Finding Kate Huntley (18 page)

Chapter 22

The temperature had to be in the nineties, Jack figured. The breeze coming through the window felt like hot blasts of stale air. It was ten to five by the time Jack made a left on Glenoaks Boulevard. He had no problem locating the security dealer.

“Stay low," he told Kate after he parked the Mustang. “If anyone suspicious approaches the car, take off.” He handed her the keys.

Kate didn’t bother reminding him that she learned to drive in Haiti, one of the worst driving habitats known to man.

He climbed out of the car, shut the door behind him, and took off before Kate thought to tell him to be careful.

She noticed an elderly couple walking their dog on the other side of the street. Further down the road she saw a runner. Her stomach gurgled from hunger. Jack had bought some food at the market in the gas station, but it was all gone. She grabbed the water bottle sitting on the seat, unscrewed the plastic cap, and took a long swallow. The water tasted fresh and crisp compared to what she was drinking in Haiti.

She leaned her head back against the headrest and shut her eyes. A few minutes later, she sat up and looked at the time. Jack had only been gone for ten minutes. The inside of the car, even with the windows rolled down, had grown incredibly hot and stuffy. She used her forearm to wipe perspiration from her forehead. If Jack didn’t return soon, she was going to have to get out and take a breather. Maybe she could take a walk and check out the town Jack called home.

She reached for the door handle just as the door to the surveillance store flew open. Jack sprinted down the street toward the Mustang and jumped in behind the wheel. He cursed under his breath, turned on the engine, and took off. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

He kept a steady gaze on the road ahead of him. His face was as white as his T-shirt.

“What happened? What’s wrong?”

“The guy who worked there wouldn’t help me. He said he was too busy to read the disc.”

Kate swallowed, hoping that was all he was upset about.

“He was annoying as hell and so I pulled my gun out and threatened him with his life.”

“Oh.”

“He calmly said I’d have to leave the disc with him and come back tomorrow. Sadly, the gun hardly fazed him. This is LA after all.”

“What did you do?”

Jack scowled. “I didn’t leave the disc, but it’s a surveillance store for God’s sake. I had at least a dozen cameras on me.” He tightened his fingers around the steering wheel and let out a sardonic laugh. “What else can I possibly add to my growing list of offenses?”

“You didn’t shoot anyone, did you, Jack?”

“No, I didn’t do that,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

If it had been anyone but Jack, she might have been amused. After everything they’d been through, he was worried about holding a gun to a clerk in a security store. But wasn’t that just like Jack to be concerned about adding to his list of bad deeds. Jack Coffey, the last of the American Heroes, and a man without an evil bone in his body. “Jack,” is all she said before putting a hand on his knee. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah. This sucks.”

She squeezed his leg.

“I’ve managed to get Dr. Forstin killed, and now Becky. God, that’s all fucked up. A.J. was in shock and denial. I could see it in his hollow, blank stare. Who’s next, I wonder?”

“That’s not fair. You had no idea what you were up against when you came looking for me. If it weren’t for you I’d still be running from my own shadow.”

“We’re at a dead-end, Kate.” He stopped at the red. “We’re running out of options. I have a video disc that I can’t read. It could be blank for all I know. We know Monahan was involved and now Benjamin Greene/Sheldon, Roger Cott, and someone named Lou who appears to be the one calling the shots. That’s all we’ve got. I have nothing on Harrison.”

A corner of a piece of paper had been sticking out of the glove compartment the entire time she’d been in the car. She opened the compartment, surprised to see that it was a note addressed to her and Jack, aka Fred and Samantha Reed. The paper was crumpled. A number was scrawled across the center: 1TRR597. On the other side of the paper was a note from Brooklynn.
Adam forgot to tell you that he wrote down the license plate number of a car that pulled up to the lab in San Diego while you were inside. It was a dark blue Camry. The driver never got out of his car and he took off before the police came. Thought maybe the license number might be helpful. Brooklynn.

“Looks like we have one more lead.”

“What is it?”

“It appears Adam wrote down the license plate number of a second car that came to the lab the other night. Apparently, the car sped off before the police came.”

Jack raked his fingers through his hair. “I need to think. There has to be somebody at the agency, somebody who can help us.” He took the note from her, folded it, and shoved it in his pants pocket. “We have numbers and names, but we need answers. I can’t put any more people in danger.”

“Auntie will help us,” Kate said. “I know she will. She’s all we’ve got left. She’ll know what to do. We can use your computer to learn more about Ben Sheldon, or whatever his name is, and Roger Cott. If you can get us to Shoreline Drive in Santa Barbara, I think I can pinpoint exactly where she lives, assuming she hasn’t moved in the last ten years.”

