Shadows and Light: The Complete Series, page 38
“We found two cameras in your apartment. One was in the vent over the front door. There was a second one in your bedroom in the vent over the bathroom door.”
Jennie sucked in a breath and faced Jared. “Is there any way to tell how long they have been there?” When he shook his head, she asked, “Could you check Mrs. C.’s apartment and my classroom?”
Jared nodded. He didn’t know how he was ever going to tell her he was a part of the invasion of her privacy. She may never trust him again, but she had the right to know.
The door opened and Emma entered. Jared was happy for the interruption. He faced his sister and said, “Is everything arranged?”
“Yeah. Two orderlies will take Jennie down to x-ray. From there, you can take the elevator to the parking garage. I asked them to be here in about five minutes.” She then studied Jared and Noah. She moved to Noah and reached for the lab coat he held in his hand. “You too can’t leave at the same time. Noah should probably leave first. Jared, put this back on and spend some time at the nurse’s station. Just sit down for a few minutes and pretend to write notes, but please not on her actual chart.”
“I’m not leaving her.”
“You have to play like everyone else if you want this to work. She’ll be fine. I’ll even go down with her.” Emma looked at her watch.
“I don’t want you walking to your car alone. Tell Noah where he can wait for you,” Jared insisted.
“Big brother, that’s not necessary,” Emma replied.
“I can walk down with Emma and Jennie,” Father Anthony chimed in suddenly from the doorway. “No one will suspect me. You can meet us down in x-ray and get Jennie out while I walk your sister to her car. I can handle whatever anyone throws at me if that eases your mind any.”
“That would be great, Father, thanks. One day, I’d love to hear your story,” Jared said with a smile.
“Don’t ask me if that is okay with me. I’m just a defenseless girl,” Emma murmured. “No offense, Father Anthony. It’s not easy being the youngest and the only girl in this family,” she said, glaring at her brothers.
“No offense taken, Dr. Lambert.” Father Anthony smiled.
“Emma, you need to be very careful for awhile. Things have changed tonight, not just for Jennie, but all of us. Mendoza is going to strike somewhere soon. I need you and the boys safe.” While the words were caring, Jared’s voice was hard as ice.
A light tap sounded at the door and two orderlies came in pushing a gurney. “Are you ready, Dr. Lambert?” one of the orderlies asked.
“Perfect timing,” she replied. Turning to Jennie, Emma handed her a hospital gown. “Jennie, put this over the scrubs.”
As Jennie reached for the gown, a soft groan escaped her lips. She bit down on her lips and closed her eyes.
Jared took the gown and eased it over her neck and tied it in the back. He then helped her climb onto the gurney.
Jennie faced him. “I’ll go along with this without making a fuss, but I need two things from you,” she said firmly, staring him intently in the eyes.
“What?”
“I need you to promise me that wherever I end up tonight, you’ll get me back home tomorrow.” Before he could ask why, she told him. “What went on tonight is going to be all over the neighborhood by the time the first alarm clock goes off. My students are going to hear about it and crazy stories will spread like wildfire. And then there is Danny missing. They need to see me and I need to see them.”
“Okay, what’s the second thing?” he said grinning. He didn’t like it, but he admired her dedication.
“I won’t be left out of the search for Danny. Whether you accept it or not, this is my fault. After a few hours sleep, I’ll be fine, Jared. You can’t place me in some safe house and lock the door. I’ve a life here and I need to do everything I can to protect it.”
Leaning down, he placed a kiss on her lips. “As long as you understand I’m going to protect you whether you want me to or not.”
When Jared finished, he looked up. Noah had left the room. With one last quick kiss, he also left the room.
At the nurse’s station, he watched Jennie leave her cubicle. Every minute felt like thirty. He lasted ten minutes before he shut the file, nodded to the nurses, and headed toward x-ray. He charged through the door and lifted her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest.
“It’s like they don’t even know we are here,” Emma said, amused.
Jared turned to his sister. “I owe you big time, Emma. Once all this calms down, I’ll take the boys for a whole weekend,” he said, placing a kiss on his sister’s cheek.
