Dangerous Memories (14 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Jolene couldn’t leave without a goodbye. She’d given herself plenty of time to get away from Levi. The cab would be at the office in half an hour. One last meal, one last moment of pretending to be happy.

One last opportunity to change her mind.

No, she was in control.

She would have been frozen from the cold if she’d been sitting outside as long
as Levi. Dinner wasn’t anything spectacular but it was on the table when she called him inside.

“I think we should talk, Jo.” He sat with a defeated plop. “George called.”

“Eat.” She joined him.
Don’t lose your resolve.
“Did he come up with a short list of potential people?”

“He did, but more importantly, he’s got a place you can stay while I check these people out.”

“And if
I don’t want to hide?” She choked down a bite of the spaghetti.

“It’s not hiding. It’s saving your life. We’ll be stirring up God knows what and—”

“And you can’t do your job if I’m around. Got it. Eat.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“You’ve made it very easy to understand.” He was sending her away. FBI or Marshals Service, he was sending her away. “So this is goodbye. When will they
be here?”

His way meant it was unlikely she’d ever see him again. Especially if he was successful and found the evidence implicating one of her mother’s clients.
Twenty-five minutes until her cab arrived.
Her way was dangerous, but in her limited experience, worth the risk.

“George is picking you up at eight.” He poked his fork into the noodles, not putting any between his lips. “It’s
not goodbye. I need to know you’re safe, dammit. This wasn’t an easy decision.”

“Of course it wasn’t.” She ate, not tasting anything. She forced the calories down, finishing her plate. If her plan was successful, they’d see each other later. “But then, I wouldn’t know because you made it without me. Excuse me, I’m going to pack my toothbrush.”

“Jo...” he called as if she had no right
to her feelings. He snagged her arm, tilting his head at the last minute to look at her. “It’s for the best.”

“I know you believe that.” She looked at his hand and he released her. “There’s something you should know.”

He turned to her, hands rubbing up and down his jeans. It was so hard not to push him against the bench seat and kiss him until he made love to her. But it was difficult
enough to stick to her plan just being in the same room with him. If she touched him, would she be able to walk out the door?

You’re in control. He can’t make life-changing decisions for you.

“What?” he asked.

“I want to thank you for saving my life, Levi.”

“We’ll have plenty of time to talk about that later.”

“We may not.” The desire to stay with him or even wait for
him at wherever he wanted to send her, made her hesitate.
Stay strong.
“I’ve appreciated everything you’ve done even if I didn’t always seem grateful.”

“Jo, I’m the reason you’re in this mess. I’m the reason you’ve nearly been killed and if I’d been doing my job—”

“Which I hope you get back. I know how important it is to you.”

He stood. “You really are saying goodbye.” He took her
hands, indicating he wanted to pull her into an embrace, but she stood firm, remaining an arm’s length away. “This is only temporary.”

“You never know what’ll happen.” She shook off his touch again, unsure if she’d be able to hide her emotion another fifteen minutes.

“I should have gotten you to safety from the beginning. If I had I wouldn’t have been suspended. Don’t you see, Jo? This
is the only way to find the murderer.”

“I agree.”
This is the only way.

Unable to face him anymore, she ran across the small space to the bedroom, hoping he’d wait for Agent Lanning outside. A few minutes later and she felt the motor home shift and listened for the door to close. She peeked out the window and watched him cross to the table he’d been sitting on before.

“I know you’re
going to be mad, Levi. But it’s time for this damsel in distress to take charge. I just hope you find my clues and can rescue me one last time.”

* * *

L
EVI
ENTERED
THE
motor home with a bit of apprehension. He’d struggled with the decision to send her with Lanning. The last thing he wanted was to be separated after finally admitting to himself how much he cared. Putting her safety into
someone else’s hands went against his makeup. It’s what he did—protect people.

In this case, it was the right thing to do. He would think clearer knowing she wasn’t in danger. But the look of hurt and betrayal on Jo’s face had changed his mind—twice. He’d had the cell in his hand both times dialing Lanning to call it off. Each time he walked himself through almost losing her on the train,
remembering the dead woman who looked like Jo.