“I thought you and your parents were from New York?”

“Before we moved to New York, we lived in Santa Barbara and spent at least one weekend out of every month at the Kramer house. She was like family. I called her ‘Auntie,’ remember?”

“I’ll get off at the next exit,” Jack said. “We’ll grab a map and something to eat.”

Jack came out of the restroom and saw Kate in the front of the line at Burger Pit.

“I counted the money,” Kate said when he approached. “We have less than two hundred dollars left.”

“We’ll need most of it for gas, but it should be enough to get us through the next couple of days. After that,” Jack added, “we might have to rob a bank.”

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide.

“Kidding.”

“Funny.”

“Get me a hamburger and fries, will you? I’m going to run across the street to the gas station and buy a map.”

Kate nodded.

Ten minutes later, with map in hand, Jack crossed over the two-lane street back toward the hamburger place. It would be dark soon. He noticed a woman standing in the parking lot. She peered closely at the license plate on the back of the Mustang. The woman looked from left to right before running into the market next to the hamburger place.

Damn. The bag with the disc was in the car. He hurried over to the Mustang and snatched the bag from the backseat. He didn’t bother shutting the door or looking about to see if anyone was watching. He needed to get Kate and get out of here.

Jack pushed through the glass door to the Burger Pit and saw Kate holding a bag of food in one hand and a drink holder in the other. A biker he’d noticed pulling into the parking lot a few cars ahead of them was talking to her. As he approached, Jack noticed that Kate did not look pleased with whatever the biker was telling her.

The biker was a few inches shorter than Jack, but what he lacked in height he made up for in width. His shoulders were hulkish. His head was cleanly shaven, leaving a smooth shine. His nose crooked from too many bar fights.

“Is there a problem?” Jack asked the man.

“No,” Kate said, turning toward Jack. “This is Headbanger. He was just offering me a ride on his Harley and I told him I had a ride.”

A low guttural sound came out of Headbanger’s mouth as he let his eyes roam over the entire length of Kate’s body. Before Jack could usher her along, the big dude did a nauseating pelvic thrust into Kate’s backside, using enough force to push her forward into Jack’s chest.

Purposefully, yet gently, Jack moved Kate to his right.

As he stepped toward the biker, adrenaline coursed through his veins. Using an old college wrestling move, he flipped the big guy onto the ground and jabbed a knee to his side. Just to be clear as to where he stood and because he’d ran out of patience two days ago, Jack whipped out his gun and held the barrel to Headbanger’s temple.

Somebody screamed.

A father at the end of the line gathered his children and pushed them to the ground.

A woman and her friend ran from the restaurant.

Although Jack would never do it, he felt an incredible urge to pull the trigger. He was tired of running, tired of being on the wrong side of the law, and tired of dealing with guys like Headbanger.

“Jack,” Kate said. “Let’s go.”

Ignoring her, Jack said to the man, “You picked the wrong day to screw with me, pal. Never mind that I’m on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, I’ve had a real shitty day and so I’d appreciate it if you apologized to the lady. Understand?”

The man’s face had lost all color, but he did manage a nod despite having his face squished against the dirty floor.

“Good. Now say you’re sorry.”

A meek apology followed.

Jack was about to stand when he glanced out the large paned window and spotted three more people standing around the Mustang. Bending back down, Jack said, “Changed my mind. That wasn’t good enough. Give me the keys to your bike and maybe I’ll let you live.”

Headbanger dug into his pocket and handed Jack his keys.

Jack stood, tucked the gun back into his waistband, and then took the food and drinks from Kate and set them on the nearest table. Grabbing Kate’s hand, he pulled her toward the door.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a swarm of good Samaritans standing around the Mustang. My face is probably on every news station across the country by now.” Jack exited the Burger Pit with Kate at his side, fully aware that most of the patrons who witnessed the confrontation would more than likely join the people surrounding the Mustang.

The sun had gone down, but the floodlights lining the parking area lit up the place. Once again, sirens sounded in the distance. “Don’t look toward the Mustang,” he told Kate. “I can see Headbanger’s bike from here. When we get there, climb on and hang on tight because something tells me we don’t have much time.”

As they pulled out of the parking lot, three squad cars in a straight line passed by, sirens blaring and lights swirling. The noise drowned out Headbanger’s shouts as he exited Burger Pit and ran across the parking lot, heading in their direction.

Jack kept a steady unhurried pace until they could no longer see the police cars. As soon as Kate wrapped her arms around his waist, he revved the engine and took off.

