Ring of Lies

by Howard, Victoria

  ‘And now you’ve failed because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut and behave like a mother.’

  Rosa laughed. ‘But I haven’t failed.’

  ‘What are you planning to do? Blackmail Jack into handing back the baby?’

  Rosa’s lips twisted into a cynical smile. ‘Oh, I’ve already taken care of Jack. He won’t be seeing his daughter ever again.’

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  ‘Are you sure you don’t recognize him?’ asked Agent Diego.

  Grace rested her chin on her hands and studied the picture, just as she had every other photograph on every other page.

  ‘I’m sorry, Agent Diego. I don’t recognize any of them.’

  ‘Thanks for trying, Mrs. Elliott. Can I get you some more coffee?’

  She wrinkled her nose. ‘No thanks. That stuff is strong enough to keep every insomniac on the planet awake for two lifetimes.’

  Diego laughed. ‘It is kind of potent. The computer geeks like it that way. They say it helps them concentrate.’

  ‘Do you have any idea what’s keeping Jack?’

  Three men and two women filed into the office, dressed in cookie cutter black suits. They nodded at Diego and the other agents in the room.

  ‘Shift change,’ Diego said by way of explanation. ‘Jack—I expect he’s doing something for Special Agent Zupanik.’

  Grace gave him a slicing sideways look. ‘What sort of something? Is it connected to my husband’s death?’

  Diego held up his hands. ‘Hey, I’m guessing. I have no idea what goes on in the SAC’s office when the door is closed. Are you sure I can’t get you another coffee? Or how about a Coke or a sandwich?’

  ‘No. I’m fine.’

  She drummed her fingers on the desk, and was about to ask Diego to call his boss when the door to the office swung open and Jack walked in.

  ‘You finished here, Diego?’ he growled.

  The other agent leaned back in his chair. ‘Yeah, we’re through.’

  ‘Grace, grab your things and let’s go.’

  She clenched her hands together then forced herself to pick up her purse. She shook hands with Agent Diego then walked slowly across the room.

  Jack motioned for her to hurry. ‘Come on, pick up the pace!’

  ‘Do you have to be so rude?’ she hissed.

  He clutched her hand and pulled her down the hall toward the exit. ‘I’ve had my fill of this town for one day and Mike wants us back on the island tonight.’

  Grace matched her steps to his. ‘But that doesn’t explain where you’ve been for the last three hours.’

  ‘Not now.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘It means I don’t want to discuss things.’ They crossed the parking lot to his car.

  ‘Whatever you were doing, it has something to do with Daniel’s death, doesn’t it?’

  ‘No,’ replied Jack. He helped her into the passenger seat, then walked round to the driver’s side and climbed in behind the wheel.

  ‘I don’t believe you.’

  He stared at her, expressionless. ‘I don’t lie, Grace.’

  Twin stains of scarlet appeared on her cheeks. She took several long deep breaths. ‘Diego wouldn’t tell me where you’d gone and I—’

  ‘It’s personal, okay? I didn’t expect it to take so long.’

  ‘Then why didn’t you say so?’

  Jack ran a hand through his hair. ‘It’s been a rough day for both of us. What do you say we go see if there’s any mail waiting for you at the Island Palm, and then grab something to eat before heading back to the house?’

  ‘If you’re sure we can spare the time.’

  Jack fought through the heavy downtown traffic and crossed the bridge into South Beach. The hotel parking lot was full, so they left the SUV on a parking meter and walked the short distance to the entrance.

  The lobby felt cool after the late afternoon heat. The concierge looked up from his book and smiled as Grace and Jack approached the desk.

  ‘How can I help you?’ he asked, laying the book aside and reaching for the computer keyboard.

  ‘Are you holding any mail for Mrs. Grace Elliott?’

  ‘Just a moment.’ The concierge consulted the computer.

  Grace looked into the large gold-framed mirror that covered the wall behind the desk. Reflected in it were two men, their faces creased with concentration, as they examined some documents spread out on the table in front of them. The thinner faced of the two looked up, as if conscious that he was being observed. His gaze locked with hers. One corner of his mouth twisted upwards. Heat rose in her cheeks. She cast her eyes downward. But like a honeybee seeking a flower, her gaze was drawn to the mirror once more.

  ‘You look great.’ Jack touched her arm, his words a buzz in her ear.

  She started. ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I said, you look great. There’s no need to check your make-up.’

  She’d been so busy observing the thin man she hadn’t noticed the concierge had left his post. ‘I wonder what’s keeping him.’

  ‘They store the mail in the hotel safe. He went to ask the manager for access.’

  Grace glanced in the mirror again. The man was still watching her. Embarrassment turned to uneasiness. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, cold sweat trickled down her spine. She couldn’t breathe. For a moment, she was back in the graveyard standing under the lych-gate being threatened by the nameless man with the darting tongue.