“Jo?”

She’d be safe with Lanning’s friends.

“I thought you said she was ready to go.” Lanning had followed.

“She’s gone. Must have left out the driver’s door, but there’s nowhere for her to go.”

“Man, I think you got that wrong. There’s an entire city of places out there for her. What are you doing?”

“Calling the stupid
burner she has.”

The ring was screaming through the silence as they waited for someone to pick up.

Lanning followed the noise back to the passenger seat. “She’s gone.”

“She’ll be back.” She had to be back.

“Not according to this.” Lanning held a piece of notebook paper. “‘Glad you found this, Marshal,’” Lanning read aloud. “‘I’ve set my own plan in motion which involves your
FBI friends tracking my location through my cell. For your convenience I’ve activated the GPS.’ That’s one smart girlfriend you’ve got Cooper.”

“Smart? She knows how the men tracked her in St. Louis. She’s just told the murderer where she’s at. Is there any more? Like what she actually has planned?”

Levi let Lanning continue as he looked in the cabinet where they’d stored his duffel
and the dog statues.

“‘I meant what I said this afternoon,’” Lanning read, “‘I’m willing to do whatever it takes to find my mother’s client. This is the fastest way. Don’t be late.’”

“She took the pup. The statue that matched this.” He held the carved dog that Joseph had given him. “Let’s go.”

“She’s using herself as bait?” Lanning asked. “Why didn’t she just tell us where she was
headed?”

“She wants the murderer to find her first. We can’t let that happen.” He had his hand on the door, pulling it open when Lanning slammed it shut.

“Hold on. She wants you to turn on your cell and expect a call.”

“We aren’t waiting here for those vultures to demand the evidence.”

“No. We’re not. But I need to make a call, find out where we need to go, alert my team. We
don’t know what direction she went. Think this through.” Lanning shoved him back to the bench seat. “Look over the short list. See if anything rings a bell. There are some powerful people with a lot to lose.”

“I blame myself. I should have talked this through with her, got her to see it my way.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. You know the drill, man. We can’t second-guess everything before now.
Gotta focus.”

Levi didn’t respond. Lanning dialed his cell, alerting the FBI and requesting the Bureau to pinpoint Jo’s cell.

“Plano. Yeah. Got it. I want a unit there ASAP.” Lanning put his cell in his shirt pocket and opened the door. “What are you waiting on? She used her credit card this afternoon to check into a hotel.”

“That’s impossible. She was here with me the entire time.”

“Obviously not the entire time,” Lanning said. “You can beat yourself up in the truck. It’s possible Frasier’s client already knows where she’s at.” He headed out the door, letting it slam behind him.

Stunned. At a loss for words. He couldn’t think. Couldn’t move. Out of every scenario he’d gone through this afternoon, he hadn’t thought of this. He’d never considered that Jo might actually
die.

He could have lived with himself if he’d sent her away to keep her safe. Survive. Hell, the possibility of actually breaking the rules and finding her in the WITSEC program sometime in the future had even entered his mind.

But not her dead. He wouldn’t let that happen. He still held the dog Joseph had given him. He hated to destroy it, but there wasn’t time for an X-ray. Grabbing
a steak knife from the drawer, he began sawing at the head.

He used his frustration to hack. The anger he felt blocked his ability to reason logically and use his training. How could the woman he love leave him and put herself at risk?

Love? Yeah, my timing sucks.

The possibility of losing Jo and never telling her, well...

“Not happening.”

“Um, Cooper?” Lanning stuck his
head inside, looking as headless as the small statue in his hands. “Crafts?”

“There must have been a seam where Atkins reattached the head. He gave this to Jo. We were having it X-rayed tomorrow.” He looked inside the hollow body and removed a slip of paper. “I’m going to need to talk with your best researcher.”

“’Bout time you caught a break.”

“Nobody but your guy and the two of
us knows these. We’re not taking any chances. It’s the only leverage we’ll have to get her back.”

Levi shoved the paper deep in his pocket and followed Lanning to the truck.
I love you, Jo, and you better damn well stay alive!

