He watched her for a moment out of the corner of his eye, then turned his attention back to the road. “So…what did you want to tell me?”
Emily exhaled deeply and leaned her head against the headrest. “One of the Secret Service agents investigating the disappearance of some Federal agents called me into his office. He told me Kate was working with them to convict Mike Dragonisi for murdering the missing agents. I’m pretty sure that’s why she died the way she did.” Emily briefly summarized her session with Dozer and finished with the fact that Dozer’s men were still searching for the recording.
“Shit. This really complicates things.” He turned onto a service road. “There’s the hotel. Sorry, but you’ll have to get in the back again. We can’t risk one of Mike’s goons spotting you.”
Emily felt a painful throbbing in her temples as she waited for Glen to register. The moment she entered their hotel room, she unzipped her purse and dumped the contents on the dressing table.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for my pain pills. I’m getting a migraine. They’re brought on by stress. With everything that’s happened, I’m surprised I haven’t already had one.” She grabbed the errant pill bottle, popped open the lid, and swallowed two tablets. “Whenever these headaches hit, I usually stick a cool towel across my face, turn on some classical music, and lie down.”
He fingered the CDs that had spilled out of her purse on the dresser. “Looks like you’re prepared for anything.”
“I grabbed those on my way out of the apartment this morning. I figured I’d listen to them in the car, but never got the chance.”
“I’ve got a portable CD player in the car. Want me to get it?”
She nodded. “Please. If I don’t get rid of this headache now, I’ll be flat on my back for hours.” The pain behind her temples escalated as she soaked a washcloth in cold water and stumbled to the closest bed.
Glen placed the CD player on the nightstand. “Which one do you want?”
“Doesn’t matter. Pick one.”
He stared at her for a moment, then brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “You look awful. Tell you what. There’s a pizza joint a couple of blocks from here. Why don’t I get us a pizza and something to drink while you rest?”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he promised as he pressed the ‘play’ button.
Music from her favorite CD filled the room as he closed the door. Emily emptied her mind of conscious thought and envisioned the tension in her body fading away as she recognized her favorite Chopin ballades. The music stopped abruptly, and two men began to speak. She sat up abruptly and stared at the CD player. What in the world...?
Puzzled, she switched the machine off and removed the disk. Staring at it, she blinked. That was odd. This music was from her favorite CD, but there wasn’t any silver nail polish on the label. She marked all of her CDs that way. This CD wasn’t hers.
Something clicked in her brain. This was just like the one she’d loaned to Kate. What was it Dozer had told her? Kate had recorded the information onto a CD! She stared at the CD sitting on the bedspread. How could she have been so dense? This had to be the recording everybody was looking for! But…how did she get it?
Chapter Thirty-Two
The room spun crazily for a moment. If this was the recording everybody was looking for, that explained why somebody trashed her apartment. Mike’s guys must have been searching for it. Why hadn’t they spotted it sitting on the floor?
She sat frozen on the edge of the bed. Maybe they were looking for the wrong thing! They probably thought Kate used a tape cassette to record the conversation instead of a CD. No wonder they tore the place apart.
Oh my God... The knot in Emily’s stomach tightened, and her panic level rose ten octaves. The situation went from really bad to terrifying, all in the space of a few minutes. She was as good as dead, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Her heart pounded, and her breathing became labored as she struggled to regain control. Her hands felt like ice cubes as she placed them on either side of her mouth and nose to keep her from hyperventilating. Having a panic attack would not help. She had to calm down, even though all she wanted to do was hide under the bed and pretend this was a bad dream.
Once her pulse slowed down, she picked up the CD and gently stuck it in its case, noting the splotches of dried blood smeared across portions of the clear plastic. This CD had to have come from Kate; the dried blood proved it.
First things first, she told herself. She knew what the CD was, but not how it got to her apartment. It must have been Kate...but how? She hadn’t left Kate alone, except to call for an ambulance. Had Kate stashed the recording in her dress and somehow found the strength to stick it by the storage tower? That had to be it. There was no other way the CD could’ve gotten into the apartment.
Forgotten bits of memory clicked into place. Kate had been on her side when she’d left to call the ambulance, but when she returned, Kate had been on her back. That must have been when she stuck the CD into the pile. Poor Kate.
Dozer... She had to call Dozer. She took his card out of her wallet, picked up Glen’s cell phone, and started to dial. Her hand froze when footsteps sounded outside the door. In the few seconds between hearing the key turn and the doorknob rattle, Emily dropped the phone and grabbed the small can of hair spray she’d dumped out of her purse. Her hand shook as she snapped off the top and put her finger on the spray button.
The door opened a few inches.
A stream of hair spray spewed out of the nozzle.
“I’ve brought you a diet soda,” Glen announced as he stepped into the room.
Relieved, Emily lowered the can. “Jesus, Glen. You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry,” he apologized. “How’s the headache?”
She waved her hand through the air. “Forget the headache.”
He perched on the edge of the bed, giving her his full attention. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. Remember when I told you Dozer was looking for the recording Kate made?”
