Eyes Of Danger (6 page)

A waitress was hovering so I nodded and we placed an order for a couple of drinks and an appetizer. I felt this would keep the waitress happy. It would give Connie a chance to calm down. We sat for a while, waiting for our drinks and food. After it came, I nudged Connie again.

“Did they let you go?” I tried to ask in a low voice and be patient.

“Oh, no, they brought in another guy and he started all over again.
Did Ms. Tompson do anything unusual, like card tricks, win money at slot machines, trick people into doing things they didn’t want to do?
He was really crazy. He asked the dumbest questions. I mean I don’t know who they thought you were, Michelle. He wanted to know if you were superstitious. Like, if you stepped over cracks, if you threw salt over your shoulder, if you would not go out on Friday the Thirteenth. He wanted to know what your favorite color was, what your favorite song was, who you had met recently. I mean this guy was really nosey.”

Finally, Connie was starting to ease up and she began to look around, smiling at a young man as he went past. I gave her some time to swallow her drink.

“What did you say?”

“Geez, Michelle, I don’t even know what
my
favorite color is this week. I mean, I change it from month to month. I love you like a sister, but I am sorry. I don’t know what they call that strange color of your eyes. I always forget, so I just think of them as brown and green. However, I do know that you aren’t any of the things he was asking about. If anything, you are a little bit stuffy. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but it wouldn’t hurt if you did skip over a crack or throw salt over your shoulder.”

She smiled at me over the rim of her glass. Then, she got serious.

“Why did they arrest me about
you
?”

I took a breath and continued to try to keep Connie calmed down. “Connie, they really didn’t arrest you. They call it
detained
. They held you for a while to assist in an investigation. Actually, when this type of thing happens, a person is allowed to refuse and can walk out any time they chose, or have an attorney present.”

Connie looked at me and nodded, but I knew she didn’t really comprehend. She rarely allowed herself to understand words longer than five letters.

“What I don’t understand is why they are investigating me unless it is that they are investigating someone I am connected to, like my boss.” I was being careful what I said here. I didn’t want to mention Tim or remind Connie about him if she hadn’t thought about him when talking to the guys in the office.

“Connie, when they showed you their ID’s was it FBI or IRS or what?”

Connie stopped and looked down into her half finished drink. “You know, I didn’t pay too much attention, but I think it was CIA. Does it matter?”

Good old Connie. She was not even aware of the difference between the agencies of the Government. But I could tell she was beginning to calm down and feel better, though I was beginning to feel worse.

She actually smiled. “You know, I bet that is what it is all about. Your boss does stuff for people overseas. Boy, I feel so much better. I am so sorry that I seemed to be blaming you.”

She really went into her drink and started looking around, probably for someone she could flirt with, as that always made her feel better.

We finished and I went back to work.

I thought about Connie’s encounter for the next couple of days. Then, on Friday, two men in dark suits came into the office asking for Steve. He came out to meet with them. After a quiet conversation, they went back to his office and closed the door. At closing time, they were still there. We all left and the last guy to leave went ahead to lock the front door. We all looked at each other, but no one knew what was going on. We had no reason to hang around. I think I was the only one with a small idea of what might be happening with these men, but I could only hope I was wrong. I really didn’t want to move on away from my job.

When I came in the next morning, Steve came by tapping me on the shoulder. He indicated he wanted me in his office, taking my heart down as my stomach tried to move up what little I had eaten for breakfast.

“Close the door, Connie, and have a seat.”

I sat down waiting swallowing down my
alarm
signal.

“The men who were here were CIA. They were asking about you. What have you gotten yourself into? What have you done?” The gentle man who had been my boss and friend looked tired with worried lines on his face.

“Steve, I haven’t done anything. I don’t know what they want. They talked to a friend of mine a couple of days ago. They asked her the strangest questions. They didn’t ask about what I did or suspicious stuff, they asked her about things like what my favorite color was and if I stepped on cracks. What did they ask you? What did they say?” I held my breath awaiting his answers.

