Quest (Dane Maddock Adventures) (5 page)

Jay Newman watched Gerard leave his office with the blonde and escort her down the hall. The moment they turned the corner, he looked around to make certain no one was watching. Certain he was in the clear, he hurried to Gerard’s office and tried the door. He was pleased to find it was unlocked, and he slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

A manila envelope lay on the desk. He had seen the girl carrying it when she entered the captain’s office. It must be the one to which the message had referred. Jay opened it and removed the single item it contained. He frowned. What was this and how could it be important? Not his problem. He laid it on his desk, snapped a couple of pictures with his iPhone, and slipped it back into the envelope.

Knowing time could be short, depending on how long Gerard took walking the girl out, he hurried back to the door. Easing it open, he peeked out, and was relieved to find that the hallway remained empty. Closing the door behind him, it occurred to him that he should have just stepped out of the office acting normally, as if he’d simply been looking for the captain and had not found him in his office. All of this cloak and dagger was not for him. If he hadn’t needed the money, he would never have agreed to help these guys.

“Detective!” Gerard’s voice boomed down the hall. “Are you looking for me?”

Newman was proud of how calmly he turned around to face Gerard who, despite nearing mandatory retirement, still could intimidate him with a mere glance. “Yes, Captain, I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help you with that young woman’s situation.”

Gerard fixed him with an appraising look, but then his stony features cracked into a smile. “Don’t bother with that one. She’s all broken up over her missing boyfriend.”

“You mean the guy that was kidnapped?” Newman’s heart raced. Perhaps he could glean some useful information from this conversation, which could mean more cash, and hopefully being shut of these guys sooner.

“No, a different fellow. Went on a university field trip and got himself lost.” Gerard smirked. “College man. We’d all be better off if everyone had a mandatory tour of duty in the service after high school. It made a world of difference for me.”

Newman had heard Gerard’s pontifications on mandatory service more times than he cared to remember. He thanked the captain, reiterated his offer of help, which elicited another smirk from Gerard, and returned to his cubicle.

He wasted no time in sending the photos to his contact number, and wasn’t surprised when he received a response less than a minute later.

CALL

This was not a conversation he could risk having overheard. He hurried to a small, single-head restroom near the break room and locked the door. Inside, he turned on the water and retreated to the stall before making his call.

“You sent the wrong attachment.”
Not so much as a hello.
“What the hell is this picture you sent me, anyway?”
The voice belonged to the man who had first contacted him with the business proposition.

“No, really, that’s it. That was the only thing in the envelope.”

“The next two words out of your mouth had better be ‘April Fool’ or else my employers are going to be very unhappy with both of us.”

“I’m serious.” Newman forced himself to remain calm, though his heart was racing. What kind of people had he gotten himself hooked up with? “That is what the girl turned over to my captain.”

“And you’re certain it was the right envelope?”
Suspicion lay beneath every word.
“If you’re messing with me, you won’t see one penny of the money. And that’s only if they take the news well. If they don’t…
”

If I don’t get that money, certain other people are going to be after me, too. Either way, I’m toast,
Newman thought.
“I’m one hundred percent sure. I saw the girl take the envelope into the captain’s office.”

“Fine.”
The caller gave an exasperated sigh.
“What about the back? You didn’t send me a picture of the flip side.”

Newman froze. Had he even looked at the back? Surely he had taken a quick glance to see if anything was there. He must have looked at it, seen nothing, and just taken pictures of the front. In any case, he wasn’t going to tell this guy that he might have overlooked something that simple. No way was he going to make this fellow any angrier than he already was.

“The back was blank. What you’ve got right there is everything.” He held his breath, wondering what the reply would be, and what it might bode for his future well-being.

“All right, whatever. I don’t get why this thing is such a big deal, but that’s not for you and me to decide. We do need to make sure this is the real thing, and the girl didn’t pull some sort of switch on us. I’ll check her place. You find out if she might have decided to stay somewhere else.”

It was a good thing Newman was in the head, because he felt like he was going to throw up. He’d agreed to provide information, not help track down and interrogate innocent women. He hoped the man had nothing in mind more serious than interrogation. He swallowed hard. “I understand. Do you have her name?”

“Yeah, it’s Kaylin Maxwell.”

Thirty minutes and the walls were already closing in on Kaylin. She sipped a cup of hot tea, which was not bad for a complimentary hotel brand, and tried to relax. It was lunchtime, but she had little appetite.

Her conversation with Thomas’s dean had been a waste of time. The man claimed to have no connections in South America, but promised her he would “ask around.” The call to her congressman’s office was equally fruitless. She’d left a message with a skeptical-sounding aide, who asked that she email him with the details so he could look into it, whatever that meant.

