by Lisa Orchard
Sarah sat in the back seat next to her sister and stared out the window watching the world rush by. Tingles of apprehension sent shivers through her body and she pulled her jacket tighter. She didn’t want to admit to anyone just how nervous she felt. What if something goes wrong? Shaking her head, Sarah tried to dispel the fear that was taking control of her.
Lacey nudged her. “Are you all right?”
Sarah gave her a tremulous smile. “I think so.”
Her sister reached over and squeezed her arm. Gratitude filled her heart and she reached over and gave her a squeeze back. Sarah leaned forward and looked out the windshield. It started raining and fat raindrops splattered on the glass like bugs.
“Will the transmitter work in the rain?” Sarah asked.
Agent Gray met her eyes in the rear view mirror and gave her a reassuring smile. “Yes.”
Moving forward until she sat at the edge of her seat, she draped her arms over the back of the front seat and said, “So, what’s the plan? What does the transmitter look like?”
Agent Gray glanced in the mirror again and shifted his head slightly so he could keep his eyes on the road. “We’re going to pin the transmitter to your blouse.”
“Won’t the Stalker be able to tell what it is?”
The FBI agent shook his head. “No, it looks like a piece of jewelry.”
“Oh… okay.”
Sarah started to slide back next to her sister but stopped when she heard the FBI agent’s voice.
“We should think of a code word for you.”
“A code word?” Sarah asked, hanging her arms over the front seat again.
“Yes, in case… things don’t go as planned.”
Sarah gulped. “What do you mean?” Her thumb worked its way into her mouth and she chewed on her thumbnail.
Agent Gray pursed his lips and seemed to choose his words carefully. “Let’s say this man…the Stalker takes you some place where we can’t see you. So we can’t see if he’s acting in a threatening manner toward you.”
The hair on the back of Sarah’s neck stood up and she swallowed the hard lump of fear that rose in her throat. “Oh, okay.” She gave the FBI man a fake smile and hoped he didn’t see through it.
“What do you think the code word should be?” Agent Gray asked.
Sarah shrugged and then glanced at Lacey.
“How about Super Spies?” Lacey suggested, twirling her hair around her finger.
“Yeah, I like that.” Sarah nodded and faced the agents again. “The code word is Super Spies.”
“All right. When we get closer to Alden we’ll pull over and go over the plan.”
“Sounds good.” Sarah settled back in her seat and sighed. Turning to Lacey she asked, “What time is it?”
Glancing at her watch, Lacey said, “It’s twelve-thirty.”
Sarah grabbed her arm, startling her with the intensity of her grip. “You know what? Scoop never told us what company the Robinson’s were suing.”
Lacey’s eyes widened. “You’re right. We have to find that out.”
“I’m going to try and call him.” Sarah pulled out her cell phone and punched in the retired reporter’s number. She groaned when she got a busy signal. She faced her sister and said, “Don’t let me forget to ask him.”
Lacey giggled. “You won’t forget.” She laughed again and then gave Sarah a playful nudge. “Of course, if you’re in lo-o-ove who knows what you’ll remember.”
“Tsk. Shut up.” Sarah rolled her eyes.
“You deserve it. After all the grief you gave me.”
Sarah gave her a sly look. “What grief? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, give me a break.” Lacey rolled her eyes and then burst into laughter.
Sarah giggled a little bit and then cracked up laughing. She laughed until her belly hurt. It felt good after all the angst of the last few days.
Lacey dried her eyes and gazed at her sister. “Are you nervous?”
“Maybe a little,” Sarah admitted. She glanced out the window and rubbed her hand on her thigh as if she were smoothing a wrinkle out in the fabric.
“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”
Sarah bit her lip. “I know, but I want to find our parents.”
“What if you don’t find anything? What if there’s no connection between the Stalker and Mom and Dad?” Lacey asked with sudden intensity. “Then you’re putting yourself in danger for nothing.”
Sarah took a deep breath and then exhaled. “There’s a connection. I know it.” She furrowed her brow and stared down at her hands. “What other reason would the Stalker have for following us?”
