by Joe Pulizzi
“Look,” she said, “I know you have a lot going on, and this is absolutely the worst timing, but I’d still love to get together to pick your brain. What about tonight, and you can drink as much as you want?”
“Wow. I’m impressed. You always were tenacious.”
“You have no idea,” she said.
I hadn’t been with a woman in over two years, and the last one was about twenty feet away talking to my daughter. When it came to reading signals, I was as rusty as could be. But the only way Xena was going to be more obvious was taking her clothes off in front of me. Outside of my sad and lonely sex life, I wanted to ask her questions about the Sandusky Alliance. Who would know better than she as a member and a downtown small business owner?
“I can probably make that work. What time?”
“It’s Saturday night dinner rush. It’ll calm down around nine, and I’ll be able to leave. How about you come to the restaurant around then, and we can figure out a plan?”
“I’ll be there.”
She smiled and said, “Great. Good luck the rest of the day. You’ve almost made it through.”
As she walked away, Sam walked over. “That’s ballsy of her to wear that outfit to a funeral,” she whispered. The comment surprised me. Either Sam had a drink or two or was becoming more comfortable around me.
“She’s in all black. Very respectable for the occasion, I would say.”
“You know she’s into you.”
“Yes, but I didn’t think you and I were on talking terms about our outside relationships.”
“If you would have asked me a week ago, I didn’t think you and I could talk about anything face-to-face.”
Sam held her gaze on me for a second too long and then said, “I came over here to tell you your daughter is leaving.”
Sam and I walked to the back of the hall where Jess was talking with her friends. “Do you have time to meet with Robby and me after she leaves?”
“Just text me where you’ll be, and I’ll meet you.”
Walking over to Jess all I could think about was the Traynor’s offer and Jess being able to stay in school. She was finishing talking to Zoe when Sam and I approached. “Hi, Zoe. How have you been?”
“Fine, Mr. Pollitt. I’m very sorry for your loss,” she said.
“Thanks, Zoe. Did you, Jess, and Tracy have some fun this week?”
“Considering the circumstances, it was great to get together again. Felt like summertime.”
“How are your parents doing?”
“Mom’s doing great. She’s still teaching. Dad’s been sick for a while and isn’t staying with Mom anymore,” she said.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you mind if I ask where your dad is staying?”
“He’s at Blessings Care Center. Been there for a couple weeks now. Doctors said the chemo didn’t take. They’re trying some different things, and Mom and I are hopeful.”
Zoe looked like she was about to break down. “You let me know if you need anything, okay? I’ll be in Sandusky more often, and I’d be happy to help if you or your mom need anything,” I said.
“I will. Thanks.”
“I’ll text you when I get back,” Jess said to Zoe, giving her a hug. Zoe walked away.
I turned to Jess. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make her feel uncomfortable. I had no idea.”
“It’s fine, Dad. We’ve actually been talking about it a lot. It was like a support group weekend. I guess it was really hard times for them a couple months ago, but they came into some money and things are better. Zoe had an old iPhone 5c and just got a new one. Can you believe that?”
“Wow. Hard to believe anyone could live with only a 5c,” I said sarcastically. “They came into money? Like winning the lottery or something?”
“I’m not sure. Zoe said something about her father’s insurance policy.”
Sam and I looked at each other. We were thinking the same thing.
“Now you be super careful driving back to school. Remember to watch the trucks on 322. And don’t stop for gas anywhere near Clearfield. That girl was taken from the Clearfield Mobil station last year. And—”
Jess came over and hugged me. “Dad, I’ll be fine. Thanks for caring. I love you.”
Jess and Sam left out the back door. As Robby and I walked out the front, I noticed what looked like the SUV that had been at the cemetery. It was backed into the parking lot of the Convenient Food Mart. Something wasn’t right.
“Robby, stop here and pretend to talk to me. Look—but don’t look—at the Convenient Food Mart across the street. I saw that same SUV at the cemetery.”
I turned with my back facing the food mart so Robby could look past me and see the parking lot.
“The one with the tinted front windows?” Robby asked.
“Correct.”
“If I’m not mistaken, I saw an SUV like that at our funeral home stop before the cemetery.”
“Where did you see it?”
“What’s that restaurant next door?”
“Carol’s?”
“That’s the one. There was an SUV parked there. I noticed it when we made the turn. I mean, who uses tinted glass on an SUV? That’s so 2008.”
“Okay,” I said, and we walked toward Robby’s car. We got in. “Just start driving so we don’t look suspicious. Make a left out of the parking lot.”
Robby made a left, heading west. “What do you want me to do?”
“Either I’m going crazy or that SUV has been following us all day. Here’s what I want you to do. About a mile on your left is a cornfield. Just after that is a street called Braynard. Make a left there. Braynard goes for about a mile with a cul-de-sac at the end. Most people don’t even know about it, but I used to date a girl in high school who lived there.”
Robby set his hands at the ten and two position. “There’s no way, man. Why would anyone be following us?”
“Why the hell did my dad have a video camera above his desk? Do you think he was a secret YouTuber or something? Here’s the cornfield. Now take the left.”
