down and stared at the wall. Either he’d eaten something, or the cigarette he’d bummed had been laced with a toxic substance. He reviewed the sequence of events and decided it must have been the cigarette.
Thank God, he didn’t finish the cigarette. If he’d smoked the whole thing, he’d probably be dead now. How stupid he’d been. He knew to be careful, but he hadn’t paid attention, instead he’d been negligent.
“I have something for you,” Erma said, walking into the living room.
“I couldn’t eat another bite.”
“It’s not food. I was going through my husband’s things and found these files. I don’t know if they’re important, so I thought I’d let you decide. I was going to send them to your office at the magazine.” She lowered the box to a spot on the floor next to him.
“I’m glad you didn’t. What’s in them?” Jack slowly reached for the box.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Erma pushed the box out of reach with her foot. “You get your rest first, then you can get into these.”
Jack stood up from the table. He didn’t feel much like arguing. “Can I use your phone? It’s long distance, but I’ll pay you back.”
“Go right ahead and don’t worry about it.”
“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for all you’ve done, Erma.”
“You can repay me by keeping your fanny out of trouble.” She shook her finger at him.
Jack walked across the kitchen and gave her a hug. “Thank you, you saved my life.”
Jack picked up the receiver of the wall phone. He was concerned about Katherine. He knew she would worry if she couldn’t reach him. She might even try checking with the magazine if she thought he was in trouble. He needed to stop her. If they found out she was associated with him, she could be in grave danger. He didn’t know the identity of the person who’d masterminded his abduction, but he didn’t want to take any chances with Katherine.
He glanced at the clock on the stove. It was four o’clock in the morning in Missouri, five in Washington. When Katherine answered, she sounded wide-awake. “Kate, this is Jack.”
“Where’ve you been? I was
“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t want to stay on the phone too long, so listen carefully.”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t want to discuss it on the phone.” Jack decided not to take any chances. He didn’t want to endanger Erma, either. “I’ll see you very soon, but first I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sure, name it.”
“I mailed you a package Monday night. Did you get it?”
“No, not yet.”
“You’ll probably get it today or tomorrow. Katherine, it’s a critical package, and what I just went through proves it. Please watch for it. When it arrives, I want you to take the tapes out of it and hide them. Would you do that for me?”
“Certainly, What’s on them?”
“Important documentation.” Jack was never so glad that he’d mailed off his work early. He still needed some of the tapes transcribed, and he’d debated whether to wait, because he also hoped to get additional interviews, but he’d finally decided to ship the package.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t mailed the cassette he’d gotten from the man at the bridge. Damn, that recording was his only solid piece of evidence. He knew that going back to his hotel room for the tape would be a fool’s errand. No doubt, it was history.
By now, whoever had tried to kill him would have gone through his room and taken everything. He’d bet that there wasn’t a trace of him left in Missouri, except, of course, for his somewhat dented anatomy.
“I’ll explain everything when I see you.” Jack added. “Just know that I’m safe, and I’ll be there soon. And. Katherine, do not under any circumstances tell anyone that you know me.”
“Jack, this is crazy.”
“I know.” Jack paused. “Oh, and Kate.”
“Yes?”
He turned away so that Erma couldn’t hear him. “I love you.” He noticed that the words were coming more easily.
“I love you, too. Please be careful.”
“I will.”
They hung up and Jack turned back to Erma.
“What are your plans?” Erma asked. “We need to get you someplace safe.”
“I’ll get a couple hours of sleep and then head out of Missouri.”
“That’s good – you need to get away from here quickly. If they realize you made it out of the woods alive, they’ll be looking for you. But, for the time being, you’ll be okay here.”
“You’re right. I’d better assume they know I’m alive – the airport is out.”
“I’ve got an idea.” Erma seemed to be enjoying this little game of espionage. “Tonight, when it’s good and dark, we’re going to dress you up with one of my wigs and send you off in my husband’s old car. I drive it periodically to keep it running, and people will just think you’re me. Tonight’s my Bingo night, so if anyone recognizes the car, they’ll see the gray hair and just think I’ve left Bingo early. Of course, you’ll need to scrunch down a bit, since I’m not as tall as you are.”
“Erma, you’ve done enough. I can’t take your car.”
“It’s all right. You’re just borrowing it, and someday you’ll get it back to me. I don’t need it anyway.”
“You’re incredibly generous, but I’m worried they may find out you helped me. I’d better not take the car.”
“I’m not afraid of these people anymore, Jack. They can’t do much to me now. I’ve lived my life, and I want to help you. I have a suspicion that you just might be able to expose these crooks, and if I can make a difference, I will. You take the car. I also have some money here at the house you can take. You shouldn’t use credit cards. Those television movies always show people getting caught when they use their credit cards.”
“Erma…”
She stopped him by holding up her hand. Erma obviously didn’t intend to take no for an answer. “Now, you head off to bed and get some sleep.”
SIXTY-FOUR
Thirty-five minutes after midnight, on Friday morning, Jack crossed the Missouri state border and began to whistle. A slow smile spread across his face as he stripped off the disguise while still driving. Then he relaxed behind the wheel.
Traveling across the country through the night in a 1979 blue Impala was more enjoyable than Jack would have ever guessed. The large car allowed for plenty of legroom, and he could stretch out as he drove virtually straight through to Washington. Traffic was heavy on the Beltway for a Friday evening. Darkness had fallen by the time Jack pulled up to Katherine’s new address in the seventeen hundred block of Swann Street.
Jack hobbled up to the front door, still sore from the beating and stiff from sitting so long. He rang the bell, praying she would be there. Jack hadn’t told Katherine over the phone when she could expect him. Now, he wished he’d called her while on the road. But he’d been in such a hurry to get there, he’d stopped as infrequently as possible.
After a few minutes, Jack turned to walk back down the steps when the door finally opened. Katherine wore a short white terry cloth bathrobe, her hair dripping wet.
“Jack.” She flew into his arms. “I thought I heard the doorbell, but I was in the shower.”
He grimaced at the impact of her body against his, but ignored the pain. “So you always answer the door so scantily dressed?” he asked against her lips. Then he kissed her. “I missed you,” Jack whispered and kissed her again.