Another day, another time, this could have been one hell of a ride. The wind whipped through his hair and something about having a thousand pound hog between his thighs made him want to pop a nose wheelie as he maneuvered around a tight spot. Instead, he kept the bike riding smooth and steady and decided he’d have to think of other ways to give Kate a thrill. A couple of ideas popped into his mind.

It wasn’t long before they reached a residential area. Jack slowed. They drove around the neighborhood for a few minutes before he spotted an older model Volkswagen Beetle. Perfect. Although he wasn’t proud of it, back in the day, when he was too young to be driving, he and his friend used to hotwire his friend’s sister’s VW and take it for a ride.

Pulling the Harley to the side of the road, Jack cut off the power and motioned for Kate to wait on the bike. It was dark now and the street was quiet.

He trotted across the road and quietly unhitched the hood of the VW. After fiddling with some wires, he opened the car door and popped the trunk. He figured his luck was changing when he spotted a couple of assorted tools under the hood. He grabbed a screwdriver and used it to bypass the ignition system, connecting the coil to the battery. The engine started just as he knew it would. Gently, he closed the engine cover, walked around the car, set down the screwdriver and quietly shut the bonnet.

He motioned for Kate to get in the car.

A dog barked. A front porch light lit up the lawn area a few houses down. Kate slid into the passenger seat. Without waiting for her to buckle up, Jack made a U-turn and drove off at a steady twenty-five miles per hour. “The switch should buy us enough time to get to Santa Barbara.”

When she didn’t answer, he looked at her, surprised to see her staring at him as if he’d grown horns.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“No, not really. Sometimes you just surprise me, that’s all.”

“In a good way I hope?”

She smiled. “Yes, in a good way. A very good way.”

Chapter 23

“Stop the car. This is it. It looks like Auntie has added a few square feet to the house since I was here last. But this is definitely the house.”

Jack pulled over and stared out at the long gated driveway. Unlike Kate, who was animated and ready for action, Jack was exhausted, his eyelids heavy. “Do you ever get tired?” he asked. “I mean really tired?”

She kept her gaze on the house on the hill. “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in so long I wouldn’t know what it felt like to be anything but tired. Come on, let’s do this. If Auntie can help us, we might finally get some answers.”

Jack had turned off the headlights a few blocks back. Now he turned off the ignition. The window was rolled down and all he heard was the not too distant sound of the breakers crashing the beach.

Kate reached behind Jack’s seat for the bag of items she’d bought at a superstore over an hour ago. She pulled out two packages of day old steak and a bottle of sleeping pills. “Auntie is fond of Doberman Pinschers. They always scared the hell out of me.”

“Why don’t we ring the bell at the gate?”

“She thinks I’m dead. She’ll never believe it’s me. If she’s been watching the news and knows I’m alive, she’ll know I’m with you—a wanted man. I don’t want Auntie or anyone else to call the police before I’ve had a chance to talk with her in person. I know where her bedroom is. We just have to get past the dogs.”

Using a plastic knife to make slits in the meat, Kate made quick work of shoving three or four pills into each slot. When that was done, she opened the car door, ready to climb out.

“I’ll feed the dogs,” Jack told her.

She huffed, and for a moment there Jack figured he was going to get a lecture, but then her features softened. “How about we both go?”

There was no arguing with her, so he nodded and climbed out of the car. He had to hand it to her. For someone who had spent the last ten years in a place like Haiti, hiding from the world and being on her own, she’d handled her return to the States with great strength. She hadn’t missed a beat when the Matthews kids showed up. She rolled with the punches. She was used to doing things her way, and yet his instincts told him she was beginning to trust him.

“Come on,” she said, gesturing for him to follow her across the street and up a steep orchard of avocado and citrus trees. The long driveway separated the orchard from the handcrafted iron and stone fencing surrounding the house.

Jack checked the mailbox and saw the name Kramer on the side. He wanted to make sure Kate’s Auntie hadn’t moved.

He kept close to Kate as they went. Thanks to the moonlight and the muted lights dotting the estate, he could see all the way to the top of the hill where a majestic two-story mansion sat, complete with stone pillars and well maintained gardens. He didn’t have to see the ocean to know that the estate overlooked the ocean on the other side. Over the sweet smell of ripened citrus, he caught the fresh scent of the Pacific Ocean. Beyond the tall fencing were lawns, gardens, and meandering stone paths leading to the entrance of the house.

Standing in the shadows, Jack looked about for any signs of Doberman Pinschers. Not a dog in sight. Following that thought came a low menacing growl from the other side of the fence. Never mind. Definitely dogs. He didn’t like dogs. Barney was one thing, cute and loveable, but going one on one with a Doberman was something else entirely. Dobermans were muscular and compact. Their bodies were made for endurance and speed. “How many dogs did she used to have?” he asked.

