Читать книгу Safe In His Sight - Regan Black - Страница 10
ОглавлениеThe crisp autumn breeze of a clear, late September day kissed Julia Cooper’s cheeks as she exited the Marburg Law Firm. It still gave her a happy thrill to know she belonged here in this historic limestone building with the impeccable Philadelphia-proper address.
Once again, as she walked up the street toward the Liberty Bell Center to have her lunch, she startled passersby with her persistent smile. Despite her valiant efforts, the expression couldn’t be muted when she was out of the office. It was a side effect of being unexpectedly added to the major criminal case old man Marburg himself had just picked up.
State and federal authorities had been working for over a year to crack open a highly organized car-theft ring operating out of the docks on the Delaware River. The FBI had Danny Falk, a man purported to be one of the higher-ranking locals in the operation, in an undisclosed safe house. Julia hadn’t recognized the name, only that Falk apparently had enough clout or money—or the right connections—to have Marburg canceling two of his three weekly golf games.
She found an empty bench in a swath of sunshine and opened her lunch bag, pulling out her usual blend of fresh salad greens topped with shredded chicken and a light drizzle of dressing. Eating lean and healthy in law school might have made her a little boring, but it had given her an advantage over her boozing and pizza-loving peers. The advantage carried over to her demanding job. She dug into her meal while she skimmed local and regional headlines on her phone. At a prestigious firm like Marburg, it paid to stay on top of current events.
The chime sounded for a text message and she swiped her screen to check it. The number wasn’t familiar, though the area code was local. Her assumption about a wrong number evaporated instantly.
Hello, Julia. Are you having vinaigrette or ranch on today’s salad?
More than a little uncomfortable, Julia returned her fork to the bowl, glancing around for the person messing with her. None of her fellow associates at the firm cared how she dressed a salad enough to find out even for the sake of a prank. They all thought she was odd for leaving the building most days to eat outside. The true benefit of taking her lunch break in the park was the daily boost of sunshine, another rare commodity for a new hire at Marburg.
Ignoring the juvenile stunt, she resumed her lunch and headline search.
You look better in blue. And I prefer the skirt.
This text message arrived with a picture of her in yesterday’s charcoal skirt and white sweater.
A rush of nerves skated over her skin. Who had been watching her and how had she missed it? She forced herself to chew and swallow the peppery greens that had turned to tasteless mush in her mouth. Quickly she packed the remainder of her salad and prepared to head back to the office.
Don’t go. I’d like us to be friends.
Fat chance, starting off like this, she thought. Knowing better, she sent a reply. Who are you? What do you want?
Who I am is irrelevant. I want what most men want when they look at you: insider access.
What did that mean? Was that some sort of sick innuendo? Her hands trembled. She lowered them to her lap to hide her reflexive fear. Glancing around, she searched again for the jerk behind this ill-mannered trick.
Let’s take a walk, Julia.
She refused to play his game. Pulling her tote close to her side, she leaned back on the bench and stretched out her legs, pretending to watch a group of schoolkids having fun on their field trip to the Liberty Bell Center.
I said walk. You should cooperate with me. Your choices today will have long-term consequences.
She ignored those texts. Another arrived, this time a photo of her moments ago, sitting on the bench, eyes on her phone eating the salad that was now souring her stomach. She followed the angle of the picture, frustrated when no one seemed to have any undue interest in her.
I’m walking, Julia. Get up and join me.
Stubborn and feeling a modicum of safety among the numerous people in the park, she remained on her bench. The phone was blissfully quiet for several minutes. Maybe he’d moved on to someone willing to satisfy his bid for attention.
You don’t want to be late.
He might know about her lunch hour habits, but he couldn’t know anything about her wants. She spotted a policeman on patrol and gathered up her tote. Hoping she wasn’t being too obvious, she aimed that direction.
The cop is a mistake. Talk to him and he’ll die as quickly as the other witnesses.
She stutter-stepped at that message as her gaze raked wildly over the people in the park. There was only one local case with witnesses who had dropped dead within days of cooperating with the authorities: the Falk car-theft ring. She changed direction, pausing at the next trash can, making sure the cop moved by without any exchange with her. This time as she looked around, she saw a man in an orange ball cap with the city’s hockey team logo standing a few yards behind her. Her heart pounding, she raised her phone at him and pressed the camera icon.
The man in the cap didn’t react. Maybe she’d guessed wrong and he was unfortunate enough to be the object of her swelling paranoia. She crossed at the light with a group of pedestrians, picking up her pace as she neared her building, thankful she didn’t have far to go.
