by Tami Kidd
Twenty-Two
Close to the interstate, they found an inexpensive motel on the outskirts of town. Nearby, Alex pointed out a few fast-food joints and a local restaurant called Plainview Café. They decided to give the café a shot, pleased to find the food fresh and tasty. Of course, the fact that they hadn’t eaten since the flight may have attributed to the fact that the food tasted so good.
After dinner, they drove back to the motel. Alex offered to get separate rooms, but Mara told him she didn’t want to be alone. Beyond tired, she had expended little to no energy sitting in the car all day, but felt like she had been run over by a Mack truck. As Alex had confirmed, stakeouts were the most exhausting part of the investigative process. She believed him.
The room looked like a typical motel room with two double beds, cheap wall hangings pretending to be art, a hideous multi-color carpet, and bargain-basement furniture. While Mara took a hot shower, Alex channel surfed. She relished the hot, steaming water as it washed away the grime of the day. She felt relaxed and near sleep when she crawled into bed.
“Is the TV bothering you?” Alex asked.
“Not at all. I’m so tired I don’t even notice it’s on.” She started to drift.
“Let me know if it bothers you and I’ll turn it off.”
Yawning, Mara said, “I will.” She turned her back to the second bed and the TV and snuggled in for much-needed sleep.
When she woke hours later, the room was dark. Alex’s rhythmic breathing sounded from the next bed. Mara turned over to look at him through dark-adjusted eyes. He faced her, looking so serene and peaceful. Blonde curls fell over his eyes. He wore a V neck t-shirt that was so white, it glowed in the darkness. His tanned, muscular arms were crossed in front of his chest. He lay on top of the covers still wearing his blue jeans. If not for the tranquillity on his face, he looked ready to spring at a moment’s notice.
The urge to touch him overwhelmed her. Mara wanted to feel the roughness of his unshaven cheeks. She wanted to experience the smooth, silkiness of his full lips. Run her fingers through his golden curls. Mara closed her eyes and imagined the subtle differences her hands would experience from caressing his face. As the sensuous images played in her mind, she drifted off to sleep.
The sound of water pelting against the shower curtain and the smell of fresh coffee woke Mara. Realizing Alex was in the shower, she got out of bed and slipped into her jeans. A new day had arrived and right away, she knew what to do. Maybe because she felt rested after a good night’s sleep, she decided to stay and give it another try.
****
“Are you sure you want to stay?” Alex said as he cut into his pancakes and poured warm, thick maple syrup over them.
“I’m sure. I was disappointed and tired yesterday. I want to see it through.” As Alex shoved a forkful of dripping pancake goodness into his mouth, Mara looked at her whole bran cereal and regretted not ordering a stack. She had put on a few pounds and decided this would be a good time to get back on track with healthier eating habits. Don’t look at the pancakes! Look away. Yum, this cereal is fantastic. She looked up just as he took another beautiful mouthful.
“As soon as the car rental opens, we’ll switch cars. Can’t be too obvious. The same car parked in the same spot two days in a row might raise curious stares.”
When the post office opened, they parked the new rental farther down Euclid than yesterday. Using the binoculars, he could still spy inside the post office.
At 11:30 a.m., a tall, lanky young man who looked to be in his early twenties walked to the box and removed the letter.
“Bingo,” Alex said, starting the car.
Mara bolted in her seat. Stiffening, she watched, mesmerized by the young man. He wore brown baggie shorts that fell below the knees, flip-flops, and a green t-shirt. His mass of dark dreadlocks hung down to the tops of his shoulders. She held her breath. It’s happening. He took the letter. Every nerve in her body froze in anticipation.
The young man hopped into a silver Saturn that had seen better days. Alex pulled out behind the Saturn as it drove past them on Main, heading south. After a few minutes, it became it evident that the boy did not intend to stop in Plainview. He headed out of town and picked up speed as the speed limit increased and the area became more rural. Farmland dominated both sides of the highway and an occasional farmhouse sprouted up like islands in massive seas of green.
“Where is he heading?”
“Beats me. I’m glad we have a full tank of gas.”
“Do you think he’ll notice us following him?”
“I’m far enough back, so we shouldn’t stand out. I’ve got a good fix on him and I’ve memorized his plates in case we lose him. I can always call a buddy to look up the registration.”
“You and your buddies.” Mara shook her head and smiled.
“Hey, it helps to know people. They can also call on me anytime they need a favor.”
“Just kidding. I’d do the same if I could.”
Towns like Jasper and Tulip went by on signposts. About forty-five minutes into the drive, a green road sign announced Brown Mills twelve miles ahead. Mara looked at Alex and shrugged. Another unknown town.
The silver Saturn took a right turn onto a narrow-paved road, lined on both sides by towering pine trees. They slowed and allowed the Saturn to pull farther ahead so they wouldn’t draw attention to themselves.
On the right side of the narrow lane, Mara read the sign. It felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Her breath caught in her throat and she choked. The sign read: Brendan T. Byrne State Forest 5 miles. Her mouth fell open.
“What the hell?” Alex muttered.
Mara looked at him with wide eyes, unable to speak.
“Have you ever heard of this place?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Are you all right?”