“Yeah. So?”
“You are not going to believe this, but I’ve got it!”
“What?”
She sat next to him, grabbed the CD, and waved it through the air. “This is the CD everybody’s looking for. There’s a few minutes of music; then a conversation starts. That’s not what’s supposed to be on here. Kate must have stuck it in my apartment before she died.” She lowered her glance to the plastic case and shivered. “Kate died because of this...and now I have it. Oh my God.”
“What makes you so sure it’s the one Kate recorded?”
She placed the CD between them and tapped her finger on the case. “This is my favorite CD. Kate borrowed my only copy the day before she died and didn’t return it. I always stick a drop of nail polish on the CD label. This one is not mine; there’s no nail polish anywhere on it. There’s no other way I could’ve gotten this CD. Hell, I didn’t even know I had this one until you stuck it in the player.” She stood up and paced back and forth. “We have to call Dozer and tell him we have the CD.”
Glen rose from the bed. “Holy shit, Emily. Do you know what Mike would do if he even thought you had it?”
“Duh…you think he would, like, murder us? I’m not stupid, Glen. I already know Mike killed Kate for this. What makes you think he wouldn’t kill us if he even thought we had it? He’s probably going to try and kill me anyway.” She sat back down as her knees gave out. “That’s why we have to call Dozer—so he can protect us.”
Glen held up his left hand. “Hang on a minute. We’ve got to consider all the possibilities before you call the Feds.”
“What?”
“Once Mike finds out you gave the recording to the Feds, you’ll end up just like Kate. Dead. I’ve been thinking about the man following you, and I’d bet my last dollar that he’s one of Mike’s goons.”
“No, r
eally? You think?”
“Don’t get sarcastic, Emily. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Well, excuse me. God knows I wouldn’t want to upset you with my problems. Why don’t you just leave, and I’ll call the Feds after you drive off? That way, you don’t have to get involved in this any deeper than you are.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Emily. We’re in this together, no matter what.” He paced back and forth for a moment, and then sat next to her. “Didn’t Stu tell you that Mike wanted to know if you found out anything else? It makes sense for him to have somebody dogging your every move.”
“I told you I thought Mike’s goons were following me. What the hell am I supposed to do now?”
Glen patted her shoulder. “First, we have to find a way to turn ownership of that CD to our advantage.” He jumped up, paced back and forth, then suddenly snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it. We can use the CD as leverage to get into the Witness Protection Program.”
Emily rubbed the top of the jewel case with her thumbs. “That might not be a bad idea. We’d be virtually untraceable. It might just work.” She paused for a moment, deep in thought. “Do you think we’ll have to change our appearance?”
“Maybe. Given Mike’s connections, we might have to.”
She reached up and turned Glen’s head. Her fingers slid toward his cheekbones, then eased back the sides of his face. “You’d be surprised how little it takes to change your appearance. A nip here, a tuck there, plus a good nose job, and tah dah…you’re a completely different person.”
He frowned and swatted at her hands. “Yeah, we’ll save that for a last resort. I don’t want anybody cutting on my face.”
She gazed at her reflection, and her smile faded. “What if Dozer won’t agree?”
“If he wants that CD, he’ll have to.”
“You can’t blackmail the government. It’s…extortion. We could go to jail for that. I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t planning on spending my golden years in a jail cell with another woman for a lifemate.”
He snorted. “Grow up, Emily. People do this kind of shit all the time. We have something Dozer wants. He has something we want. All we’re going to do is swap. Besides, do you really think you can trust the government? Look what happened to Kate. She trusted him. You want to end up like her?”
She fell silent for a few moments. “No, I don’t. I don’t want to die.”
“Then let’s get our story straight before we make the call.” He grabbed the CD. “The first thing we have to do is put this somewhere safe.”
“Safety deposit box?”
“Too obvious.”
“Well, you can’t hide it in the apartment or the cars. That’s the first place they will look.” She got up and shoved her stuff back into her purse. “Damn. I wish I’d kept my post office box in El Cajon. If I had, we could’ve mailed the CD there.”
He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. Emily, you’re brilliant! I’ve got one. It’s my dad’s. I was going to get rid of it after he died, but I never got around to canceling it. We can mail the CD there.”
“What about Dozer?”
“Tell him you found the recording, but since Stu’s already paid you a visit, you want a legal document saying we can get into the Witness Protection Program before you’ll hand it over. Believe me, he won’t give you any hassle. He wants it too bad.”
She grabbed Dozer’s card. “I’ve got his number. Let’s call him. The sooner we get rid of the CD the better.”
Glen plucked the card from her fingers, placed it on the bed next to him, then stared at her for several moments.
His grim face unnerved her, and she moved to sit next to him on the bed. “You’ve gone awfully quiet,” she observed. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s one other thing.”
“There’s always some kind of catch. What is it?”
“You’re going to have to go back to the apartment.”
