Chapter 61
Winter in my backyard.
No one is going very far or very fast on the scooter this time of year.
Hidden Secrets
Leona Palmer Haag
Chapter 61
Jenn's cell phone rang at a quarter to ten. "It
won't work today, Dia. I suggest you go shopping at the mall on Monday afternoon.
Things will be taken care of then."
"What? You're telling me my wonderful,
over-indulgent uncle can't pull a few strings on a weekend?" Jenn asked in
surprise.
"Not those strings. Go to the mall at three on
Monday afternoon and your wish shall be granted."
"I'll go shopping in town instead. I have a phone
book. I'll find a pawn shop or someone else who can sell me what I want.
Besides, Monday won't work. Katie has a swimming lesson."
Kevin groaned. "Has anyone ever told you you're
spoiled, demanding, inflexible and unreasonable, and swimming lessons can be
postponed and rescheduled?"
"Yes, but that doesn't matter. I still get what I
want. Katie and I are leaving now. I expect to have my present before
eleven-thirty, so just do it."
Jenn wandered the mall with Katie, wondering if Kevin
would pull through. Her phone rang at eleven-ten. "We need more time. I'll
call you when it's safe to go back to your vehicle."
"Safe? What do you mean by safe?" Jenn
gasped.
"Safe—in that the agent filling your wish will be
gone so you can't ID him. By the way, the agent watching you says you're cute.
Nice yellow shirt. But Katie is a holy terror. Can't you keep that kid under
control?"
Jenn laughed. "I'd like to see you try to
entertain a two-year old who thinks she can touch everything." She glanced
around to see if she could spot the agent. No luck.
Jenn took Katie to the food court and they ate
Chinese, thanks to Uncle Kevin and his money. She bought Katie a new outfit and
a bigger purse for herself—something that would hold a gun better. At
one-fifteen Kevin called and gave her permission to leave the mall. Katie's
little legs were tired and she was ready to go home.
Jenn buckled Katie in her seat, then glanced at the
edge of the package barely visible under her seat. She slid in, buckled up, and
reached over and opened the glove box. A package was inside. She was tempted to
inspect everything, but it could wait until Katie was napping.
Jenn called Kevin as she pulled out of the mall
parking lot. "Did I get what I asked for?"
"I don't know, did you?"
"I haven't checked yet. I'm just leaving the mall
now. I'll look when I get home."
Kevin groaned. "Then why bother me? I've got work
to do, you know."
"I know, so why did you answer your phone?"
"They make me. It's my job. Go home and go
swimming. Too-da-loo."
Jenn laughed. "Too-da-loo? Where did you grow up?
Or should I ask when? That is so five decades ago and…" Jenn stopped.
Literally. At a red light. "Kevin, I've got the creeps." She locked
the doors in case the automatic locks hadn’t worked.
"Yeah, and I've got an annoying princess to deal
with."
"This is no joke. Someone is following me. I can
feel it. My skin is crawling."
Kevin was suddenly all business. "Who? What does
the car look like? Describe everything."
Jenn bit her bottom lip and through the rearview
mirror scanned the cars behind her. She examined them through her side mirrors.
She hadn't really seen anything unusual. Nothing out of the ordinary. No one
following her. "Um, Kevin, I'm really not sure anyone is following me, it
just feels like someone is."
"What?" Kevin bellowed, almost making her
deaf. "You get the creepy-crawlies and tell me about it, but there's
really nothing wrong? Do you know you nearly scared me to death?"
Jenn took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Sorry
Kevin, it's a gut feeling. Ever had one of those?"
"Do you know how infuriating it is to have your
heart jump out of your chest? Don't do that to me again, got that? Let's deal
in real stuff from now on, okay?" he yelled.
"Sorry," Jenn meekly said as she pulled
through the intersection. She watched the cars behind her. No one was paying
attention to her.
"Are we done now? Can I return to important
things like picking my teeth? Counting paper clips? Waiting for someone
important to call me like the president?"
"Sure. Bye." Jenn hung up. She could be so
stupid at times. A real idiot. Oh well, she'd promised to torture Kevin, she
just hadn't expected to do it without premeditating. It made her giggle. Then a
chill ran up her spine, sending goosebumps cascading down her arms.
"Concentrate," Jenn coached herself. Was she
scaring herself because she had guns? Or was someone following her? She glanced
out her windows and into the mirrors. A black minivan was the only car still
behind her. "Okay, it's time to ditch it," she whispered.
Jenn turned right. The minivan turned right.
Jenn made a left. The minivan turned left.
Jenn pulled into Wendy's and went through the
drive-through. She ordered a soda to settle her stomach. The minivan continued
down the street. Jenn sighed with relief. Back on the boulevard, Jenn saw the
minivan parked at a drycleaner's. She had no clue if it was the same one. Five
minutes later she suspected so because it was a few cars behind her again. Yep.
The same driver. Details were her talent. "Kevin, what should I do if I'm
being followed by a black minivan?" Jenn whispered when he answered his
phone.
"What's the license plate number?"
"How should I know?"
"Duh! Look at it."
"It's behind me and it doesn't have a front license
plate."
"How far behind you?"
"Three cars."
"Then how do you know it's following you? Did you
hit on some guy at the mall? Give him your address? Or did you upset him when
you cut him off?"
Jenn wanted to hang up. Kevin was such a jerk at
times. "Okay, let's pretend it's nothing and I go home. I get killed. You
get fired. Nick gets furious and you get killed when he gets home. Do you like
that scenario?"
"It's flawed. Nick goes to prison. Now how do you
like the scenario?"
"I just pulled into McDonalds. It's driving past.
Give me a second and I'll have a license number for you."
"Good girl," Kevin said, making her feel
slightly better.
Jenn waited in the parking lot while Kevin sent in the
license plate info. When he came back he said, "It's a rental. We're
trying to ID the driver. In the meantime, I've got an agent heading your way.
We'll get you home safe and sound. Stay away from Scottsdale until we're sure
the coast is clear."
"What do you think went wrong?" Jenn asked.
"Nothing went wrong. We think it's a
coincidence."
"It can't be. I wouldn't have the creeps if it
were normal. So, what really went wrong?"
"Maybe the agent putting the guns in your car was
being followed without his knowledge."
Jenn bit her lip, then ripped in on the office.
"So these are the type of people who are trying to rescue my husband?
People who don't know they're being followed? Little me, who has virtually no
training can spot a tail, but your super smart agents can't? It's amazing how
much confidence that gives me. You’ve all flunked! I have zero trust in any of
you!"
"It was only a guess," Kevin angrily
interrupted. "Now shut up for a minute while we wait for the info,
okay?"
Jenn sat quietly. A minute later Kevin said, "It
was rented an hour and a half ago to a Mr. Morris Bradstone of Boston. He's
attending a convention in Phoenix. He's squeaky clean. Go ahead and go home.
We'll keep our eye on you."
Jenn pulled back onto the road, but kept her eye out
for the minivan. And for the agent who was supposedly around. Kevin told her
which route to take back to Honeysuckle Pie Drive. Jenn was delighted to arrive
safely without a tail or the black minivan.
Once inside the house, and after she
was sure Katie would stay asleep, Jenn pulled out the guns and bullets. She
loaded the guns and returned one to the car, sliding it under the front seat.
The other one went into her new handbag. Jenn curled up on the floor by Katie
and took a nap using a teddy bear for a pillow. She was exhausted. There was no
storm violent enough, or bad guy evil enough to prevent her from sleeping.
End Chapter 61
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