Now that she was calm enough to reflect, she felt like a fool for panicking when the man had come after her, and letting a teenager fight her battle for her. What happened to the tough, self-reliant girl her father raised? She’d been in worse situations before. Since she and Thomas had become serious, she had allowed herself to get soft. Why, she didn’t even carry her .380 in her purse any more. It was still in her glove compartment where it had lain for a couple of years now. What would her father think if he could see her right now, cowering in a hotel room, hoping other people would solve her problems for her?

No more of this. It was time to take action. She took out her phone and scrolled down to the D’s. There was the name, still there, though the two of them hadn’t talked in… she didn’t know how long. What if he had changed his number? No, that wouldn’t be like him. Never mind. She’d call him later. Telling herself she was putting first things first, and not being chicken, she called her neighbor, Amber. Perhaps she could safely go home and get her laptop, clothes, and personal items.

Amber picked up on the first ring.

“Hi Amber, it’s Kay. Would you mind taking a peek over at my apartment and seeing if things are… all right?”

“Sure. Your key’s hanging right here. I’ll go check it out. Is everything all right?”

“No! I mean, I think things are okay, but no, you don’t have to go inside. Just take a look and see if things look… normal.” She was feeling a little foolish. What exactly did she want Amber to look for? Masked men hiding on the balcony? The door kicked in? “You know what? Don’t even worry about it.”

“It’s no problem. I’m already here. Besides, what are next-door neighbors for?”

“No, really. Forget about…”

Amber’s scream cut her off in mid-sentence. She heard the clatter of a phone falling to the ground.

“Amber!”

The call ended. She punched up the number again, but no answer. She tried again and, this time, it went straight to voice mail. That sealed it for her. She snatched up her purse, the only item she had with her, and headed for the door, calling 911 as she went. She gave the operator an abridged description of the phone call and the scream, making it sound like she and Amber had been on the phone when Amber screamed and the line went dead. She worried that the incident she described would not seem serious enough to merit police attention, but the operator assured her they would check it out.

The elevator reached the first floor, the doors opened, and she hurried toward the side entrance nearest the spot where she had parked her car. As she passed the front desk, she heard someone say, “Kaylin Maxwell’s room, please.” She jerked her head around in surprise, and caught a glimpse of a tall, lean man in a navy suit. Distracted, she bumped into an elderly man who was engrossed in a large print novel.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, hurrying away.

“Not at all,” he called to her. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

She glanced back to discover she had caught the attention of the man at the counter, who was now following after her.

“Ms. Maxwell!” he called. “Hold on a minute! Please!”

She banged through the door and hurried out into the parking lot, once again cursing her high heels and vowing to wear flats for the rest of her life. She was just slamming the car door when she heard the man call out to her.

“Wait! I’m with the police!”

She locked the door and turned to see him approaching, holding up his shield and identification. She let her shoulders sag, and lowered the window an inch.

“I didn’t mean to freak you out.” He tucked his badge inside his coat pocket. “I’m a detective. Can we talk?”

“First, you can send someone to my apartment. I think my neighbor is in trouble.”

“I know. I mean, I came to tell you not to go home.” He leaned down, putting his face inches from the window, and lowered his voice. “You’re in danger.”

Kaylin tensed. “How did you already know about my neighbor? I just called it in maybe two minutes ago.”

“I didn’t.” She was certain he was lying. The way his eyes shifted to the left as he spoke, his demeanor, even the sound of his voice set off alarms. “I just wanted to warn you about going home. If something has happened, then I guess I was right.”

“Thank you for your concern. If you’ll please follow up on it and make sure help is on its way, I need to go.” She put the key in the ignition and started the car.

“Wait! The envelope you brought in to the station. Are you sure you gave us everything? Was there anything else inside?”

“What? No. Captain Gerard has everything. Why would I go to him for help and then withhold the only piece of evidence I have?” Why was he asking about the envelope? This situation was all wrong.

“That’s fine. Just one more question before I go. Was there anything on the back?”

“I don’t know. Flip it over and look for yourself.” Not waiting for a reply, she put the car in drive and hit the gas, leaving him standing alone, looking dumbfounded as she sped away. She looked back, praying he wouldn’t follow her. If the man was truly working on Andy’s case, why did he need to ask her a question he could easily answer for himself simply by taking a look at the evidence? It just didn’t add up.

Just then, her phone vibrated. The number was local, but unfamiliar. She hesitated for an instant, then remembered her vow to start taking action.

“Hello.”

“Kay, it’s Amber.”
Kaylin breathed a deep sigh of relief at the sound of her friend’s voice. “I’m sorry about that, but there was somebody in your apartment. He ran for it when I opened the door. He knocked me down and I dropped my phone. I’m talking it went flying. Two stories to the parking lot. Toast.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I’ll buy you a new phone.”

“Crazy!” Amber laughed. “I’ve got a replacement plan.” Her tone now turned serious. “Kaylin, I’m not stupid. Something’s wrong with you. What’s going on?”