Steve rubbed his head. He looked up and then frowned. “They said that it was part of an ongoing investigation. They wanted to know if they could take your hard drive in order to have their staff examine it. I let them. I put a new computer on your desk. Is there anything on your computer that is going to get you in trouble?”

I looked at him and then I had to smile. “I did look to see what the top ten stolen cars were. Maybe they think I am part of a stolen car ring. I think I can prove that I have been home too much to steal any cars. That is about the only thing I can think of that might look funny. No porn, no emails to white supremacists, no checking on when the President is going to be in town.” I held out my hands and shrugged. It felt good to reassure Steve, but I didn’t feel any relief to myself. What were these men looking for? What did they think I had stumbled onto or accidentally gotten involved with? Was it something that tied into Tim?

“Did they ask about anyone or anything in particular?” I watched Steve carefully, using that special talent that recognizes lies.

“No, and that was the funny part.” Steve shook his head. “They asked how you got along with everyone, how I liked you, how I rated you as a worker. They wanted to know if you took many days off. I saw no reason to be secretive with the CIA so I pulled your personnel file and let them look at it. They didn’t take it. They wanted to know if we had any new customers, especially ones that you had brought in. I explained that you were not in sales. They wanted to know if you dated and I told them I didn’t get involved with my employees’ personal life.”

He looked over his desk at me and I was aware of two things…he was uncomfortable, and he was telling the truth.

“Sorry, Michelle, I really don’t know if you date guys or gals. Not my business.”

I had to smile at that comment. “Don’t worry, Steve. Actually, Connie thinks they are investigating your company. She thinks it is because you do work overseas. You remember my friend Connie? Well, they talked to her about me, but they asked a lot about the company also.” I watched him closely to see how this information went down.

Steve looked at me for a moment. “Do you think so? Damn, they might have tricked me. Still, we haven’t done anything wrong. You know, I think I better call my attorney. Look, go on back to your desk. You’ll have to do some work bringing the new computer on line, so I don’t expect any projects from you today. I am going to see if my lawyer can see me today.”

As I left the office, he was already on the phone. I felt sorry for him, but I was glad to get the spotlight off me for a while. I really wasn’t worried about my computer, but I was wondering what they were looking for. Was it something about me or were they hoping that I would lead them to Tim? Or did Tim work for them? I knew nothing, and that left me really scared. You are more frightened about the unknown.

After work, I decided to stop for groceries. This would be a normal activity except, now, nothing was normal in my life as I became aware of everything and everyone around me. It didn’t take me long to know that I was being followed. It was a dark sedan with tinted windows. I took a couple of turns that had nothing to do with where I was going. The sedan made the same turns. Okay, these guys weren’t trying to be too discreet.

I got to the store, but drove around and around the parking lot. Then, I found a spot close to the entrance. I went in to stand inside the doors so I could watch through the glass. The sedan sat in the parking lot, not pulled in, just waiting. I decided this was going to be the longest shopping trip I had ever done for groceries. I went up and down each aisle. I had five items in my cart. I went to the bathroom, staying for a half hour. I couldn’t stay any longer with the antiseptic smell and the pieces of paper towel on the floor.

I went to the deli asking for two slices of six different items. The butcher thought I was nuts and he was really having trouble keeping a smile on his face. I felt sorry for him so I finally quit ordering.

I pushed my almost-empty cart to the front to see the sedan still sitting, but it had moved closer to the doors. They were watching for me to come out. I went to the magazine and book section. Picking up one Gossip journal, I read several magazine articles until a stock boy looked at me strangely. I figured I had to buy the damn thing even though I would probably throw it away on leaving the store.

I went to the pharmacy, sat in a seat, and waited. After almost forty-five minutes, one of the girls behind the counter came out to ask if she could help me. “Nope, I am waiting for my Aunt who said to meet her here. I guess she isn’t going to make it. I will call her and check to see what the problem is.” I pulled out my cell as I pushed my cart away.

