Marshmallow S'More Murder (Merry Wrath Mysteries Book 3) (10 page)

She studied me for a moment. "I appreciate what you're doing. I really do. You don't want to get me or Riley in trouble. But how can you solve a murder that happened a year ago, halfway across the country, while you are here?"

"Can you get the intel or not?" I asked.

"Sure. I'll try. I'll head to the black box tonight and see what I can find out." She pointed at me. "But you need to get some sleep. You look like hell."

"I haven't slept very well since this whole thing started," I admitted.

"Take my bed. I'll crash on the couch tonight. That's not a suggestion—it's an order."

She was probably right. I felt like I'd been hit by a semitruck with a king vulture hood ornament. I agreed and lay down on the bed, fully dressed. I was out in seconds.

I cleared the apartment and found nothing. There wasn't even any evidence of a break-in. Stuffing the note with the phone number into my pocket, I dialed Riley.

"My safe house has been compromised," was all I said.

"Meet me at the office," was all he said. I packed a small duffle with everything I had and left.

Once again, I found myself out in the drizzly Tokyo night. I couldn't really take a cab from one safe house to another, so I walked. Walking at night didn't bother me. I could handle myself. Besides, it gave me time to think.

Who had broken into my apartment and left the number? Probably the same person who texted me the address earlier. I thought about the woman Riley had an affair with. A tall, voluptuous blonde from the German Embassy. She was beyond beautiful. And she had assets that I didn't have.

But how would she know where I lived? And how did she get in? All the windows had been locked from the inside, and the door hadn't been forced.

My head was pounding. I wasn't going to get anywhere with this until I had time to call that number. First things first—get to the office. Then find a place to crash. Nothing was going to happen until I had a moment to myself.

I pulled my coat tighter around me in the damp chill. That's when I heard a sound behind me.

The street was empty. Dammit. I hadn't checked to make sure I wasn't followed. I was letting this business with Riley trip me up. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Emotions could compromise a mission. I wondered how James Bond was able to do it—what with falling in love with every woman he met.

I turned a corner and quickly flattened myself into a recessed doorway. Seconds ticked by in time with my beating heart. Any moment now, whoever was following me would appear. Then maybe I'd have a few answers. I wasn't greedy—I'd take one. Was this the person who'd been contacting me tonight?

Seconds turned into minutes, and no one showed up. I couldn't wait here all night, especially if it had been a false alarm. After a few moments, I stepped from the shadows and cautiously looked around the corner. Nothing.

Still, I took no chances, keeping to the shadows and making several false turns until I got to HQ. If someone had followed me, they'd either given up or mastered invisibility. And if it was the latter, I was screwed anyway.

"Anyone follow you?" Riley said when I finally came through the door. He was all business when it came to one of his agents in trouble.

I shook my head. No point in telling him I'd freaked out over nothing.

Riley led me to a room in the back. Our headquarters had a small, one-room apartment in the back.

"Need any company?" Riley asked with a seductive smile.

"No thanks," was all I said as I shoved him out the door and locked it behind me.

I waited until Riley left before taking out my secret phone. It was a smartphone with a Wi-Fi connection that I kept hidden from the Agency and my boss. It was just a precaution, but now it came in handy.

As I dialed the mysterious number, I kept an eye on the door. Just in case Riley decided to double back.

"Hello?" a woman with an American accent answered.

"You left me your number," I said.

"Meet me tomorrow at noon." She went on to give me the address before hanging up.

I got ready for bed, wondering what on Earth I'd gotten myself into.

Clink…

"Philby!" I shouted with my eyes closed. That stupid cat got into
everything
. My eyes were so heavy I couldn't open them. Exhaustion formed a haze around the edges of my brain, and I started to drift back to sleep.

A grating sound, like ceramic sliding over a counter, made me groan. What was that cat up to? Hopefully she wouldn't knock my favorite
Spies Love Wet Work
mug over. She liked pushing things off countertops to watch them smash onto the floor below. It was a sort of hobby with her.

Wait. I'm not at home. I'm somewhere else. Forcing my eyes open, I saw a room unfamiliar to me. A woman on another bed snored like a buzz saw. Huh. I dragged my sleepy brain into the present. Oh, right. I'm in Washington DC with my Scout troop. I was in Evelyn and Maria's room.
Man—I must really be out of it to forget that
.

