Stealth Moves (9 page)

Liv rolled her eyes. She’d seen a few real directors when she was little and her mother had an acting job but no one to leave her with. Compared to Hollywood directors, Rodrigo’s performance was over the top. His vampire lips and cleft chin weren’t enough to make him cool. If Maddy thought she could convert him from asshat to human, she had a lot of work to do.

“Action!” Rodrigo cried. Chase aimed his camera.

For a minute, Cameron did nothing, then he jerked his shoulders up toward his ears.

“Cut!” Rodrigo gave a deep, theatrical sigh.

Tay walked over to Cameron and laid her hand on his shoulder. He looked startled until she gave him her best slow smile. “Lean forward,” she suggested. “You know how it is when you’re watching a really good action scene? You get closer to the TV. Do that.”

Cameron tried again. After sitting motionless for another long minute, he suddenly lurched forward.

Liv had to clamp her teeth together so she wouldn’t snort. It was too hilarious. From the back, Cameron looked like he was heaving.

Rodrigo burst out laughing. Maddy and Tay giggled.

Cameron stood and turned, his face flushed. “I’m no actor.” He pointed to Rodrigo. “You do it. I’m outta here.”

Rodrigo edged nearer the couch, but Liv waved him back. “Wait!” she pleaded with Cameron. “Just give it five more minutes, okay? Five minutes—I promise.” She dug a flashdrive from her purse, handed it to Chase, and said, “Let me have the camera.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“You have to hook the flashdrive to your TV. I don’t know how.”

“But we can’t run the video. It’ll look weird, all wavy.”

“Have the tech boys fix it tomorrow.” Liv told the others, “We haven’t tried the Ari video on anyone who doesn’t know her. When I watched the one about Kyle today, it worked on me. I really, really wanted to help him. Let’s make sure this one with Ari is just as good.”

Rodrigo grumbled, but Maddy and Tay nodded. Chase fiddled with the TV, then gave Cameron the controller. “What now?” Chase asked.

“Everyone clear out. Let Cameron see the video like other viewers.” She glared at Rodrigo. “If it’s good, he won’t need coaching.”

Chase pulled out his phone. “Okay. We’ll go up to the roof, chill, and check in on YouTube.” He motioned the others to follow him, but paused in the doorway. “When you’re done, come on up. The door’s in the middle of the upstairs hall.”

“Still don’t know about this…” Cameron muttered, “but here goes.” He pressed the controller button.

Liv turned on the camera, trying to hold it steady, but her hands shook when she saw her friend’s face on the TV. Ari had taken the first part herself, setting the camera up in the Public Garden on a bright, late-summer day. First, she talked seriously about her relatives in Europe being persecuted, then you could see her spirits lift when she talked about freedom. She did some crazy stuff—posing by statues, following ducks by the pond, and finally turning, arms out, in a happy twirl embracing the day, the park, the world. And there it was—the huge, ear-to-ear Ari smile—the one everybody missed.

“Wow,” Cameron murmured from the couch. He pointed toward the TV. “That girl is awesome.”

Liv blinked back tears.

Next came still pictures, some from Ari’s mother, some from school. They showed Ari at different ages, in different moods, but every few shots had the smile. Then Tay’s voice said, “Be a hero. Find her. Bring her back.”

Cameron did what Liv hoped he would. He stood and rushed away from the couch, as though he couldn’t wait to be that hero. Liv turned off the camera. She cried, “Perfect!”

He stopped moving. “I don’t know why I just got up.”

“Because the video works,” Liv said softly. “Because Ari
is
awesome.”

Cameron nodded. “I’ll bet.”

Liv smiled. “You did great. Thank you.”

“So I’m done?”

“For tonight. Tomorrow—Can you stay over?—we’d like to film some scenes on the motorcycle and maybe in the park. But no pressure on those, no close ups, and you can ignore Rodrigo.”

Cameron made a face. “That guy… but yeah, Chase said I could stay in his guest room. It’s next to this one, and looks like it’s made for a king. I’ll probably get lost on the way from the door to the bed.” He laughed.

“Let’s go join the others,” Liv said.

They climbed the central staircase to the bedroom floor. The doorway to the roof—and another flight of stairs—wasn’t hard to find. On the rooftop terrace, the others were slouching on chairs and couch, hunched over their phones.

Chase looked up. “How’d it go?”

