The Perfect Witness (14 page)

“I didn’t say that. I’ll let Dantlow know where we end up. He’ll tell you.” She paused. “And I may call you. You have an interest in keeping all of us alive. I’d be stupid to sacrifice your help because I can’t trust you to let me do things my way.”

“Yes, you would.” He smiled. “And you’re not stupid. Stubborn, not stupid.” He moved toward the window. “I’d prefer you come with me now. We could argue out the details and ramifications once we’re out of here.”

“We could, but I’ve never noticed that you argue. You take, Mandak.”

“But usually in a civilized way.” He stopped to look at her as he slid his leg over the sill. “And I almost always find a way to make it palatable. You won’t change your mind?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think that what you want from me is in the least palatable. Or you wouldn’t be so evasive about telling me about it.” She met his gaze. “And I’ve never found you civilized.”

His smile faded. “No, that doesn’t appear to be working in our relationship. I think I tried it when you were that scared kid in the forest. It should have been easy then. Big brother and all that … But I never felt that way about you. Afterward … forget it.” He paused. “One question. Have you ever contacted your mother since you’ve been here?”

“No. Have I wanted to do it? Yes. But I knew that she wasn’t strong enough to fight Camano. I couldn’t risk putting Natalie and Lee in danger.” She moistened her lips. “Is she still with him?”

He nodded. “This is the first time you’ve asked me.”

“That life seems very remote. I’ve tried to forget it.”

“Very smart.” His body slid out the window and was lost to view.

She heard nothing. Quiet. He was so very quiet as he moved down the side of the house.

Had he really been a cat burglar?

Probably not. She could imagine the wildness and reckless disregard of the law, but he was too intelligent to do that for any length of time.

She went to the window and looked out.

No Mandak.

She hadn’t expected to see him, but she was disappointed. She felt somehow that Mandak was the pulse that was driving all of them, and she had to keep tabs on him.

As he had kept tabs on her all these years.

And this time, he had let her go too easily.

He would be out there somewhere, making his own plans, trying to manipulate them all as he had always done.

She shivered. Why did that worry her? That part of her life was over. She was an adult now. She was going forward under her own volition and rules.

She turned away from the window. She would go down and talk to Lee and Natalie, then come back and start packing.

Another new start, a new life, but she would not be alone this time. She would have two people who loved her to ward off that loneliness. She felt her spirits lift at the thought.

But she paused as she opened the door to look back at the darkness beyond that open window through which Mandak had disappeared.

Darkness that was filled with promises and threats.

Yet darkness that was inviting, beckoning …

*   *   *

TWO HOURS LATER, THE TEMPORARY
plans had been made for Natalie, Lee, and Allie’s departure at five the following morning. They’d decided their first stop would be a hotel in Colorado that Lee and Natalie had always loved. From there, they would go up to a cabin in the mountains. Now that the decision was made, there was only the task of packing up necessities, photos, and other treasures before catching a few hours’ sleep.

“I’m sorry, Allie.” Natalie stopped and turned to Allie as she started up the stairs. “It’s not that we really meant to use you. Oh, I guess we did. Why else would we have listened to Mandak? It was just that we were so hurt and angry that our son had been so brutally taken from us that we had a gigantic hope that somehow it would work out that you’d be willing to help us. Mandak thought you might. Believe me. We never meant to hurt you.”

“I know that.” Allie smiled at her. “And in the end, you told Mandak to go jump in the proverbial lake.”

“No, we owe him too much. But we couldn’t go on with it.” She hesitated. “You didn’t ask us why we agreed to take care of you all these years. Why Mandak was able to persuade us to do it.”

“And I won’t, until you’re ready to tell me.”

“It’s a long, nightmare story,” Natalie said. “But you have a right to know.” She drew a shaky breath. “Give me a minute. It’s hard for me to talk about it.”

“Then don’t do it.” She gave Natalie an impulsive hug. “I don’t want to hurt you in any way. I can wait. Maybe when we’re up in the mountains would be a good time. We’ve lived a great life together without me prying into your past. We can keep on doing that.”