I grabbed my cell phone and saw that it was three in the morning. The noise on the other side of the door was probably Maria getting a glass of water. I slid back down onto the bed and began to doze off.

Crash…

I sat straight up. I wasn't going to get any sleep until I confirmed that Maria was moving around out there. Hey, I was still dressed. That was convenient. I slipped into my shoes and, using my phone as a flashlight, made my way across the room and gently turned the doorknob. I wasn't going to go out there noisily. Years of spy experience taught me that.

The living room and kitchen area were pitch black. That was weird. Even spies don't usually move around in total darkness. Turning off my phone, I stood in the doorway until my eyes adjusted to the dimness.

The couch was empty. Was Maria out there? I stepped into the main room and looked toward that area. There was a small glow from a light over the microwave, and a figure stood there, going through the cabinet. It was too big to be one of the girls.

"Hello? Maria?" I called out.

The figure reached out and snapped off the small light, plunging the area into darkness. Nope, not Maria. Adrenaline raced through my veins, and I grabbed my pink backpack off a nearby chair.

A shape came hurtling toward me in the darkness, and I swung the bag at it with all my strength. It connected with the figure's head, and he or she went down with a loud
oomf
.

Before it could get to its feet, I attacked with a kick to the neck. I was met with a satisfying gagging sound, but the intruder grabbed my foot and drove it upward, knocking me to the floor.

I lashed out with my other foot, connecting with whomever it was, but he got up and ran to the main door. I heard it slam shut just as I made it across the room. Flinging open the door and diving into the brightly lit hallway, I looked both ways, but the intruder was gone. My eyes were struggling to adjust to the blazing lights, and I went back into my room, dead-bolting the door behind me.

Very carefully, I checked each bedroom and counted the girls sleeping there. Everyone was present and accounted for. I turned to search the main area. But nothing seemed out of place. I texted Maria to bring a bug detector from the office. If the intruder had planted a listening device, I wanted to find it before whoever it was could discover my plans.

Maria texted back that she would and she'd check with the hotel manager to find out if there was any CCTV footage from the hallway. She was a good agent. Do what you're told without asking a lot of questions. Besides, she knew she'd get the answers when she got back here.

Someone had broken in, and I was pretty sure they weren't looking for Girl Scout Cookies. This was bad. I didn't like the idea that someone out there knew where I was. Where my girls were. That struck a nerve. Maybe it was time to call it a trip and send the girls home. I could stay here and keep the baddies' attention focused on me while I tried to find Riley.

I guess I'd made up my mind to finish this. Okay. Then I was going to do it without my girls. Putting them in danger was not going to work for me. They'd be disappointed and upset to cut their trip short, but I wasn't going to put them in harm's way.

I was still searching the kitchenette when Maria gave the special knock at the door. I didn't use peepholes. Too many of my colleagues had had their brain matter rearranged by looking through that tiny window. We called it a
lobotomy hole
in the business.

Maria didn't say a word. She just nodded and pulled the bug locater from her purse and turned it on. The device was the newest model, and it looked like a smartphone. It kind of operated on the same principle of many locator apps. She silently waved it around, working in one-foot by one-foot square increments as she made her way around the room. I sat on the couch and watched her work. We wouldn't be talking until her scan of the area was complete.

It took a while. The work was slow going, but that's what you did if you were serious about the craft. Too often, young and impatient spies let valuable intel slip because they were too impatient to use the equipment properly. Maria and I knew better. And knowing better had saved me in the field many times over.

An hour later, she turned off the device and slipped it into her pocket.

"All clean," Maria said as she flopped down on the couch next to me. She looked tired. It was almost five a.m., and she'd had no sleep. I didn't want to tell her that we had another full day of visiting monuments ahead of us.

I filled her in on the intruder. She didn't like the news.

"So, they found you," Maria said quietly. "Not good."

"What did the manager say about CCTV?" I asked. If we had a good image, we'd know for sure who we were dealing with.

Maria shook her head. "The camera on this floor was tampered with last night. Whoever broke in was smart about it."

