spitfire.
The chief turned to John Paul for help. 'This can't be the same woman I met downstairs. She wouldn't happen to have a twin, would she?'
'Sorry, no twin,' he said. 'She's just got a temper.' He made that comment sound like a compliment.
The chief thought it was an understatement. 'Can't you reason with her? She can't go running out of here with a gun, thinking
she can shoot her moth…' He stopped himself in time. 'If she isn't your mother-'
'She isn't.'
'Then what should I call her?'
Avery didn't hesitate. 'A frickin' maniac,' she snapped. 'A deviant sociopath, a psychopath. Take your pick. Just don't call her
my mother.'
'Yes, ma'am.'
Mollified, she clutched the sheet to her neck, picked up her duffel bag, and walked with her head held high toward the bathroom.
'John Paul?'
'Yes?'
'Get me a damn gun.'
The door shut before he could answer.
Tyler scratched his jaw and asked, 'What are you going to do about her?'
He shrugged. 'Get her a gun.'
Tyler stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. 'Are you going to let them take her to Aspen? You heard them
talking. They want to put her, her aunt, and that judge in a safe house until they catch the man hired to kill them.'
'Yes, I heard,' he said.
'If you ask me, they're putting all their eggs in one basket, and I figure the reason must have something
'Monk,' John Paul said.
'If he's any good, he'll find them. All he'd have to do is wait around that hospital and follow the judge. That's what I'd do.'
John Paul agreed. 'I heard Knolte say they were going to keep them together.'
'But you didn't hear the rest of their plans because you had already gone upstairs to tell Avery her aunt was alive. Did you know there's an important trial coming up?'
'No, I didn't know.'
The chief lowered his voice as he continued. Even though he could hear the hair dryer humming in the bathroom and doubted Avery would hear them talking, he moved closer to John Paul.
'They're going to retry a man named Skarrett. You familiar with him?'
He tensed. 'Yes,' he said. 'So he's getting a new trial? When is it?'
'It starts three weeks from today,' he said. 'Knolte was on the phone arguing with another agent who's giving them orders. Anyway, when he hung up, he noticed me watching him, and he closed up tight, until I told him I was coming up here to check
on the girl.' He smiled as he added, 'Of course, I didn't come right up. I made a little noise going up a couple of steps, then snuck back down and lingered in the hall so I could hear what he was telling the others.'
He glanced at the bathroom door before continuing. 'If they haven't nabbed Monk by the time the trial starts, they aren't going to let Avery or her aunt testify, and from what I could gather, the man in charge didn't think it would be so bad if Skarrett got off.'
John Paul was astonished. 'Are you serious?'
'Oh, yes,' he drawled.
'Why in God's name would they-'
'They're hoping that Skarrett will lead them to a big stash he's got hidden away. It seems Skarrett robbed a jewelry store and
tole several million in uncut stones. They're hoping to get them back.'
'So they're going to make it easy for Skarrett to walk?'
'Avery's a key witness,' Tyler pointed out. 'And if she doesn't testify…' He left the sentence hanging. John Paul was
staggered by the endless possibilities of what could and would go wrong. His voice reeked with sarcasm as he said, 'Now,
that's a plan guaranteed to get screwed up.'
Tyler was in full agreement. 'That's the way I see it too. Are you going to tell Avery? Once they've got her in that safe house,
she won't be able to get out.'
'I'll let Knolte tell her,' he said. 'Avery works for the FBI, so she's a believer in teamwork.'
'An idealist, huh?'
'Afraid so.'
'That's not good. What about you? What are you going to do?'
'I guess I'll take off,' he said. 'No reason to hang around here.'
'You think this Monk has backed off?'
'Yeah, I do,' he said. 'But not for long. He's taken the contracts, and when he hears that Carrie and the judge are still alive,
he'll hit again. He has to. His reputation is on the line. He's going to continue to go after Avery too.'
Oh, yes, he'll strike again and again and again. Until he gets the job done.
It was as though Tyler had just read his mind. 'So you think it's okay to let those boys downstairs watch over Avery? You think she'll be all right?'
'She's a smart, tough woman. She can handle herself.'
Tyler looked disappointed in him. 'If you think that's the right thing to do, but if you don't and you decide you might want to do something on your own, I thought I'd mention I've got this nice little cabin tucked away in the mountains. I was going to go up there for a couple of weeks, and I just stocked the kitchen. Only needs the refrigerator foods, like milk and eggs, and you'd be
all set. If you're heading toward Denver, it won't be much out of your way. It would be a good place to hide out until you and Avery decide what to do… about the trial and all.'
John Paul tried to interrupt him, but Tyler rushed on. 'There's a barn where I keep my car, and I'll write out directions for you
and tell you where the key to the cabin is hidden… if you're interested. You think about it and let me know before you leave.
I'll go down and write those instructions just in case.'
Having had his say, he turned around and went back downstairs. John Paul didn't know what the hell he was going to do. He
stood there thinking about the situation for several minutes, then muttered an expletive as he picked up his gear and carried it
down to the car. The chief's assistant had dropped off his clean clothes. They were folded next to Avery's on the bottom step.
He shoved his in the bag, ran back up the stairs, and placed hers on one of the cots, and then headed outside.
The chief's friend had parked Jean Paul's car in the alley between the buildings, just below the windows in the dorm. He threw
the bags into the back of the SUV and then decided he should say good-bye to Avery. He couldn't just take off, could he?
