I made it to Starbucks in just enough time. Traffic had been heavy. I’d set out in a black car from the office, but three blocks away, I’d hopped out and run with a leather attaché case containing the flash drive and the papers. It was cold outside, and the sun was shining, but I felt none of its warmth.
Finally, I rounded the corner and burst into the Starbucks, panting and breathing hard. I was sweating under my wool overcoat, and I loosened the silk scarf at my neck before scanning the coffee shop for O’Brian.
When I saw him, I made a beeline for his table. He was seated at the back with a steaming cup in front of him. Even though it had only been a few years since the last time I’d seen him, he looked like he’d aged a lot. He was in late middle age, with salt and pepper hair, lots of lines on his face, and grim blue eyes.
“Enzo.” It was more of a statement than a greeting. We shook hands, and then I sat down, sliding the case across the table to him.
“This is for you,” I said with diplomacy. “And don’t ask how I got it.”
O’Brian raised his hands in the air. “I want to know, but you know how badly I’m dying to catch this bastard,” he replied as he flipped open the case and began flipping through the papers. “And what’s this?” He held up the flash drive.
“Electronic copies of everything. But I made paper copies so you could get to work on this straight away.”
O’Brian nodded.
“I want full immunity,” I said sharply. “As my present for complying and handing this stuff over to you.”
O’Brian frowned. “Enzo, you know I’d promise you that if I could. But right now, I’m not sure that I can. It depends on what’s inside, and what my superiors say.”
My heart sank. “I get it, but please try. You know I’m risking my neck by handing over these papers.”
O’Brian’s worn face looked into mine, and his blue eyes seemed to harden. “I know. And I’ll do my best. But right now, I can’t make any promises. It depends on what we find in here.” He patted the attaché case and tucked it into his bag.
I nodded, swallowing hard. “Okay.” My heart was pounding like a drum. “So, you guys are going after him today?”
O’Brian shrugged. “Probably not. It takes a while to get this paper pushed through the bureau, you know that. I’m not sure we’d be able to start anything until early next week, tops. Nothing before that, though.”
“You can’t move any faster than that?”
O’Brian narrowed his eyes and frowned. “Enzo, what’s the rush on this? What’s the big deal?”
I shook my head. “I can’t tell you,” I admitted. “But trust me, please. This is a bad situation, and I need your help.”
O’Brian stood up and sighed. He stretched. When I stood, I discovered that I was about a head taller than he was. In his police-issue boots, he was only slightly taller than Audrey. Just thinking about her name sent a bolt of warmth and panic through me. It was so easy to believe that she was back at the office, tucked away in some frumpy and lumpy garment, ignoring all social clues and typing loudly.
I shook my head.
“Enzo, what the hell is up with you?” O’Brian squinted at me. “I’ve never seen you look so stressed.” He laughed, putting his hands on his beer belly like it was something funny. “Normally you’re the slickest guy around. But right now, you look like a real mess.”
“Just find Hodges,” I snapped, putting on my sunglasses and scarf. “I have to go.”
When I got back in the black car, I didn’t go back to the office right away. I had my driver loop around the downtown area. I wanted to see where the car had crashed—if there was any evidence of wrongdoing. Or any evidence of Audrey, if it came to that.
“Just go around the block until I tell you to stop,” I instructed the driver. Rolling down the window, I braced myself against the bitter chill of the Chicago winter air. The pavement was clear save for a piece of gum here, a quarter there. The streets were much quieter than usual, especially for the middle of the day. I figured that everyone was inside, warming up at their desks. I cringed as the driver pulled up to the intersection where we’d been attacked. There was nothing on the ground, not even shards of tinted glass from the car.
“Stop here,” I instructed. The driver screeched to a halt, and I bolted out of the back seat, scanning the ground with my eyes. Even though I looked over every surface and sidewalk crack, there wasn’t anything that stuck out about the accident. Despite my almost-complete recovery from earlier, I was still sore and tired.
Looking at the ground over and over made me dizzy. Finally, I turned back to the car. There’s nothing there, I thought in defeat. Nothing I can use against Hodges, nothing I can use to find Audrey.
Something bumped into me, and I jumped back. “Excuse you,” I snapped under my breath, half-expecting a kid or an old person to be behind me. When I turned around, I was shocked what I saw.
Pepper.
Audrey’s mutt was sitting on the pavement and wagging its tail. Its pink tongue was hanging out of its mouth, and it actually looked glad to see me.
“Pepper?” I frowned, patting my thigh. “Is that you?” The dog barked again and then whined, pawing at the ground. Cautiously, I stepped closer, half-afraid that the dog would run off. But it didn’t, it sat there watching me. It was wearing a collar and a tag and a leash that had been ripped or cut halfway through the cord.
Sure enough, the tag read: Pepper.
I let out a sigh of relief and grabbed the dog’s collar, pulling it forward. Pepper whined but didn’t resist as I tugged it into the back seat of the car.
“You smell,” I complained.
Pepper panted in my face, drooling on my slacks. For a second, I wanted to push it onto the ground. Then I realized that the dog could actually be useful.
“Pepper, Audrey’s gone,” I said to the dog in a businesslike tone. “And we need to find her. Can you help me with that?”
Pepper barked in response.
“Great,” I muttered. “Now I’m so crazy that I’m working with a goddamn dog.”