“Yeah?”
“Watch your back.”
TWENTY-NINE
The watcher pushed the irritating glasses back on his nose. Stupid things were too loose. They were working, though, along with the tanning lotion he’d used last night. Angel had caught him watching her, and she hadn’t recognized him. It had taken him half the morning to find the right disguise. The guy who belonged to the uniform and the badge wouldn’t be found for several days. When the cops finally located him, he would have taken care of his obligations and be on his way to Mexico. He’d already booked a flight out of Spokane. His contact in Florida had wired the ten thousand for the cop, and he had deposited that in his saving’s account.
He should have asked for more. Maybe he would. Blackmail could be pretty lucrative. His head hurt, probably from lack of sleep. He’d followed Angel from Sunset Cove all the way to Coeur d’Alene. He’d watched her leave her car with a valet and go inside, then he checked into another motel down the street. Early this morning he’d come back to the resort. Luckily, he’d been able to get the right clothes and a name badge that helped him create his new disguise.
He still hadn’t seen the Delaney guy, but it was just a matter of time. He had Angel in his sights and knew she’d lead him straight to her brother.
Excitement slithered through him. Just a few more hours. He watched Angel as she stopped at the gallery, then came back to the elevators. He wouldn’t follow her—didn’t need to. He knew exactly where she was staying.
THIRTY
After talking to Nick, Angel dialed Callen’s number. He didn’t answer, and Angel didn’t leave a message. She’d try calling him later.
She headed down to the gift shop and purchased a camera, then went in search of the bald guy. After twenty minutes, she gave up. Then, to relieve some of her anxiety, she slipped into her swimsuit and headed down to the pool, bringing her camera just in case.
The pool area was empty except for an attendant who handed her towels and told her to have a nice swim. She swam a few laps, surprised at how strong her shoulder was getting. Even though it was still painful at times, the muscles were definitely healing. After the swim, she went into the Jacuzzi, where her sore muscles mellowed against the hot jets. She just wished her worries could melt so easily.
As she stepped out of the therapy pool, Angel noticed the bald guy standing just inside the pool area, talking to the attendant. She toweled off and reached into her bag for her camera. After snapping a picture of the two of them, Angel smiled and headed in their direction. “I could use another towel, Brandon,” she told the attendant with the lazy smile. Slipping her gaze to the bald guy, she said, “Your glasses are steaming up.” She smiled and looked down at his badge. “Matt.”
He took off his glasses and wiped them on the hem of his shirt. “Must be because you’re one hot chick.”
Brandon elbowed him. “What’s the matter with you, man? You don’t talk to customers that way, not if you plan on keeping your job.”
“Sorry.” He shrugged. “I’m new around here.”
“Maybe you better read the manual.”
“I’ll do that.” Matt seemed a bit nervous and said he needed to get back to work.
When he’d gone, Angel turned to Brandon. “He’s new?”
“Must be. I don’t remember seeing him before, but being in the pool area, I don’t always meet the others.”
“Why was he here?”
“Said he was curious. Wanted to know if staff got to use the spa—that kind of stuff. He was just taking a break. You’re not going to turn him in, are you?”
“Not this time.”
Matt Turlock said he was new, but his badge told another story.
Angel went back to the gallery and asked Kinsey to arrange a meeting with the personnel director. A few minutes later, Angel was sitting in a pleasant-looking office in a straight, padded chair. The woman on the business side of the desk, who’d introduced herself as Sheila Parsons, placed her elbows on the desk. “Kinsey said you had a problem with one of our employees.”
“Possibly. Do you have a Matt Turlock working here?”
She frowned and rolled her chair over to a low filing cabinet. Pulling out the second drawer down, she fingered through and pulled out a file near the back. “Turlock, Matthew. Yes. He works here.”
“Has he been here long?”
“About four months.”
“Um, do you have a picture of him?”
She hesitated. “May I ask why?”