Chapter Sixteen

TEXT MESSAGE: Blocked Sender 8:02 P.M.

The girl will be brought to you at the arranged location. Don’t screw this up.

J
OLENE
PROPPED
THE
door to the hotel room open and sat in the chair, waiting, phone in hand, finger ready to record whoever walked inside.

Her plan had seemed so simple when she’d called the taxi. First: reserve the room using
her credit card to alert the person tracking her. Second: get to the hotel, turn the cell on to make it even easier to locate her. And third: wait for the murderer to show up. Assuming they still wanted her alive, she’d convince them to take her to the real person in charge before she divulged where the evidence was located. She’d lie about the significance of the matching carved statue and say
it was in a Colorado safe deposit box.

“What an idiotic plan,” she whispered to herself. “They’d be better off killing me right here.”

Then leave.

Even though she didn’t share her plan with him, she knew Levi would find her. She watched the door, afraid to move from her spot and be taken by surprise.

What would she do if Levi and his FBI friends showed up before the men chasing
her? Convince them this was the only option to flush out the person who ordered the murders. Would they let her stay? She didn’t know who she hoped would arrive first. Levi would surely kill her either way.

“Well, isn’t this an interesting change of events.” Sadie Colter was dressed in slacks and a business shirt, looking professional with her designer coat draped over her arm. “Face-to-face
once again. You’ve given us quite a chase, Ms. Frasier.”

The gun pointed straight at Jo let her know exactly whose side her former sitter was on.

“You look surprised. Didn’t you send for me? I believe I even arrived before you. I’ve been watching to see if your fed friends showed up.”

Gone was the bleached blond hair, obnoxious red lipstick and nails. She meandered into the room,
looking around, unconcerned about concealing her face. She quietly let the door click shut and flipped the lock. “I’m going to search you to make sure you aren’t wired. Can’t have that ruin all the fun.”

The woman patted her through her clothing, looked at several obvious places around the room and seemed satisfied there weren’t any listening devices. She searched Jo’s coat lying on the bed
and found the dog, placing it in her own coat pocket.

“So you cleaned it up. Good job, Emmy.”

What am I doing?
She tapped the record button on the phone still in her hand. “You were my babysitter, LuLu. I recognized you at my old house.”

“You know, I thought you might be catching on towards the end.” She popped her gum, slipping into the Sadie Colter accent and persona. “I told
them leaving the house that way was a bit much, kinda sick, you know? I have to say, that psychic bit was hilarious. Well done.”

“You knew who I was the entire time?”

“Oh, honey. They’ve been waiting for you to come back. Your dad was a surprise. I really thought he was dead. But you? Leaving you alive was a mistake.”

“You were there when my mother was murdered?”

“Who do you
think unlocked the door? Of course they didn’t know I was there.” Quickly, she stood straight, and gestured with the gun to stand. “You always were a smart child. Too bad your dad sniffed around. I did like him.”

“Did you kill my father, too?”

The horrible woman just raised her thin eyebrows. “We should go. I’m sure your Marshal Cooper will be here shortly. By the way, he’s a cutie to
watch—even from a distance. Bet you had some fun exploring every inch of that tall hunk.”

“I came alone. He doesn’t know.”
But I hope he’s on his way.

“If that’s the truth, Emmy, honey,” she pouted, “then I’m afraid you don’t have much bargaining power. Put your phone on the table. You won’t be needing it any time soon.”

Jo set the phone on the dresser. She’d called her Emmy. Strange
that there wasn’t a glimmer of memory attached to the name.

Should she want to hurt this woman who had confessed to opening the door for the murderers? Did her look implicate her in the murder of her father? Surely they’d still be able to prosecute based on the recorded conversation. It didn’t matter. Finding her mother’s client...the person who ordered LuLu to spy on them. That was her goal.

Everything was on the line.

“Did my father recognize you? Is that why you killed him?” Jo walked past her, leaving the phone on the dresser, still recording the conversation...hopefully. “Where are you taking me? Who are you really?”

“I trust you can keep your mouth shut as we leave. You know the drill, right?” LuLu ignored her questions. “I’ll shoot you, but I have several other
bullets and I’m a fairly good shot. A lot of innocent people will die. And you care about that, don’t you?”

