Tell Me No Spies (13 page)

When I finished, he
shot me another quick look. “If you want to sleep, you can use the
bed.” He jerked his thumb toward the sleeper. “Ain’t real safe if
there’s an accident, but I ain’t planning to hit anything.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled,
drowsiness numbing my brain. Safety, a full stomach and a bed.
Heaven. I dragged myself back into the sleeper.

Under ordinary
circumstances, I’d feel squeamish about sleeping in the bed of a
man whose personal hygiene seemed questionable, but I was past
caring. When I fell into the narrow bed, I registered brief
surprise that the sheets and pillowcase were clean before sleep
claimed me.

I woke when the truck
stopped. I sat up to peer into the cab, clenching my teeth and
heartily regretting the cup of coffee. “Where are we?”

“Revelstoke. Lunch
time.”

I put on my shoes and
slid into the passenger seat, reaching for the door handle.

“You sure you wanna
get out? I can get you something.”

“I have to,” I
gritted. “I have to go to the bathroom.” That was the
understatement of the century. I wasn’t even sure I could make it
down from the cab without peeing my pants.

“Use the one in the
sleeper. I’ll get lunch.” He swung out of the cab before I could
thank him, and I hurried back into the sleeper. Thank God. It had
never occurred to me that it would contain a toilet. I opened a
skinny door, and there it was, also surprisingly clean.

By the time Dave
returned, I’d brushed out my rats-nest of hair, changed my clothes,
and freshened up. I’d also relocated the Glock into my ankle
holster and stowed the waist holster in my pack. I had a feeling
I’d be safe with Dave.

“Heart attack in a
bag,” he grunted, handing me another paper sack. That explained the
onion scent in the cab. The burger smelled delicious.

“Thanks.” I handed him
a ten, and he fumbled in his pocket for change. “Forget it,” I told
him. He shrugged and nodded thanks, and we both devoured our
food.

On the road again, we
rode in silence until I began to ask questions about the truck. I
knew nothing about the big diesels, and apparently I was asking the
right person. His taciturn manner vanished as he waxed loquacious
over his custom-built sleeper and the inner workings of the engine,
and we spent several enjoyable hours discussing vehicles in
general.

Apparently the ice was
broken, and the conversation wandered to more personal matters. I
discovered he was an independent trucker who owned his own rig, and
I realized my good fortune when he mentioned he wouldn’t have been
allowed to pick me up if he’d been trucking for anybody else.

We had been talking
about his bitter ex-wife and his adult kids when he shot me a
sudden piercing glance. “You really running from your ex?”

“He’s not really my
ex. But I’m as good as dead if he finds me.”

“Who is he?”

“He’s… a guy I work
with. We… I thought we had something. I was wrong.”

“So this nutjob is
chasing you. That all you got?” He indicated my backpack.

“Yeah.”

He frowned. “You got a
place to go?”

“Um…” Now that I’d had
a few hours of sleep and a chance to think things through, I
realized exactly how ill-prepared I was. Last I’d heard, Aunt
Minnie was in a care home. I couldn’t stay there. And after I saw
her, then what? Keep hiding from Kane for the rest of my life? On
four hundred dollars cash?

“I’ll figure something
out.” I hoped I sounded more convincing to him than I sounded to
myself.

“You got enough
money?”

“I’ll manage.”

He fell silent,
watching the road, and I leaned back in the passenger seat, my mind
skittering like a frightened squirrel. I never did anything without
a detailed plan. What the hell had I been thinking? And what the
hell was I going to do?

By the time we arrived
in Hope, BC, I had developed as much of a plan as I could. Dave
pulled over for food and returned with another bag of grease, and I
began to understand why he had the gut. Under the circumstances, I
was surprised he wasn’t enormous. I enjoyed the fried chicken, but
I couldn’t imagine a steady diet of it.

When I offered him
another twenty, he turned it down, shaking his head. “Still got
change from lunch.”

“But…”

He shook his head
irritably, and I decided not to push it.

As we approached
Vancouver, he kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, and
his bushy eyebrows merged into a single line across his
forehead.

At last, he spoke.
“Where’re you headed after this?”

“Victoria.”

“Why Victoria?”

“There’s somebody
there I have to see.”