Lacey averted her gaze and worried the hem of her shirt with her fingers. “I guess.”
She didn’t sound convinced but Sarah got the feeling she wasn’t prepared to argue with her. Sarah leaned toward her and whispered, “Don’t you want to find Mom and Dad?”
Lacey’s eyes filled with tears. “Of course I do. That is a totally dumb question.” She swiped at her tears with an angry hand. “I’m just worried about you.”
Sarah patted her knee. “Don’t be. I’ll be all right.” She almost choked on her words.
Lacey gave her a tremulous smile and then stared out her window.
Sarah shifted her weight and looked out at the world rushing by. Her stomach fluttered with the anxiety she hid from her sister. She took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the landscape as it flashed past. The same questions that haunted her earlier in the week invaded her mind. Why haven’t Mom and Dad called us? What is the connection between the Stalker and my parents? Could my dad know him from work?
Just as Sarah shook her head to stop her thoughts, a loud bang filled the air and their car lurched out of control. She was thrust against Lacey as their vehicle careened into the lane of oncoming traffic. Screaming, Sarah grabbed the front seat and ducked down as Agent Gray fought to get control of the car. Lacey followed her lead and ducked down behind the seat as well.
Sarah took a deep breath and peeked over the front seat just as an angry horn blared. Agent Gray wrenched on the steering wheel and the car lurched into its correct lane, missing oncoming traffic by inches.
“What is going on?” Sarah demanded.
“We’ve got a flat. I’ve got to pull over and fix it,” Agent Gray called out as he looked in the rearview mirror. “Are you kids okay?”
“I think so,” Lacey responded in a shaky voice.
“Never better.” Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I thought you guys were better drivers than this.”
“Watch it…” Agent Black glared at her from the front seat.
Sarah gave him a sheepish smile. “Just kidding.”
The FBI agent slowed the vehicle and pulled over onto the shoulder. He pursed his lips and took a deep breath. “Okay. Let me step outside and take a look.”
He glanced out the windshield and grimaced. The rain chose at that moment to turn into a torrential downpour and pelted the car with all it had. It sounded like golf balls were being hurled at it. “Maybe, I’ll wait a few minutes and see if it lets up.”
Sarah peered out at the rain. “You think?” She smirked and nudged her sister and then focused her attention to the men in the front seat. “We should we call Scoop and let those guys know what happened.”
Agent Black sighed and rubbed his eyes as if he were tired. “That’s a good idea. Give him a call.”
Sarah fumbled for her phone and finally got it out of her jeans pocket. She punched in the retired reporter’s number and waited for him to answer.
“Scoop?” Sarah paused and listened. “We just got a flat tire, so you might want to pull over and wait for us.” She paused and listened again. “We could do that. We’ll meet you at that little diner where we had lunch yesterday.” She listened one more time and then said, “Okay. Bye.” Eyeing the FBI agents, she put her phone back in her pocket. “We’ll meet them in about an hour.�
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Agent Gray nodded then leaned forward and looked out the window. “It’s starting to let up. Let’s give it a few more minutes and then I’ll change the tire.”
Sarah sighed and glanced out the back window. Her heart leapt to her throat and her tongue seemed to swell to double its normal size. She let out a guttural sound and pointed out the window with a trembling hand.
“What is wrong?” Lacey asked, giving her a perplexed look.
Sarah whimpered and pointed. The back window was filled with the steely-toothed grill of a black four wheel drive truck. She grabbed Lacey’s arm and stared into her eyes. Her sister’s eyes widened with recognition and her mouth twisted into a grimace.
Regaining her composure, Sarah pulled her down and whispered, “Duck!”
Chapter Twelve
“What is going on back there?” Agent Gray demanded.
“It’s the Stalker! He’s right behind us,” Sarah whispered hoarsely, her tongue still thick and cumbersome. She took a deep breath and whispered a prayer of thanks for the heavy rain. She recognized the truck but couldn’t see the driver through the down pour, which meant he couldn’t see her. “We have to get away from him before he sees us!”