Natalie looked her in the eyes, and her own hazel eyes were glittering with moisture. “I never had a daughter, Allie. Only my son, Simon, who was a wonderful child, a loving and idealistic young man, who filled our lives and made having another child seem unimportant. Then he was gone, and I thought all the good things had gone with him. But when you came, you enriched every day and healed us. Sometimes I’ve wondered if Simon hadn’t found some way to send you to us. I learned how wrong I’d been to let all the ugliness dominate our lives.” She reached up and gently cupped Allie’s cheek in her hand. “You know about ugliness, you’ve lived with it. Do you know what I want for you more than anything in the world? I want you to live every minute with joy and love. I want you to fight the poison and not let it rob you of that joy. That’s the only true way of fighting all the ugliness. Will you try to do that for me?”

Allie was so touched, she could barely speak. “Natalie…”

“Hey, I didn’t mean to make you all weepy.” Natalie’s voice was throaty as her hand dropped away from Allie’s cheek. “I have only one more thing to say.” She paused. “I want you to know I look upon you as my daughter.”

She put two fingers over Allie’s mouth when she opened it to speak. “Now we have to stop this sentimental talk and get busy.” She started up the stairs. “I have to go up to my studio and choose two paintings to take with me. Lee won’t allow me to take any more than that. He says we’ll break the van down if I try to pack up all my work.” She made a face. “Philistine. But he won’t leave all his precious first editions behind. He’s in the garage now, packing them in boxes.”

“Natalie.”

“It’s fine. Stop frowning.” Natalie’s radiant smile lit her face. “We’ll have each other, and that’s all that’s important.”

“I told you that I should probably go on ahead. I still think it’s a good idea.”

“Just try to do it.” She didn’t look back at Allie as she mounted the stairs. “We’re a family now. We don’t leave anyone behind. Now get packed so that we can get on the road.”

“Right.” Allie didn’t move, watching Natalie go up the stairs. She had to get control. My God, she loved her. She hadn’t expected those words Natalie had spoken. Daughter? She should have said something. She should have told Natalie how much she— But Natalie always knew what she was feeling.

“Allie,” Natalie called down. “Stop dithering and get to bed.”

And Natalie had known Allie was down here staring after her and regretting the words she hadn’t been allowed to say. “Just a few minutes more.”

Allie gave one last lingering look around the cozy foyer and living room that had been her home these last seven years. It was the only place she’d considered home during her entire life. She went across to the fireplace and put out the fire. Then she moved toward the stairs. She could hear Lee moving around in the garage, and she was tempted to go to him and talk a little longer.

No, they all had to say good-bye to this place in their own way.

Time enough to talk before they left in the morning.

*   *   *

MANDAK SAT IN HIS CAR,
watching the lights glow, then go out from different windows of the Walberg house. It was clear Lee, Natalie, and Allie were moving from room to room. That meant Allie had stirred them into action, and they would be on the move.

Not without me, Allie.

He had already bugged all the vehicles, and he’d be able to monitor them at some distance, but somehow he hadn’t wanted to leave Allie tonight. She had been her usual explosive, independent self, but he’d thought he’d detected a hint of vulnerability. Not that she would admit it. He had thrown Camano’s threat at her, and she’d accepted it.

But then she accepted everything that life dealt her.

Even him, he thought bitterly. And he might turn out to be the worst thing ever to come her way.

Maybe.

But maybe not. At any rate, he could keep her alive, dammit.

He reached for his phone and dialed Dantlow. “Things are blown to hell. Has Allie called you yet?”

“No, what do you mean blown to hell?”

“She and the Walbergs are taking it on the lam and not trusting either of us to keep them safe. She said she might call you and tell you their destination.”

Dantlow muttered a curse. “I see your fine hand in this. You shouldn’t have told them there was any threat. It’s not as if it was confirmed.”

“It’s not as if it wasn’t. I’m not willing to risk her life on the chance that Camano isn’t breathing down her neck. Have you heard anything from Trenton PD?”

