“Miles down in X-ray told me the agent was close enough he could identify them if he had to.”
“That’s great,” Willis replied. “You know what I heard?”
“What’s that?” Roland asked.
“There was a girl on the track who might have seen the whole thing. Someone said she was a high school kid running laps.”
Roland snorted. “There wasn’t any girl on the track,” he scoffed. “It’s our own Dr. Sullivan. Does she look like she’s in high school to you, Bill?”
“No, of course she doesn’t. More like college age.”
“What kind of doctor is she?” Willis asked.
“Surgeon,” Bill answered. “She’s the one who took the bullet out of the agent. Lucky for him she was there when he got shot.”
“Sure is,” Willis said. “Any other witnesses that you know of?”
“I’m sure if anyone else got close enough to see the man and woman, the FBI will find them. They’ve been talking to everyone around here.”
“That’s right,” Roland agreed. “They stopped me on my way in this afternoon to ask me questions.”
After a few more minutes of conversation, Willis Cogburn was on his way to his car. He’d parked in the back lot so no one would see he wasn’t driving a florist van. Once he was inside, he made a call.
He didn’t waste time on a greeting but said, “Goodman will be going home at the earliest the day after tomorrow. He’s in room four twelve, so you can keep tabs on him in case they let him go sooner. Remember, George, we don’t do anything until Cal gives us the go-ahead. Just be ready.”
“Did you find out who the girl is?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, then, let’s get this done. The sooner the better to my way of thinking.”
“That’s not your call. You know the instructions. I get her at the same time you get Goodman. Cal doesn’t want any deviations from his plan. He wants it to happen simultaneously.”
“Cal doesn’t even know for certain if Goodman or the girl can ID him or Erika,” George pointed out.
“He’s a careful man,” Willis replied. “He doesn’t take chances, and he’s paying us a lot of money.”
“That’s right,” George said. “But we don’t get the rest of the money until the job’s done, and like I said, the sooner the better.”
“How many times do I have to say it? We wait for the go-ahead.” Willis all but shouted into the phone. “You were in the army, for God’s sake. Show a little discipline. You should be used to taking orders. You don’t want to get on Cal’s bad side. I brought you in because you’re my little brother, George, but my neck is on the line here. Don’t screw this up. If you do the job right, he’ll want to use you again, and each time you’ll make more money until you’re a regular like me. Be patient.”
Unfortunately, George was not the patient kind.
SIX
It wasn’t the worst invitation Ellie had ever received. The fact was, it didn’t even make the top ten. Still, it was strange, and the question remained: Had Max actually asked her out? She replayed the conversation in her mind several times and decided, no, he hadn’t asked. He’d told.
Maybe it wasn’t even a real date. Ben would probably be with him. The two of them were in town for only a short while, and they needed someone who was familiar with the city to take them to a good restaurant. Yes, that was it… maybe.
Every time she thought about it, she laughed. Max had left his card on the coffee table with his cell phone number. She could have called and canceled, but she didn’t. Instead, she spent an hour the next afternoon going through her pitiful wardrobe, trying on one outfit after another, and finally settling on a black-and-white sundress with a full skirt and a boatneck. The fit through the waist was snug, and the length reached mid-knee. She decided to wear her new-last-year black ballet flats. It was either those or her flip-flops, unless she wanted to wear tennis shoes. The heels she’d worn to the hospital banquet last month were out of the question. Her feet had ached for a week afterward.
She would have put on some cool jewelry, but she didn’t own any. She did have a silver heart her grandmother had given her for her eighteenth birthday, but the chain was broken, and she hadn’t had time to get it fixed.
Hair brushed and down around her shoulders; makeup, perfume, and body lotion applied-she was good to go.
She was ready at seven and he was on time. He looked surprised when he saw her, as though he expected someone else.
“You look nice,” he said.
So did he. He’d gotten a haircut and shaved. He still looked intimidating, she thought, but then he stood well over six feet and was built like a rock. He couldn’t really look any other way. Black pants, light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled back at the wrists, open collar, and the gun… the ever-present gun at his side.
He pulled the door closed and waited as she used her keys to lock both dead bolts. She dropped her keys into her purse and headed down the stairs.
“Is Ben joining us?” she asked.
He smiled. “Do you usually go out with two guys at the same time?”
She turned to him. “Then this is a date?”
They reached his rental car, a new SUV. He opened the door for her and said, “Sort of.”
Before she could ask him to explain, he changed the subject. “I made the reservation for seven thirty, but I got busy and didn’t download directions. Do you know the way? Or should I pull up the GPS?”
“I know the way. What’s a ‘sort of’ date?”
“How about no business talk until after dinner?”
Business? What kind of business? So it wasn’t a date. That realization led to the question: Okay, what did he want? And since it was business of a sort, why wasn’t Ben included?
Might as well find out, she decided. “What’s your partner doing tonight?”
“Working,” he answered. “You did a good thing for his wife. Addison worries.”
She smiled. “Yes, I know she does. I got three texts from her.”
“That’s not bad. Three texts in what? Twenty-four hours?”
“No, three texts in one hour,” she corrected. “By eleven o’clock Friday night we were BFFs. She’s very nice. A little neurotic about the baby, but I understand why.”
“You’d like her if you met her.”
“I do like her. I talked to her for about an hour this afternoon.”
She crossed one leg over the other and noticed he was noticing. They were at a stop sign, but he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to move on.
“When you’re finished checking out my legs, turn left.”
He wasn’t at all embarrassed. “They’re great-looking legs,” he told her. “I’m hungry. How much farther is it?”
“Not far,” she answered, turning toward him. He had a beautiful profile. Square jaw, great bone structure. Everything about him emanated strength and made her feel safe, but then a gun and a badge would do that. However, Ellie felt there was much more to him than his outward appearance revealed, and she was eager to find out what was behind those intense eyes.
“What’s Honolulu like?”
“Beautiful. It’s always beautiful there, but the city’s crowded. Why don’t you come see for yourself.”
“I don’t know how to surf,” she teased.
“It’s not a requirement.”
“Do you?”
“Surf? No.”
“It looks fun,” she remarked. “I would like to visit Honolulu someday. The climate appeals to me, especially in January with the ice storms and snow here. You told me you’ve lived there for six years?”
“That’s right.”
“Where did you grow up? Certainly not Hawaii.”
“Yeah? Why not?” he asked, glancing at her.
“You’re too…” She started to say, “uptight,” then changed her mind. “Rugged,” she finished. “Oh, we’re here. Restaurant’s right around the corner. Parking’s in back.”