Trifecta

by Pam Richter

  As she watched Quijada fingering through the manuscript, she felt herself growing excited. She would write it in the first person, telling about how she had found her brother in the county hospital and of his tragic death. Then Brian's manuscript would be the middle of the book. In this new book she would clearly show where Brian had ended his writing. Then there would be the clues Brian had left in his message to her on the computer. Robin, the mechanic, could be the hero, tracking the drug dealers. Then the final story about the conviction of Quijada, on murder and drug charges. It would be a whopping tale. Julia could hardly wait to begin.

  Of course, first Quijada would have to be legally tried and convicted.

  "Are you all right? You look rather pale," Quijada said, snapping her back to reality.

  Julia nodded numbly and shifted the camera bag. It was light, but her knowledge of what it held inside made the bag feel heavy as lead and very clumsy. "We can send as much of the manuscript as you approve."

  "I'll start reading, right now. We can have a meeting in the morning, around nine. If any changes are required we can go over them and make the revisions."

  "It should take only a week or so."

  "Good," Quijada said, rubbing his hands together. He hadn't blinked in several minutes and Julia felt pinned by his black eyes, like a frightened butterfly. "We're ahead of schedule. Perhaps we can have the book out in time for Christmas."

  "That's entirely possible," Julia agreed, anxious to leave.

  "Right then. I'll see you at nine." He was sitting down with the manuscript in front of him, prepared to read.

  Julia had been dismissed and she hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. She waved to Rosa and murmured something about having to rush because she had a lunch date. Rosa nodded and smiled.

  This was a disaster, Julia though, as she went past the pool. Now she could never replace the copied material back in the safe. And Quijada had the manuscript.

  There was nothing she could do about it until tomorrow. By then, if he looked in the safe, she would be his prime suspect. But she had to make that meeting tomorrow or she couldn't get the manuscript back. She would never know until tomorrow morning, when she was in his very clutches, if he had opened the safe.

  As Julia went toward the cottage she could hear Bruno whining, but it didn't sound like he was inside. She hurried faster. Maybe someone was already on the grounds with orders to get rid of her. It felt silly to be so scared on this beautiful sunny day, at noon, but she had never heard Bruno sound like that before. It was a sad, lost noise. He was whining, but as she listened, it turned into a howl.

  As Julia opened the door to the cottage, an awful idea swept through her mind. Bruno's whining had not been from inside the grounds, but from somewhere outside the walls. Bruno would have run to her if he had been able to, but she had been too miserable about the manuscript to think clearly. Suddenly she was frightened. Robin was outside. Maybe Quijada set the dog on him.

  Julia dropped the camera bag and started out the door at a run, when a voice stopped her.

  "Julia!"

  She turned around so fast she almost fell over the doorstep. Then she hurried back inside, slamming the door behind her. She was so relieved to see Robin that her legs gave out and she sank to the floor.

  Robin crawled over to her so he wouldn't be seen from outside. He was on hands and knees in front of her. "Are you all right?"

  "Damn. I thought Bruno got you," Julia said, shaking with relief. "I heard him outside the gate and almost had a heart attack."

  Robin knelt before her and cupped her face in his hands.

  "That's nothing compared to the shock of seeing Quijada here. With you inside. I was beside myself, thinking he would catch you opening his safe. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you."

  Julia smiled at him. "I got the stuff. It was too late to put it back."

  "No! I can't believe it." He realized he still had her face in his hands and he let go. The he clasped her face again and kissed her gently on the forehead. He would have liked to make a try for the smiling lips. She looked a little dazed as it was. "You're a very brave girl."

  "I was terrified," Julia said. Now she seemed almost manic with relief. "The stuff's in the camera bag. I had to leave the manuscript with Quijada. But we have a meeting tomorrow, and I'll take it back then. To do revisions. Maybe I can replace everything from the safe then, too."

  Robin shook his head. "You can't. This changes everything. What if he opens the safe, Julia? It's too risky. Besides, we were betrayed by the police. When I called to make sure you would have time to open the safe and take the documents, they said Quijada was still at work. So the police were lying. Quijada could come for you at any time. You have to leave. Right now."