“I know this is going to sound strange, but I have reason to believe that the man wearing Matt’s badge isn’t Matt.”
“I see. Normally I wouldn’t let you see any part of his file, but since Kinsey asked me to speak with you...” She slid the file toward Angel.
Matt was bald and had a thin, angular face and glasses. It was difficult to tell if the man she’d seen was Matt Turlock. “The man I saw today was older than this, I think. And his eyebrows were darker. He said he was new.” Angel leaned back. “I’d like to talk to Matt’s supervisor. If the man wearing his badge is who I think it is, Matt may be in trouble.” Concern for the young man in the photo brought a double dose of anxiety. Hopefully, the imposter had just stolen the ID badge, and the real Matt Turlock would soon discover the theft and report it missing.
“Of course. That would be Carmen Tate in maintenance.” Lifting the phone, she dialed and waited. “Yes, Carmen. Please come up to my office.” Cradling the phone, she turned back to Angel. “She’ll be right up.”
“Thank you.” Angel gripped the chair arms and released them.
“Can I get you something while you’re waiting?”
“Yes. Coffee, if you have it.”
Sheila rose and left the room, coming back seconds later with a tray of coffee and condiments along with a forest green cup with a resort logo.
Angel was on her first sip when Carmen came in. She cast a questioning look at Angel and Sheila. “Is something wrong?”
“There may be,” Sheila said. “You have a young man named Matthew Turlock working for you.”
“Yes. Matt’s one of our groundskeepers. A wonderful worker. He’s not here today, though.” She frowned. “He didn’t clock in, and that’s not like him.”
Angel sucked in a sharp breath and leaned forward. “I was afraid of that. I may be completely wrong about this, but can you call someone to check on him? Make sure he’s okay?”
“His mother. He lives at home. I know the family.” Carmen made a couple of calls and finally located the mother, who told her Matt had gone to work that morning as usual.
“You’re sure he didn’t come in to work?” Angel asked.
“He didn’t. Maybe he decided to play hooky.”
“Someone else is wearing his badge.” Sheila looked pale.
Angel’s gaze slid up to Carmen. “I think it’s time to call the police.”
Angel felt increasingly uncomfortable trying to explain to the police how she first began to suspect the man without drawing attention to Luke and Nick. How was she going to explain the fact that the man’s thin, angular face was what first drew her to look more closely? Intuition didn’t cut it. “He looked suspicious, and he was watching me,” Angel explained. “Then when I saw him in the pool area, he said he was new, but his badge looked like it had been around for a while. I thought it best to report the discrepancy.”
“We’ve been unable to locate either of the men,” the officer who’d introduced himself as Officer Brad Denham said, acting as if Angel had somehow caused the problem.
“Look, I’ve been trained to notice stuff. I’m a police officer.” She didn’t add that she was on leave. “All I did was notice a problem, and apparently there is one. Maybe the guy got scared off when he saw you guys come in.” Angel shrugged. Glancing at her watch, she added, “I’ve told you all I know. I’m in room 524 here at the hotel. If you want to talk to me again or need my help, call me. I need to meet someone right now.”
Denham still looked like he didn’t believe her, but learning that she was a cop seemed to put him more at ease. “All right. Thanks for the heads-up. We’ll keep looking.”
“Please let me know if you find anything. I’m worried something may have happened to the Turlock kid.”
“I will. And thanks again for noticing.” He smiled as he shook her hand.
Angel was more convinced than ever that the man posing as Matt was the same one who had shot Nick. How he’d known to come here, Angel had no idea—unless he’d managed to follow her.
I shouldn’t have come. I should’ve been more careful.
Maybe she had scared off the imposter by bringing in the cops, and maybe she’d bought her brother more time. For the moment, she needed to refocus. She took the cheap camera into the gallery and asked Kinsey where she could get the film processed. Kinsey offered to do it. “I can probably have it ready in about an hour,” she said.
