Gail asked the customary question. “Are you okay, Ray?”
To which he gave his customary answer. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Once Joey was in bed and Laurie and Krista had disappeared upstairs, she tackled the subject again. “Hon, are you sure everything is all right?”
“Everything’s fine,” Ray said.
“Then why are you wearing a path in the carpet?”
He continued pacing. “Because it’s harder to hit a moving target.”
“Oh, great.” Gail put both hands on her slim hips. “Want to tell me what this is about?”
“No, but I’ll have to do it sooner or later.” He came to a stop in front of her. “There’s a problem, babe, and I think I’ve got a solution, but it sucks.”
Gail braced herself. “All right, what is it?”
“You’ve seen Amy. You know what kind of shape she’s in.”
“Yes, and?”
“After she gets out of the hospital tomorrow, she’s going to be at serious risk without around-the-clock protection, but there’s a workload versus manpower thing going on. Roth’s talking about upping the frequency of patrols going past her house, but that’s it.”
“He can’t do any more than that?”
“He can’t, but I can.”
“I don’t think I want to hear this,” she said, running a hand through her auburn hair.
“Believe me, I’ve tried all day to come up with another idea—any other idea—but I’m drawing a blank.”
“So what’s your solution, Ray?”
“Well, if the perp takes another crack at Amy, it’ll probably be at night. I could do nighttime surveillance on her place on my own.”
Gail’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy? You can’t work around the clock.”
“Right, but if I took some time off—”
“Wait. You’re not talking about using vacation time so you can sleep days and stake out her house at night, are you?”
“Two days of vacation. Three, tops. After that, Roth thinks he may be able to work something out.”
“I don’t like it, Ray. Besides, that two/three day thing sounds very ‘iffy’. And what about the trip to Yellowstone we promised the kids? That’s what you’ve been saving up your vacation for.”
“If you’d rather, I could save those vacation days and just sleep on Amy’s couch for a few nights.”
She turned and stormed away.
Ray followed her into the kitchen. “Hon, I was only joking.”
“Why don’t you just move in with her, Ray?”
“What?”
“You spend so much time with her already, you might as well. It’s obvious you’re crazy about her.”
He turned her around to face him and held her tight. “Gail, the only woman I’m crazy about is you. I’m fond of Amy, but she’s a friend. That’s all.”
She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go. “Am I being hugged or restrained?”
“Both,” he said, “until I’m sure it’s safe for me to let go. Is it?”
Gail’s dark eyes flicked up at him. “I’m not making any promises.”
“Well, I am. You have my word I won’t use more than three days. That’ll still leave enough time for our trip.”
“Just barely,” she pointed out. “I don’t want our trip to amount to videotaping the scenery from our car as we zip by on our way to and from Eden Prairie.”
“You’ve got my word, Gail. No more than three days.” Ray loosened his grip on her. “Is it safe to let go now?”
“Give it a try; we’ll see what happens.” She slipped free of his arms and stepped away. “Ray, if I asked you not to do this at all—if I asked you to treat Amy Conley like you would a stranger, what would you do?”
A long pause ensued.
He leaned against the kitchen’s butcher block and said, “First of all, I’d remind you Amy Conley isn’t a stranger; our whole family knows her. Next I’d ask you to imagine yourself in my position. If it was your friend Julie instead of Amy in this situation, could you turn your back on her and walk away, or would you go the extra mile?”
“Or ten, as in your case,” she said.
“Okay…or ten if that’s what it took.” It was Gail’s turn to hesitate. “Well? What would you do?” he asked.
“If I told you I’d let it go, then what?”
“I’d say you were lying; I know you better.”
She sank onto a kitchen chair. “Put in those terms, I guess I can understand the position you’re in, but…” Gail’s expression brightened.
“But what?” he asked.
“I just thought of something—another option.”
“Great. Let me hear it.”
She patted the seat of the chair beside her and put a hand on his thigh as he sat down. “Bring Amy here, Ray.”