Okay, I had managed to be in the store for three hours. It was starting to get dark out as I went up one more aisle to pick up a scarf, then back to the pharmacy section for some cheap reading glasses. I couldn’t think of anything else I could buy in the store that would help serve as a disguise. In the checkout lane, I bought a green carry bag and put my small purchases in the canvas bag, then went out the
IN
door and stood to one side in the storage area for carts. I put on the scarf and the glasses, letting the glasses slide down on my nose.

I slid through the maze of carts until I reached an exit area. I fell in close with a couple and walked with them in the opposite direction of my car. I went around the corner of the building, then turned to walk out into the parking lot, going down between cars away from the sedan. I was ducking around parking signs and light poles until I had almost made it back to my car.

I felt the tingle on the back of my neck, but I knew I had a pretty good idea where the sedan was sitting. I stepped back around a large truck that took up two spots, using it to hide me. Suddenly, a steel band went around my waist, pulling me tightly up against a solid chest. I gasped, but didn’t let out a yell as the arm around me turned me.

I looked up into black eyes. I stood pinned against him as he looked over my head in the direction I came from. He moved backward and I had no choice but to move with him. We went around the truck before he loosened his grip on me, but still clutched my arm. He started pulling me away from the sedan and my car.

“Where are we going?” I hissed, afraid to talk too loud.

“Shhhh,” was all I got out of him—besides, I had no choice but to go along with him as he pulled me between cars. He stopped for a moment, looked around, then went over one more row. He tried the door of a
Ford
Pickup. It was unlocked. He pushed me up and under the wheel. He was in, then, next thing I knew, he was pulling wires. The motor started, he backed up, and we were leaving the parking lot.

Great, I thought I had just become part of
Grand Theft Auto
. I forgot when I was looking up auto theft to find out what kind of jail sentence went with that infraction.

“My car is here.”

He looked over at me. Then, he looked back at the road. “That is some disguise.” He had a slight smile that lifted one side of his mouth.

I remembered the scarf. I had lost the glasses when he had grabbed me. I pulled the scarf off, surprised to find I still had the green bag of groceries. Funny what reaction you have under duress.

“You have your house keys on you?”

He just watched the road as he asked me the question. I realized he was driving in the direction of my home. I rummaged through my small compact purse that hung diagonally over my shoulder from one side to the other. I pulled out my extra keys. I didn’t use the house key much since I usually entered through the garage door with the automatic opener. Then, I pulled the small opener out to show it to him also. I never left the opener in the jeep as anyone could grab it with the soft top often down.

He took a moment to look over at my compact purse in my lap, then up at my face. He had a crooked smile on his lips, but he returned his gaze to the road.

“We are going to dump the truck up ahead here. Don’t touch anything and don’t leave anything.”

I looked over at him and saw that he had on thin driving gloves. Okay, he was used to
Grand Theft Auto
. What had I touched? Not much, since I didn’t have the seat belt on. I had spent my time just going through my own stuff.

“Who were the guys in the dark sedan?” I turned and watched him, hoping my
lie
talent would work.

He was pulling into a gas and food station that was pretty busy with a lot of traffic at the pumps including at the little store. I often stopped here for gas or a
Slurpee
. He pulled around to the side, parked the truck, then stopped to look at me.

“Don’t touch anything.”

Then, he reached for me, pulling me towards him under the steering wheel. I had enough sense to drag my bag with me. He picked me up and set me on the pavement.

“Give me your scarf.”

I pulled it out of the bag. He climbed back in so that he began wiping down the side where I had sat. I tried to remember if I had touched anything. The seat belt maybe, even though I hadn’t put it on, but he already was pulling out a knife, cutting the belt. He wiped the clasp end next to the seat, then everything on the door, window dashboard, and so on. I watched in amazement. He cut the driver’s seatbelt stepping back out.