“All the way to Riverside, of all places.”
The nape of Logan’s neck started to tingle. He didn’t trust his own voice, so he said nothing.
“She met with this other woman there. I watched them have coffee, but when they left, I lost them in the traffic. I drove around for a while, but couldn’t find them again, so I came home. That night I asked her if she was seeing someone else. When she said no, I told her what I saw.” Tessie looked at Logan. “She totally freaked out. Told me she never wanted to see me again. She hasn’t talked to me since.”
Not wanting to do so, but seeing little choice, Logan pulled out his phone and showed her the picture of Sara. “Is this the woman she met?”
Tessie stared at the image, her eyes welling with tears. “Fuck,” she said to no one, then nodded. “They ran off together, didn’t they? God, I’m such an idiot.”
Logan kept his voice soft. “I don’t think Diana was cheating on you with this woman. This is our missing friend,” Logan said, keeping his voice calm. He didn’t know if he was right, but he felt that he was. If Diana had been involved with Sara, then why hadn’t Sara been here with her?
“I saw them together.”
“You saw them getting coffee. That’s all,” he said. “Now think, Tessie. Do you know where Diana might have gone? Maybe she went back to where grew up?”
“She never talked about her past. I got the feeling it wasn’t all that great.”
“Were there any special places she mentioned? Places she liked to visit?”
She was silent for a moment. “Buenos Aires. Said she wanted to live there someday. She…she talked about us going together.”
Buenos Aires was a long way away, and if Sara was already there, he might as well pack up now and go home.
“Anyplace else?”
She thought about it, then shook her head. “Nothing that I can remember.”
If Logan wasn’t convinced before, he knew if he found Diana, Sara wouldn’t be far away.
“Our friends are back,” Dev said.
They were in the Cherokee again, with Logan once more in the driver’s seat. He looked in the rearview mirror. The same gray sedan was a block back, and Logan recognized the silhouettes of the driver and her passenger.
He stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulled out the keys to the El Camino. “Here,” he said, handing them to Dev. “I’ll try to lose them for a few seconds near the motel. You jump out, but make sure they don’t see you.”
Dev smiled. “Then I follow them.”
“Exactly.”
“They’re going to wonder why there’s suddenly only one of us.”
“No, they won’t,” Logan said. “Lean your chair back as far as it will go, but take your time so they can see what’s going on. Then lie back, and get them used to seeing only me.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Ready?” Logan asked as they neared the motel.
Dev grabbed the door handle. “Ready.”
Logan checked the rearview mirror again. The other car was still a full block behind them.
“Don’t worry about trying to catch up right away,” Logan told him. “Call me once you get going and I’ll tell you where we are.”
Just beyond Desert Inn was a small intersecting street that was mostly blocked from view by one wing of the motel. Keeping their pace steady, Logan flipped on his turn signal so as not to alarm the other driver with any sudden movements.
“Here we go.” He slowed through the turn. As soon as the building was between them and the sedan, he slammed on the brakes and shouted, “Now!”
Dev shoved the door open and hopped out in record time. The second he was clear, Logan took off again, accelerating until he matched the speed he’d been traveling at earlier. In the mirror, he could see Dev race across the sidewalk and crouch behind a car parked at the curb. He’d barely ducked down when the sedan appeared around the corner.
“Stay with me. Stay with me,” Logan muttered under his breath.
As the sedan came abreast of Dev’s position, Logan watched to see if the others looked over, but both remained focused on him the whole time.
Two minutes later, Dev called.
“I’m south of the motel,” Logan said, using the speakerphone. “You remember seeing that Sonic Burger on Center Street?”
“I remember it.”
“I’ll drive by that in three or four minutes.”
“Which way?”
“Away from the freeway.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Five minutes later, Dev called again. “I’m on you.”
Logan had been keeping an eye on his rearview mirror, but had seen no sign of the El Camino. When he looked this time, he caught a glimpse of blue in the distance.
It was time for part two of the plan.
“There’s a diner coming up in a couple blocks. I’ll use that.” If it was like before, their unwanted shadow would drive by, but this time Dev would be tailing
Rosemary’s Eats sat in the middle of a lot, surrounded on all four sides by parking. Logan pulled in and grabbed an empty spot along the side, then turned and acted like he was talking to someone reclined in the chair. He kept a casual eye on the road as the sedan slowly passed. As soon as it was out of sight, he grabbed the photocopies of Diana’s rental file and went into the restaurant.
He sat at a booth in the back corner near the restrooms, out of view of the front windows.
“Something to drink?” his waitress asked as soon as he was settled.
“Water’s fine.” She set a menu in front of him, but before she could leave, he said, “Do you have a BLT?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll take that.” He handed back the menu.
“Fries?”
“Yeah. That’s fine.”
As soon as she was gone, he pulled out his phone and reconnected with Dev.
“What’s happening?”
“They doubled back after a couple of blocks, then parked on a side street just across from you.”
“What about you?”
“I’m in a strip mall a block away.”
“You can see them?”
“Absolutely.”
“That means they can see you, too.”
“Doubtful.”
Given Dev’s track record, Logan was willing to buy that. “Call me if something changes.”
“You got it.”
Logan set the photocopies in front of him. The first was the rental agreement, listing Diana Stockley as the tenant, and Hackbarth Holdings as the landlord. It was boilerplate stuff, skewed heavily in favor of the landlord.