She shook her head again. “What does this mean, Alex?” Confused, she felt like she was in a dream. Who is Brendan T. Byrne? Does this have something to do with Thomas?
They followed the car until it turned left again onto an even narrower road. They waited before moving to follow, but it wasn’t necessary. The Saturn pulled up to an electronic gate that opened. It drove through the gate and up the long driveway. A majestic lodge, hidden by thick forest, came into view. Alex put the car in reverse and backed down the road.
“Where are we going?”
“We know his destination. My guess is he picked the letter up for someone else. That someone is behind this gate. If we want to know who it is, then we should get to a place where I can use my laptop. Have you ever heard of this state forest before?”
“No,” Mara said.
“We have to get out of here. I have a feeling the kid will be leaving as soon as he drops off the letter. We can’t afford to have him spot us and report that he was followed here.”
When they pulled onto the main highway, they continued south, coming to a town called Pembroke Hills. Alex found a coffee shop that advertised free Wi-Fi. He took out his laptop while they ordered some much-needed caffeine. After a few minutes of pecking away on the laptop, Alex looked at Mara to update her.
“The land, the house, and the surrounding 150-acre area is owned by Barbara and Lester Lombard. For a tidy sum, they bought the property two years ago from the Byrne family. Apparently, the family was very prominent in the state. Brendan T. Byrne was a powerhouse in the New Jersey political scene in the early 1900s. That’s why they named a state forest after him.”
“That doesn’t help much. I want to know what the New Jersey Byrnes have to do with Thomas. It’s even more confusing than ever. Now what do we do?”
“We wait till tonight. After dark, we’ll go back and see if we can pay the Lombards a visit.”
“We’re going to just drive up to the gate and say, ‘Uh, excuse me. We followed your errand boy here. We know he brought you a letter. We want to talk to you about it’?”
“Something to that effect.�
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“Are you freaking crazy?” Mara yelled. Remembering they were in public, she lowered her voice. “Are you freaking crazy? These people paid twenty-five million dollars for a letter. When they find out it’s a fake, they’re going to kill us, not invite us inside to chat!”
Alex’s cell phone rang. He answered. Mara could hear Gerard’s irate voice coming through the speaker. She couldn’t make out the words, but from the intensity of his rant, she knew he was not a happy camper.
“Yes, I know. Uh huh. I understand. I will. Take it easy—no, I—okay. I’ll be in touch.”
“Doesn’t sound like he’s happy,” Mara said when Alex ended the call.
“No, he’s not. He got an email from his contact. They were furious that they didn’t receive the real letter. He told us to send the real letter immediately. He said his contact would give us twenty-four hours.”
“Still think we should go out there?”
“Absolutely! Now more than ever. If they meant to do us harm, they would have threatened Gerard.”
“Something is going to happen at the end of twenty-four hours. Why would they say that and how do you know they didn’t threaten Gerard?”
“Because if there’s one thing that scares people like Gerard more than not having money and power, it’s the fear of physical harm. He’s too self-centered to let a threat go without mentioning it. Believe me, if he had been threatened, he would have said so and threatened us in the process.”
Mara was skeptical, but she trusted Alex, as she had done since the day they met.
At dusk, they drove back to the location in the woods where the kid delivered the letter. They pulled up to the gate, and as Alex’s finger paused over the call button, the gate opened without warning. “Looks like they’re expecting us,” he said.
Mara broke out in a cold sweat. I hope this is a hot flash and not a premonition. She stared straight ahead as they drove up the long drive to the massive log house without noticing the spectacular beauty of the residence.
They pulled up to the circular drive and parked next to the grand front entrance. A man in a dark suit waited by the immense double doors. The serious look on his long face didn’t make Mara feel welcome. No warm fuzzies. She wondered if it was too late to leave.
Alex opened his door and Mara did the same. She felt like a newborn fawn, weak and unsteady. Alex took her hand as they walked to the door. Without saying a word, the man reached for the handle with one hand and let them in. Once inside, another man stood by in the foyer.
“Please come this way, Mr. Strange, Mrs. Byrne.”
Mara squeezed Alex’s hand a little tighter.
The second man led them to a huge patio that overlooked a deep bluff above a babbling brook. Tall pines towered like arrows stabbing the black sky. The heads disappeared into the cloak of darkness. The fragment air smelled of pine and honeysuckle. Several small glass-top tables sat scattered about the patio. On the nearest table, someone had placed a silver tea service with steam floating out of the elegant spout.
“May I offer you some tea?” the older man asked as he stopped by the table.
“Do you want any?” Alex gestured.
“Not a chance. It might be poisoned,” she whispered so only Alex could hear.
“No. Thank you, we’ll pass,” Alex said.
The gentleman turned and left the patio.
They sat at one of the tables facing the inside of the house.
Footsteps sounded from the side. They turned toward the source. For a minute, they could only detect the shadow of a figure, until it stepped into the light. Before them, as if a vision from another world, stood Dr. Jessica Foster. Mara and Alex sat frozen, silenced by shock.