“Three,” Kate whispered.

“And the last time you saw the dogs was ten years ago?” Jack winced. “Do dogs live that long?” She ignored his question, since they both knew it was highly likely these weren’t the same dogs Kate had played with when she was small.

Kate placed two good-sized chunks of raw meat in his hand. “They really are friendly dogs. You just have to be careful not to surprise them. How good is your aim?”

“I was a decent baseball pitcher in high school.” He lowered his voice. “I could throw a mean 92 mph fastball. It’s all about using the lower body to create more—”

“Okay, big shot,” she whispered. “Throw the meat and don’t hit the iron rail or somebody’s going to have to go over there and get it.”

Jack did a few stretches before he started to wind up.

“Jack,” she said, exasperated.

“Okay, okay. Do you want this done right the first time or do you want me to lose my arm to a Doberman because you made me lose my concentration?”

One of the dogs caught sight of their shadow and barked.

“Just do whatever you have to and throw the damn meat.”

Jack stretched again and aimed for one of the three-inch spaces separating one rail from another.

The dog barked again.

Winding up, Jack kept his eye on his shadowy target, and then lifted a knee and threw the meat. Bingo. Within seconds the barking stopped and all they heard was rustling within a hedge.

“Throw another one,” she said. “We don’t want the same dog to eat all of them.”

He repeated the process, watching each chunk of meat disappear between the rails. A dog yelped.

He still had it.

The last piece of meat hit iron and made a splat when it hit the driveway. “Can’t win them all,” he told Kate, but she had already taken a seat on the ground under an orange tree, her head resting against the base of the tree.

“Now we have to wait until the dogs fall asleep,” she said.

“How long will that take?”

She shrugged. “I have no idea. I just hope we didn’t kill any of them.”

Jack slid down beside her and put his arm around her until her head rested in the crook of his arm. “The dogs will be fine, I promise.”

He couldn’t see her face, but he knew she was smiling.

“I wonder how A.J. and the kids are doing?” Kate asked. “And Barney...”

“Roger Cott couldn’t have had enough time to get into the house before he stole the police car and came after us. Besides, if he had made it into the house, A.J. would have taken care of him. When A.J. is aimed and ready, he doesn’t miss.”

Silence stretched between them, both lost in their thoughts. Jack recalled once more the hollow emotionless look on his friend’s face when A.J. had told him Becky was dead. “It seems the world has tilted on its axis,” Jack said. “I’ve never felt such hopelessness.”

“I have,” she said, her voice as soft as the breeze rustling the leaves above his head.

He gave Kate a squeeze, wishing he could make everything right, but knowing he was running out of time.

Kate came awake with a jolt. It was still dark. Thank God. She’d fallen asleep in Jack’s arms. Using her pointer finger, she brushed her fingertip over his lips and smiled when he wrinkled his nose in his sleep.

Just like Barney, he was cute when he was asleep, but enough gawking, she decided. The sun would be rising within the hour. She shook Jack’s shoulder until he opened his eyes.

“Come on,” she said as she pushed herself from the ground. “Time to climb the fence. We probably don’t have much time.”

Jack snapped to attention and pushed himself to his feet. His legs felt incredibly stiff, as if he’d slept on a bed of nails. He rubbed his face and neck before he finally turned and headed for the fence where he’d thrown the meat last night.

Kate came up behind him.

Two dogs were out cold.

“What if they wake up?” he asked.

“Whatever you do, don’t run.”

They headed up the driveway to the section of the fence that was built of solid stone. Jack entwined his fingers and Kate put her left foot in his hands and let him push her to the top of the stone fence. Once she was stable, he jumped, caught his fingertips on the edge of the rough stone and pulled himself upward until he was high enough to swing his right knee over the top. Every muscle in his body ached as he swung his other leg to the top.

They took a quick breather before they jumped to the other side and landed on the grassy slope. Kate gestured for Jack to follow as she made her way across the lawn and around to the back of the house.

A motion light came on. “Hurry,” she said, keeping close to the side of the house. She pointed to a large paned window. “That’s Auntie’s window. Bend down so I can climb onto your shoulders.”

Jack looked upward to where she pointed. The window was ridiculously high. The sloping lawn didn’t help matters. Jack did as she asked and didn’t complain when she put one foot on his right shoulder and her other foot on his left. “Okay,” she said. “You can stand up now.”

“Your wish is my command.”

Kate tapped on the window. Minutes felt like hours before the window slid open. Although he couldn’t see them, he could hear two women talking and carrying on.