He looked me full in
the face for the first time in a couple of hours, his expression
lightening. “You can stay with them?”

“No.”

“Hmmph.” He frowned at
the road some more. Then he shifted in his seat and shot me another
sidelong glance. “Look, I’m gonna get a hotel in Vancouver tonight.
I don’t have another load ‘til Friday. I could take you to Victoria
tomorrow, if you stay with me tonight.”

I hesitated, not
exactly sure what he was offering. Or asking for.

A dark flush spread up
his neck. “I mean, not like stay with me, for… I meant, a double
room. Or you could have the room and I could sleep in the truck.”
He shifted again, rubbing the back of his neck and not meeting my
eyes. “I’m not trying to…”

“It’s okay. Thanks,
Dave, but that’s too much trouble for you. If you could just drop
me off at the ferry terminal, that would be great.”

“You know what time
the ferries run?”

“No… but it’s only
seven o’clock. They wouldn’t stop running this early, would
they?”

“Don’t know. Where’re
you gonna sleep when you get over there?” he challenged.

“Um…” I cast about for
ideas. “There must be… maybe they have a women’s shelter or
something?”

He stopped at a red
light and turned to face me. “Look, if all you got is what’s in
your backpack, things’re gonna be tough. Let me do this for you.”
His pale eyes held mine. “You might not believe it right now, but
not all guys are bums.”

“Thanks.” I swallowed
a lump in my throat. “How… how about if you take the room and I
sleep in the truck? I don’t want to be seen in a hotel.”

He nodded and fell
silent while he navigated the big vehicle expertly through the city
traffic. At length, he steered the truck into the parking lot of a
freight depot. “Better get in the sleeper again,” he advised.
“Gonna be unloading for a while.”

I obeyed, and perched
on the bench seat in the sleeper as he backed the trailer into
place. He got out, and thumps and bumps signalled that the
unloading process was under way.

When Dave climbed back
into the cab, he was smiling. “Made a deal to leave the trailer
here. That’ll be easier.”

“Dave, you don’t need
to do this…”

“I know.” He fired up
the engine again and pulled out.

The next morning, a
rap on the driver’s door woke me out of a sodden slumber. I jerked
upright with a moment’s disorientation. Awareness returned at the
sound of Dave’s voice. “Jane, you decent?”

“Yeah.” I crawled
stiffly out of the berth, tugging at the clothes I’d slept in.

Dave poked his head
in, accompanied by the smell of shampoo and shaving cream. He
looked like an entirely different man, clean-shaven and wearing a
clean T-shirt and better-fitting jeans, his wet hair slicked into
tidy waves against his head.

I was rubbing the grit
out of my eyes when he spoke. “Didn’t check out yet. Thought you
might want a shower.”

The thought of a hot
shower beckoned like a little slice of heaven. “Ooh…” I tamped down
the desire. “I better not. The longer I stay hidden, the
better.”

He eyed me
sympathetically. “I could let you in the back door. You could wear
this. Put the hood up.” He held out a jacket.

“Dave, you’re a
prince.”

He reddened and backed
out of the cab. “Watch for me at the back door,” he said
gruffly.

I slipped on the
oversized jacket and pulled up the hood. In a few minutes, the back
door of the hotel opened and Dave waved. I grabbed my backpack and
scampered across the parking lot, my heart pounding foolishly. Who
the heck was going to see me and recognize me? Jeez, what a
moron.

I breathed again when
the door of the hotel room closed behind me.

When I emerged from
the steamy bathroom feeling human again, I discovered that Dave had
ordered room service. There was a plate of bacon and eggs, but he’d
also ordered a fruit cup and some yogurt.

“Thought you might
want that,” he muttered when I thanked him profusely. “Seemed like
a girl thing.”

I tried to pay him,
but he wouldn’t accept anything. After a short wrangle, I gave
up.

I let out a deep sigh
as we pulled away from the hotel. I couldn’t believe my luck in
finding an ally like Dave. Even Hellhound wouldn’t have been able
to help me this much. I wondered if Kane would be watching him in
case I made contact. My heart lurched at the thought.

By eleven A.M., we
were parked in a quiet semi-residential area across from a low,
institutional-looking building.

Dave’s eyebrows rose.
“A nursing home? What’re you gonna do in there?”

