"She told me a little," Ali said. "But I thought she was delusional and making a lot of it up."
"I only wish that were the case."
"So you've found out more?"
"Lots more," Dave answered, "but let's not go into that right now. Just wait until I get there."
"You're coming in?"
"Yes," he said. "As soon as I can."
"What if Tracy spots you?"
"I'll wait until there's another fairly large group and try to blend in with them," Dave said. "He's waiting for you to come out. With any kind of luck, he won't be paying that much attention to people going in."
"What are we going to do?" Ali asked. "Do you have a plan?"
"Not yet," Dave allowed. "When I come up with one, I'll let you know."
"I'll go back to the table and tell Roseanne to stay put. When you get here, talk to the hostess. Her name is Carrie, and she's Roseanne's friend. Carrie will be able to tell you where we are."
"Will do," Dave said, and hung up.
Still stunned by the idea that she'd been followed after all, Ali made her way back to the corner table. Roseanne didn't look up until Ali was standing directly over her.
"What happened?" she asked. "I thought you were leaving."
"So did I," Ali returned. "I changed my mind."
Roseanne brightened. "Does that mean you're going to buy my jewelry after all?"
"No," Ali replied grimly. "It means I'm going to try to save your butt."
CHAPTER 18
Looking alarmed, Roseanne half rose to her feet. "What's going on?" she demanded.
"Sit back down and don't make a scene," Ali ordered. "We can't afford it. Tracy McLaughlin evidently found out where I was going and followed me here," she added. "He's waiting outside in the parking lot."
Roseanne's face turned a pasty shade of white as she sank back into her chair. "He followed you?" she asked in a cracked whisper. "I thought you said you'd checked and that no one was there."
"I did check," Ali returned. "But we believe he put some kind of GPS tracking device on my vehicle. He knew exactly where I was without my being able to see him at all."
"But if they find me here amp;" With an almost physical jolt, Roseanne suddenly straightened in her chair. "Wait a minute. How did he know you were coming to see me? You must have told him."
"I didn't," Ali said. "At least not on purpose. You may be right, Roseanne. It's possible my phone is being tapped, just like you said yours was."
There was a long pause as Ali's news sank in. "What are we going to do then?" Roseanne asked finally.
"Dave Holman, that friend I told you about, the cop from Arizona, is on his way here right now," Ali told her. "Once he arrives, we'll figure out what to do."
Again, Roseanne attempted to rise to her feet. "I already told you I don't want to talk to any cops. I've got to get out of here. Now."
More time had passed than Ali realized. Now only two tables in that section of the restaurant were still occupied, but the people seated there seemed to be taking an inordinate interest in the ongoing drama between Ali and Roseanne.
"Sit," Ali hissed. "With Tracy out in the parking lot, leaving is exactly the wrong thing to do right now. He'll nail you the moment you step outside."
"What should I do then? Sit here and wait for him to come inside after me?"
"I don't know," Ali replied. "Be quiet and let me think."
Shaking her head, a trembling Roseanne slid back into her chair. Clearly the woman was petrified, and Ali didn't blame her. They needed a device that would take Roseanne out of harm's way without exposing her to whatever danger awaited her in the parking lot. Slowly a plan began to take shape in Ali's head. If Ali could somehow conceal Roseanne inside the restaurant while at the same time convincing Tracy that she had slipped away amp;
Before Ali could finish formulating a strategy, Carrie appeared, holding an armload of menus and leading Dave Holman directly to their corner table. Ali was thrilled to see him. Roseanne was not. As Dave took a seat, Roseanne shrank away from him, putting as much distance as possible between his chair and hers. Before the hostess could walk away again, Ali caught Carrie's arm.
"I guess you know we're having a bit of a problem here," she said. "That there are dangerous people actively looking for Roseanne?"
Carrie nodded. "She told me."
"One of them appears to be waiting for her outside in the parking lot."
"Oh, no!" Carrie exclaimed. "Should I call the cops?"
"Not just yet," Ali said. "But what about this? Would it be possible for you to hustle Roseanne into the kitchen and pass her off as part of the help long enough for us to decoy the bad guy away from here?"
Dave looked as though he was about to say something. Then he didn't.
Carrie seemed to consider. "That wouldn't be too hard," she answered. "I could put her in with the guy who washes dishes. He wouldn't mind having some extra help. I'll clear it with the kitchen. Let me know if you need anything else."
Carrie went away again, leaving Ali to make the introductions. Still huddled against the wall, Roseanne refused Dave's proffered handshake.
"Tracy's still out in the parking lot?" Ali asked.
Dave nodded. "Yup."
"Is he alone?"
"As far as I could tell."
Ali felt a surge of irritation with Dave. He was being uncommonly uncommunicative. She had expected him to arrive with some concrete ideas for solving their problem. Since he seemed to be fresh out of game plans, Ali continued to formulate her own.
"Do you have your cell phone with you?" Ali asked him.
"Yes. Of course."
"I'm going to call you on it," Ali said. "And I'm going to use my cell phone to do it. Since whoever may be listening in on my calls doesn't know we know about them, hopefully they'll take whatever I say as the gospel."
Roseanne let out a small moan. "But what about me?" she asked.
"What about you?" Ali returned. "You go to the kitchen and wash dishes like Carrie said until Dave or I come back to get you, but you need to know one thing, Roseanne. Dave and I aren't helping you out of the goodness of our hearts. This isn't a free ride."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm sure from what you said earlier that you'd like me to believe you're a mostly innocent bystander in all this," Ali returned. "If that were true, though, you wouldn't be so afraid of going to jail yourself. You claim to be a drug user and nothing more, but I'm guessing that by the time the cops finish investigating this case they'll be able to charge you with plenty, including conspiracy to distribute drugs if nothing else." Ali turned to Dave. "That's a felony, right?"
Dave nodded. "Yes, it is," he agreed.
"So," Ali continued, "your best bet for dodging jail time is for you to cooperate now. If Dave and I can manage to get you out of this alive, I want you to promise that you'll go to that attorney I told you about. Let Victor Angeleri see what kind of deal he can make for you in exchange for your testimonyyour voluntary testimonyabout the people at the Pink Swan and everything that goes on there, including your suspicions about who was really responsible for Paul's death."
"What if I say no?" Roseanne asked.
"That's easy," Ali returned. "Dave and I leave now, and you can deal with Tracy and whatever's supposed to happen to you all on your own."
"You wouldn't do that, would you?" Roseanne pleaded. "You couldn't just leave me alone like that."
"Oh, couldn't I?" Ali said, reaching for her purse. "Watch me."
"No," Roseanne said, capitulating. "Please don't leave. I'll do whatever you say."
"Fine," Ali said. "Go to the kitchen. Stay there until you hear from us. Either Dave or I will come get you, or else we'll let you know that it's safe to go with whoever we send."