Devil in Disguise (26 page)

“Oh, really? Have you watched
Phantom of the Opera
much lately?” He threw the words back at her.

Conrad and Rachel were both shocked into silence. Rachel looked at Conrad, not sure how else to give the couple some measure of privacy.

“That was low, Dick.” Veronica said the words softly, rising
regally and turning to go.

“Aw hell, Ron, I’m sorry.” He was instantly contrite, jumping up to run after her.

Once they were alone, Conrad turned back to Rachel and
shrugged.
“For the record, I don’t care if you watch
Phantom of the Opera
–
although I personally prefer
Jesus Christ Superstar
.”

“I do too, so we’re good.” Rachel nodded slowly, not sure what just happened there. “The steak looks good.”

“Thanks.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Rachel asked, “Would it be rude if I ate my steak?”

“I will if you will,” Conrad replied.

That was all the encouragement Rachel needed. She was famished. She was about halfway through her steak when Rick came storming back through the house. Rachel cast a furtive glance at the back deck,
where she knew her friend was sitting alone and miserable. Then she looked back down at her steak longingly. With a sigh, she rose, grabbing the wine and two glasses and heading toward the back
door.

“YOU KNOW, YOU KISS ONE GUY,
you say one stupid thing, and you never hear the end of it,” Veronica lamented before Rachel even had a chance to sit down.

“Yeah,” Rachel agreed, having no idea what Veronica was
talking about. “Want a glass of wine?”

Veronica gratefully accepted the glass. “I’ve missed having girlfriends.”

“What about Harmony?”

“She’s not around much. She just happens to be on summer break. It’s usually just me and the guys.”

“She’s still in school?”

“Graduate school, but yep. I don’t know how she does it. I
barely got my bachelor’s without going insane. I hated school.”

Rachel thought about her next words carefully. “You don’t have to tell me what just happened there, but if you want to talk, I have time.”

“I did something stupid once, and I don’t think he’s ever going to forgive me for it.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that the stupid thing was kissing another man?”

“He kissed me. Well, I kind of kissed him back. But it was while undercover, so it’s not like I had a ton of options. But there was something there between us. I can’t explain it. All I know is it all
came right on the heels of feeling very betrayed by Rick.”

“I think I got it.” Rachel put a comforting arm around Veronica, so many of the little comments back and forth between
them starting to make sense. “Do you still have feelings for this other guy?”

“He died.”

“I’m sorry,” Rachel sympathized, pausing a moment before prompting Veronica. “So do you? Have feelings for him, that is.”

“I don’t love him, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“But his ghost is still here, isn’t it? Not like his literal ghost, but he’s still coming between you two.”

“I preferred thinking we were fighting because Rick is an
insensitive ass.”

“I’m sure he can be, but I think maybe your husband needs some reassurance that there are only two of you in the relationship – even if his fear is unfounded. Talk to him,” Rachel encouraged.

“It’s so nice to have a girl to talk to.” Veronica took another sip of her wine and rested her head on Rachel’s shoulder.

They sat together, admiring the stars and sipping their wine, for
a while longer before Veronica decided she was ready to go hunt down Rick. Rachel felt like a selfish jerk, but she couldn’t help
wondering if her steak would still be edible.

“I didn’t even think you liked red meat,” Conrad observed later, watching her devour her second piece of beef.

“I don’t. It’s icky. But this is very good. You did a wonderful job grilling it, love.”

“Thanks.” Conrad continued watching her, amusement written all over his face.

It took two plates of food for Rachel to feel satiated, but she went to bed that night feeling fairly fat and happy, under the
circumstances.
She did worry about Julia, hoping her first night in the new place went well, but she had to admit it also felt good to snuggle into
Conrad’s
arms and drift into a long and dreamless sleep.

Rachel didn’t know what time it was when Conrad shook her gently, calling her name and urging her to wake up. She closed her
eyes tighter,
trying to snuggle up to him and fighting the pull toward
wakefulness.