  The buzzing in her ears grew louder. Panic snapped at her throat. Stop it, she told herself. You’re not at the graveyard. This man has nothing to do with the one who was there that day. You’re imagining things.

  Disgusted with herself, she tore her gaze away from the mirror and noticed a stand of visitors’ brochures. She snatched up a leaflet advertising trips to Key West. She’d hardly had time to admire the photographs when the concierge returned.

  ‘I’m sorry for the delay, Mrs. Elliott,’ he said, pushing a large envelope toward her.

  Grace stuffed it into in her purse. ‘Thank you,’ she said and handed him a ten-dollar bill, hoping it was an appropriate tip. Jack raised one eyebrow, evidence that she’d given the man too much. She backed away, turned on her heel and marched toward the exit leaving.

  ‘Whoa! Slow down,’ he said, placing a gentle hand on her elbow.

  ‘Hurry up—slow down. What do you want me to do, Jack? You said we had to be back on the island tonight.’

  ‘It’s only seven-thirty. There’s a great seafood restaurant close by. Best Grouper for miles.’

  Grace matched her pace to his. ‘Would you mind very much if we skipped dinner?’

  Jack drew his brows together. ‘I thought you were hungry.’

  ‘I’ve lost my appetite.’

  ‘If you’re thinking about Pete Jacobs, don’t.’

  ‘I can’t help it.’

  Jack unlocked the car and helped her inside, but rather than closing the passenger door, he cupped her chin tenderly in his warm hand. ‘Talk to me, Grace. Tell me what’s really bothering you?’

  She slowly removed his hand from her chin, and then ran her hands restlessly up and down her arms. ‘I feel as if I’m being stalked. That whatever I do, wherever I go someone is watching me.’

  ‘How’d you mean?’

  ‘The thin-faced man in the hotel never took his eyes off me.’

  Jack tipped his head back and laughed. ‘Yeah, I saw him. He probably thought I was a lucky son-of-a-bitch to be with such an attractive woman.’

  ‘Its no joking matter,’ Grace said evenly.

  His expressive face changed and became almost sombre. ‘You’re right. I shouldn’t make fun of how you feel.’

  ‘And I’m scared. I’m scared for me, for you, and for—’ She couldn’t say the words ‘your daughter.’

  ‘Don’t worry about me, Grace.’

  His fingers slid round her neck and gently brought her face to his until there was only a breath between t
hem.

  ‘I get frightened too. Every time I put on my badge, strap on my holster and step out of the door.’

  ‘I’m so scared I feel physically sick. Yet you seem so calm and focused. Aren’t you afraid that things are spinning out of control?’

  ‘There are times when I’ve looked down the barrel of a gun and thought ‘this is it, my life is about to end,’ but training takes over, and you do what’s necessary to stay alive.’

  ‘You mean you shot the person aiming the gun at you?’

  ‘I’ve fired my weapon. But you don’t need to hear about that. Trust me. The FBI will do everything to protect you while you’re here in Florida.’ He let his hand fall away, and without another word she clicked her seatbelt into place.

  Grace bit down hard on her lip. Nerves quivered just below her skin. She closed her eyes and released a long breath. Her face was still warm from where he’d touched her. She’d been so sure he was about to kiss her. Disappointment mingled with emptiness and guilt. The look in his eyes reminded her of the night he had taken her to dinner, the night they had said goodbye never expecting to see each other again. Now her heart ached for the man she wanted, but could never have. When she opened her blue eyes again, they were full of pain and unquenchable warmth.

  Sultry air billowed through open passenger window. Her fingers shook as she closed it.

  ‘How do you remain so detached?’ She asked after a while.

  ‘I’ve got no other choice. But that doesn’t mean that some things don’t get to me, they do. I just try not to dwell on them too much.’

  ‘And what if you can’t stop thinking about them?’

  ‘Then that’s the day I retire. Look, Grace, you’re just a pawn in this game. You’re not responsible for what’s happened. Remember that.’

  She shuddered. ‘You make it sound so cold, so clinical.’

  ‘The world of crime and corruption often is.’

  The bright lights of the city fell behind. Ever since Daniel’s funeral she’d been forced to confront a world she knew nothing about, seen things she didn’t want to see, and accept that the man she’d married was a stranger to her.

  ‘What happens next?’

  ‘We wait. Whoever is behind this is getting desperate. I’m betting they’ll make contact in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.’

  Grace didn’t want to think about how she would react when that happened, but she knew it would destroy the fragile control she had on her life.

  Jack patted her knee. ‘I know it’s not easy, but try to relax. We’ll be back on the island in a couple of hours.’

  They drove on in silence. Something bad was in the air. Grace could feel it. It was more than the suffocating humidity. She tilted her head from side to side to ease the tension in her neck and stared at the tall sawgrass swaying in the moonlight.

  Without warning, the SUV careered sideways across two lanes of the freeway. Jack swore and fought the wheel.

