by Aimée Thurlo
Minutes ticked by slowly. Tense, she kept alert, but she didn’t spot anyone who looked particularly interested in her. Amanda walked back into the recesses of the narrow hall, wondering how long they planned to make her wait. She leaned back against the wall, grateful that at least for now her own child was safe. As the noon crowd grew in size and volume, she heard the cellular ring. Amanda opened the handset quickly and answered it.
“You’ve done well,” the electronically altered voice told her. “Now go to the east side of the mall. There’s a noisy group of people gathered around a karaoke singer. In the corner to the singer’s left is a big planter containing a phony ficus tree. When you’re sure nobody’s watching, set the file beside the tree trunk and walk away. Don’t look back.”
“But what if—”
“We’ll worry about the what ifs. All you have to do is follow our instructions.”
Amanda heard a click, then the dial tone. She fought the urge to yell in anger at the caller, who was issuing orders like a drill sergeant. Composing herself, she quickly threaded her way through the crowd. If only Tony would catch these sick people and get them out of their lives!
The music led Amanda to the singer, who was belting out the worst rendition of an old Beatles tune she’d ever heard. Despite the off-key wailing, everyone around Amanda appeared to be having a good time. For one brief moment, Amanda smiled, envying their carefree attitudes.
Slipping through the gathering, she approached a realistic-looking, ten-foot tree nestled in the corner. Praying that a synthetic leaf blight would be passed on to the kidnappers, she laid the file in the planter. Though sorely tempted, Amanda resisted the urge to glance back. She simply walked away. Now it was up to Tony.
Amanda walked into the nearest store, then headed for the ladies’ room, a small cubicle designed for only one person. She locked the door and waited for Tony to contact her. Only a few minutes had passed before she heard the beep on her radio.
“I need your help,” Tony said quickly. “Two women walked by the planter at the same time. Either one could have made the pickup. One’s heading your way now. Come to the front of the store and follow her. She’s about your height, with short black hair and a floppy hat. She’s wearing a light blue windbreaker and jeans. She’s carrying a big tote bag. Stay well back, but don’t lose her. Of course, if you see anything that indicates she’s the one who made the pickup, contact me immediately.”
“I’m on my way.”
Amanda left the rest room and stopped outside the store entrance, pretending to examine the window display. A moment later, the woman Tony had described hurried past, moving around the shopping carts lining the center aisle. Amanda stayed with her, alert and cautious, ignoring the way her stomach did flip-flops. If this was the person they were after, Amanda wouldn’t let her get away.
* * *
TONY KEPT HIS EYES on the woman ahead of him. She’d been closest to the planter and was juggling three large plastic clothing sacks. Any one of them could easily conceal the file. If she was the woman who’d made the pickup, as he suspected, the kidnappers had chosen well. The lady was about as nondescript as anyone could get.
As the suspect stopped by one of the store windows, Tony hung back. He didn’t want her to see his reflection in the glass. Just then someone bumped him from behind. He turned his head for only a second, but when he glanced back, the woman was gone.
Tony hurried toward the small shoe store with the display she’d been looking at and wandered inside as if browsing for bargains. After a brief moment, he found his suspect in the back. She was alone, still carrying the three shopping bags.
The woman turned around, coolly met his gaze, and then walked right past him. He’d been made. He followed, giving her plenty of room, but she kept glancing back, searching for him in the crowd as they walked through the mall.
Knowing the game was up, Tony hurried forward, ready to force a confrontation. Just then, the woman whirled and raced into the largest store in the mall.
Tony shot after her, losing sight of her for a moment. As she proceeded into the women’s-wear department, a security guard suddenly stepped out from behind a column. The man grabbed Tony’s arm and, twisting it, threw him against the wall. “Assume the position, buddy,” the burly guard snapped, taking Tony’s gun. “Whoa. Carrying a gun too. You’re in a heap of trouble, mister.”