“Great. I’ll go on up and see if Luke is back.”
“I’m sorry, dear.” The secretary lifted her hands in apology when Angel approached her desk. “He hasn’t come back. I called the pro shop, and he was playing today, but no one seems to know where he’s gone.”
The bald guy had disappeared, and Luke was out there somewhere. Angel’s stomach dropped out from under her.
“Don’t worry,” Eileen said. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon or at least call me. He probably met a colleague or something.”
“If he comes in, could you call me? I’m in room 524. And don’t tell him I’m here. I want to surprise him.”
“Of course.” Eileen’s maternal smile reminded Angel of her mother.
She’d called Aunt Gabby’s while on the road, determining that Anna had made it just fine and was relaxing out on the deck. Angel wasn’t used to juggling so many things at once. Now it seemed she had far too many plates in the air and they were all about to come crashing down around her. She’d need to call Rachael again, and Callen.
Angel hurried to her room with that purpose in mind. Coming to a small alcove on her floor, she had to maneuver around a narrow bend to get to her room. She heard a door close, and her heart slammed into overdrive. Calm down, Angel. There’s no one here. The hotel is safe. But was it? The man who’d been wearing Matt’s badge could still be there, waiting for her.
Angel shook her head to clear it. The hallway did seem a bit spooky, but there was no one around except a white-haired man with a cane. Angel smiled as he passed her and limped around the corner. At her room she inserted the key and glanced both ways before entering. Seeing no one, she decided she was safe enough.
What if someone is inside? Angel hesitated. A gun would have come in handy at the moment. If she’d had it with her, she’d have it drawn and would enter the room checking every detail. She did have her cell phone and her keys. Choosing the keys, she slipped one between each finger, making her fist into a weapon of sorts.
Just as she opened the door and stepped inside, she felt a rush from behind. An arm went around her throat, yanking her back and cutting into her windpipe.
THIRTY-ONE
Adrenaline rushed through her veins. Angel sank her teeth into her attacker’s bare arm and jabbed an elbow into his stomach.
He yelped and grabbed her around the waist with his uninjured arm.
Angel slammed a heel to his insole and twisted around, raking her keys down his face. He screamed and backed off, then took off down the hall, struggling to stay upright.
Angel grabbed her cell phone from where it and the rest of the contents of her purse had fallen to the floor and started after him. Punching in 911, she raced along the narrow passageway and into the waiting area near the elevators and the stairs. Her attacker was gone. She opened the exit door to the stairway and heard footsteps. “This is Angel Delaney,” she told the 911 operator. “I’m in pursuit of the bald man posing as Matt Turlock.” Angel gave her location. Once she arrived at the third floor landing, she no longer heard footsteps. She paused. Was he still in the stairwell or had he gone out at this floor or the one below?
On the landing below, a door crashed open. She headed down, only to be confronted with two officers, guns drawn. On seeing her, Officer Denham lowered his gun. “You okay, Miss Delaney?”
Angel sank onto the stairs, panting. “We missed him. He must have exited up there.” She pointed to the next level up.
“Go on!” Officer Denham barked the order to his partner. “I’ll stay with her.”
The second officer scrambled up the steps, reporting in on his lapel mike.
“Are you all right?” Officer Denham asked again as he settled on the stair beside her.
Her breathing was far more ragged than it should have been. “Yeah, but I hurt him a lot worse than he hurt me.”
“I’ll call an ambulance.”
“No. I’ll be all right. Just go catch him.”
“I think I’d better stay with you for now.” He rose and offered a hand, pulling her up. “We’ll need you to give us a statement. Um—when you’re up to it. Just take your time.”
Tears stung her eyes, and Angel used both hands to obliterate them. She tipped her head back. “He came at me from behind as I was going into my room. I bit his right arm and got his face with my keys.”
“Good thinking.” He followed her back up the stairs.