“Here? Are you nuts?”
“No. Think about it. Nobody would think to look for her at our house.”
“Honey, whoa.”
“It would be perfect, Ray. We have a downstairs guestroom. Being stuck in a wheelchair, that would be ideal for her. And, on top of that, I’ll be right here to help if she needs any help.”
“Hon—”
“You could stick to your usual schedule, and no one would be any the wiser. Amy would be perfectly safe here. Nights, you’d be home instead of freezing in a car outside her house. It makes perfect sense.”
“No, it doesn’t. For one thing, Laurie and Krista could let on that she’s staying here. Word could get around.”
“Right. I suppose there’s no telling what kind of evil connections a bunch of fourth and eighth graders could have.”
“Go ahead and joke, but I’m against the idea.”
“Could Captain Roth forbid you to do it?”
“No, and I doubt he’d try; he’s as concerned about her safety as anyone.”
“Then why not do it?”
“Babe, you haven’t thought this through. Someone’s out to get her; there’s a risk involved.”
“Minimal at best,” she insisted.
“Okay, but I’m not willing to take a chance with our kids’ safety. Are you?”
Gail looked horrified. “No, of course not, but what if the kids weren’t here, hon?”
“What—you want to put them up in our storage unit or something?”
She gave him a withering look that would have crushed a lesser man. “Tomorrow’s Friday. Julie might be willing to take Joey and Krista for a couple of days. They get along great with Taylor and Bailey. If Julie’s willing, I could run them over there after Krista gets home from school tomorrow.”
“What about Laurie?”
“She’d jump at the chance for an extended sleepover at Jordan McNeil’s house. I’m sure I could arrange it. If that doesn’t work out, Laurie’s got a dozen other friends whose parents owe us one.”
“All right,” he said. “If you can guarantee the kids won’t be here, I’ll think about it. But, babe…”
“What?”
“One way or the other, I’m still taking those vacation days. Even with the kids out of the house, there’s no way in hell I’m going off to work and leaving you in a risky situation either. If we do this thing, I’m going to be right here every second.”
“But, Ray—”
“You’re not talking me out of that, Gail.” He kissed the top of her head and started away. “In the morning, if you’re sure you want to do this, I’ll run it past Dick and Roth and make a decision then.”
32
The next afternoon, Gail sat with her hands wrapped around a coffee cup while Julie Monroe bribed Joey and her daughter Taylor to play elsewhere. The kids giggled and ran off to the girl’s bedroom with their chocolate chip cookies in hand, while Bailey Monroe and Krista secluded themselves in Bailey’s bedroom, sharing adolescent secrets.
“I’m sorry about asking you to watch both kids at once, Julie,” Gail said. “How annoyed are you?”
Dark hair twisted
into a knot at the back of her head, her face devoid of makeup, Julie set her cup on the table and joined her. “I’m not annoyed at all. Forget it. I’m glad to have Joey and Krista here. Taylor and Bailey are excited about them staying over.”
“Did you get your washing machine fixed yesterday?” Gail asked.
“It’s as good as new. ‘Mr. Charm’ finally showed up around four o’clock. He provided me with an unfortunate view of his plumber’s crack and a bill for only $183, and all’s well once more.” Julie chuckled and asked, “So, what are you and Ray up to this weekend?”
“Nothing much. We’re just going out of town to visit some old friends.”
Julie grinned. “Whatever you say.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re doing that funny thing you do with your face when you’re holding something back.”
“Oh, great. What funny thing?”
“That would be telling.”
Gail’s grin faded. “Okay, I confess. Actually, I need someone to talk to about this, and you’re my first choice. You always are.”
She gave Gail a regal bow of the head. “Thanks, I’m honored. What’s up?”
“I’ve done something incredibly stupid, Julie.”
“Let me guess. Does it have something to do with the woman you visited at the hospital yesterday—the one who looks pretty when she cries?”
“Bingo.”