“Sorry
chère
, no rest for the wicked. Rick picked up some talk on the Internet that makes him think you need to get back in the game and get ready for a phone call. Get dressed, just in case you have to
go in.”

With great effort, Rachel pried her eyelids open. “I’m so tired.”

“I know,
mon amour
. I’m sorry. Maybe this is it, and after today I can whisk you somewhere far away where you can sleep for a
month if you want to.”

That was the carrot that got the donkey out of bed. She glanced at the clock and sighed. It really was morning, no matter how badly she didn’t want it to be. Rachel dressed in the horrible clothes of her disguise, snickering a bit as she put in her contacts. Rick had already dressed the part of the chauffeur by the time she was ready to walk out the door. They rode for a while in silence, both waiting tensely for the phone to ring.

“Hey, Rachel,” Rick finally spoke, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed
you last night.”

“I got over it,” she assured him. “It’s actually pretty funny, and
I’m just going to tell myself you didn’t see anything too pertinent.”

“That sounds like a good thing to tell yourself.”

Rachel closed her eyes; she could feel a blush stealing across her
cheeks. Stupid motel mirrors. “Okay, well, now that you’ve robbed
me of that delusion, can we agree to never speak of this again?”

Rick grinned. “Sure. And Rachel – thank you for whatever you
said to Ron last night.”

“No worries.” Rachel smiled back at him, happy they seemed to have worked things out. “She loves you very much.”

“She’s pretty fantastic.”

Rachel was tempted to tell him that saying that didn’t replace the need to tell Veronica she was both loved and cherished, but she already felt enough like a busybody, so she let it go. His phone rang, eliminating any chance for conversation anyway.

She could tell from his expression that the exchange was not a good one. When he hung up the phone, he jerked the Town Car into a u-turn so quickly that for a split second, Rachel wondered if they were down to two wheels.

“They aren’t going to call,” Rick told her, his face grim.

“Why not?”

“Because they’ve shot Vance and Harmony. They’re both in
surgery at Piedmont. It doesn’t look good.”

“What? What happened?”

“I have no idea. Ronnie didn’t say, but she did say your cover has been blown. There are eyes all over town looking for you.”

“Where are we going?”

“Out of town.”

“No. Take me to Piedmont.”

“I’m not really Jeeves, you know.”

Rachel’s temper flared. “Rick, damn it. Take me to Piedmont. I’m not going to scurry for cover while two friends fight for their lives. You know you want to be there as badly as I do – worse probably. Please, Rick.”

His shoulders fell, and Rachel knew she was right. He
desperately wanted to go to the hospital to see what was going on.

“Call Veronica and tell her to bring the cutest outfit in that closet I’ve been raiding. I have a plan. I’m tired of hiding. We are going to be at the hospital with our friends.”

“You know that if I get you killed, Conrad will kill me, right?”

Rachel’s response was a neatly arched eyebrow.

Rick glanced back at her in the rearview mirror and shook his head. “I’ll call Ronnie and ask her to bring some clothes and meet us at the hospital.”

One phone call and several winces later, Rick hung up the
phone.
“She says she doesn’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t think she’s
going to bring you clothes.”

With a resigned sigh, Rachel pulled her jacket off and
unbuttoned
the top two buttons of the stuffy blouse she was wearing. “I guess I’ll have to do what I can with what I’ve got. Keep your eyes on the
road.”

Unfastening her seatbelt, Rachel un-tucked her blouse and shimmied her skirt higher on her waist. She took the belt off the skirt and fastened it over the shirt. Then she peeled the panty hose off and
used the pocket knife Conrad had given her to pop the silly little flowers off the tops of her pumps. Once they were an acceptable plain brown, she slid them back on.

She tossed the wig to the side and pulled the pins from her hair, letting it tumble about her shoulders.

“Can you make one more phone call for me, Rick?” Rachel asked as she grabbed a tissue to begin wiping the heavy makeup off her face.

“What’s that?”