Liv told him the second video was finished. Everyone except Rodrigo looked glad. She asked about YouTube hits for the first posting and heard they were coming in fast. Chase offered drinks from a fridge hidden behind a plant, but Liv declined. “Not thirsty. It’s nice up here. Think I’ll have a look around.”

Cameron strolled next to her along the wall. Their view of Boston Common was wide and impressive, not blocked by other buildings. Chase’s house was taller than most.

“This would be a great place for a party,” Cameron said, as they rounded the next corner. “Looks like someone’s having one. See that house with the bright purple window?”

Liv looked across several buildings. “Purple flashes. Pretty cool effect for a party.”

“Are you two going to spy on the neighbors forever?” Maddy asked.

Cameron jumped. “I didn’t hear you coming.”

Maddy’s eyes did their sparkly thing. “We’re ordering pizza. Better get in your picks before you’re stuck with Rodrigo’s calamari-anchovy.”

Cameron hustled off with Maddy. Liv stared at the glinting window until Chase called to her, and she forgot everything else.

Day 7—Friday

The worst thing about being a bodyguard,
Holly thought,
is the downtime, the waiting around.
Here it wasn’t quite four, but Liv might stay with her friends through dinner. On the other hand, she could decide to leave earlier, and Holly had to be nearby to take her home. So what to do while waiting for Liv’s text?

Holly wished she could go home. Home! She’d spent two days at the Smallwood house, and it was
home
? Well, it was home for now. Her little room was warm and comfy—and she could get something to eat at the house. Holly felt a twinge of hunger.

The last time she’d eaten was with Catherine in the Smallwood dining room before noon. Holly learned more about Liv. Her mother was an actor and model who kept irregular hours. Liv’s independent streak came from pretty much raising herself.

Catherine announced she’d decided to let Liv have her birthday party. Since her birthday was October 31st, the party would have a Halloween theme. Invitations would be strictly controlled so security shouldn’t be an issue. Only one obstacle seemed hard to overcome. “Everyone shops the malls on Columbus Day,” Catherine said, “but I don’t want Olivia in crowds where abduction is all too easy. We must think of another way for her to get a costume.”

“I have a friend in Portsmouth—a fashion designer. She could make whatever Liv wanted,” Holly said.

Catherine’s face brightened. “Would she come here for a fitting?”

“No—at least, I don’t think so. Jess has a lot of clients and not enough time.”

“How about taking Olivia to Portsmouth? Myron could drive you there on Saturday. You were planning to spend Sunday with your family, weren’t you? Your visit could start early.”

Holly came away from lunch feeling good about her job, determined to do everything right. She made the appointment with Jess. Then she looked up Liv’s friends on the school’s roster so she’d know where to search if Liv ran away again.

She had time on her hands now. Why not stroll past those friends’ homes while Liv socialized at Chase’s place?

Tay Alexandros lived on Mt. Vernon near swanky Louisburg Square. Walking there took only minutes, but to get a glimpse of Tay’s home, Holly had to peer through trees and shrubs above a stone wall capped by wrought-iron fencing. A cobbled courtyard edged five floors of red brick, black shutters, and windows with white trim. Topiaries in weathered-copper pots flanked an entrance that could have welcomed Thomas Jefferson.

As she started toward Maddy Fitzgerald’s house on Acorn, Holly realized she wasn’t the only one gawking at Tay’s home. Where the fence turned the corner, a man was peeking through foliage at the same building. He looked familiar.

The creep! The mustached guy in the knit cap who’d grabbed her ass on the subway—there he was!

Holly faltered. If the dude got aggressive because she hurt him, what then? She didn’t want to risk a brawl in sedate Beacon Hill. She imagined Catherine’s cool voice inquiring, “Do you have these lapses in judgment often, Holly?”

But Knit Cap wasn’t looking in her direction. He skulked along Mt. Vernon, then loitered at the corner of Willow. His lips were moving.
Talking to himself? Maybe not—could be using a headset.

Willow Street led to Acorn, where Maddy lived. Tiny, quaint Acorn Street was a tourist Mecca. Could the guy be a tourist? He didn’t look like one. No bag to carry valuables. But he didn’t look Beacon Hill, either, in the slouchy cap, white Oxford shirt, vintage military fatigues and boots.

She followed him. Sneaking a look around the corner of Acorn, Holly saw him pause before one of the dollhouse residences originally built for servants but now worth millions.
What is he up to?
As he continued on his way, Holly sped up when her quarry reached the end of the narrow, cobbled lane and headed for Charles. She watched him go into the café.