“So what’s going on? When you picked Joey up yesterday, you said the Amy-Ray coalition wasn’t as big a deal as you imagined. Are you having second thoughts about that?”
“Second…third…fourth. I was fine until last night. Ray started talking about Amy’s situation and what he might be able to do to help. When he told me what he had in mind, I lost mine.”
“Why am I not having a hard time believing that?” Julie said, chuckling. “What exactly is her situation?”
“I told you she’s involved in a murder case, right?”
“Yes, and?”
“And that she was hospitalized after falling down her basement steps?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, I left out the part about her fall not being an accident.”
Julie’s eyes widened. “She was pushed?”
“Not exactly, but somebody definitely wanted her dead and probably still does.”
Julie smirked. “You mean someone besides you, right?”
“Right.”
“So now what?”
Gail took a deep breath. “She’s getting out of the hospital today, and the protection arranged for her is a joke.”
“I don’t like where this is going,” Julie said. “What did you do, Gail?”
“I… I may have talked Ray into bringing her to our house for a couple of days.”
Julie’s smile vanished. “With someone after her? You are kidding, right?”
“I wish. But that’s why I brought Joey and Krista here. Laurie’s staying over at a friend’s house this weekend, so she’ll be out of harm’s way, too.”
“Are you out of your cotton pickin’ mind, Gail? What were you thinking?”
“It was a knee-jerk reaction. Ray was talking about using vacation days so he could sleep in the daytime and stake out Amy’s place nights.”
“Ah, and you pictured the surveillance turning into an indoor event, right?”
“I panicked. At the time, it just seemed like a great strategy to have Amy where I could keep track of what’s going on between them.”
“So now you think something’s going on after all?”
“I don’t know what I think anymore, but I’m beginning to feel like a rat.” Julie twisted imaginary whiskers, emitting a couple of high-pitched squeaks. “Thanks for your support,” Gail said.
“I’m just kidding, but why didn’t you just put your foot down last night and tell Ray you didn’t want him to do it? This Amy would survive without his help, right?”
“That’s the problem. I’m not so sure she could.” Gail felt an inner chill and tugged her sleeves over her hands. “Amy really is in a tough spot. If I forced Ray to give up his surveillance idea and she was hurt or killed, I don’t know how I’d live with that.”
“Well, so much for being a rat; you’re definitely not.”
“Okay, I guess that just makes me incredibly stupid.”
An awkward seven-second pause ended with Julie saying, “If you’re waiting for me to jump in here and argue with you, you’ve still got a long wait ahead.”
“Thanks. I was just thinking. I guess it’s time I make up my mind. Either I trust Ray or I don’t. That’s what it really boils down to.”
“So which way are you leaning?” Julie asked.
Gail rested her chin in the palm of her hand. “I’ve got a good man. One of the best. I don’t know that Ray has done anything wrong. I’m just so afraid of losing him, I think it’s making me paranoid.”
“And what about her…this Amy?”
“I don’t know if she’s got designs on him or not, but if I’m right about Ray, it shouldn’t matter. I’ll tell you something, Julie: I’ve never been the jealous type before, and I detest the way it feels. Besides, I can tell it’s starting to get on Ray’s nerves.” Gail scowled and added, “Even so, I’m not sure I can pull off this new-and-improved attitude if Amy’s at our place around the clock the next couple of days. I’m still hoping for a reprieve; it’s not a done deal yet. Ray was supposed to call and let me know what he decided. Waiting around to hear from him is killing me.”
“Then maybe you can still stop it. Call Ray. Tell him you’ve reconsidered.”
“You don’t understand. I badgered him into doing it.”
“So what? Tell him you’ve had a change of heart—that it’s not a good idea after all.”
A flicker of hope ignited in Gail’s eyes as she grabbed her purse. “It’s worth a try, I guess. It won’t be the first time I’ve eaten crow.” She dug for her cell phone through the disarray between the purse’s leather pockets and dividers. “There’s still a chance he’s decided against it anyway.” She shoved her keys aside as the phone played a jazzy alto sax solo and the lyrics “Talk Dirty to Me.”