"The only reason they got in is because I didn't deadbolt the door, knowing you'd be coming back here," I mused.

"Could we find another hotel?" Maria offered.

I shook my head. "No, it's obvious they're watching us. Besides, it's a little difficult to run around with a bunch of kids dressed in neon colors and not stand out." Maybe I should dress them in city camouflage suits. Or little ninja costumes. That would be cool.

"Why plant a listening device? Why not just take you if that's what they're after?" Maria asked.

That was an excellent question.

"I think this means they don't have any proof about my involvement in Midori's murder. If I was here alone, they'd definitely take me and not worry about if I'd be missed—innocent or not. But we're here in a high-visibility capacity. There was some publicity about the National Council awarding the troop with this trip. If I was to go missing now, word would get out, and it would be investigated. Even the yakuza wouldn't risk that."

Maria nodded. "That's a good point. And good news. It means that Riley is, in all likelihood, still alive."

"I hope so."

I jumped out of my chair and ran to the pink backpack, ripping open the zippers and searching through it.

"What is it?" Maria had joined me.

"The phone!" I said as I tossed the bag aside in disgust. "It's gone."

"So that's what they wanted." Maria whistled.

"Yeah, and I gave it to them." I frowned. I should've kept the backpack with me in my room. It was spy-craft 101, and I'd flunked.

Maria arched her left brow. "What do you mean?"

"They were looking for the packet I took but hadn't found it when I'd interrupted them. It must've fallen out of the backpack when I used it as a weapon." I slunk down in the chair the backpack had been on.

"Big deal," Maria said. "We know what was on the phone, and the papers revealed nothing."

"I hope so. I really do." But I wasn't quite convinced. "It does point the finger at Ito Jr. though. She caught me running loose in the embassy where I'd found it."

"Maybe Elvinia tipped them off after our little visit?" Maria asked.

I shook my head. "That doesn't really fit Elvinia's style. She's crazy, but she's not the type to rat us out. Besides, that would only draw attention to the fact that she'd given us the photos and info that yakuza were in the US. She wouldn't want their attention on her."

"So, what do we do now?" Maria asked. The sun was up, which meant the girls would be up any minute. I watched as she made coffee. I wanted to hug her. Maria wasn't giving up on our day.

"Now," I said as Betty, Lauren, and Hannah came into the room, rubbing their eyes. "Now we get ready to do some sightseeing."

Maria groaned but didn't complain as she poured herself a cup of coffee. I was really lucky to have her with me. I certainly couldn't talk to Mrs. Trout.

My cell rang, and I ran into the bedroom to answer it. When I saw who it was, I closed the door.

"Rex!" I said as he appeared on my screen in FaceTime. I heard Philby meow loudly behind him, and my stomach dropped. I missed home. And with trained Japanese killers on the loose, I wished I was there.

"Hey, honey," he said, and I melted. It was very early in the morning back in Iowa, but he looked like he'd been up and ready to go to work. His dark, short hair was perfectly combed, and he had shaved. I watched as he lifted Philby up to the camera.

My cat was a dead ringer for Hitler. She looked at me and started to lick the camera, probably hoping it was edible. I couldn't help but smile.

"What's up?" I asked. Was this just an I-miss-my-girlfriend call? I could have used one of those.

"I just wanted to let you know that Kelly is in the hospital. I think she's having the baby today."

I felt a stab in my heart. My best friend was having her first child, and I wasn't there for her. Granted, I'd had no choice when the Scout office informed me of the non-negotiable dates for this trip. But still—I'd hoped the kid would at least hold out until I was home.

"Robert called you?" I asked. I thought Kelly's husband would've called me, but I wasn't hurt. He was probably out of his mind with worry and excitement.

"Yeah." My boyfriend gave me a charming smile. "He put me on speed dial because he thought he might need to have a police escort to the hospital."

I laughed out loud. "Aww, that's sweet."

"Anyway, I'll let you know when I hear more. I sent flowers to her room from us. I hope that's okay?" he asked.

"Okay? It's perfect. You are the best boyfriend ever." Seriously! What man would think to do that? I had a winner on my hands. This was not the right time to tell him about Midori and Riley.

"Oh, and someone wants to talk to you," he said as he leaned down away from the camera. Rex plopped three kittens on the table, and they all looked at me on the screen and meowed.