“I was ready for him.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I got spooked walking through that narrow space just past the elevators, and, call me paranoid, I thought I’d better be ready, just in case. Besides, I have good reaction time. One of the best in my self-defense classes.” She hauled in a ragged breath and stepped out into the waiting area on her floor.
Denham nodded. “Any idea why he’d come after you?”
“He was eyeing me before. Maybe he thought I’d called the cops on him.”
“Which you did.”
“Right. Um—would you mind if I go to my room before I give you a formal statement? I dropped my bag and...”
“Sure. I’ll walk you there and make sure everything is okay.”
“Thanks.”
When they got to her room, the key card was still in the slot and the door was ajar, kept open by her bag. Angel pushed open the door and stooped to pick up her things.
“What’s this?” Officer Denham was hunkered down, picking up her wallet along with another object. He held a small silver device in his hand.
“I have no idea. I’ve never seen it before.”
“Looks like a bug.”
Angel took it from him. “You’re right. Someone must have planted it in my bag... but when...”
“Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to ask why?”
I know why. Angel gripped the device tight in her fist. Maybe Baldy hadn’t followed her after all. Maybe he’d known where she was going because he’d heard her and Nick talking.
“There’s more going on here than what you’re telling us, isn’t there?” Denham asked.
She looked up at him. Did she dare tell him the truth? She had to. If Baldy had planted the device, he already knew that Luke was Thomas Sinclair. Had he already killed Luke? Was she next on his list? She sighed. Seeing no other choice, she said, “I’m afraid so.”
Officer Denham held out a hand.
“What?”
“You’d better give me the plant. Looks like it might be evidence.”
She nodded. “Right.” She handed it to him. “Is there a way to trace it? Could you send it to the Oregon State Police lab? I think I was still in Sunset Cove when someone planted it.”
“I’ll have to check with my boss.”
Angel stepped inside her room. It didn’t look as though anyone had tampered with anything. “Would you mind waiting for a few minutes while I freshen up?”
Freshen up? Where had that come from? The words sounded so archaic. Her mother’s influence, no doubt. She needed to use the john, for Pete’s sake.
Angel took th
ose few minutes alone to wash her face and settle her rattled nerves. She hadn’t called Callen. Maybe Denham wouldn’t mind waiting while she did that. He seemed more amiable now, and she sensed his approval in the way she had handled the attacker.
Exiting the bathroom, Angel asked if he’d mind waiting while she made some phone calls. “They’ll be worried if I don’t call,” she added.
“Sure, go ahead. I’m afraid I have some bad news, though.” He was standing at the window looking out over the lake. His gaze swung back to her. “We couldn’t find the guy.”
“How can that be? I didn’t make him up.”
“No one is saying you did. It’s a big place. He could have gone out on the lake or out the back or through the conference area. I’m sorry.”
Great. Baldy, aka the gardener, was still on the loose.
THIRTY-TWO
The watcher burst into his motel room and shut the door behind him, leaning heavily against it while he caught his breath. Anger tore at his insides and left him feeling raw and vicious. He clenched his teeth and shoved away from the door. The two-mile run to his hotel had only served to fuel his fury. He’d get that Delaney woman if it was the last thing he did, and he wouldn’t need money to do it. After calling her every name he could think of, he flopped on the bed. Seconds later he was on his feet again. He went into the bathroom to assess the damage. His arm still ached where she’d bit him. She’d drawn blood there and on his face. He’d have scars. He had never had scars—at least not where they showed.
Maybe he should just walk away from the whole thing. Let the guy who hired him in the first place get rid of Delaney. He already had ten thousand. He could take off for Mexico and...
No, ten grand wasn’t going to last long. He needed the rest of the money. And he needed to get Angel Delaney.
He turned on the shower, and when the water reached the right temperature, he stepped in. The water burned his open sores, stirring his anger again, helping him to better endure the pain.
The woman had marked him, and eventually she’d pay.
As Good as Dead Page 14
