Chapter 7
Angela didn’t know how long they’d been driving, but it seemed like forever. She’d nodded off once. The second time she fell asleep, she fell deeper into a sleep filled with crazy dreams ripping through her head and panic for Joshua permeating every thought.
Only when a hand shook her awake did she bolt forward, coming against the seat belt. She shuddered and turned to look at Corey. “I fell asleep again?” she croaked.
“If that’s what you call sleep, then we have to work on your definition,” he said, his voice harsh.
She looked at him groggily for a moment, realizing he was upset. “What do you mean?”
“Sleep is supposed to be peaceful, restful. You twisted and jerked, even cried out several times.” He eased back onto his side of the car and took a deep breath. “I took it for as long as I could and then realized it couldn’t be good for you either.”
She relaxed back and thought about it. “Everything is so caught up in my head. It’s twisted and mixed up. I haven’t been able to sleep for over two weeks—since I left. When we separated, I didn’t have any money. That was a panic in itself—trying to figure out how to make a living and to support my son. I didn’t care about trying to maintain the same status. I was just trying to survive. But since Greg got ugly about custody, well …” She rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know where we are.” The fatigue was still in her voice. “I’ll need a restroom soon.”
“We’ll stop up here in another few miles for a meal and some coffee.”
She twisted in her seat, pulling her knees up under her. “Seems like we’ve been driving forever. But I really don’t know where we are.”
He smiled. “That’s because we’re heading to a safe house. All set up and waiting for us.”
“That sounds pretty ominous,” she admitted. “Was there no other option?”
He shook his head. “We need you safe and out of the way.”
She nodded. “Is there any way we can pick up Joshua? I hate to be away from him like this.”
“Has any custody order been signed yet?”
She shook her head. “No, I wanted to be reasonable so was trying to talk to Greg about when he’d like Joshua to come and visit him.” At his look she bit her lip. “I had no idea Greg would be so cruel as to not want Joshua to see me after that.”
“Then the issue is trying to separate Joshua from your husband. If Joshua’s back in your care, then your husband will have to fight that much harder to get him handed over. If no custody papers have been signed, then the judges tend to look more kindly on the parent who the child is living with.”
“Yes. Greg said something about that earlier. But I just didn’t have the means to get Joshua away without a major scene, and I didn’t want to traumatize him.”
“It’s always better to avoid ugly confrontations in front of a child,” Corey agreed. He pointed to a big sign up ahead. “We are pulling off here.”
She read the sign, but it didn’t register in her brain that she even saw it. “That sign said San Diego. Are we home?”
He nodded. “In a way. I took a roundabout route to throw off any possible tails. We’re heading to a safe house in the city. We will pick up supplies, get to the house, and make sure we have enough to hole up for a few days.”
She thought about that. “Will a few days make any difference?”
“Hopefully we won’t be looking for bullets and strange people at the door while we search for answers about your husband.”
“Did you hear from the detective?”
“Mason did. We’ve been talking about it while you were sleeping.”
“Did the detective figure any of it out?”
“He’s pissed actually. Pissed you didn’t turn this in two weeks ago. One of the men in the photos is dead now. As in just a few days ago.”
She turned to look at him in shock. “Really?”
When he nodded, she sagged back. “How did he die? Do you think, if I had turned in the photos, it would have saved him?” The thoughts were scrambling inside her brain. But guilt was the foremost feeling. “I just didn’t know what to do with them all.”
“You were afraid of your husband.”
“Of course. But that fear is something I’ve lived with for quite a while. It’s not full-blown terror. It’s an insidious fear that is part of me now. By the last year, I had to do everything in secret. If I wanted to have lunch with my girlfriend, I had to sneak out of the house. I got caught once. He was pretty livid.”
“How did you get caught?”
“The security cameras. I hadn’t asked for permission to leave the house. So, when I did sneak out, the cameras picked up my arrival.”
There was an odd silence in the interior of the car as he absorbed that information. Then he shook his head. “How could you live like that?”
“It starts slowly, and, before you realize it, it becomes normal. It’s only when you get away from it that you realize just how abnormal that it was. Now that I look back …” She shook her head. “It’s hard to even imagine I would have been so easily duped. But Greg was very good at getting people to do what he wanted them to do. Even now I don’t know exactly what his techniques were. I just know they worked. And here I am, a fool. It doesn’t make me feel very good.”