"I miss you guys!" I said in a baby voice. Elvis kitten made a
ffffft
sound before her face filled up the camera.

"I have to go," I said sadly. "But please let me know the minute that baby is born!"

Rex promised before he hung up.

For a moment, I got to ignore the danger here in DC and get excited for Kelly and Robert. They'd refused to tell anyone—even me—the names they'd picked out. I turned the volume on my phone all the way up and joined everyone else in the main area, where a donut fest was taking place.

I held up my hand in the symbol for the quiet sign, and every girl turned toward me silently.

"Kelly has gone to the hospital. She's having her baby!" I squealed.

The girls screamed and clapped, every bit as excited as I was. I couldn't help but get caught up in their enthusiasm. This baby meant a lot to them too.

"Okay, okay, let's quiet down," I said. "We've got a big day ahead of us and lots to do. So let's finish eating and get dressed and cleaned up. We leave here in thirty minutes!"

My announcement created a mad dash, only rivaled in cartoons, as girls and donuts went flying everywhere. Evelyn Trout made an appearance and frowned, but she didn't go back into her room. She even wore the electric pink T-shirt we'd designated for today. Was she going with us? One more bit of good news. Maybe things were looking up.

Maria and I changed, brushed our teeth, and joined the group jumping up and down in the living room. Evelyn stood on the outskirts of the fray, eating a donut. She was still frowning. I wondered if I should explain that the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Memorials wouldn't have shopping malls or spas in them. But she was an adult and had access to Google. I was tired of kowtowing to her. Besides, it would be nice to have another adult today, just in case I got kidnapped.

It took a while for us to clean up and go. Maria pulled the van around, and I herded everyone in. Maria seemed to like driving us, and I let her. She knew this city better than I did. Besides, it gave me a chance to watch for anyone tailing us.
Paranoia is a spy's best friend.

Maria and I had decided we'd hit the Jefferson Memorial first, saving the Washington Memorial for last. That way, we could hit the Smithsonian museums if we had extra time. For a moment, I pictured my troop turned loose on a bunch of museums with priceless artifacts. Well, it would be the museum's fault if the Hope diamond was used as a football.
They should have better security.

The sky was a bright blue, without a single cloud. The perfect day for exploring. Well, except for the stifling humidity. But the girls didn't seem to notice. In fact, they were excited. A full day of running around outside might even wear them out.
Might.

The good thing about hitting the monuments today was that there'd be crowds of tourists…witnesses, should anyone decide to get all kidnappy with me. I hoped that nothing would happen, but you could never really be sure in my line of work. The Girl Scout motto was "Be Prepared
.
"
It made me wonder if Girl Scouts founded the CIA with that in mind. I'd have to let them know I had twelve good recruits for them in ten years.

"Okay, ladies," I said sternly as Maria parked the van. "You have to be good. You are representing the Girl Scouts and the state of Iowa today. So I want you on your best behavior. Got it?"

Twelve little girls nodded solemnly as I got out of the van and opened their doors. They bounced out of the car with excitement and raced toward the memorial. Cars and tour buses were beginning to fill up the parking lot.
Bring on the crowds—the more the merrier.

Evelyn followed the girls up the marble steps of the portico as Maria and I hung back a little. If someone was looking to get me, I wanted to be as far from my girls as possible. And if they approached me, I'd go. No point in getting anyone hurt on my behalf. Maria and I had decided that if something did happen to me, she would get the kids to my parents' house. My folks would make sure the troop got home safely.

I'd called my parents this morning to let them know that. Mom and Dad seemed a little alarmed that I thought something could possibly happen to me, but they agreed. I told Mom she could have my cats if I suddenly wasn't around anymore. Was it me, or did she sound a little excited to hear that?

A rather handsome park ranger who looked a little like Rex had gotten the girls' attention, and they huddled around him. Smart guy, I thought. Defuse the first threat you see with charm. Evelyn stood there with the girls, flirting with the ranger, grinning like a clown, and gushing over everything he said. Yeesh. What was with this woman? Actually, I hoped we'd never become close enough for me to find out. I watched as Maria joined them. She looked back at me and nodded.

