were smart, though, they would keep well away: two black SUVs might not stick out on a busy freeway, but two parked tog
ether in a car park would definitely be a red flag.
As he watched, the rear doors opened and two men got out. Former military, he was sure, just from the way they carried themselves, though the close-cropped hair and impenetrable sunglasses were another clue. Both men were in their late twenties, wearing bomber jackets and cargo pants. The jackets were short, so if they were carrying guns they’d be in underarm holsters.
The front passenger door opened and a third man climbed out. A decade older and twenty pounds heavier, his hair greying and wearing glasses to correct his vision rather than to hide his eyes. The two others turned and waited for him to join them – proof if proof were needed that he was running the show. He was wearing a dark jacket and an open-necked checked shirt and had a chunky watch on his left wrist.
The driver stayed in the car as the three men made their way inside the restaurant.
They went over to the counter together and lined up behind Kaitlyn, who was waiting for her order.
A young girl opened up a cash register and asked the three newcomers what they wanted. Kaitlyn noticed them for the first time but seemed unfazed. She looked back at the middle-aged man who was putting two large paper cups of Pepsi on her tray. She thanked him and carried it over to Standing’s table.
‘Is that them?’ she said quietly as she sat down opposite him.
‘Three of them,’ said Standing, barely speaking because she was reading his lips. ‘There’s one more in the car.’
‘Are we in trouble?’
‘I don’t think so,’ he said. ‘There are too many people here for them to start something, plus there’s CCTV. And if they planned to do us harm, they could have done that on the road on the way here.’ He reached for one of the boxes of chicken and took out a drumstick. He took a bite and then ripped the lid off a tub of coleslaw.
‘You really are a fan of Colonel Sanders,’ she said.
‘He’s the only officer I’ve any respect for,’ said Standing. He put a forkful of coleslaw into his mouth and slotted in a few potato wedges.
Kaitlyn had ordered popcorn nuggets for herself and she nibbled on them. The three men carried their trays over to the far side of the restaurant. Standing had his back to them, which is probably why they’d chosen that table.
‘What are we going to do, Matt?’ Kaitlyn asked.
‘I’m giving it some thought,’ he said. ‘One thing’s for sure, we can’t go anywhere near Bobby-Ray while they’re tailing us. I’m pretty sure they think we don’t know they’re following us. We’re just stopping for fuel and food. So we could just drive back to the freeway after this and go somewhere else. Maybe check into a motel of our own and see what happens.’
‘Can’t we lose them?’
‘Probably. But as soon as they see anything that looks like counter-surveillance they’ll know we’re onto them.’
‘So?’
‘So they might decide to up the ante.’ Standing shrugged. ‘I’m guessing they don’t know you’re deaf, by the way.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘They obviously thought they were being clever sitting behind me, but that means you can see them. Can you read their lips from there?’
‘Pretty much,’ she said. ‘The further away, the less accurate I am. But I can see their lips.’
‘Keep an eye on them, without making it obvious,’ said Standing.
She sipped her Pepsi. Standing looked over at the SUV. The engine was still running but that was probably just to keep the aircon cold. There was still no sign of the second vehicle.
‘They’re wondering who you are,’ said Kaitlyn. ‘The older one says he’s sure you’re special forces.’
‘Good guess,’ said Standing.
‘He says they need to get a photograph of you.’
Standing nodded. So they didn’t know who he was. Or why he was there. He was still an unknown quantity as far as they were concerned and hopefully he would stay that way.
‘The other guy I can see says you might be a bodyguard. Hired muscle. But the older one says no. If I were going to have a bodyguard it’d be someone local. Or one of Bobby-Ray’s Navy SEAL buddies.’ She smiled. ‘The younger one has just suggested that you might be my boyfriend.’ She took another sip of her Pepsi and grinned at Standing, then her eyes flicked back to their table. ‘The older one just said maybe.’ She looked at Standing and tilted her head on one side. ‘Little do they know you’re not my type,’ she teased.
‘Really?’
‘Too clean cut,’ she said. ‘And I do like tattoos.’
‘So a kiss would be out of the question?’ he said.
She laughed, but he reached over and held her hand. ‘I’m serious,’ he said. ‘If they really are confused about our relationship, maybe now’s the time to add to their confusion.’
She met his gaze for a couple of seconds, then leaned over and began kissing him. Her hand slipped behind his neck and she pressed her lips against his, though she kept her mouth firmly closed. She watched him with amused eyes as she broke away. Standing chuckled and popped another couple of wedges into his mouth. ‘I see what you did there,’ he said.