“Push me up,” Kate said. Although the constant stream of orders were beginning to grate at his nerves, and he wondered why they weren’t entering through the front door, he did as she asked, using his hands to push her feet higher and still higher until Kate managed to crawl through the window.

Looking upward, he waited for Kate to poke her head out the window and bark out another order, but instead, all he heard was a low familiar growl.

Apparently Kate’s Auntie had three dogs, after all.

Slowly, an inch at a time, he turned around until he was facing the dog. He tried to think. He couldn’t remember what “they” said about coming face to face with an angry dog.
Look it in the eyes or don’t look it in the eyes?
If you ran into a bear you were supposed to make yourself look bigger than the bear, but dogs were different. For one thing, they weren’t bears.

As soon as his eyes met the Doberman’s, he knew he’d made a big mistake. The dog snarled, baring its sharp teeth as it did a little box-step forward.

“Uhmm...good dog.”

The snarling turned nasty.

Jack looked slowly to his right. A four-foot fence surrounded the back yard, much smaller than the fence surrounding the property. He knew he couldn’t outrun the dog, but he had a good chance of making it over that fence in a single bound.

“Jack,” Kate said. “Are you still there?”

Too late. He’d already taken off. He made it to the fence in record time. So did the dog.

Jack jumped.

The dog did, too.

If he’d known Dobermans could jump that high, he never would have run for it. The pool was his last chance. Odds were the dog could swim, so he grabbed the pool brush with the heavy-duty aluminum pole instead, and swung around, hitting the dog’s nose with the pole.

The Doberman snarled as it took a step in Jack’s direction. Drool slid between its sharp teeth before hitting the ground in a nasty puddle.

“That’s enough, Jack!” a woman shouted from the house.

Jack didn’t know why the lady was yelling at him, but he wasn’t about to drop the pole.

“Jack!” the woman said again, clapping her hands together. Finally, the dog withdrew and scampered over to the woman’s side, its tail tucked between its muscular hind legs.

“The dog’s name is Jack,” Kate explained from inside the safety of the house.

Jack put the pole aside after the woman disappeared around the back of the house with the dog. Although Kate wasn’t smiling outwardly, he could see an amused gleam in her eyes as he approached.

“Sit down. Both of you,” Auntie said.

Jack watched the woman Kate called Auntie skitter about the kitchen like a confused little mouse. It was almost comical watching Kate try to keep up with the woman, both trying to locate teacups and sugar cubes.

Clearly, Auntie wasn’t used to playing host. Judging by the size of the house, and the expensive décor, she had maids and butlers to take care of details like serving tea.

Auntie was a petite woman with intense deep-set, blue-grey eyes, a thin straight nose, and high cheekbones. Despite being in her late fifties or early sixties, and having been awakened in the dead of the night, the woman looked well put together in a silk robe and matching headband that pulled back her thick dark hair and showed off rosy cheeks.

She pulled some sort of cake from the refrigerator and set out three plates and three forks.

Kate must have realized the woman wasn’t going to slow down because Kate sighed and took a gentle hold of the woman’s shoulders, forcing the woman to take a seat. “Auntie, we’re fine. Sit for a moment, please, so I can talk to you.”

Reluctantly, the woman sat across from Jack.

Kate took a seat next to her. “I know how hard this must be for you. I tried to call earlier in the day but your number was out of order. I didn’t want to ring the bell because I knew you might panic and call the police.”

The woman looked at Jack, averting her gaze when he looked her square in the eyes, unwilling to cower.

“We must call the police,” Auntie said, her voice shrill. “This man is a criminal, a fugitive.”

Kate stiffened. “I already told you, he’s innocent. He’s been set up and you’re the only person left in the world who can help us.”

The teakettle made a soft hiss on the stove.

“If you can’t help us or you don’t feel comfortable,” Kate added, “I understand and we’ll leave right now.”

Auntie lifted her chin and turned toward Jack again. This time she held his gaze. Judging by the way she rubbed her hands together, she was nervous. He supposed her anxiety was warranted. Most people would be nervous to have a supposed killer in their midst. But something about the woman gave him the willies. He knew he should say something calming to break the ice, let the woman know he wouldn’t harm a flea, but something told him she knew that already.

“I will help you,” the woman managed, her eyes still locked on Jack’s as she talked to Kate. “Your mother and father meant the world to me, how could I not?”

Kate stood and kissed the woman on the cheek. “Thank you, Auntie. You won’t regret it, I swear.”

Kate placed a teabag in each of the three cups sitting on the table before adding hot water. As she poured the water, she made a face at Jack, wrinkling her brow and mouthing words he couldn’t make out. He had a pretty good idea she was trying to get him to start a conversation with the woman, but he couldn’t think of a thing to say.