Julie laughed. “That’s a riot.”
“It’s Ray’s idea of a joke,” she said. “He changed the ringtone on me knowing I haven’t figured out how to switch it back.” Gail pulled the phone out on the third repetition and read the screen. “It’s him.” She hit ‘Talk’ and said, “Hi, hon. I’ve been waiting for you to call. What took so— No, I’m at Julie’s. Ray, about the plans—” She paused, listening. “It’s all set then? In two hours? Um…yeah, okay. I’ll see you then.” Shoulders slumping, she stuffed the phone back in her purse.
Julie cringed. “That didn’t sound good.”
“It wasn’t. Ray’s got everything set up. He’s arranged a way to get Amy out of the hospital unseen. The two of them should be at our place in about two hours. What am I going to do?”
“You’re asking me?”
“You’re the only one here.”
Joey came tearing down the hall. “Mommy, Tay’s making pictures on the wall.”
“Stay put, Gail. I’ll take care of this.” Julie raced to Taylor’s bedroom and returned with a handful of crayons. “Picasso would be proud,” she said. “I’ve got Joey and Taylor watching a kid’s video—my electronic babysitter. Sue me.” She sat down again and drummed her tapered nails on the tabletop. “The way I see it, you don’t have a lot of options, Gail. You might as well do your best to play the gracious hostess, and when this fiasco is over, you’ll have earned a stellar rating for compassion and cooperation, and Ray will feel compelled to take you into his arms and pledge his undying love to you. How’s that sound?”
“Like a crock.”
“All of it?”
“The last part mostly. Anyway, it’s a cinch there’s no backing out anymore. God help me.”
33
The stealthy removal of Amy from her hospital room h
ad barely been accomplished when Waverly heard the squeak of rubber-soled shoes as someone approached. As the sound got closer, the intervals between the footsteps slowed, then stopped. Through the small gap between the wall and edge of the closed privacy curtain, he caught a glimpse of Liz Dunham as she peeked through the door.
She entered and swept the curtain out of her way. “How are you today, sweetie?”
“I’m fine, Waverly said. “How are you, honeybunch?”
Her face blanched.
Amy’s bed was vacant, the linens changed. Liz looked toward the open bathroom door. “Where’s Amy? Have they moved her to different room?”
“Nope. Elvis has left the building.”
“She’s gone? I was told her release was moved back until tomorrow.”
“A little cop subterfuge,” he said, brushing his mustache. “We gotta stay at least one step ahead of whoever’s hell-bent on killing her.”
“I wondered why the officer wasn’t in the hall,” she said. The privacy curtain folded back on itself as Liz shoved it all the way to the wall. “But why all the secrecy? You don’t seriously think Amy’s in danger from someone here at the hospital, do you?”
“I suspect everybody. I’m a detective; it’s second nature.”
“Well, concerning yourself about the hospital staff is a waste of time, Detective.”
He stepped to her side of the bed, arching an eyebrow. “As her friend, I’d think you’d be glad we’re taking precautions.”
“I am, of course, but resorting to sneaking her out of the hospital… It seems over the top to me. Besides, I told Amy she was welcome to stay at my place until she’s doing better. Where have you taken her?”
He smiled and wagged a finger side-to-side. “Telling would make all this pointless, wouldn’t you say?”
Liz narrowed her eyes. “You certainly don’t need to keep her location from me. I’m like a mother to her. It doesn’t seem right that you’ve smuggled her off to who knows where. Right now she needs her friends more than ever.”
“Stacked up against her safety, that means squat. Don’t worry; she’ll be fine”
“How can I not worry?” Liz looked at him suspiciously. “Wait a second. If Amy’s already gone, what are you doing here?”
Targeted: A Ray Schiller Novel (The Ray Schiller Series Book 3) Page 21