“Oh don’t tease, Jared. That’s just cruel,” Emma said, smiling.
“No really. Jennie will even help, won’t you, Jen?”
“I’d love that.”
Glancing at her watch, Emma said, “Great, that may quiet the beast when I get home two hours late. You’re with me, Father?” Giving her his arm, Father Anthony said good night and left the room, leaving Jennie and Jared completely alone.
“What do we do now?” The strain of the last several hours was visible on her every feature.
“I’m going to get you out of here and into bed. You look like you are about to fall on your face.” Jared slipped out of his overcoat and draped it over Jennie’s shoulders. He clasped her hand and escorted her down a deserted corridor though a door that led to the doctor’s parking garage. In the same vehicle he used to meet Raúl hours before, he drove through downtown Baltimore. Jennie was fast asleep before they reached the parkway.
Chapter Twenty
Raúl broke every speed limit as he drove back into Baltimore. In the hour it took him to meet with Jared, all hell broke loose. He had no idea how that creepy bastard got by him and his surveillance. His cell phone listed four missed calls from Mendoza and just as many from Ivan. He ignored all of them as he drove past the police vehicles double- and triple-parked in front of Mrs. Cunningham’s apartment. Instead of returning Mendoza’s call, he placed a call to Mac and initiated the plan to get his family out of Mexico.
Mendoza had made his move. By sending in Ivan, the illegal surveillance of Jennifer Marie McKenzie was over, the silver lining in this nightmare. There was no way to predict what Mendoza would do next, but one thing was clear: It was time to get his family to safety. If Mendoza ever suspected Raúl betrayed him, vengeance would be quick, cruel, and merciless. No way in hell was he going to risk that happening.
Raúl needed to come up with a viable excuse of where he was during Jennie’s attack. Getting hot and heavy under the sheets with one of Mendoza’s cast-offs may work, and Mendoza would easily believe it. But first, if Ivan had the young student, it was Raúl’s job to find him.
Turning right at the end of Jennie’s block, Raúl parked in an empty space, turned off the engine, and got out of the car. The cool air felt good on his face and the familiar smells of heavy traffic and the faint scent of the harbor penetrated his nostrils. This neighborhood had been his home away from home for the last three years. Living in plain sight while Jennie searched everywhere for proof of his existence, he learned quickly how to blend into the shadows.
Moving behind the dumpsters at the front of the alley, he examined the buildings on both sides of the street. It would be just like Mendoza to place two of his top men inches from each other without one knowing about the other.
Ivan had executed the rapist only minutes after he was spotted on the surveillance monitors. His men told him that Ivan turned onto this street after leaving Jennie’s apartment. That meant he was close.
Where did you go from here, Ivan?
Raúl strolled down one side of the street. At that time of night, very few lights were visible in the windows. Two blocks down, he crossed the street and headed back to the other side. A hand-written vacancy sign in a lower window of an old apartment building caught his eye. He easily picked the lock to the outside door and entered the building.
The five-story building housed four apartments on each floor. The names on the mailboxes eliminated all but three apartments: two units on the third floor and the one unit on the fifth floor. Quietly working his way through the building, Raúl checked out each apartment for any sign of occupancy. If Ivan was in one of the apartments, so was the kid. On the fifth floor, a sliver of light peaked through underneath the door of the vacant apartment at the end of the hallway.
Ahh, gotcha. There was no doubt in his mind that Ivan was hiding behind that door. Moving to the window in the hallway, he cracked it open, and climbed out onto the fire escape, which faced the back of the building. Mounting the ledge of the railing, Raúl inched his way over until he could reach the window of the middle bedroom. Leaning over as far he could go without falling, he pushed at the window. It rose only slightly. Using his legs to hold himself on the rail, he pushed until he could crawl inside headfirst. Making sure the room was empty, he lowered himself to the carpeted floor. He cracked open the door and looked out into the hallway. Ivan was sprawled on the sofa sleeping with the television on mute. The door across the hallway was ajar. Someone laid curled up on a twin bed.