“I don’t have time for this,” Tony said, pushing abruptly back against the guard, a move meant to give him room to disengage himself, but the guard countered with a quick hand-to-hand combat maneuver that sent Tony against the wall again.
“I’ll crack your head open on that wall if you don’t settle down,” the guard said, his tone low. “Now we don’t want to alarm all these nice people by getting blood everywhere, so chill out.”
The woman he’d been following stepped out from behind the counter. “Thank you, officer. He’s been following me all around the mall.”
“I’m on a stakeout,” Tony mumbled, aware of the cautious crowd gathering around them. “You’re blowing it sky-high for me.”
“Yeah, you’re a cop, and I’m Prince Charles,” the guard retorted.
“Why else would I be carrying a two-way radio and a gun?” Tony countered. “Look in my jacket pocket.”
“You’re a thief working with a partner,” the guard accused, glancing at the radio Tony had indicated.
“If you’ll look in that woman’s bags, you’ll see an unmarked manila envelope. Inside is a file taken from the FBI.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “That’s just not true.” She quickly opened all her bags and showed them to the guard. “And look, my purse only has a hairbrush, my wallet and some keys. See for yourself.”
“She’s telling the truth,” the guard said, cuffing Tony and turning him to face the woman.
Tony’s gut clenched as he realized that he’d either followed the wrong woman, or she’d somehow passed the file on to someone else.
The lady stepped forward, an angry frown on her face. “I’m not who you think I am,” she said. “My husband is the manager of this store. Why would I steal a file from the FBI?”
The woman’s indignation seemed sincere and Tony decided he believed her. He turned his head toward the guard, who stood like a rock wall behind him, holding on to one of his arms. “That means my partner is following the right person. She’ll need my help. You’ve got to let me go. Reach into my pocket. My ID and gun permit are in my wallet.”
The guard extracted Tony’s wallet from his pocket. “All I see is a business card for some P.I. agency that anyone could have made up and your driver’s license, and a permit that’s so creased and worn, it could be a forgery. We’re going to the security office.”
“It was an honest mistake,” Tony told the woman, giving her an apologetic look and his best smile, hoping he could charm her. “Believe me, I’m after some very dangerous people.” Tony saw the doubt that still lingered in her eyes. “If you delay me any longer, you could cost me the chance to find the people who have threatened a family.” Sometimes the naked truth worked better than anything else, and at the moment, he could think of nothing else to try.
“I don’t want to press charges. That would just create bad publicity for the store,” the woman said calmly, then shifted her gaze to the guard. “But I don’t want him to follow me anymore.”
“No problem, ma’am. He’s coming with me. Even if you don’t press charges, the mall might.” He led Tony out of the store, toward the mall’s security office.
“Give me a break, will you? My partner could be in deep trouble,” Tony insisted as they walked past curious shoppers.
“No chance.”
“At least let me use the two-way radio.” It was a risk—the beeper could go off at precisely the wrong time—but Tony had to let Amanda know that she was following the right suspect.
“If your partner’s in danger, tell me where she is. I’ll send help.”
Tony shook
his head, knowing that his intervention could alert the kidnappers and insure even more trouble.
“That’s what I thought you’d say.” The guard smiled. “Now sit down while I run a make on you. I’m not taking the cuffs off until I check you out. Make yourself comfortable. We may be here a while.”
Tony shifted, contemplating making a run for it, handcuffs and all.
The guard smiled mirthlessly. “You’re tough, but so am I. Before you reach the door, I’ll have you down on the floor.”
Tony remembered the combat moves he’d learned at Quantico, the Bureau’s training school. Even with his hands in cuffs, he could do the guard some serious damage. But then he’d face charges that would put him in jail. He’d been there before, but he didn’t have the time for that now. Tony remained seated, realizing it was his only logical option. “Get to it, then. Don’t waste my time or yours.”