My goal for the rest of the day was to keep a bit of distance between me and the girls and scope out the crowds to see if my suspicions were correct and I was being followed. I took up position against the wall and scanned the tourists.

A group of middle-aged tourists with huge cameras caught my eye when they seemed very interested in my girls. So did a couple of Japanese hipsters in suits and sunglasses. Expensive suits. One guy had a slick, Elvis-like pompadour—like the guy in one of Elvinia's photos. My heart skipped a beat as I studied them. It was hard to tell. The other guy with him didn't resemble the other men in the photos. I couldn't be sure enough to act.

They looked completely out of place though. But like the group of tourists, they made no eye contact with me. They didn't keep an eye on the exits or shoot suspicious looks around them. They simply focused on what the ranger was saying about Thomas Jefferson.

I didn't like it. Because if I was yakuza and didn't want to stand out—I'd do the exact same thing. These two were the only Asians in the whole crowd. I squinted at the big group. They were still staring at the girls. I could understand if they were eyeing the troop with fear or adoration. But a whole group watching them? That seemed a bit shady.

If you asked who I suspected more, it would be hard to say. Because of the photo, the two suits stood out as if they'd been naked and dipped in blaze-orange paint. They didn't have the right shoes or clothes for sightseeing, and they didn't look as refined as traditional Japanese businessmen.

On the other hand, the tourists with cameras would be the perfect cover. No one would suspect them, and an assassin could slip in there easily. With their large number, none of the other tourists would've called a stranger out for piggybacking with them. It was the perfect disguise.

Still, I had to wait for them to tip their hand, and it looked like they were prepared to wait. I was fine with that. It was way too early to deal with an attack. I needed a little more time to wake up. Getting up at three in the morning and staying up was not a good thing for me. I really needed a good, solid eight hours of sleep.

During our training at The Farm, the CIA was big on challenging us under the effects of sleep deprivation. It had been my only weak point, and I had barely squeaked through. I was hoping the three cups of Earl Grey I'd had before we left would help. Right now, though, not so much. Too bad Betty's ADD medication was back at the hotel. Those usually contained amphetamines, which would perk me up. I'd have to check that later. Great. Now I was considering stealing drugs from my kids. I was in danger of losing out on Role Model of the Year.

I moved around the memorial, reading the inscriptions on the walls, trying to blend in. No one followed me or even studied my actions. It could be that no one was there to watch me. Or it could be that they were just biding their time. Or I might get lucky, and no one was watching at all. But that was a risk I was not prepared to take.

The ranger finished his spiel, and the girls wandered away as the adult tourists stepped up to ask questions. We'd warned the girls in the van to stay in groups of four, and so far, they were following our advice. Maria and even Evelyn seemed to be paying attention to their every move. For once, Mrs. Trout seemed to be acting like a mom. Maybe I was being too hard on her. Maybe I should cut her a little slack.

The two Japanese businessmen asked a couple of questions before walking over to read the walls. The tourist group was polite and had shifted their attention from the troop to the memorial. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I relaxed. A little.

My cell rang out, echoing off the walls, and I slipped outside. I guessed that turning up the volume hadn't been the best idea. I'd given anyone looking the excuse to notice me. That wasn't good.

"Yeah?" I asked without checking the screen. My eyes were on anyone who might be following me. Would it be Kelly? Riley? A butt dial from my cat?

"How's it going, kiddo?" Dad's voice made me sigh with relief.

"So far, so good," I answered.

"Glad to hear it. I thought I'd check in and let you know that I got a strange call from the Japanese Ambassador just now."

My ears perked up, and I focused all my attention on the phone. "Oh?"

"He asked about my assistant who'd wandered off at the embassy. One of his protégés, a Ms. Ito, had complained that you'd looked suspicious."

"Terrific." I sighed. I'd hoped she'd think I was incompetent. But then, if you looked for trouble, you'd find it. And my guess was baby Ito was on high alert.

"I think it's alright," Dad said. "I told him you were not very smart and most likely just got lost."

"Did it work?" I asked. "Did he buy it?"

"I think so. He laughed it off anyway. But I thought I should let you know," Dad said.

"Thanks for the heads up," I said as other tourists began to pour out around me. "I'll give you a call later."