Soundlessly, he crossed the hallway and entered the room, shutting the door behind him. He inched his way across the room and came face-to-face with a young boy. The kid struggled with the bindings on his hands and feet. His mouth was stuffed with a wad of cloth and tied with a filthy handkerchief.
“Hey kid, it’s all right. I’m one of the good guys,” Raúl whispered, trying to calm the child down before he made a sound to alert Ivan. Raúl reached into his pocket and removed a pocketknife. The whole time the kid forcefully pulled at his bindings.
“Just give me a second and I’ll get you untied.” Raúl lifted the blade from the knife. Before he could cut through the bindings, a piecing pain exploded behind his eyes, and everything went black.
• • •
Mendoza’s image appeared on the monitor. “Where is she?” His features appeared hard, jaw clenched, but it was his eyes, dark and cold, that sent a silent alarm through Ivan. He knew Mendoza’s unrestrained anger was at its breaking point.
“The men have been watching the hospital since she was admitted. She’s been in radiology for the last hour. An orderly told them that she’ll be admitted overnight for observation. If the wounds on her neck don’t require additional surgery, she’ll be released tomorrow morning.” Ivan couldn’t keep the yawn from taking over.
“Am I keeping you awake, Ivan?” Mendoza snapped.
“Of course not, Jefe, I love chewing the grit at four in the morning.”
“They better be damn sure the woman in their sights is Jennifer Marie.” Several moments passed before he spoke again. “Is Raúl still out?”
“Like a baby.”
“He’s mine, Ivan. Make sure he’s still alive when I arrive. Where’s the boy?”
“He’s tied up in the other room. I had to knock him out, too.” Ivan couldn’t keep the smile from his lips.
“Find everything you can on Raúl. Search his room, his car, everything. Take every one of his men apart piece by piece if you have to. I want answers. That bastard knows too much. I want to know how he knew you were in Baltimore and had the boy. He’s betrayed me to someone. Who in the hell is he feeding information to?” As the rage built inside him, his voice deepened, became quiet.
“I won’t touch a hair on his treacherous head. I already have a man searching for his car and someone going through his place. I should have something for you in an hour. What about his wife and kid?”
“The lying bitch is at the hospital. I sent men for her and the boy. They’ll all pay. The blood bath I leave behind will show just what happens when someone betrays me.”
The words came out with such venom that Ivan couldn’t hide the shiver that ran through his body.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jennie woke slowly, clenching her teeth to keep herself from moaning out loud. Her neck hurt like hell. Overnight, seepage from the cuts caused the bandage to stick to the wound. Every time she moved, it pulled at the tender skin, causing the whole area to throb. Keeping her neck completely still, Jennie carefully rose from the bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom.
The room was decorated by the queen of hotel interior designers. A small basket sat on the counter with vanilla-scented shell-shaped soaps still in their wrappers and single-use shampoo and conditioner bottles. A perfectly folded thick, white towel hung on the opposite wall. A brand new toothbrush and a small stack of Dixie cups sat next to the basket. The faint scent of bathroom cleaner hung in the air and not a single water droplet stained any surface.
The prescription bottle of pain medicine was on the counter next to the sink. Filling a paper cup with tap water, Jennie swallowed a pill, praying it wouldn’t come right back up. She may have convinced herself she didn’t need pain medication, but her neck had other plans.
Glancing into the mirror over the sink, she gasped. There was no color in her face at all. “I guess it’s the zombie look today,” she murmured. Reaching back to remove the tie in her hair, she gasped again. Hell, I can’t brush my own hair.
How was she going to leave the room looking like this? She ran her hand under cold water and patted her face, hoping it would revive the color back into her cheeks.
Leaving the bathroom, she entered the living area of the suite. The furnished room was decorated similarly to the bathroom. No personal items appeared on any of the surfaces. And she was completely alone. An eerie quiet settled over the space. Walking across the great room, she opened the white shuttered doors and entered a small kitchen. It was empty as well. Where was Jared? How could he have left her all alone and where was she?