Robby took the left.
“Now all you have to do is make the turn around the cul-de-sac and come right back out the way we came.”
The street went over a slight hill and led us to the turnaround. There were four huge houses all sharing a large pond in the back. Two of the houses had huge Cleveland Indians flags in front. They were predicted to win the AL Central Division again this year.
Robby made it around the turn and was now headed back to where we came from.
“If we pass it, just look forward like no big deal,” I said.
“We won’t pass it,” Robby said.
As the words escaped his mouth, the SUV with the tinted windows came over the hill and passed us on our left.
Chapter 21 – The Lookout
“Shit,” Robby said. “Shit, shit, shit.”
“I knew it.”
“What now?”
We came to the stop sign at the end of Braynard. “We need to get lost. Make a left here and an immediate right.”
Robby did so.
“What if they have a tracker on us?” Robby asked.
“What?”
“A tracker. Like a little GPS monitoring my car. There’s no way that SUV took a left down that cul-de-sac without some kind of tracking device on our phones or the car. Or possibly the cell signal.”
“God, you’re as paranoid as me.”
“Of course I am. I’m a black man. Ever driven in Alabama?”
“How would we find out?” I asked.
“Maybe if we park somewhere in the open. Then we can view the car from a distance and wait to see if the SUV shows up.”
I tried to think of all the places in Sandusky where something like that would work. “I got it. The mall. Go straight through the next stop sign and make a right. And push it.”
A few miles later, we reached the Sandusky Mall. It was four big boxes connected together like Tinkertoys. The
first one we approached used to be a Sears, but all that was left were the stained white of S, E, A, and R that remained after taking the sign down.
“What a dump,” Robby said.
“All the action is over there.” I pointed at a nice set of stores that included Target, Old Navy, and Duluth Trading. Duluth was having some grand opening party, what with all the balloons. “Park here.”
Robby parked next to a handicapped spot. We hustled out of the car and headed toward a BAM, which I guessed was the new name for Books-A-Million.
“This store has two levels, both facing out to the parking lot. We can go upstairs and watch from there.”
No one was in the store. It was eighty degrees and sunny on a Saturday afternoon. No sane person would be at the mall. We jogged to the escalator and took two steps at a time, reaching the top and making a right toward the front windows.
I spotted a sitting area between two bookshelves that had a clear view of Robby’s car. I sat on a bench, while Robby leaned back into a large tan beanbag.
“How long do you think we have to wait?” Robby asked.
“Shouldn’t be too long. Maybe five minutes. With all the turns we made, I’m ninety-nine percent sure he couldn’t have followed us. Let’s just hope we’re being paranoid.”
“Sam looked good today.”
I smiled. “I didn’t notice.” She looked better than good.
“I’m sure you didn’t. You still in love with her?”
“Of course I am. I’ll always be in love with her. That’s part of the reason this week with her has been half amazing and half utterly depressing.”
“Outside of all this conspiracy shit, why depressing?”
“Just being around her. I want to hold her and tell her I’m sorry a million times until she forgives me,” I said.
“Well, she’s talking to you. And not in a bitchy way like the previous year and a half. You’re making progress.”
“She’s dating someone, isn’t she?”
“Don’t go there,” Robby said.
“I knew it.”
“It’s been two years, man. She works at a funeral home. Sandusky is a small city. She must be bored out of her mind. Hell, I’d probably be desperate enough to switch sides if I was in her position.”
“Shhhh,” I said. “Look.”
Robby sank into the beanbag while I hovered behind some Harry Potter merch.
“And there it is,” Robby said.
“Tracker,” I said, as the SUV parked in the back of the lot, three rows over.
“I need to get out of this city fast,” Robby said. “It’s always at this point in the story where they off the black guy.”
I sat on the floor with my hands around my knees, low enough to make sure we wouldn’t be seen.
“We know we’re being tracked, but we aren’t sure how. Could be your car. Could be our phones. Who knows? So first, we need to get to a safer spot while Columbo is watching our car. We also need to get Sam as well. She’s the only other person we can trust at this point.”
“You think?”
“I don’t want to take any chances. Come with me,” I said, and Robby followed me to the information counter in the back corner of the store. There was a young man, probably just out of high school, sitting behind a crate of the latest James Patterson thriller.
“Hello, sir,” I said. “My phone just went on the fritz, and I need to make a quick call. Would that be okay?”
“Suit yourself,” the boy said. “Dial eight to get out.”
“Thank you.”
“Who are you calling?” Robby asked.
“Patience,” I said. I dialed the number and the phone rang. She picked up after four rings.
“Hello?”
“Sam, it’s me.”
“Where are you calling from and why are you calling the home line? I don’t have this number listed. I was going to let it go to voice mail.”
“I’ll explain later. Do you remember the place we went on our second date? We had a basket of mozzarella sticks and PBRs. But don’t say the name.”
“Of course I remember,” she said.
“Can you meet us there in thirty minutes?”
“Uh, okay, I guess.”
“Park your car on the other side, then walk through the alleyway between the two stores. And don’t bring your cell phone.” I hung up.