“You’re older, wiser,” he said, his voice low. “Relationships are tricky, and we learn a lot from the ups and downs. As we move forward, we take those lessons into each new relationship, hopefully making them better than the last.”
She watched as he took the turn. The on-ramp was long and curvy. As soon as they were parked, she got out of the vehicle and stretched for a moment. “I want to use the restroom first,” she said with a smile and headed inside.
Following the signs, she made her way to the ladies’ room. After she used the facilities, she took a moment to wash her hands, brush her hair and give her face a quick wash. She stared at her features in the mirror. She still looked like hell. Although the nap had helped, it certainly hadn’t fixed her haggard-looking appearance.
“You need to smarten up and fast,” she said to the woman in the mirror. “No more being a doormat for you.”
After giving herself a quick pep talk, she followed the hall back to the main restaurant. She surveyed the crowd, not surprised to see it as full as it was. In good weather thousands of people were on the road traveling. It was summertime and high-tourist traffic.
Seeing Corey and Warrick standing off to one side in the waiting area, she joined them. She smiled as Corey wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tucked her up close. In a low voice she said, “If nothing else, I’m glad I reconnected with you.”
He squeezed her gently and dropped a kiss on her temple. “You didn’t have to stay away so long, you know.”
“I was all about trying to build a new life. It took me a long time to even figure out who and what I wanted.”
“I think that is the same for all of us at that age. We were kids.”
Just then the hostess said, “I have a table ready. Follow me please.”
They followed her to a table in the corner. She wondered if that was standard for Corey. Wait until a table opened in the location he wanted. Seemed like he was constantly on the lookout for trouble.
He tucked her in the back against the wall with him. Warrick sat with his back to the main room.
In a low voice she said, “Do you always arrange seating like this?”
Warrick gave her a blank look, then winked. She took that as a yes. Menus were placed in front of them and coffee ordered. It felt so strange to be in this location with these two men. She barely knew the two men, and yet she trusted them. They had tracked her down when they knew she was in trouble. How many people would actually do that? Maybe a family member. But most of the time everybody was happy to let people live their own lives and not get involved. Whereas these two had gone out of their way to help her.
“If I haven’t said it before, I want to say it now. Thank you for finding me.”
Warrick reached over and gently patted the back of her hand. Then he picked up his mug of coffee and said, “Anytime.”
And she believed him. He was the kind who would be there through thick or thin. The kind who would step up and be your best man at a wedding or be there for a barbecue or because you were digging up the backyard to put in a pool. He was just one of those all-around good guys. She glanced at him and asked, “How come you don’t have a girlfriend?”
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. “How do you know I don’t have a girlfriend?”
She frowned. “I overheard you talking. Sorry, I’m not trying to be nosy, I’m curious.”
“Ah.” He put his hands in his lap and said, “Not right now. We just broke up a few days ago.”
She winced. Talk about asking the wrong question. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Because of that, I’m not on vacation, so I can help you out.”
“Her loss, my gain,” she said with a chuckle.
“What makes you think she’s the one who broke up with me?”
“Because I think you love long and hard and deep.”
He stared at her for a long moment and then gave a quick nod. “I do indeed.”
She turned her attention to Corey. “And you?”
Corey shook his head. “Haven’t been in a relationship for at least six months.”
She chuckled. “Now that does surprise me. You were always one of the most popular guys in high school.”
He stared at her in astonishment. “Hell no, I wasn’t. I wasn’t a jock, and I wasn’t a brain. And I definitely wasn’t the most popular.”
“Maybe not, but all the girls thought you were sexy as hell and were really upset with me when we were going out.”
Warrick chuckled. “Now that I can see.”
“She’s making too much out of it. She was the most popular girl. I was just the incredibly grateful callow youth who was going out with her. I never could figure out what she saw in me.” Corey had a big smile. “Those were the days.”
“Yuck. I’m so grateful not to go back to those days.” But she slipped her hand into his. “Besides, we’re adults now. Things have changed.”
He squeezed her fingers but held on tight. She sat slightly back into the seat and looked around the restaurant. “So can we assume we weren’t followed?”
“We didn’t see anyone, and we were watching.”
“And, if we were, how do we stop them from following us directly to the house?”