The place was crowded. A knot of people stood around one table, gazing at something Holly couldn’t see because their backs blocked her view. Across the room, Knit Cap faced the gelato cooler. If she could find a seat, he might not notice her. Holly scanned the room for an open table.

A trim, athletic-looking woman waved in her direction calling, “You, yes, you.” When Holly stood by her table, the woman said, “I am Zarah, Ariel Kelly’s aunt. You are the one who protects her friend?”

“Oh! That’s why I remember your face. You were here yesterday. I’m Holly Glasscock.” She added gently, “I’m so sorry about your niece.”

Zarah pulled back a chair. “We will find her. I have come to the States to help. Sit, Holly Glasscock. I would like your company.”

Holly took the chair. “What’s going on over there?” She pointed at the group ringing the table.

“This café is running a video about the kidnapped boy. They say he is ‘one of theirs,’ a regular visitor. The waiter calls him ‘caramel,’ because that is his favorite gelato flavor. Ariel is ‘pistachio’.”

Zarah went on in a wistful tone. “I wish we had not let her come back to this dangerous place. In Israel last summer, she was safe, but her beast of a father makes her stay in Massachusetts until she is eighteen. He keeps my sister and her daughter on a leash!”

Surprised, Holly asked, “Israel is safer than Boston?”

“One is always alert to trouble in Israel. People here are innocent; they think everyone is their friend.”

“I don’t,” Holly said. “I think that guy by the cooler is up to something. Last week, he got grabby with me on the subway. Today, I found him lurking in Beacon Hill.”

“This is good observation,” Zarah allowed, “for an American, but no—” She stabbed one index finger at the palm of the other hand. “You are wrong. This man is not groping women on subways. See the gloves? The weather isn’t cold enough for gloves. He wears gloves for protection, dislikes personal contact. He cannot be the one you remember.”

“Unless he has an identical twin,” Holly countered, “that’s the man.”

Zarah eyed Knit Cap. After a moment, she said, “A loner, disconnected. He shows no interest in people around him. In Israel, I study this type because they cause trouble. There, I could find out who he is, but here…” Her right hand swept out. “The FBI, they are all bureaucrats.” She shrugged with her shoulders and frowning lips.

“Well, I know someone.” Holly searched her purse for Dan Vogel’s card. “He’s a Boston police officer interested in the case. If you need an ally, contact Dan.”

Knit Cap turned. Carrying a take-out bag, he left the café.

Zarah crooked her finger at a waiter. She pointed to Knit Cap’s back. “This man leaving the café, what does he order?”

The waiter looked through the window. “Oh,
him
. Gelato. Always the same take-out: caramel, pistachio, strawberry. You ladies ready to order?”

Holly looked at Zarah. “I’m going after him.” Before she could stand, her phone buzzed. She read the text from Liv. Frowning with frustration, Holly said, “Change of plans. It’s back to work for me.”

Zarah was on her feet. “I will see where he goes. If I learn anything, my sister will know how to contact your employer’s home. I will leave you a message.”

Liv jumped up from her seat in Chase’s lobby when Holly entered. “Let’s go,” she said sharply.

“Did something happen?”

Liv stormed past Holly to the door. Outside, she said, “They ignored me. Me—the one who started this whole thing!”

Holly waited. Liv was sure to say more.

She ticked off points on her fingers. “First, the pizzas came and everyone started talking about Kyle and the old days, like when I wasn’t at Sidley. Oh, Kyle’s parties were so cray-cray. And how Nicole was chasing him, but he didn’t like her, so he made an invisibility cape. Remember when his sonic blaster knocked out everyone in the lab, but he got the NSF scholarship anyway? Then, they told Ari stories—she made purple smoke at an award ceremony, so they took her award away. And she—” Liv ran out of breath. She sucked in air, then shook her head. “No one talked to me at all!”

“I hope my brother wasn’t rude.”

“He wasn’t rude, but he didn’t say much, not with Tay crawling all over him.” Liv wrinkled her nose.

“Cam’s shy. She probably embarrassed him.”

“Uh-uh. He was loving it. And Chase was laser-beam on Maddy, but she was too busy teasing Rodrigo and—” Liv rolled her eyes. “I was the only one who watched the video of Natalie Porcini. Poor thing wore this fugly plaid skirt half the time. I’m glad we have a dress code instead of uniforms. Anyway, she sings in the choir, and she’s a math geek.