She sipped her drink. She seemed to be looking at him but he knew her gaze was over his shoulder at the table behind him. ‘The younger one is saying he was right.’
‘And the older one?’
‘He’s nodding, but I’m not sure if he’s convinced. Maybe we should try it again.’
Standing laughed and held up a potato wedge. ‘I think once is enough.’
Her eyes narrowed playfully. ‘Was there something wrong with my technique?’
‘I just don’t want to overplay our hand,’ he said. ‘They might start wondering why we’re getting so affectionate over fried chicken but not at the airport.’
‘I hugged you,’ she said.
‘Yes. You did. It would be nice if they bought the boyfriend-girlfriend scenario, but that won’t stop them tailing us.’
He tucked into his baked beans while she continued to nibble on her popcorn.
‘So what do you do for a living?’ he asked.
‘My main job is teaching sign language,’ she said. ‘But I also help the local police with lip-reading. They call me in to look over CCTV and surveillance footage where there’s no sound.’
‘You’re clearly very good at it,’ said Standing.
‘Because I wasn’t born deaf,’ she said. ‘So I can remember what words sound like, which is a big help. People who are born deaf have no sense of what sound is. I was six years old when I lost my hearing, so I was lucky in that sense.’
‘What happened?’ asked Standing, picking up another chicken drumstick.
‘Meningitis,’ she said. ‘I went swimming in a creek with Bobby-Ray. I got sick and he didn’t. I was in hospital for more than a week and it was touch and go for a while. I recovered but ever since I’ve been as deaf as the proverbial post.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Standing.
‘There’s nothing to be sorry about,’ she said. ‘I could have died. Every day since then has been a bonus.’ She sipped her Pepsi again. ‘Bobby-Ray always blamed himself. He taught himself sign language to talk to me, even though I was good at reading lips from the start.’ She looked over at the table behind him. ‘The older one’s on his cellphone. It’s covering his mouth so I can’t get a read on him.’
‘Probably talking to the occupants of the other car,’ said Standing. ‘Okay, so where were we heading before we turned off the freeway?’
‘Van Nuys,’ she said. ‘Bobby-Ray’s in the Sunset Motel there.’
‘We can’t go there while we’re being tailed, obviously,’ said Standing. ‘I don’t suppose you live out this way?’
She shook her head. ‘Venice Beach.’
‘So what reason could we have for heading this way?’
‘Sightseeing with my boyfriend? It would just about make sense that we were taking the 405 to 101 and then heading west to Santa Barbara.’
�
��Sounds like a plan,’ said Standing.
4
Standing used Kaitlyn’s smartphone to check out the Santa Barbara area on Google Maps, then found a bed and breakfast with a view of the ocean, the sort of place a couple might choose for a romantic getaway. He booked a double room online as Kaitlyn turned off the 405 and onto the 101, the Ventura Freeway.
The two SUVs were back in play. The one containing the guys from the KFC outlet was now a quarter of a mile behind them. The second vehicle had been waiting for them at the approach to the freeway and was now half a dozen cars ahead. The longer the surveillance went on, the more convinced Standing became that they meant them no harm, at least until they had located Bobby-Ray.
It took almost ninety minutes to reach Santa Barbara and the SatNav took them straight to the bed and breakfast, a pretty wooden-sided detached house halfway up a hill overlooking the ocean. There was a paved area with parking for a dozen cars and Kaitlyn brought the Polo to a halt next to a white Mercedes. One of the black SUVs had been a hundred or so yards behind them and it drove on by.
They were checked in by a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair who introduced himself as Milton. Kaitlyn used her credit card to pay for one night. Milton offered to carry Standing’s bag but Standing said he was okay.
‘Do you have any other bags?’ asked Milton.
‘In the car, we’ll get them later,’ lied Standing.
Milton took them upstairs and showed them to their room. There was a king-size four-poster with Egyptian cotton bedding, a modern low sofa and a large antique wardrobe. By the window was a Victorian dressing table with an ornate mirror. ‘You’ll love this,’ said Milton, picking up a remote control. He pressed it and a television slid out of a cabinet at the foot of the bed. Another press on the remote and it slowly slid back into the cabinet. Milton handed it to Standing. ‘Not that our guests come for the TV,’ he said with a sly wink. ‘Breakfast is between seven thirty and nine downstairs. Enjoy your stay.’
He left and closed the door behind him. Standing put his bag on a small table by the wardrobe. ‘You can have the bed, I’ll have the sofa,’ he said.
Last Man Standing Page 4