“She is going to think you’re crazy,” Robby said.
“Too late for that,” I said. “Let’s go.”
We took the back elevator down one floor and headed into the mall walking area. I saw the restroom sign to the left and followed the signs to the back. There were two vending machines, a drinking fountain, and a set of lockers. Bingo.
I opened one of the lockers, and both Robby and I placed our iPhones inside, then locked it, putting the key in my pocket. We headed back out and found a knock-off Radio Shack, but a thousand times worse.
“Can I help you?” asked the boy behind the counter, who looked eerily similar to the boy at BAM information. His name tag said Owen, Store Manager.
“Hi, Owen. Yes. I need to buy the cheapest laptop you have. Something like a Chromebook, perhaps? I just need it for connecting to the internet and watching videos,” I said.
At that, Owen smirked a bit. He was thinking porn. Of course he would be. Owen walked Robby and me over to a long table with eight laptops in a line.
“This one works. I own it myself. It’s an Acer mini-lap. 802.11AC Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth 4.1, Windows 10 Home 64-Bit, MaxxAudio Pro, stereo speakers, 3-cell lithium-ion battery, includes USB 3.0 with PowerShare, one HDMI, one SD card reader, and one headphone jack. Video camera works pretty good, as well, if you’re doing some kind of video chat.” He smirked again.
Way too much information. “How much?”
“Two forty-nine.”
“I’ll take it.”
I looked in my wallet. I had a hundred, and four twenties. Pretty much all I had left in free cash. I looked at Robby. “I have $180. Do you have cash for the difference?”
Robby slipped out a hundred from his wallet and gave it to me. We paid and left the store.
“Where to now?” Robby asked.
“When the Target was being built about twenty years ago, this mall put in an underground walkway from here to there. They thought it would help get more people to the mall. It actually did the opposite. The bar where we’re meeting Sam is called Dewey and Pete’s. I think it’s a chain.”
“You took her there on a second date?”
“Heck, I still had spots when we were dating. What the hell did I know about class?”
“Don’t we have to go back to the car for the life insurance folder?”
“I left the folder in the car, but the contents are inside my jacket pocket,” I said, opening up my jacket to him.
I checked my watch, which showed about ten minutes until Sam would arrive. As we walked under the road, we could hear the cars above our heads and then saw a bit of light after about a hundred feet. There were ten steps up to the exit. At the top it looked like a bus stop, with a two-sided movie poster and a set of trash and recycle cans. We took the alley to the right of Target and immediately saw the back patio for Dewey and Pete’s. We entered through the patio, walked by the kitchen, and headed toward the front to ask for a table.
Colleen, a young blonde with a nice smile welcomed us. “How many?”
“Us and one more to come,” I said. “And if you have something in the corner that would be great. Do you have a Wi-Fi connection we could use?”
She grabbed three menus. “Of course. We need the Wi-Fi for the fantasy sports crowd on Sundays. There’s not great cell reception here.” She gave us the Wi-Fi password.
She led us to the corner and set down the menus. “Can I get you started with drinks?” she asked. I ordered the usual for all of us, including Sam.
The table was half booth seating, half chairs. Could fit six or seven if necessary. Robby sat in the middle and wa
s busy getting the laptop set up. I was keeping an eye out for Sam and, more importantly, my drink.
Sam entered through the back patio as well, spotting us as she passed the restrooms. I waved, and she pulled a seat next to Robby.
“You’ve got me running around the city like it’s the Hunger Games or something. Explain,” she said squeezing her lime into her vodka tonic.
Robby and I looked at each other and shrugged. “Okay,” I said. “The first thing you need to know is that Robby and I are not currently on drugs and this is our first alcoholic drink of the day. The second thing is that we are currently being followed.”
Sam looked at Robby. “He’s telling the truth, Sam. I thought he was shitting me while we were in the car, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
“When we stopped at the funeral home before the cemetery, Robby spotted an SUV with tinted windows. I saw the same one at the cemetery. Then we believe the same one followed us from the meeting hall. By that time, we knew something was going on, and I had Robby take some weird turns. We passed it again down off Braynard, sped off in the other direction to the mall, and five minutes later, guess who shows up?”
“We were way in front of them, so they must be tracking one of our devices, or possibly my car,” Robby said.
“And we don’t know if you’re being tracked as well, or whether our phones are bugged, hence all the secrecy in getting you here.”
“Let’s say I believe you for this minute,” Sam said. “What now?”
“What we have here is an untraceable laptop that we bought at the mall,” I said. “The next step is to tap into the server Dad set up and see what was recorded on the office camera. I guess here and now is as good as it’s going to get.”
I pulled the sheet of paper out from my inside pocket, unfolded in, and pressed it onto the table. The top of the paper included a picture of the equipment, which was identical to the camera in Dad’s office. Below the image was an HTTPS secure site URL, and below that was a password full of special characters, numbers, and capital letters.
“Before we do this,” I said, “we promise to keep all this between the three of us. And I mean everything. Whatever is on this footage, the insurance conspiracy stuff, the being followed mess. Everything. Agreed?”