  "Not without my manuscript," Julia said implacably. "You don't understand how hard I've been working."

  They both were silent for a moment. Bruno was making an unbelievable racket outside the fence, yowling in misery.

  "You have to. Quijada's suspicious as hell. He's having you followed," Robin said. "And we were both betrayed by the police. The same ones who were supposed to keep surveillance on him today, were the ones who were informed about my meeting with Quijada's drug people last night."

  "Oh, no!" Julia exclaimed.

  "I had a disguise on. I don't think they could recognize me. And they'll never put the two events, the theft from the safe and a drug buy, together. Now lets go! We have to get out of here."

  "They'll be looking for a fat man with brown eyes, so you'll probably be safe. But if he has the manuscript, I'm expendable."

  "If you take it, you're dead," Robin said flatly. "He paid for it. He thinks it's his property. It's the publicity Quijada needs to propel him into the governor's mansion in Sacramento."

  "Paid for or not, it was Brian's book. I'm his next of kin. The book is mine."

  "Lets not argue. We have to get Bruno inside and ourselves outside, or that dog is going to raise the whole neighborhood."

  Julia nodded, knowing Quijada could come out at any second to see why Bruno was making such a racket.

  "I'll go climb on top of the fence. Then you let the dog in," Robin said. "And you better come with me, out the back gate. If you don't, I'll come back inside and get you, Julia, dog or no dog."

  "Carry me, kicking and screaming?"

  "If necessary."

  "I'll meet you on Sunset Boulevard. I have to get my car."

  "Forget the car. If he's looked in safe, he'll never open the gate and let you out. I'm not kidding. If you're found dead somewhere, there's no one who will know what happened to your brother."

  "All right. But it's too dangerous for you to get on top of the fence. Bruno can jump that high. I'll let him inside here. You can go out the back door and wait for me."

  Julia got up and hurried out before he could argue. She looked around but no one seemed to be observing. She went to the back wall and opened the gate. Bruno bounded in, slobbering all over her hands, thrilled to be inside again. Then he ran directly to the cottage and stood there whimpering and quivering with excitement. Julia knew that with his olfactory ability he could smell Robin.

  Julia slipped into the cottage. Bruno tried to nudge her aside, so he could go in too and she bade him stay outside. As she slid in, Julia could hear the intercom to the main house ringing.

  She shot a glance at Robin and he nodded at her, so she picked up the receiver. "We can make a run for the back gate if he knows," Robin whispered.

  "Julia?" It was Quijada's voice.

  "Yes. I'm here." She sat on the floor beside Robin and held the receiver so he could listen. Robin put his arm around her and lowered his head close to hers. Julia was glad to have him there. She realized she was frightened, just knowing she had possession of Quijada's property.

  "I was going over the manuscript and I want to ask you a few questions."

  "I'll come right over," Julia said, taking a deep breath.

  Robin was shaking hi
s head at her, frowning.

  "No," Quijada answered. "I'll come outside. I heard Bruno barking and wanted to check it out anyway."

  "I heard him, too. So I let him in here with me," Julia said.

  "I'll be there in a minute," Quijada said.

  Julia hung up and looked at Robin. "You go outside and listen. We can see what he wants."

  "If the police tipped him, he may already know that you were in his safe," Robin argued.

  "If he has the manuscript, we can take it with us," Julia countered. She went to the door to let Bruno in, forcing Robin to go to the back door. She started talking to Bruno through the door to keep him at the front of the cottage, and nodded at Robin. He slipped out and she let the dog in.

  Robin hurried to the side of the cottage and ducked behind some bushes. In a few moments he saw Quijada leaving the house. He stopped for a minute beside the pool, and Robin had a terrible sinking feeling when he saw a small man come from the side of the house to join him. It was Juan Carlos, the man who had been following Julia in a big Mercedes. Robin knew Juan was one of Quijada's dealers. A man with a minor criminal record and a major reputation with the Mexican drug gangs in Los Angeles. The man who fit the description of the orderly who went into Brian's hospital room, the day he died.