She started to protest, but he held up a hand. “Before you get all huffy, let me explain. If you don’t go back to the complex, Mike’s going to suspect either that you’re up to something or that you have the recording. Do you want him to come looking for you?”
She shivered and rubbed the sides of her arms. “No!”
“Then you have to go back. You can stay with me. We still have to make a quick trip to Reno before we go into the Witness Protection Program.”
She shot up. “Are you freaking nuts? I’m trying to keep from getting killed, and all you can think about is money? I’m not going anywhere, except into hiding.”
He grabbed her hands and pulled her onto the bed. “Look. It’s simple. All you have to do is put out the word that living in Vegas is too stressful, especially since your neighbor died in your doorway, and you’ve decided to move. Everybody should believe you. Since you can’t get back into your apartment yet, it makes sense to go now.”
She shook her head. “You make it sound so easy...”
“Dozer will need at least a day or two to put together the documents. Besides, why waste all our hard work just because we’re going into the program? We’ll still need money. The government doesn’t hand out money every month for the rest of your life in the Witness Protection Program. They give you enough to start you out, but you still have to earn a living.”
“Why do I listen to you?” she wailed. “You’d think I’d know better by now.”
“I take it that’s a yes?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. Let me think about it.”
“Emily, there’s no other way. You’re gonna need money, no matter what you do. This way you and I both have a healthy nest egg to fall back on later. You have to look out for yourself; the government isn’t going to do it for you. What do you say? Is it a deal?”
She took a deep breath. “I guess. Provided Mike doesn’t kill me first.”
He grabbed his cell phone. “Good. Then we’re ready to make the call.” He punched in the number and handed her the phone. “It’ll be okay, Emily. I promise.”
“Yeah, right.” Once Dozer answered, she placed the phone between them so Glen could listen.
“Agent Dozer? It’s Emily Sane.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve found Kate’s recording.”
“Where are you?”
Glen put his hand over the mouthpiece. “Tell him you’ll call him back. I don’t want them tracing the call.”
“I’ll call you back.”
“Wait—”
Emily disconnected the call and stored Dozer’s number in Glen’s cell phone. “I don’t like doing this,” she said as she turned off the phone and passed it to Glen. “It feels wrong.”
“It’s called looking out for yourself and saving your own life, Emily. Remember that. If you don’t go into the Witness Protection Program, you might as well walk into Mike’s house and tell him to shoot you, because that’s what’ll happen as soon as he finds out you gave the recording to the Feds.”
“This is like some stupid spy movie. How did we get into this mess?”
Glen pressed redial, and Dozer answered on the first ring.
“Emily?”
“Yeah. Listen. There’s something I want before I hand over the CD.”
“You can’t blackmail the government.”
“It’s not blackmail, Agent Dozer. I’m simply trading one favor for another.”
“What do you want? Money?”
“No. Glen Craigone and I would like to go into the Witness Protection Program. Mike’s already sent Stu to harass me, and he’s got somebody following me. What do you think he’ll do when he finds out I gave you the recording? My life will be over the second he figures it out.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’ll call you back in three hours. I want everything in writing. Tomorrow.” She turned off the phone and looked over at Glen.
“Was that okay?”
He grinned. “That was great. You’re one tough lady.”
“Actually I’m not tough at all,” she confessed sheepishly. “It’s all a front. I’m a chicken at heart.”
He pulled her to her feet and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Good thing I like chicken.”
“What do we do now?”
Glen wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “Well,” he drawled. “I don’t know about you, but I’d like to pick up where we left off the other night.” He caressed her rib cage and slid the tips of his fingers upward. “What do you think?”
“Now?”
“Why not? We’ve got a couple of hour to kill.” He planted several kisses down the nape of her neck and rubbed his hands across her rib cage.
“Mmmm. You’re starting to make sense, but I think I need a lot more convincing.”
He unbuttoned her shirt and ran his tongue down the valley between her breasts. “How’s this for convincing?”
She snuggled closer. “Better. Keep going, I’ll tell you when to stop.”
“Time to call Dozer,” Glen whispered in Emily’s ear.
She traced the outline of his mouth with her index finger. “Do we have to do it now?”
He laughed. “It’s time to put him out of his misery. He’s gotta be pacing the floor.”
She sighed and tucked the sheet under her arms as she turned on her side. “All right. But there’s something else we have to discuss first.”
“What?”
“Remember when you told me that the facial recognition system uses measurements of facial contours, like the distance between people’s eyes and noses?”
“Yeah.”
“What if Mike has somebody hack into the database after we go into the Witness Protection Program? Couldn’t he use that information to search the Department of Motor Vehicles files all over the United States? He might be able to find us.”
“You’ve got a point. I didn’t even think about that. Mike’s not stupid. Once he hires somebody to get inside the database, there’s no place we can hide.”
She chewed her thumbnail. “That's what I thought. I’m going to tell Dozer we want a plastic surgeon to change our facial structure so that the measurements are different. We don’t want anything major, just enough changes so that no facial recognition system can match up our new driver’s license pictures with what’s already in the database.”
Jingle of Coins Page 23