* * *
AMANDA DIDN’T DARE USE the two-way radio to call Tony. The woman was still ahead, but staying with her was taking all the ingenuity she had. She was certain the woman hadn’t spotted her, but at this rate, she wasn’t sure how long it would be before the woman disappeared in the crowd.
The woman moved as if she’d been trained to dodge people. She was very careful, stopping abruptly from time to time and checking the area behind her, but so far Amanda was holding her own. She didn’t think the woman knew she was following her.
Amanda threaded her way through the coat and sweaters section of a large clothing store, keeping her suspect in sight. Suddenly, the woman turned and sprinted out the side entrance. Amanda rushed after her, but as she neared the door, she slowed down. She could see the woman standing on the sidewalk directly outside.
Amanda moved cautiously, slinking along the wall beside the glass door. She peeked out the door just in time to see a large blue van pulling up. The woman climbed in, and before Amanda could get outside for a look at the license plate, they had wheeled behind a row of cars.
Amanda ran across the street, but the van disappeared around the corner. Mumbling a rarely employed curse, Amanda hastened to follow, in an effort, to relocate the vehicle, but the search was fruitless. She knew then that the matter was far from settled.
Amanda walked back through the mall, glancing around for Tony. Not seeing him anywhere, she tried to raise him on the two-way radio. An unfamiliar voice answered.
Amanda shut it off quickly. Something had gone very wrong. If she’d been following the person who’d picked up the file, what had happened to Tony? They had decided to meet at his pickup if they became separated, so she headed to the prearranged spot. If he was all right, he’d find his way there eventually. If he didn’t show up soon, then she’d call Raymond. He’d know what to do.
Amanda walked across the parking lot. Within minutes, she’d located Tony’s pickup. She walked briskly toward it, then suddenly froze abruptly. A shadowy figure was crouching by the front fender.
Chapter Seven
Amanda stood and watched for a moment, trying to figure out what the person was doing to the truck. She started forward, staying behind other vehicles as much as she could while she approached.
She needed to get a clearer look before doing anything drastic, but it was definitely suspicious behavior. Gathering her courage, she edged forward slowly, trying to make out the person’s face or determine his actions.
Amanda grabbed the shoulder strap of her purse firmly. If he was up to no good, she’d swing the bag right at his face. As heavy as it was, that would at least buy her some time and, of course, she’d let out a scream that would have people rushing to her in seconds.
She crept even closer, ready for action. Then, as if warned by some sixth sense, the figure spun around, reaching underneath his tan jacket.
A heartbeat later, she saw Tony’s face. Relief swept through her, and the sudden release of tension almost made her knees buckle. Amanda gratefully eased the death grip she had on her purse. “Relax, it’s just me,” she said, then glanced down to see the flat tire on Tony’s car.
Tony pulled his hand out from under his jacket. “Things got really fouled up.” He explained his run-in with the guard. “I have a license for my weapon, otherwise, I would have still been cooling my heels back there.” Tony’s gaze shifted to the tire. “Then, as soon as he released me, I came out here to this. Looks like my tire’s been slashed.”
“Are you sure it’s not just a flat?” she asked.
“Look for yourself.” He pointed to a long slice in the tire’s sidewall. “A knife did this. It’s a good cautionary method on their part. They found my pickup, and disabled it just in case I planned to follow them. They expected me to do more than just meet their demands. This is getting to be like a giant chess game.”
“Between equals?” Amanda asked. “Like two FBI agents?”
“No. If I’m right about the leak within the ranks of the Bureau, this sure doesn’t have the Bureau stamp. These people aren’t with the Bureau. They’re not cops, either, unless I miss my guess. They’re just very good at reading me. They did exactly what I would have done if the roles had been reversed.”
Amanda felt herself begin to shiver, but she took a deep breath and then proceeded to describe her pursuit of the other woman and the escape in the blue van. Tony reached out and covered her hand with his own. “You did your best. No one can ask for more.”
