Part Four
A Game of Cat and Mouse, but which One is the Cat?
Lost in Charlotte
Monday Morning, Dec. 6
Dawn pulled the cord that drew the heavy curtain away from the window and stared out from the 22nd floor onto the early morning skyline of Charlotte, N.C. Even though she knew by normal city standards Charlotte was considered just a medium size, to her the city looked huge. It had grown considerably since her last visit to the Queen City, some fifteen years earlier when her high school class had taken a field trip to Discovery Place.
Dawn turned her attention back to Pat's plush apartment, shaking her head for the tenth time since leaving Waynesboro. Who would have ever thought when she took the job with quiet Dr. Pritchard that one day she would end up in a swanky uptown apartment in Charlotte masquerading as a private eye so that her boss and the real P.I. could run off and do...do what? That part, she still wasn't sure of.
Oh well, all in a day's work as a receptionist. Dawn strolled into the kitchen to fix herself a cup of coffee. It took her five minutes to find the coffee, but she finally located it on the door of the freezer along with a wide selection of herbal teas.
In a few minutes, she had her customary coffee and dry toast. She took both, along with the Sunday edition of the Charlotte Observer, and walked over to the largest and most comfortable sofa she'd ever sat upon.
You know, I could get used to this style of living, she thought a few moments later as she sipped on her coffee, the paper pleasantly strewn around her. She glanced at her watch. 8:05. She was to meet Allison, one of Pat's assistants, at Pat's office at 9:30. It was mostly to keep the masquerade up, but at the same time there were several small items which Pat had requested Dawn pick up while she was in Charlotte.
I'd best be getting myself ready to go, Dawn thought as she pushed herself off the sofa and walked back in the kitchen to freshen her coffee. Since she wasn't sure how far away she was from the office, she didn't want to be late and keep Allison waiting. As she strolled past the picture window again, she paused for a moment.
Somewhere down there on the street was a gray sedan. Inside were two men. Men that had followed her all the way from Waynesboro. Men up to no good. She didn't know what exactly they were up to, but she knew from the little that Pat and Dr. Pritchard had told her that the men were not the kind you'd want to meet in some dark alley. Or for that matter on some deserted road late at night.
Dawn found herself shivering just thinking about them. So, best not to give them too much thought. Just do my job and keep my eyes and ears open, Dawn told herself. I'll be just fine as long as I do my job and stay awake.
She walked into the bathroom, disrobing as she went. She'd been waiting to take a bath in the room since she'd first laid eyes on it yesterday, particularly when she found bubble bath in the cabinet under the sink. The next thirty minutes would be worth all the worry and concern. Just to be able to soak in a tub in such a gorgeous room. Yes, she could definitely get used to living this way.
Alex leaned against the Plexiglas sides of the phone booth, waiting for the connection to be made. He hated this. Tailing this dame was demeaning. He had other men for such trivial matters. Yeah, sure they were shorthanded and yeah, maybe the dame was important to keep an eye on, but Homlin needed him elsewhere. Except it had been Homlin who had sent him on this wild chase. Okay, he would follow orders, but he didn't have to like it.
"Come on. Answer the damn phone,” Alex said into the receiver, as the phone continued to ring at the other end.
Finally someone picked up, and Alex curtly reprimanded him for taking so long. "Patch me in to Homlin wherever he is. This is important. And be prompt about it. I don't know how much time I have."
Within a couple of moments, the connection was remade, this time with Homlin.
"Good morning, Alex. How is the Queen City?" Homlin's pleasant tone caught Alex by surprise. Everything must be going well in D.C. That's where I should be, Alex thought. I should be up there where the real action is, instead of following this dumb broad.
"Everything is fine here,” Alex answered somewhat sullenly. "It's all in control. In fact, I see no reason that Julian can't take care of this part on his own..."
"No, no. You must stay with him. I need to know at every moment where Ms. Vogt is. I am counting on you. I know you'd rather be here but believe me, you are needed there. Where is she right now?"
"She's in her apartment. She’s been there since she arrived early yesterday evening,” Alex replied with a sigh. It had been worth a try and he intended to keep trying until he got his way. "How is everything in D.C.?"
"It's all going splendidly,” Homlin replied. "Right according to our plans. It won't be long now. Just a couple more days. That's why it's vital that you keep an eye on Vogt. She is the only factor that could foul up the works. As long as she's behaving herself, we'll be fine."
"Well then, we've got nothing to worry about. I'll keep you posted." He hung up the phone. When this is over, I'm going to settle up with our little Ms. Vogt in fine fashion. Homlin promised her to me. It's the one thing that makes this all worthwhile.
"Allison, you've been most helpful. I appreciate you having all these items ready to go,” Dawn said as she placed the top back on the box. "I can understand why Pat has you run things while she's away."
"Oh, no bother at all. It's what Pat pays me for. I think it's really great you're willing to help her out. I imagine it must feel pretty funny driving around in a strange city dressed up as somebody else."
Dawn laughed. "Well, I must admit it wasn't exactly how I planned to spend my weekend, but to tell you the truth, it's a lot more exciting than what I did have planned."