“We’ll be a little bit sly as we get there,” he said. “After we finish here, the grocery store is only a few miles up the road. We will stop, pick up enough food for a few days, and then we’ll head out again.”
“Good. I’m glad I slept after all. It made the journey much faster.”
“You don’t look like you slept,” Warrick said bluntly. “You look like death warmed over, if I may say so.”
“You don’t hold back your punches, do you?” she said in irritation, but it was mild. Because he was right. “You are correct. I don’t look great. But that isn’t the result of the nap or the trip. It’s just been a very long few weeks.”
Both their phones went off within seconds of each other. She sat quietly and sipped her coffee, waiting. Warrick’s was a text, but Corey’s was a call. He motioned with his head at Warrick and stood. Warrick got up and took his place beside her. Corey walked outside to have a conversation in private.
“Does that mean trouble?”
“It means he needs privacy to talk. And that’s not necessarily from you or from me but from anybody close enough in the restaurant to listen.”
She turned to look around, and, sure enough, other tables and other patrons probably could have heard the conversation. “How do you keep that edge on all the time? That awareness of what’s going on around you?”
He shrugged. “A lot of it’s just plain training. We’ve been doing this for a long time.”
“So when Bridget said I should contact Corey, she meant it.”
“Absolutely. It’s too bad you didn’t think to do so on your own.”
“The past is a hard thing to revisit,” she said with a sad smile. “But I’m glad I did eventually call him. Even if it took Bridget to nudge me.”
“Corey’s a good guy,” Warrick said. “And sometimes the past has to be revisited to reopen the wound so it can finally heal from the inside out.”
“How do you know there was a wound?” she asked, her voice dry.
He chuckled. “I can see it from looking at the two of you. It’s not like you threw your arms around him in joy when we arrived.”
She groaned. “Body language is such a great information tool.”
“That is the thing about body language. It doesn’t lie. People can say all kinds of stuff. But watch the person’s body language to find the real truth.”
She nodded.
Just then the waitress returned, delivering plates of food.
“Oh, my God, these portions are huge.”
Warrick shook his head. “Speak for yourself. I’ll have no problem finishing mine.” He switched plates so he had his at his new location, picked up a fry and crunched it. It made a satisfying sound.
Angela reached over and snagged one off his plate. “Don’t mind if I try it too, huh?”
“You’re fast. And, no, I don’t mind. I share. But Corey’s got a lot on his plate. Feel free to help yourself to his too.”
And, in a mock gesture, he tucked his plate a little closer. She chuckled and looked down at her huge sandwich. It was a variation on the club, and it was fully loaded. She had a Caesar salad on the side too. With a happy sigh she dug in. With both of them eating, there was no need for conversation, which was good because she wasn’t making any attempt to do anything other than fill her stomach. Manners be damned. There were times when she could eat like a lady, her husband had insisted. But then there were times to just sit down and enjoy a meal, and this was one of them. At the same time she kept an eye on Corey. “If he doesn’t come back soon, his dinner will get cold.”
Just then Corey pocketed his phone, took one final look around and stepped back into the restaurant. He eyed the new seating arrangement and took Warrick’s seat. He glanced at their food and asked, “How is it?”
“It’s great,” she said. “Dig in before yours is too cold to eat.”
She finished her sandwich in silence and waited while he plowed through his big burger. The waitress came back, refilled her coffee. But still Corey didn’t say anything about his phone call. But then she realized Warrick hadn’t said anything about his text either. She frowned. “Are either of you going to give me an update?”
The two men once again exchanged glances.
“It’s really irritating when you do that.”
Corey’s gaze fixed on her. “Do what?” he asked innocently.
She rolled her eyes at him. “When you exchange that glance, it’s as if each of you knows the other’s answer to my question and whether you should say something or not. And then almost deciding as to who will say it.”
Warrick grinned. “You’re pretty good at that too.”
She shot him a look. “You can learn a lot of mannerisms about people by watching their children. Joshua used to glance at me after a question to measure my response. To see how his luck was and whether he needed to add something else to sweeten the pot.”
Warrick gave her satisfied nod. “Yep, kids. Got to love them.”
“When we get back in the vehicle, we will talk,” Corey said.
She glanced around, realized the patrons had changed, but still several were close to them. She nodded. “So twenty minutes to the grocery store?”