“Call Brian and ask him to get a crew from our affiliate over here right away. If those bastards want to kill me, they’re going to have to do it on the evening news. With a little luck, word will spread and we’ll get several cameras there.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Rick?”

“Yes, Rachel?”

“You might want to ditch the hat and jacket when we get there. You don’t want people thinking you’re my driver.”

“I like you so much better than Ronnie’s other friends.”

“Thanks.”

They beat the television crews to the hospital, but that didn’t
stop them from striding confidently across the parking lot and into the hospital. Her body language dared the monsters to crawl out from under their rock to confront her publicly in broad daylight. She
was
almost a little disappointed to reach the information desk
unaccosted.

“You’re Rachel Cooper,” the woman behind the desk announced as Rick was trying to explain who they were there to see.

Rachel graced the woman with her most brilliant smile. “I am. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I am such a big fan. I wrote the station to tell them to get you back when you went away.”

“I wasn’t gone – just working on a story. Now I wonder if you could maybe help me on that story.”

“Anything.”

“A couple of my colleagues were brought in by ambulance.
Probably a John and Jane Doe with GSWs.”

The woman pecked at her keyboard. “They’re still in surgery.”

“Where could I find that waiting room?”

The woman pointed, still awestruck.

“Thanks.” Rachel gave her a friendly smile and wave even as she grabbed Rick’s hand and raced down the hallway with him.

“That was pretty impressive,” he complimented as they neared the waiting room. “But you might want to let go of my hand now before rumors start spreading.”

“Right. Sorry. Nerves.” Rachel jerked her hand back. “What’s Vance’s last name?”

“Davis, why?”

Rachel ignored his question, picking up the phone on the wall
outside the surgery center. She explained who she was, who their John Doe was, and that she was in the hallway with Mr. Davis’
brother. If they could keep them updated on Mr. and Mrs. Davis’ condition, Rachel would be forever grateful.

Rachel was feeling pretty good about herself until the doctor came to find the family of Mr. and Mrs. Davis. Rachel could tell by the look on his face as he pulled his hat and mask off that the news
wasn’t good.

“We were able to stabilize Mr. Davis. He’s in recovery now, and then he’ll be moved to a room. All things considered, the damage
was fairly limited. He should recover quickly.”

Rachel didn’t catch the rest. She didn’t like the way the doctor emphasized the “Mr.” When she interrupted to inquire as to the status of Mrs. Davis, the doctor gave her a mournful look that
answered the
question before his words confirmed. “Mrs. Davis had extensive damage to her internal organs. The emergency room staff did
everything they could. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Rachel rocked back on her heels. She felt as if she’d been
punched in the gut. Instinctively, Rick reached out to stabilize her.

“When can we see my brother?” Rick choked on those last two words.

“We’re monitoring him right now. I’ll have the nurses bring you back soon.”

The doctor left them alone with their grief. The image of Vance tucking the strand of Harmony’s hair back stubbornly refused to budge from Rachel’s mind. She could hear Harmony’s melodic laughter in response to whatever Vance had whispered to her.

Veronica and Conrad showed up not long after the doctor left.
Conrad’s inquiry about the news crews surrounding the hospital was cut short when he saw the stunned look on Rachel’s and Rick’s faces.

Rick was the one to find his voice first. “She’s gone, sweetheart.”

Veronica stumbled into his waiting arms, the sound of her
heartache echoing down the hospital hallway.

Rachel’s own heart rebelled at the notion that the sweet young girl was gone. She hadn’t known Harmony as long as Veronica had, but she still wanted to throw herself in Conrad’s arms and weep.
Now wasn’t
the time, though. The news crews wouldn’t wait around long, and they might be the only hope Rachel had to get them all out of the hospital alive.

“Rick,” she interrupted as softly as she could, “Conrad and I have to go right now. I’m going to try to draw them away from here.
As soon as Vance is okay to travel, get him and yourselves into hiding. Get any data you haven’t already over to Brian. We’ll be in touch on the satellite phone, okay?”