He was silent a moment. “Nothing. They’ve been checking on various members of Camano’s immediate circle who would likely be sent after Allie, and most of them are accounted for.”

He went still. “Most?”

“Sal Navarro and Ben Ledko haven’t been seen in their usual haunts recently, but that doesn’t mean anything. There’s no proof that—”

“Screw proof. Can you send me photos of them?”

“No problem. I just sent them to Allie’s security surveillance, Gillen and Pontlin.” He paused. “Just in case. I’m not as complacent as you think me, Mandak.”

“Where are Gillen and Pontlin stationed?”

“Gillen is in his gray Toyota on Ebenezer Street. Pontlin is on foot near the backyard of the Walberg place. I’ve told them that you might be on-site and sent them your photo, too.” He paused. “You are on-site?”

“You’re damn right. And I’ll be here until Allie and the Walbergs are on the road.”

“And after that, you’ll be on their trail. Gillen and Pontlin are good men, Mandak. You could trust them.”

“But I won’t. Let me know if you hear anything more.” He hung up.

Navarro and Ledko. He accessed the photos Dantlow had just sent him of Camano’s men. Navarro was small, thin-faced, receding dark hair. Ledko was heavier with plump, rosy cheeks, squinting, dark eyes, and sandy white hair.

Mandak would know them if he saw them now. He clicked off his phone.

Now to go find Gillen and Pontlin and make sure they were on the job. He’d identify himself and tell them he’d be calling to check on them throughout the night. They’d probably be pissed off at the interference, but too bad. They were Dantlow’s men, and Dantlow had already screwed up once. He wasn’t going to assume it wasn’t going to happen again. He got out of his car and headed down the block toward Ebenezer Street.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Two Hours Later

SLEEP.

Easy to tell herself but hard to comply, Allie thought ruefully as she restlessly turned in her bed.

She could still hear Natalie down the hall in her studio, trying to choose which of her precious paintings to take. Lee was probably doing the same with his first editions. Treasures …

As Allie grew older, would she start to cling to things as they were doing? She couldn’t imagine it. She had dumped only the bare necessities in her brown duffel by the door. There was nothing material she possessed that couldn’t be replaced.

But she hoped that Natalie and Lee would not have to leave anything they treasured behind. She wanted them to have everything that they wished for in this world.

Wait, they weren’t the only ones who had clung to a treasure.

Allie had tossed something in that duffel that was not at all practical. The small brown leather photo album she had put together since she had come here. Photos were memories, and who should know better than she how precious memories could be?

Nor how terrible.

But the photos in her album were good memories. Remembrances to raise the heart and warm the soul.

But were Lee and Natalie’s memories as rich and wonderful of Allie and their time together, she wondered with sudden uncertainty. For the first time, she wished she could read their memories and find out.

No. She skidded away from the thought. The very fact that she couldn’t read those memories had made their relationship all the more wonderful. She was grateful to Mandak that he had made it impossible for her to read them so that they could have an entirely normal relationship. She could approach them with all the fallacies of a normal person. She knew only what they wished to confide. Mandak might have given her that mental block for his own purposes, but she had regarded it as merciful when she discovered how successfully he had done it.

She still did. She didn’t want to question Natalie’s and Lee’s motives or draw conclusions from what they held in their memories. She only wanted to hold them close and judge from actions alone. That would be enough for her.

But would it be enough for them? Before Natalie had spoken about him tonight, Allie had known they had a son, Simon, who had died. Though they had barely mentioned him through the years. Yet his death now appeared to have had something to do with their acceptance of her into their home. This home they loved and were now giving up. They were making a sacrifice and battling Mandak for her sake.

She didn’t want anyone to make a sacrifice for her, dammit. And she could not tolerate that sacrifice coming from Lee and Natalie. There had to be some way that she could make it right for them.

It will be okay, I won’t let it hurt you. We’ll work it out together. I promise I’ll make it right.

Tomorrow. She would start tomorrow.

She closed her eyes.

Tomorrow. Problems to solve. A new life, with no Mandak.

How strange that would be …

*   *   *

DAMMIT.