Of course she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. And her ultimate goal was to find her mother’s client. Not to escape...yet.

LuLu—or whoever she was—hid behind a scarf, large sunglasses and her coat. Once out the room door, she grabbed Jo’s elbow, curling sharp nails into the
soft skin Levi had brought to life with his kisses just that morning. The gun was shoved into her ribs, hidden by Jo’s jacket.

The woman didn’t answer her questions. They walked silently, but at a steady pace to the elevators. It would be useless to talk anyway. She could only hope that the hotel manager remembered what she’d asked him to do.

* * *

L
EVI
SWUNG
OPEN
the door and jumped
from the truck before Lanning threw the vehicle into Park behind the Plano squad car. He was through the hotel’s automatic doors and waved toward the counter. “Where is she?”

“The manager says she left less than fifteen minutes ago with this woman.” The cop handed him a picture.

“Sadie Colter. Now a brunette, but I recognize her under the glasses. Definitely the woman known as LuLu from
Jo’s past.” How the heck was she connected to all this? One of Frasier’s clients? A plant in the house?

“How did you know to take a picture and call the police?” Lanning asked the manager.

“Ms. Atkins came to me and explained that you would need a picture of the person she’d be leaving with. I don’t like the idea of my hotel being used for a sting operation. This is very disruptive.
I hope this is what you wanted. It was clearly a woman who came through the lobby with her. FBI or police, I swear—”

“Just tell us what Jolene said,” Levi interrupted the man. They were losing time.

“She told us to give the information regarding the vehicle and physical description to the police as soon as she’d gone. I was surprised when this officer showed up minutes after we called.”

“Is that it?”

“I still don’t think it’s right to put this type of responsibility...”

Levi walked away, pulling the agent behind him.

Lanning stopped him just outside the door. “I’m saying this again, Cooper, your girl’s pretty dang smart.”

“And if we don’t find her, she’ll be pretty dang dead when they discover she doesn’t know anything.”

“Give Russell some time. He’s
digging through twenty years of information to find our likely candidates. We know more than they think we know.” He slapped Levi’s shoulder. “I’m going to check the room. You coming?”

They rode the elevator and verbalized the laundry list of standard operating procedures: cell phone trace, vehicle location, how to handle the exchange, not to be too cocky on the phone with the middle man.

Levi listened. For once, wanting someone to tell him exactly what to do. If something happened then he could blame someone else. Naw, no matter what, he would be solely responsible. Should he use Lanning or go at this alone?

Alone. Trust his gut. No rules.

Every other thought had him returning to why Jo had left him. She’d clearly made the decision while he’d been talking to Lanning
that afternoon, giving whoever LuLu worked for enough time to find her at this hotel.

Knowing that he couldn’t keep her safe, wondering what was best had been making him question himself. He thought that arranging for the FBI to take over her protective custody would drive him crazy wondering if she was safe. He’d even toyed with the idea of taking off in that motor home and never looking
back.

But this...the possibility that Jo was already dead ate away at his insides. If she were...Well, he understood what a better half meant now. His would be gone forever.

“They’re ready with the trace.” One of Lanning’s team informed them when the elevator doors opened. “Everything’s set in the room. No prints. No disturbance. No one heard a thing. Nothing in the room except Ms. Atkins’s
cell.”

“Pull the records,” Lanning said, handing the phone off to a woman who entered after them. “Look through its history.”

Levi was good with faces. He’d seen this one before. He moved out of the way, trying to place her. “Who’s the blonde?” he asked one of the men who’d come up with them.

“Special Agent Barlow, just transferred from Austin or San Antonio.”

Levi knew he’d
seen her. Somewhere here in Dallas. Recently. Then it hit him. New boots, dark jeans, tan shirt. She’d stood right next to the FBI agent while at the bar. Lanning.

They’d been set-up.

The jerk he’d trusted to help Jolene walked from the room into the hallway. Levi followed, spinning him around. He grabbed Lanning’s collar just as Lanning crunched his wrists in a death grip.

“Where
is she?”