Agent Gray jumped out of the car into the pelting rain. Raising her head, Sarah peeked out the back window and was able to make out the watery form of the FBI man standing at the driver’s window of the truck. He gesticulated as he spoke. Sarah took a deep breath and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. Returning to her original position, she watched the scene before her with a vigilant eye.
After a few minutes Agent Gray returned to the car and the Stalker sped off throwing water everywhere. Sarah stared at the agent as her heart slowed to its normal pace. “Why did he stop?”
“He thought he could be of assistance,” Agent Gray answered as he tried to dry his face with a handkerchief. He was soaked to the bone and irritated. “Actually, it’s good that we ran into him.”
“Really? Why?” Lacey asked. Her tone of voice betrayed her doubt.
“Because now we know he’s in town,” Sarah answered as she made eye contact with Agent Gray in the rearview mirror.
“That’s right.” Agent Gray glanced down at his clothes. “I’m soaked. I might as well change the tire now.” He grimaced as he shook his head sending drops of water everywhere.
Sarah snickered and winked at her sister. “We don’t have to get out, do we?”
“No, you don’t have to get out,” Agent Gray grumbled. He opened his door and once again stepped out into the blinding rain.
“Too bad you don’t have an umbrella,” Sarah muttered and winked at Lacey.
“Tsk. You shouldn’t make fun of him,” Lacey chided, but her lips twitched with suppressed laughter.
Sarah snorted and poked her sister in the ribs. The two girls convulsed into giggles. Agent Black shot them a disapproving look which made them laugh even more. They fell against each other trying to escape the FBI man’s penetrating glare.
“I’m going to go help Agent Gray,” he stated, opening the door and letting in the rain. “You kids stay here.”
Sarah leaned forward and watched the agents. “I hope they have dry clothes they can change into.” She glanced at Lacey, suppressed laughter danced in her eyes. Both girls convulsed into giggles again and collapsed onto each other.
Sarah sat up and wiped her eyes and focused her attention back to the agents. Agent Gray had removed the jack from the trunk and was now attempting to jack the car up. The vehicle titled toward the left.
“It looks like the rain is stopping,” Lacey said, looking out her window.
Sarah glanced out and realized the rain had indeed stopped. “Maybe we should get out.” She nudged her sister.
“Sure.”
They climbed out and stood in the cool air as the agents repaired the tire. An occasional car sped past, spraying them with a fine mist. Sarah shivered and pulled her jacket tighter. Looking around, memories paraded through her mind. She thought back to the family get-together where she had created the french fry teepee with her father. The memory of her father’s laugh brought tears to her eyes. It had been a sweltering day and Sarah was warmed by the image of her father, sister, and herself huddled around the picnic table trying to make the french fries stand up. Her dad had been the only one who had succeeded.
Sarah wiped her eyes and shook her head. Determination fueled her and she grew impatient waiting for the agents to finish their task. “Are you almost done?”
Agent Gray gave her an irritated look. “Ye-e-esss… we’re almost done.” He glanced at Agent Black and shook his head. “Teenagers.”
Sarah exchanged looks with Lacey and shrugged. Sighing, she surveyed the area and realized that they were under the billboard sporting the Piper Drugs ad. Her thoughts again focused on her father and a sense of urgency overwhelmed her. Clenching her hands, she furrowed her brow and paced. Questions invaded her mind. They came so fast there was no way for Sarah to stop them. Who is the Stalker? And what is his connection to my dad?
Lacey fell into step beside her. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” Sarah bit her lip. “I just want to get the show on the road.” She glanced back and winced when Agent Gray dropped the tire iron. It clanged to the ground, sending tremors through the earth. “Looks like they’re almost done.”
Lacey wrapped her hair around her finger. “It does.” She took a deep breath. “You know…we just might find Mom and Dad today.”
“I know.” Sarah scuffed her shoe on the tarmac. “These questions keep going through my mind and I just can’t find any answers. It’s driving me crazy.”