Amanda felt the warmth of his touch reach into her soul. Desire as intoxicating as it was foolish spiraled through her. She struggled to finish her story but didn’t pull back her hand. The tenderness of his touch was too powerful a temptation to resist.
“Don’t be afraid of them. I will beat them at their own game.” There was a deadly calm in his voice.
His certainty frightened her. Tony was a man so intent on finding his daughter that he would never stop to consider the damage he might do along the way. At this moment, she was more afraid of him than of them. The kidnappers had only one real hold on her. If they could convince Tony that Hope was his child and not hers, it would threaten the very meaning of her life.
“What’s on your mind?” Tony asked.
“I’m worried about the next step. They will take one, won’t they?”
Tony looked more determined than ever and assured her he’d be ready, whatever that next move was.
Feeling more confident, Amanda allowed herself to relax somewhat. “Shall I drop you off someplace?” she asked.
Tony glanced at his watch. “I’d appreciate it if you’d give me a lift to the Palace of the Governors. I have some business to do near there and I’m already late. I’ll call a garage and have them bring a tire and change this one. I punctured my spare a while back, and I haven’t gotten around to fixing it.”
Twenty minutes later, Amanda pulled up next to the curb, dropping Tony off where he’d asked. “Here we are.”
“Thanks for the ride,” Tony said, then walked away.
Amanda watched Tony in her rearview mirror as he strode away, heading into the midst of the crowd around the Indian Market. Trying to find a way around a stalled car in the Plaza, she cut through a narrow street behind two government buildings.
Two figures standing in the shadows at the end of an alley caught her attention as she passed slowly by. Her gaze drifted over the pair, and she suddenly recognized Tony. The man with him was dressed in a well-cut Western suit. A Stetson shielded his face.
Amanda watched the man hand Tony a large envelope. Tony placed it in his jacket pocket and walked away without looking back. Questions filled her mind as Amanda continued down the street. What kind of business did Tony conduct in an alley with someone that well dressed? And what was in that envelope?
Of course these questions made her realize just how little she knew about Tony. There were so many secrets between them! The reality of the situation left her feeling lonely and more than a little frightened. Whatever comfort she might derive from Tony’s touch was, at best, a fleeting pleasure, because they lacked
what was the foundation of any good relationship—trust. And who was to say that if the secrets were all divulged, they wouldn’t find even more insurmountable barriers separating them? Tony was certainly capable of being charming, but the real Tony might be someone she would despise.
By the time she entered the reception area outside her office, Amanda’s spirits were at rock bottom. She went past Bernice’s desk, aware of her friend’s speculative glance.
“I gather things didn’t go all that well,” Bernice observed, rising and following Amanda into her office.
“They sure didn’t. What’s been happening here since our big scare?” She motioned Bernice to take a seat.
“Three more parents withdrew their kids. They’re sending them to Casa de Los Amigos now.”
Amanda tried to maintain a confident front, despite the tightening in her chest. “Well, it’s their loss. This is the best center in town.”
“I’m afraid more parents are going to follow suit.”
“Has it been that bad?” Amanda forced back the disappointment that showed in her voice.
“I’ve been getting calls all morning. I kept telling everyone that the phony bomb was just some crank’s idea of a joke, but the parents are still very disturbed about it.”
“I can’t blame them.”
Bernice went to the window and glanced outside. “Nothing else can happen here at the center, Amanda, or we’re in for big problems.”
“I know that. Did you talk with the plainclothes guard I hired?”
Bernice nodded. “He came in this morning, introduced himself, and left a list of references before he started patrolling the grounds. I put his personal information on top of the file cabinet.”
The phone on her desk rang, and Amanda picked up the receiver automatically. The now-familiar, electronically altered voice greeted her, and she froze for a moment. Recovering immediately, Amanda started the tape recorder Tony had attached to her office phone. “I’m listening,” she said, noting Bernice’s raised eyebrows.