  Grace stared at him wordlessly.

  ‘Punched a hole in the tyre. Don’t panic.’ He lifted his foot off the gas, and struggled to bring the vehicle under control. Suddenly, the driver’s wing mirror shattered showering him in glass. Blood trickled down his face from a cut on his cheek.

  ‘Shit!’ he cried, and dashed it away. With one hand he released Grace’s seat belt and shoved her head first towards the foot-well. ‘Get down and stay there,’ he commanded.

  ‘But—?’

  ‘Just do it, damn it!’

  Grace reached beneath her seat for the lever, released it, and pushed the seat as far back as it would go. Her heart pounded uncomfortably, as she huddled down in the narrow space.

  The muscles in Jack’s arm corded as he threw the wheel first to the right, then the left. The tyres screamed in protest. A bullet rebounded off the doorframe inches above his head. He dragged the wheel back to the right, using every one of the evasive driving manoeuvres he’d learnt. The car skidded savagely, the headlights careened dizzily across the highway. For a moment Grace thought he’d lost control, but the swaying vehicle remained upright.

  ‘The son-of-a-bitch is driving without lights. I don’t know how long the tyre will last, but I’m going to try and lose the bastard in the marsh. Hang on!’

  The engine roared as the Explorer veered off the freeway and raced down a steep bank. The suspension growled as if in pain as the underside bounced off a rock and the car took flight. It smashed down, the wheels spinning as they fought for grip on the grass.

  Shots bounced off the tailgate in a spray of sparks. Grace screamed. She fisted her hands, digging her nails into her palm as they careered down the dirt track in the Everglades with no visible means of escape.

  Please, God. We’re too young to die! Please don’t let Jack die. His baby daughter needs her Daddy!

  Thin, flat bladed leaves of sawgrass swayed and rustled in their wake. Occasionally, she caught a glimpse of a cypress tree rising up out of the marsh. She squinted up at Jack, his brow creased in concentration as he fought for every yard of progress.

  A hail of bullets gouged the bodywork as they crested a small rise. Grace knew Jack was driving as fast as he dare, but it wasn’t fast enough. The pursuing vehicle was closing on them, its headlights flooding the passenger cabin with dazzling, white light.

  The track suddenly petered out and they were driving through a slough, a free-flowing channel of water. The offside wheel hit a submerged mangrove root throwing Grace against the door with such force that pain shot down her right arm and across her neck. She bit back another scream and tasted blood.

  The wheels found firm ground, as the first drops of rain fell on the windscreen. The Explorer lunged forward at the same wicked pace. They’d barely covered half a mile when Jack put it into a power slide that had them turning right onto another track.

  The interior was plunged into darkness as the other vehicle missed the turning, but Jack kept his foot hard on the gas. The Explorer bucked and bounced over the dry earth, dust and grit boiling in its wake.

  Grace braced herself as best she could, but her back slammed into the dashboard, forcing the air out of her lungs, leaving her bruised and gasping for breath.

  ‘We’ve lost them for now. But it won’t be long before they back track and find the turn-off. We’ll have to ditch the car.’

  ‘Are you crazy?’ she gasped. ‘There are snakes and alligators out there!’

  ‘The rear tyre is finished and we’re out gunned. We’ll stand a much better chance if we hide out in the sawgrass until morning.’

  Cold sweat snaked down Grace’s back. She clamped down on her fear and peered over the top of her seat. Headlights circled the night sky. ‘Can’t we call for help?’

  Jack tapped the cell phone on the dashboard. ‘There’s no signal. Trust me, we’re better off on foot. The Everglades are criss-crossed with dirt tracks. Once we’ve lost our tail, we can make our way to a Ranger station, and I can use their phone to call for back up. Either way, it’s our only chance of surviving.’

  Grace felt like a cornered animal. Her breath was almost as rapid as her heartbeat. It will work out, she told herself. We’ll still be alive tomorrow. Won’t we?

  Ahead, rising out of the darkness, stood a dense patch of trees and low-growing bushes and palms. Jack put the Explorer into a skid, the wheel kicked like a bronco, and dust mushroomed up in a cloud. He switched off the engine and took out his gun and checked the clip. It was full.

  ‘Ready?’

  ‘I…can’t…do…this.’

  ‘Yes you can. It’s less than ten yards to that stand of trees.’

  Grace took a long gulp of air. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t get enough. Her vision blurred. She fought the panic, and made herself breathe in, breathe out, slow and deep.

  Jack rested a hand on her shoulder. ‘Stick close to me, okay?’

  Despite her fears, she forced herself to answer. ‘Okay.’ Her knees buckled as she climbed out of the vehicle. Using
the bodywork for support, she inched her way round to the tailgate into time to see Jack unlock a metal box in the trunk.

  ‘Here hold this.’ He handed her a flashlight, then removed two spare clips of ammunition from the box.