She glanced at her watch. "I better be getting on back to the apartment. Dr. Pritchard said he would probably give me a call this morning to be sure everything was going okay.”
"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Charlotte. Do you know how long you'll be staying?"
"Not really. Until Dr. Pritchard tells me to hightail it back to Waynesboro. I've already told Marva, our technician, that I might not be coming in on Monday. Bless her heart she won't know what to do if she has to open up by herself. Luckily, this is a slower time of the year for us. I'm sure she'll manage."
Dawn picked up the box and headed for the door. "Thanks again. I'll be sure to let Pat know how much help you were."
"Glad to do it,” Allison said as she opened the door for her.
After Dawn left, Allison returned to her desk to finish some typing she'd promised to one of the other investigators. It was ten minutes before she glanced over to the other desk and her eyes fell on the city map Dawn had laid there when she'd first come in.
Allison walked over and picked it up. A direct path connecting the office with Pat's apartment was clearly highlighted in red.
"Oh, my goodness, she won't be able to go back that way." Allison said out loud as she studied the map. Charlotte's maze of one-way streets and constant construction had thwarted many a newcomer in recent years. It looked like Dawn was about to become one of them.
"Damn!" Dawn pounded on the steering wheel as she found her way stopped for the third time by new construction. In the last five minutes she had gone from confused to hopelessly lost. She'd pulled over twice to look for her map and had finally decided she'd left it back at the office. She would have gladly retraced her steps to recover it but the maze of one-way streets had prevented such a simple solution.
Meanwhile, she glanced in the rear view mirror to find the gray sedan continuing to follow her. Great. This has got to look just great, she thought. What to do? She had to get back to the apartment. Dr. Pritchard would be calling her any minute, and there was no telling what he would do if she wasn't there to take her call.
She passed a stopped Charlotte Police car. She considered stopping to ask for directions, but decided against it. It might raise even more questions for the two men following her. They might panic to see her ta
lking to a cop. No telling what they might do.
The answer to her problem suddenly came to her as she spied a pay phone just past the police car. She'd call Allison. In a quick phone call she could get directions out of this and let Allison know what to tell Dr. Pritchard if he called. It made sense. She pulled over, forcing herself not to look in the rearview mirror. She stepped out of the car as nonchalantly as possible and prayed the men following her wouldn't do anything stupid.
"Something is fucking wrong here,” Alex shouted to Julian. "This dumb broad hasn't the foggiest idea where she's going. Pull in behind her but don't be too obvious."
Julian did as he was told and pulled in behind a parked patrol car.
"Oh great!" Alex said as he noticed where they were parked. "She's making a fucking phone call. What the hell is going on?"
"Maybe she's calling for directions,” Julian replied.
"But why in the world would she need to do that? She's from this damn city. Unless? Oh, shit. I've got a funny feeling something is really screwed up here." He sat there for a few moments, considering his options. He had to find out for sure who they were following but how without tipping their hand?
His eyes focused on the patrol car in front of them. The officer sat in the driver's seat, his head down as though he was either writing something or taking a nap on the job. Alex suddenly had an idea.
"Stay here and be ready for anything. I'll be right back." He stepped out of the car and headed towards the patrolman.
Dawn kept her back to the gray sedan she knew must be behind her, afraid that if she faced them she'd give herself away with the distressed look on her face. The phone rang for the sixth time. Oh god, she's already left. What was she to do now? The phone's seventh ring was cut short by Allison's voice.
"Vogt Investigations, this is Allison."
"Oh Allison, am I ever relieved to hear your voice! This is Dawn. I've done a very stupid thing."
Allan's eyes fluttered open. He continued to lie on his back as his eyes focused on the unfamiliar ceiling and surroundings. Where was he? He glanced next to him and was pleased to find something familiar. Pat was still asleep beside him. It all came back to him, as the memory of the last twenty-four hours cleared the cobwebs from his mind. This was the Marriott hotel at the Greensboro airport. They'd driven up during the early morning hours, after finding out there was a mid-morning flight to Washington. They'd checked in for a couple hours of much needed sleep. Had they overslept?
Allan suddenly shot up in bed, and squinted his eyes to make out the digital display of the alarm clock. Only 9:00 a.m. The flight didn't leave until 11:00. They still had plenty of time. He lay back down, relieved. Pat stirred beside him. Two hours before their flight. Let's see, what could they do to entertain themselves before their flight left? He thought he had a good idea.
He turned over and faced the still sleeping Pat. He gently ran his fingers over the curve of her shoulder. Such soft skin. Such a beautiful face. Pat stirred and her eyes fluttered open. Allan watched as her eyes focused and went from a confused look to one of recognition. Pat smiled and pulled him towards her. It was a most pleasant way to wake up in the morning.
Reassured by the directions she had received from Allison and by the instructions she had given her regarding Dr. Pritchard, Dawn returned to Pat's Cherokee much more relaxed. She sat in the driver's seat for another moment, reviewing the notes she'd taken on Allison's directions. After making sure she knew which turns to make, she leaned forward to start the car.