“I’m scared.” Lacey’s lower lip trembled as she spoke. “What if we find out something bad?”
“Like what?”
Lacey shrugged and averted her eyes. “I don’t know…like what if we only find their phone?” She looked at her sister with eyes filled with unspoken words.
Lacey’s statement hit Sarah like a punch in the stomach and she put her arm around her sister. “That could happen,” she whispered. “And it will feel horrible, but I think not knowing is the worst thing in the world.”
Her sister didn’t answer, but tears welled in her eyes and a sob escaped her lips.
“I don’t feel any better.”
“Neither do I,” Sarah admitted. She took a deep breath and surveyed their surroundings. “We should head back to the car, Lace. We don’t want the FBI agents to come looking for us.”
“All right.” Lacey took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
Sarah turned back toward the car. Lacey followed her, brushing her hair away from her face. Reaching the vehicle, Sarah bit her lip to keep the inquiry of their progress from leaving her mouth. Her patience was soon rewarded because Agent Gray stood up and stretched.
“Okay. Let’s go.” He strolled to the back of the vehicle and placed his tools along with the old tire in the trunk.
The girls piled into the backseat and the two soaking wet agents climbed in the front.
“Do you have dry clothes?” Sarah asked.
Agent Gray sighed and put the key in the ignition. “Yes, I’ll find a gas station and change in their bathroom. I always have an extra set of clothes with me.”
The FBI man started the car, checked his mirrors, and then pulled out onto the highway. As they picked up speed, Sarah’s stomach fluttered.
“We’ll be putting mission snag the Stalker into play soon,” she said to Lacey.
Her sister gulped. “I hope everything turns out all right.” She cast a worried glance at her sister.
Sarah took a deep breath. “I just hope we find the answers we’re looking for.”
“Me too.” Lacey fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “And… I hope you’ll be safe.”
Sarah gave her a smile, trying to hide her own fear. “I’m sure I’ll be safe. I’ve got the FBI with me.”
Her sister leaned toward her. “What’s your plan?�
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“I thought I’d go to the Bakery again.” Sarah shifted in her seat. “You know, get another one of those yummy cinnamon rolls?”
“I don’t think you should go alone.” Lacey crossed her arms over her chest and gave her sister a reproachful look.
Sarah snickered. “You just want another one of those rolls.”
Lacey shrugged. “Think what you want… but I want to go with you.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Lacey raised her eyebrows and gazed at her sister with eyes filled with shock.
Sarah shrugged. “Maybe I don’t want to do this by myself.”
Lacey stared at her and Sarah averted her gaze. She wasn’t going to admit to her sister how nervous she was. When Lacey didn’t speak, Sarah gave her a playful nudge and then gazed out the windshield. The Welcome to Alden sign caught her eye, she gulped. “It’s almost time.” She moved forward in her seat and addressed the agents. “Lacey wants to be part of the sting.”
The sting. Those tiny words sent tremors through Sarah’s body and her chest tightened. She’d never been part of an elaborate plan like this before and the conflicting emotions those words conjured up overwhelmed her.
Taking a deep breath, Sarah tried to figure out the feelings swirling through her. Fear was there, of course she felt nervous, but excitement too. It was a thrill to take down the bad guy and she knew in her heart the Stalker was a bad guy. She felt anger too. Rage at the Stalker and his stinky cigarette scent. And hope. Hope that her parents were alive and well.
Agent Gray glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “After I get changed we’ll work up a plan.”
Sarah nodded and slid back into her seat.
The agent slowed the vehicle and made a right into the gas station. “I’ll just stop in here and change my clothes.”
“I want to change mine too,” Agent Black said.
After parking, the agent faced the girls. “You kids stay in the back seat and I’ll lock you in.”
“Okay,” Sarah said.
The law men jumped out of the car. Agent Gray pointed the remote at the vehicle and locked the car.
The Cole girls sat in silence. The atmosphere grew warm and Sarah squirmed before she unzipped her jacket. She glanced at Lacey, not sure what to say.