  Julia was sitting at the computer, outwardly calm, when Quijada walked in with Juan Carlos. Robin was situated so that he could see the interior of the cottage and he watched as Quijada introduced Juan to Julia. He couldn't hear what was being said, but Quijada didn't have the manuscript with him, so the visit seemed ominous.

  Robin went to the front door of the cottage and knocked loudly, calling, "Julia." He would probably have to give up his mechanic masquerade, but if Quijada was presenting Julia to Juan Carlos, then the little man's role of furtively following her had ended. Robin would have to assume the worse; Quijada did know about the theft. Now the only important thing was to get Julia free from their clutches.

  Quijada answered the door and Robin smiled at him brilliantly. "I have a lunch date with Julia, Mr. Quijada. I hope you don't mind my coming directly here?"

  Quijada looked surprised for only a moment. "Mr. Robin Chavier. What a surprise. Come in. I didn't know you and Julia were friends." He stood aside as Robin entered.

  Bruno suddenly saw his nemesis and began a deep growl. Julia jumped up and grabbed his collar, but she wasn't strong enough to hold the dog and he broke free. He ran toward Robin, snarling and snapping his jaws, when Quijada shouted, "Stop."

  Bruno was suddenly still as a statue and Quijada grabbed his collar. Then he gave another command in Spanish and the dog lay at his feet.

  Robin could feel perspiration rolling down his back. He said hello to Julia, as though seeing her for the first time that day, and nodded at Juan Carlos. Then he turned back to Quijada. "Julia's family and mine have been friends for years. In fact, my parents are expecting Julia for lunch. They wanted to express their sorrow about her brother's death."

  Julia was picking up her purse and the camera bag. "Perhaps Juan can take me to your production office sometime later today, Mr. Quijada." She turned to Robin and said, "I completely forgot about our lunch, Robin. I was so excited that Juan was going to take me to meet Aaron's co-workers."

  She rolled her eyes. Those 'co-workers' undoubtedly had lethal plans for the woman who had stolen Quijada's secret documents. Julia appeared calm, but she had to be terrified.

  "You can leave your things here," Quijada said, eyeing the camera bag.

  Julia smiled at him. "I want to take some pictures of Robin's parents. To send home to my grandmother." She hefted the bag to her shoulder. Robin walked over to her and put an arm around her protectively. Quijada would know he had to be careful with Julia if she knew his father, Senator Chavier.

  Robin turned her around and headed out the door. "Nice seeing you again, Aaron. I'll have Julia back here in a couple of hours."

  As they walked around the decorative side of the mansion planted with flowering shrubs, Julia whispered, "He knows."

  Robin still had his arm firmly around her and he was moving her quickly. "Yes. Now we have to figure out where to hide you, so you'll be safe."

  They got into Julia's car.

  CHAPTER 16

  Julia drove to the end of the driveway and waited for

  Quijada to open the gate. She sat impatiently for quite a while. Finally, she got out of the car, went to the gate post and pressed the button to the intercom. No one answered, but the gate creaked back and Julia returned to the car. She shot out of the estate, heading toward Sunset Boulevard.

  "Do you ever ride motorcycles?" Robin asked her as they went down the curving road. He was craning around in the small car, looking behind them.

  "No," Julia said, glancing at him. It was an odd question and she wondered what he had in mind. She just wanted to get as far from Quijada as possible.

  "Well, we're being followed. That's the reason Quijada took so long to let us out. Time to place all his ducks in a row. And we'll never shake them in your car. The thing you have to remember, when you're on a motorcycle, is just to hold on and move with the driver."

  The only thing that concerned Julia now was that they were being chased by Quijada's thugs. She glanced in the rear view mirror. There was a large black Mercedes behind them, closing quickly. She could see two dark male shapes behind the windshield of the car.