A shadow fell across the steering wheel, startling her. Dawn looked up to find a young policeman smiling at her through the window. Dawn forced herself to smile back. What in the world have I done now? She asked herself. Did she run a light in her confusion or make an illegal turn? She didn't think so but couldn't be sure.
"Yes, officer?" She asked politely as she rolled down the window.
The officer continued to smile as his eyes flickered from her to the insides of the car and back to her. He's taking in everything about me, Dawn thought. I wonder if he thinks I've stolen the car. What if he asks for the registration? Pat never told me where she kept it.
"I just saw you sitting here and I was wondering if I could help you? This part of downtown can be difficult to navigate even without the construction detours,” the officer said as he leaned forward.
He's really quite cute, Dawn thought then almost burst out laughing at herself. Now, now. Let's not go trying to pick up some young guy that's probably half your age. Despite herself, she couldn't help but return a pleasant smile.
"No, officer. I'm fine — now. I just called for the directions I needed, but I thank you for asking. I'll just be on my way, if that's okay with you."
"Sure, lady. Enjoy your stay in Charlotte,” the officer said as he tipped his cap to her.
"Oh, I will officer. It's been a long time since I've been here. It certainly has grown but I won't let that keep me from enjoying it. Good day." Dawn rolled up the window. Her hand fumbled for the key. She started the car then in her excitement, ground the starter a second time.
She glanced in the rearview mirror and watched the officer return to his patrol car. A couple of spaces behind, she noticed the gray sedan. Well, nothing seems any worse for wear, she thought as she pulled out from the parking space and turned left at the first light, just as Allison had told her.
Alex watched the Cherokee turn the corner before making his move. With a final glance to the partially nude body of the dead cop, he flung the door open and ran to his car.
"Quick, get behind her. Be sure she returns to the apartment,” he yelled to Julian as he hopped into the passenger seat and took off the policeman's cap. "We're screwed. We're royally screwed.”
"What's wrong?" Julian asked as he pulled out from behind the patrol car and started out after the Cherokee.
"The woman we're following isn't Pat Vogt. I don't know who she is but she isn't Vogt. Homlin will shit when he hears this. When we get back to the apartment, I'll call in to find out what we ought to do next. Boy, are we screwed.”
Flight Delay
Monday, Dec. 6
"She's what? Are you sure? What the hell happened?" Homlin swung his legs out of bed and grabbed the phone off the nightstand and started pacing. "Are you sure?" He repeated the question. "Just this morning you were saying..."
"I know what I said. Everything was fine — at least I thought so, but then she started acting strange. She got lost coming back from the office to her apartment. That's when I grew suspicious." Alex filled Homlin in about how he had discovered the switch.
"Do you have any idea who the hell she is?" Homlin asked as he continued to pace. He was wide-awake now, even though he had dozed off after Alex's first call. He'd been up late the night before and had been enjoying sleeping late. He'd instructed the hotel to not disturb him except for long distance phone calls.
"I don't know for sure. She's wearing a black wig and all, but I think it may be someone who works for Pritchard. They could have made the switch in his office. That's all I can figure."
"Do you still have the police uniform?" Homlin asked. His mind was already thinking of what the most effective action was. This was a set back, no question about it. But it wouldn't stop him. It couldn't. He'd not be stopped by anything at this point.
"Yeah. I've still got it on,” Alex replied, pulling at one of the sleeves. The shirt was a little too tight for his large frame.
"Good. I want you to keep an eye on our little Miss Who-ever-she-is. Let her get settled in and comfortable then I want you to pay her a visit. This is all going to work out. Now pay close attention."
"What do you mean, the flight has been cancelled? You can't cancel the flight. We've got to get to Washington, D.C. We drove for hours in the middle of the night to get here for the flight." Pat's face was livid as she shouted into the phone. She listened for a few moments to the polite ticket agent on the other end. Finally, with a great deal of effort, she calmed he
rself enough to ask when the next flight out would be.
"There is another flight out today, isn't there?"
"Yes, Ms. Vogt. We already have you and your traveling companion booked on it. Its departure time is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. this afternoon. If you like, you may come to the ticket counter to pick up a voucher for breakfast."
"Oh, thank you so very much,” Pat replied sarcastically as she slammed the phone back in the cradle.
"1:45 pm. Can you believe it?" She walked over to the bed and plopped down on her side.
"Well, I know it's exasperating, but does it really make any difference what time we get to D.C. as long as we're there by 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning?"
"No, I guess not," Pat answered with a sigh. "It's just that I'm afraid something will happen. We've got to be there tomorrow morning. Maybe we should go ahead and drive up there."
"Well, we could, but what's the point? There's just as much likelihood of something happening on the highway as in the air. Why not just relax and enjoy the little time we have." Allan reached over and started to rub Pat's back. "We'll get there in plenty of time, I promise."
Pat relaxed a little and leaned back against him. “Okay, you're right. I'll take it easy. But nothing else better happen or I'll simply go ape-shit."
FreeForm: An Alien Invasion Romance Series (FreeForm Series Book 1) Page 18