She glanced around the kitchen and smiled when she spotted a note attached to the coffee maker. She lifted her arm to peel the note off. The movement sent another sharp pain in her neck. She never felt like cussing so much in her life as she did in the last ten minutes.
Jared had gone to the station. He had a news conference scheduled at noon. The clock over the stove read ten-thirty. Hundreds of questions raced through her head and she had no one to answer them. If she wasn’t in so much pain, she’d be really pissed.
Was the man who attacked her the Beltway Killer? Why did he target her? Had they found Danny? And how was she going to get her hands on fresh underwear, for Pete’s sake?
As her mind ran through one question after another, the sound of a key being placed in the lock at the front door registered. Jared! Her heart soared as she started to leave the kitchen. The front door opened, but Jared didn’t call out. Jennie froze in place just as her hand reached out and touched the shuttered door.
Her heart began to drum in her chest. Looking around the kitchen, she quietly grabbed a large skillet off the rack above the island. Standing with her back against the wall, she placed the skillet over her shoulder like a baseball bat and listened for approaching footsteps.
As the person neared the kitchen, Jennie stopped breathing. Tightening her grip on the skillet, she waited for the doors to swing open. As soon as the doors opened, Jennie ignored the pain in her neck and swung the skillet with all her might, striking the man right between his shoulder blades. She was aiming for his head, but he was too tall.
“Holy shit,” Noah bellowed, swinging his arm behind him, knocking the weapon out of Jennie’s hand. “What the hell did you do that for?” He tried rubbing the bruise forming between his shoulder blades. “Damn it, Jennie, that hurt!”
“What do you expect, you moron, when you come sneaking in on me?” Jennie flared back.
“I wasn’t sneaking. Shit. I was trying not to wake you. And don’t call me a moron after you practically turned me into a quad.”
“I’m sorry.” Jennie folded her arms around herself and rested up against the counter. Her legs barely supported her. “What’re you doing here?”
“Jared asked me to stay until he got back. He has a news conference in an hour.” He placed his hand on her arm and led her to one of bar stools around the island. “Sit down, Jen, before you fall down. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said as he rolled his shoulders.
“You came to babysit me? You don’t have to stay.”
“Sorry, Jared thinks I do. How is the neck?” His hand touched her chin, but Jennie shrugged it away.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. Does it hurt much?” Noah asked, eyeing the bandage.
“I took something for the pain.” Jennie stood and faced Noah. “I need to replace the bandage. Emma sent a bag of gauze and bandages home with me. Do you know what happened to it?”
“Yeah, I brought all that up with me. There’s also a change of clothing from your apartment. Would you like some help dressing that? I’m good at doctoring; it’s in the blood.”
“I’m good, thanks.” Noah McNeil near my neck … I don’t think so. With a nod that hurt like hell, she left the kitchen.
• • •
After Jennie dried off and dressed from her bath, she stood in front of the mirror. The pain meds made her head feel woozy. If they did anything to curb the throbbing, she sure couldn’t tell. The pain was so intense that tears formed in the corner of her eyes. No more tears. That’s not you; it’s just a couple cuts.
She raised her arm and pulled at the tape. The only way she controlled the moan that desperately wanted to escape was to bite down. Once she removed the tape, she slowly unwound the thick bandage. The sight of the two long angry cuts across her entire neck made her stomach roll. The pain pills danced in the pit of her stomach. She took in a deep cleansing breath and let it out slowly, but the nausea only grew. Dashing over to the toilet, Jennie made it just in time before the little contents in her stomach filled the toilet. Her stomach recoiled again, but nothing came up. The dry heaves contracted her stomach causing it to spasm. Her neck was on fire.
Pulling a long piece of toilet paper from the roll, Jennie wiped her mouth. Leaning her back against the tub, she closed her eyes, and allowed the tears to flood down her face. The image of Scarvey lying on top of her — the fear, the blood — flashed back in waves until it consumed her. She couldn’t stop the shakes that overtook her body.