“I have to see my
aunt. I just have to ask her a few questions. Then…” I scrubbed my
hands over my face, trying to summon up some usable plan. “I don’t
know. I’ll figure something out.”

Perched on the edge of
the seat, I scanned the building, the parking lot, and as much of
the grounds as I could see. What if Kane was lying in wait for me?
Or what if he had someone else in place, someone I didn’t
recognize? They’d be on me before I even knew it.

Dave frowned at me.
“You think he might be here?”

I clasped trembling
hands around my backpack. “Maybe. She’s the only family I have
left. She’d be easy to find.”

“Want me to come in
with you?”

“No. Thanks, Dave.
This is where we part ways. The further away you are, the safer it
is for you. In fact,” I hesitated, trying to phrase this right.
“Don’t tell anybody you saw me. And if anybody asks you directly,
tell them I threatened you at gunpoint and forced you to drive
me.”

“What?” He gaped at
me. “No!”

“I’m sure it won’t
happen. But if it does, that’s what you tell them, okay?”

“No! I won’t lie and
get you in trouble with the law!”

“Dave, if it comes to
that, it’ll be the least of my worries.” I surveyed the area one
last time and reached for the door handle. “Thanks again. Take
care.”

“Wait!” He dug into
his pocket. “Here.” He thrust a crumpled handful of bills at
me.

“Dave, thanks, but I
have money.”

“Not enough to get you
by. I saw your wallet.”

“No, really, I’m
fine.” I gently pushed his hand away. “Thanks anyway.”

He frowned and dug
into his pocket again. “Take this then.” He handed me a dog-eared
business card. “You call me if you ever need help.”

My heart swelled.
“Thanks, Dave.” I impulsively leaned over and kissed him on the
cheek. “You’re a great guy. Now get out of here.” I opened the door
and swung down from the cab before I could have second
thoughts.

Scurrying into the
nursing home, I tried to look in all directions at once. The
receptionist eyed me disapprovingly, and I sent a silent thanks to
Dave for my shower that morning. At least I looked more or less
presentable.

“I’m here to see
Minnie Kelly.”

“And you are?”

“I’m her niece.” I
resisted the urge to glance around and whisper. “Aydan Kelly.”

“This way.”

Sweating already in
the overheated air, I followed the nurse’s bulging posterior down
the hallway. The decor was Early Grim, nicely rendered in shades of
olive and grey. I tried not to shudder at the smell of over-boiled
vegetables and antiseptic when we passed the dining room, where
several elderly people already hunched over tables. A bullet to the
brain didn’t seem like such a bad thing anymore.

The nurse halted
outside a half-open door and turned to me. “She’s almost blind, and
her mind is not completely sound. She has good days and bad days.
She has lunch in half an hour, so I hope you’ll keep it short.”

I blew out a breath
through my teeth as she marched away. Yep, a bullet was looking
better all the time. A shudder of claustrophobia shook me.

Taking another deep
breath, I tapped on the door and stepped into the room. The stringy
woman in the bed started and gazed slightly to the left of the
door. “Who’s there?”

“It’s Aydan, your
niece.”

“Who?”

“Aydan Kelly. Gordon
and Nola’s daughter.”

“Gordon? Is he getting
into trouble with Roger again? Those two are incorrigible.”

“No, Aunt Minnie,
Gordon’s dead. Dad and Uncle Roger are both dead.”

“You wicked girl, what
a vicious lie! Why would you say such a thing?”

I pulled a chair up
beside her bed and sat. “I’m sorry, Aunt Minnie, Uncle Roger’s been
gone for three years. You remember, he had a heart attack?”

“That’s a lie! Roger!
Roger, come here this instant! Where is that man? Always involved
in some foolishness.” She hoisted herself up in the bed, her eyes
focused somewhere in the corner of the room. I couldn’t help
twitching when she suddenly jerked around, staring directly at me.
“You’re covering up for him, aren’t you? What is he up to? Spit it
out, child!”

“No, Aunt Minnie…”

“Who did you say you
were?”

I blew out a breath of
tense frustration. “Aydan. Gordon and Nola’s daughter.”

She peered into my
face from close range, turning her head slightly to the side in an
unsettling fashion. “No, you’re not. You’re far too old. Aydan is
just a girl.”