“Good evening, Mr. Strange, Mrs. Byrne. It’s nice to meet you,” she said in a soft civilized manner. Jessica looked like her picture, only better. Her long blond hair fell past her shoulders in soft billowing waves. She was fit, obviously athletic. Dressed elegant yet casual, she wore a pair of snug blue jeans and a white button-down shirt tucked in to show off her tiny waist.
“Dr. Foster, nice to meet you,” Alex said.
Mara nodded without uttering a word.
“I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t indulge in idle chitchat. I’ve always been one to get straight to the point. Did you bring the letter?”
As if someone else entered her body, Mara said, “You’ll forgive me, Dr. Foster, if I, too, get straight to the point. I want answers.” Anger flared inside her. She refused to sit by feeling docile any longer. She wanted answers, and now she was in the position to get them. Their fate uncertain at this point, and if she might die, she intended to die knowing the truth.
Dr. Foster sat in the chair across from Mara, crossed her long lean legs, and gave her a nod. “Go ahead.”
“First, did you send my husband the letter I found in his safe-deposit box?”
“Yes.”
“Did you work at my husband’s office as Rebecca Kincaid?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you send my husband the letter? Were the two of you having an affair?”
“Tom—uh, Thomas knew why I was in Riverside and I trusted him completely with the information in the letter. If anything happened to me, he’d keep the information in the letter safe until he could deliver it into the proper hands.” Dr. Foster lowered her head and smiled. “As far as the question regarding an affair between Thomas and myself, Mrs. Byrne, I assure you that your husband was a perfect gentleman during the time we worked together. Although an attractive man, I’m sorry to say he wasn’t my type. I have a partner, and unfortunately, she’s not home tonight, so you won’t have the pleasure of making her acquaintance. No, we did not have an affair.”
Mara closed her eyes and shuddered with relief. Then she asked, “Why are you willing to pay twenty-five million dollars for a letter you wrote? You know what’s inside the letter. Why would you pay for knowledge you already possess?”
“The letter must be destroyed. When I wrote the letter, I believed I would be killed. In case something happened to me, the information needed to be recorded and kept in a safe place. But as you can see, I’m not dead. And now that poor Tom—Thomas is gone, the letter I sent to him is no longer safe.”
“Why did you hire Gerard to take the letter from me? He kidnapped me!”
“That was not part of our deal. I never intended for him to harm you. He was supposed to break into your house and retrieve the letter. I apologize for his zeal,” Foster said coldly.
“What information does the letter contain?”
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that question. Your wellbeing would be at great risk if I told you. All I can say is that the data in the letter is valuable. Dangerous people are willing to kill to keep its secret.”
Mara felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She could tell by the look in the woman’s eyes that she spoke the truth. Mara had no reason to doubt the doctor’s claim. “How was my husband involved in all this?” Mara asked.
“Thomas was briefed to my true identity, that I worked under the guise of a temp working on a proposal in Riverside. He knew my life was in danger. Because your husband had special training during his service in the U.S. Army, he was chosen to work on this project. You were aware he was a member of a specialized team used in delicate missions?”
Mara felt ashamed and angry that this woman knew more about her husband than she did. She glanced away, refusing to let Foster see her pain. How was it possible that she could be married to a man for twenty years and not know him? Composing herself, she said resolutely, “No, I wasn’t aware of that. What kind of assistance did he provide?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t have that information. It’s classified and only released on a need-to-know basis. I’ve never been issued the need-to-know, except in this specific case.”
How Mara wanted to walk over and slap her face. The woman’s intimate knowledge of her husband made it feel like they, did indeed, have an affair. The
y shared secrets that Mara was not privy to. He did things that he didn’t share with her. He knew every aspect of her life, and she’d never known him at all. This woman knew him better. Mara felt betrayed. Contempt filled her eyes.
Alex broke in. “Dr. Foster, may I have a moment with Mara?”
“Certainly.”
Leading her away by the hand, Alex said, “I have the letter with me. What do you want to do?”
Mara’s mouth fell open. “I thought you took it back to your hiding place in the mall.”
“I started to, but I thought it might be a good idea if we brought it with us. In case we needed it.”
“I think we should give it back,” she said with resolve.
“I want you to be sure. I want you to get the answers to your questions. Now is the time. We’ll never be in a position like this again.”
“I think I have all the answers I need.”
“All right. Let me take it from here. If you have any more questions for her, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I do have one more question.”
They went back to the table and sat down. Dr. Foster sat calmly as she waited for one of them to speak.
“Dr. Foster, we brought the letter with us. I sent the fake because Mara wanted answers before she gave up the letter. We felt having the original provided us leverage.”
“Very wise of you, Mr. Strange.”
“Before we give you the letter, Mara has one more question.”
“Very well. Mrs. Byrne, ask away.”
“I would like to know why you’re here, in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. Does this have anything to do with Thomas?”
“Yes, in a way it does. You see, Lester Lombard and his wife Barbara own this property. Lester served in Vietnam with Thomas. He was also part of the specialized team I mentioned earlier. He thought of Thomas as his brother. Thomas saved Lester’s life in Vietnam. Your husband arranged for me to stay here when I left Riverside. He felt I would be safe here. I have been. However, now I will have to relocate.”