Warrick said, “Yeah, somewhere around that. Maybe a little less.”
“Good. Because, even though I just ate, I’ll be starving again in a few hours. After all, I skipped breakfast and must have slept through lunch. So who’s cooking?”
“Aren’t you a cook?” Warrick asked in mock horror. “Because I can’t cook worth a damn. And, if we’re trusting Corey, we’re really going to suffer.”
“Hey, I’m magic with a barbecue,” Corey said.
“You are indeed. But I doubt we’ll have a grill at the house,” Warrick said. “The only thing you ever served with the barbecue was a green salad. Though I can handle a salad, I’m not a rabbit. I can’t live on them.”
Angela chuckled. “If you guys buy the groceries, I will cook.”
Both men in unison cried out, “Agreed.”
*
When they pulled out of the parking lot and headed back onto the highway, Angela gave it a few more minutes and then said, “Update please.”
“The detective just got the autopsy results in on Sam Spiegel. He was the man in the photograph who died. He committed suicide,” Warrick said through Corey’s phone. His voice filling the vehicle.
She gasped in horror and sank back into her seat.
“None of us know if you had turned those photos into the police if that would have changed anything,” Corey said. “Once Sam knew he was caught, knew he was being blackmailed, he made a decision you weren’t likely going to be able to change.”
“But that doesn’t mean something else couldn’t have changed,” Warrick added. “Maybe if he knew the cops were on it, he would have been able to hold out hope.”
“You can’t know that for sure either,” Corey said. “For all you know, his boyfriend was breaking up with him.”
“Was he one of the men in the two-man clench?” Angela asked.
“Yes, and he’s married with three kids,” Corey said.
“Oh, hell. I’m so sorry for the wife. I hope she never finds out.”
“That’ll be one of the issues coming up if the blackmailer decides he should try to get more money out of her,” Corey responded.
“But you’re assuming Greg was blackmailing him for money,” Warrick said. “Depending on what kind of a job he did, maybe he was just applying pressure to have him cave in on something he proposed. Leverage is a very important tool in business.”
“Exactly,” Corey explained. “Sam was on a planning committee. He was against a large building complex potentially going up in one of the low-income areas. He had brought up the fact your husband bought several properties for next to nothing and was pushing to get a large building permit in the area. It’s right on the edge of one of the poorer areas of town, but the business sector has spread out, and it looks like you can make a lot of money doing what your husband hopes to do. However some wanted the area rezoned for low-income housing. That’s what Spiegel was working toward.”
“Did my husband get those photographs and then let them know exactly what would happen if they didn’t let the building complex go through?”
“It’s possible. But we don’t know that for sure.” Corey shrugged. “And we can’t make assumptions. What we do know is you found those photos. And the man has committed suicide. That’s the end of that one.”
“And the other photos?”
“The detective has run down several of the names,” Corey said. “He’s got appointments to contact a couple of them. The others he’s still working on.”
“And the spreadsheets?”
“He’s got specialists on that. It looks like a couple letters of the first name of various people followed by potentially a code of a month. We’re not sure what that month means, followed by a year.”
“Potentially the month and the year he started putting pressure on them,” Angela said. “Again who’s to say? But some of these numbers are large payments.”
Corey reached over, grabbed her hand and smiled. She was handling everything amazingly well. He just hoped that, as this developed, she could hold out a little bit longer.
He said, “Things could get ugly. Greg will know you gave this info to the police, and he’ll know what your reason was for doing this is. What we don’t want is for him to take Joshua out of the country or hide him somewhere where we can’t find him. So let everything stand as it is. The detective also suggested we leave Joshua where he is.”
She turned to look at him, sadness on her face. “Why?”
Corey explained the logic, and she gasped in horror when she realized just what options were available to her husband if he really didn’t want her to get her hands on Joshua.
“Okay,” she said in a low voice. “But I don’t want this to keep going endlessly. Court cases are a nightmare. They can go on for years.”
“I don’t think that’s what the detective’s looking at. But, once he brings in your husband for questioning, and potential charges are filed against him, then you should be able to get your son legally without any trouble.”
She sagged back in the chair. “I sure hope so. But, until it actually happens, I won’t be able to rest for worrying Greg’ll pull a fast one and take Joshua away forever.”