Will leaned down and picked his shoes off the pavement. He turned back and held them up, toes forward, pasting a puzzled expression on his face. He wasn’t holding out a lot of hope that it would fool Artie, but he had to try.
“Hold them so I can see the inside,” the robot said.
Will did. There was silence from the phone for several seconds, then the sultry female voice laughed.
“Naughty little Willie,” it said. “You think I don’t know about all the toys you federal boys have to play with? Take the insoles out of the nice shoes I bought you before I get mad and do something Officer Dillon will regret.”
Will put the phone on speaker, laid it back on the dash and did as told. He slid them back into his own shoes and held them up, tops facing the dash.
“Satisfied?” He knew the snarl could be heard in his voice as well as seen by the camera wherever he was, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.
“Not yet. But I will be. Now set the shoes back on the pavement.”
He did as told and closed the door. He started to turn the key to start the car, but the voice stopped him.
“Not just yet, Willie boy. Take off the necklace.”
Will cursed to himself. Once the medallion was gone, that was it. Don and the rest of the team would not be able to track him. But he didn’t have a choice. As long as Artie had Jen, he had to do whatever he was told. He slipped the medallion over his head.
“Drop it out the window.”
Will did as told.
“Okay, I think we’re done with foreplay, don’t you, sweetie?” The sultry voice laughed. “Start the car and drive to Benson Park. You know where that is?”
Will remembered passing the park when he’d first driven into town. It was a large municipal park just inside the city limits, heavily wooded from what he’d seen.
“Yeah, I know,” he said.
“See you soon, lover boy.”
The phone went dead.
Will started the car and backed out of the space. He was on his own now. He tried to think of a way to leave a clue to where he had gone, something that Lonnie or Don could find when they tracked him to this motel. But there was nothing he could do because Artie was watching. If he saw Will doing anything…he couldn’t take the thought any further. It was up to him. He’d drive to Benson Park and let Artie take him if that would get him closer to Jen.
As he pulled into the park, the phone rang again.
“Turn left,” the sultry voice said. “And put me on speaker, Willie.”
Will put the phone on speaker and laid it on the passenger seat. The entrance drive split a few yards in, the right side heading toward ball fields and a pool if the sign was to be believed. The drive to the left led toward the trees. Ahead he could see several picnic tables and a building that probably housed restrooms.
“Park by the toilets,” the voice said, “and go inside.”
Will pulled into a spot, noting that the parking area was empty except for his car. Lights were on at a ball field on the other side of the park, and he could see people and cars over there, but it was too late for people to be enjoying picnics, leaving this side of the park in relative darkness. He got out of the car and walked to the door leading to the men’s restroom. The light came on as he stepped inside, and he saw there were two stalls and three urinals lined up along the opposite wall. On the wall to the right of the door were three basins. An envelope with his name on it sat on the nearest one. He grabbed it and tore it open, his hands shaking. He had fully expected to find Artie inside, not another one of his messages.
But it wasn’t a message. It was a pill. A white pill and a phone number.
“Well, look at that! You just never know what you might find in a public john, do you? Good thing some kid didn’t find it first.” The sultry voice chuckled. “Okay, sweetie, be a good boy and take your pill. Leave the phone on the basin and go back to the car with the envelope. When you get there, call me on your last phone.” The voice turned singsong. “I’ll be waiting.”
Will stabbed the red button to end the call, dry-swallowed the pill, and laid the phone on the basin. He strode to the stalls and pushed open the doors, slamming them against the walls. After the envelope he hadn’t really expected Artie to be in one of them, but he had to be sure. He turned in a circle, inspecting the room. Had Artie planted another camera in here? Could he take a chance and leave a note for Lonnie? But what could he say—even if he had a pen to write with, which he didn’t? That he’d been here? He had no idea where he was going to be sent next, so it wouldn’t help much. Would it?
He didn’t know if the city had many traffic cams, but most towns had some. Maybe they’d be able to track the car he was driving if he left them the information. He’d automatically noted the license plate when he’d walked to the car after leaving his own. But if Artie were watching—he had an idea.
He sighed and started for the door, then turned back and headed into a stall. He unzipped his fly and began urinating just as he heard the phone on the basin begin ringing. He used the thumb of his free hand to scratch the license number on the flimsy, wooden wall of the cubicle. He did it quickly, finishing just as he finished urinating and flushed. If Artie’s surveillance equipment came with audio, he thought he