  "Just get to Sunset as fast as you can," Robin said calmly. "They can't do anything when we're on a public street. We'll go to the Beverly Hills Hotel, pick up what you need, and then we have to lose them."

  "How can they be so clumsy?" Julia asked indignantly. "Following us like that? It's so obvious. Quijada's not a very subtle person, is he?"

  Robin smiled at her and wondered if she thought stealing secret information was very subtle. They didn't have to worry about the car behind them, though. It was there just for intimidation purposes. The real people they would have to worry about were the ones they would never see. Quijada had an enormous network. And his first priority would be to get his property back. Robin didn't want to scare Julia, so he didn't remark on the fact that Quijada probably wouldn't care if people were hurt or killed in his quest for the damning information, now in Julia's possession.

  "Yeah. They are being obvious. Perhaps we should forget about getting your stuff and just put you on a plane for Boston."

  "I need my cameras," Julia said as she streaked around a hairpin curve. "And I'm not going back to Boston. I want to be here when Quijada is arrested."

  "That might take some time." Even as he was saying this Robin knew he couldn't just take her to LAX and put her on a plane. He would have to hide her and then sneak her out of the state, where Quijada would be less likely to reach her. By now Quijada probably suspected that he was helping Julia. They were both in serious trouble.

  He decided to stay with her. It would be complicated with all the cases he had running at the office, but he wanted to protect her.

  Julia glanced at Robin. "I know it'll take time. I want to get the pictures of his arrest. I'm going to write another book. It will be Brian's memorial, relating what really caused his death. The end will be when Quijada is proved a drug dealing murderer, and convicted of his crimes. You're going to be the hero."

  Robin looked at her. "It's a good idea. But I don't want my name associated with this."

  "It wouldn't be believable if I used a pseudonym in a work of non-fiction. I won't reveal the fact that you took heroin to catch the drug dealers," Julia promised with a naughty smile.

  "Julia," Robin said, smiling and shaking his head, "you don't understand everything that's going on here. I don't want to be in a book."

  Julia glanced at Robin as she finally reached Sunset Boulevard. Her mind was in a kind of expeditious over-gear, from the exhilaration of the theft and getting away with Quijada's possessions. She couldn't believe how perfect Robin was. He already had a slight growth of beard which made him look very masculi
ne. In the small car his chin was almost touching his knees because there was not enough space for his legs. He appeared enormous, powerful and very male. He was close to her in the small car, and she liked it.

  A fantasy set in to override the fear Julia was experiencing. Robin was intelligent, fun, and kind; not even mentioning what a gorgeous man he was. She didn't care if he was a mechanic. This was the man for her, and in this particular moment, she was sure of it. He would never have to work as a mechanic again, anyway. She was extremely wealthy. They could travel together and do anything they pleased for the rest of their lives. If he wanted to work on cars, why she could buy him a whole fleet of old relics so he could get grease under his fingernails, if that's what he liked to do.

  Julia realized this daydream was just a passing fancy her mind was indulging in, because she was scared out of her mind. The fantasy she tried to ignore was one in which the men in the car behind them opened up with an Uzi and sprayed them with bullets.

  She turned left onto Sunset at the first break in traffic and the big Mercedes followed her closely, cutting off another driver, who had to screech into the slow lane to keep from being sideswiped. Whoever was following them was driving like a maniac and Julia picked up speed, zig-zagging around the cars ahead of her, trying to outrace the large Mercedes. She had the maneuverability, but he had the power. It was a race she could never win.

  "Take it easy," Robin said, holding on to the dashboard. "You're acting guilty as hell."

  She nodded and slowed down imperceptibly. The car was right behind them and she thought it would crush her if she didn't keep her speed up.

  The thought of being with Robin permanently had an odd appeal. She remembered their hug this morning and wondered what he would be like in bed, really. Would he be kind and sweet, or would he turn into a selfish oaf? It was an interesting thought. Just a passing idea to while the time away, as she was driving at breakneck speed, trying to outrun murdering maniacs. She thought she was out of her mind. It was also thrilling and exhilarating.