Relax, Julia. I need you alive.
She could hear the unwritten threat: for now. Almost to the front door, another text popped up on the screen.
Save my number, Julia, and keep me informed. I need to know the names your client is dropping.
She couldn’t divulge that information under any circumstances. Her personal and professional ethics wouldn’t allow it. Unsettled, telling herself it was a lousy attempt at intimidation, she hurried into the building, grateful for the sturdy shelter of limestone and the friendly, weathered face of the security guard standing by at the information desk. “How was lunch, Miss Cooper?”
“Great.” The word sounded too bright, too sharp, and it bounced off the marble columns and floor of the first-floor gallery. She forced her lips into a smile. “The fresh air always perks me up, Arthur,” she replied in a calmer tone. She caved to the mounting pressure to look over her shoulder. She hadn’t been mistaken at all. The man in the hockey cap was there, on the other side of Walnut Street, boldly aiming his camera at the Marburg building.
Just a gutsy reporter, she told herself, not believing it for a second as she hurried toward the elevators. Out of his sight at last, she took a deep breath and forced her racing thoughts to slow down. Her attachment to the case wasn’t yet in the public record. Reporters had no reason to fixate on her. A reporter wouldn’t threaten a cop’s life because she’d been tempted to seek help. Whoever had rigged this stunt wanted to scare her.
She was mildly ashamed it had worked so well. Upstairs at her desk, she took several minutes to document the text messages, a limited description of the man in the ball cap, and her gut feelings about the whole mess. She did save the number, to add it to a potential police report rather than out of any sense of obedience. The small, positive actions eased the tension in her shoulders and enabled her to sink into the Falk case, studying the raw statements the team had gathered so far.
When her phone chirped with an email alert from her personal account, she ignored it. She ignored the next two alerts, as well, and set the phone to vibrate. When the fourth alert came through within three minutes, she gave up. Saying a quick prayer her bad day wouldn’t get worse with some pseudoemergency request from her mother, she checked her inbox.
The emails appeared to be from the notifications address of her favorite cosmetics store, but instead of a graphic or coupon, the attachments were pictures of her. Julia’s breath backed up in her lungs as she examined the numerous images from the past week. It took a moment for her to realize the pictures were labeled Day 1, Day 2, etc., matching the time line precisely to how long she’d been on the Falk case.
Her stomach clenched. How had she missed this jerk following her to and from work, out to lunch and to the gym in the evenings? Pulse skittering, she clamped her lips together, biting back the scream building in her throat. Thank God she didn’t have an exterior office with a view. She was safe in here, two rows of cubicles between her and the windows.
Still, it required a significant effort to stay in her chair when she wanted to cower under the desk and hide from the man on the street below. She flexed and stretched her hands, bunching up the fabric of her slacks in her fists and smoothing it out over and over again, until the anxiety subsided. She was strong, capable. When she regained a measure of calm, she downloaded and saved each photo attachment from her email account, adding them to the file she’d created less than an hour ago.
She enlarged the single picture she’d caught of the man in the ball cap, searching out any details in the shadows of his face for possible identification against Falk’s known associates. There just wasn’t enough to go on with the shadows from the bill of the cap and the dark sunglasses that blocked his eyes. Although he seemed of average height compared with the nearest passersby on the sidewalk, the blue windbreaker hid his real build.
Julia swore when yet another email arrived. No picture this time, just one sentence: You will keep me informed.
Her temper quickened and she fought the urge to send back a scathing reply. He might not realize it, but she would never jeopardize her career or the safety of a client over a random stranger’s overblown sense of power. Having learned the hard way that pride and temper could negate strength and capability in a challenging situation, she carefully considered her options.
She couldn’t go to the police without talking to her bosses first. Discussing this with one of the investigators on staff would have the same result. Both options would likely get her dumped from the case. While leaving the case might make her less valuable to the stalker, opportunities like the Falk case didn’t come along every day. There were fifty other associates ready to snap up her spot if she was removed. And what was there to say? A man found my personal number, followed me and took pictures of me around the city. So what? It was an inconvenience, a nuisance, not a crime.
She could wait him out. He’d proved he had access and he was sneaky, but she was aware of him now. Other than more creepy attempts to frighten her, there wasn’t much else he could do to intimidate her. The firm knew everything about her—all the way back to the unhappy life she’d mostly escaped—having done their due diligence before hiring her. There weren’t any skeletons in a forgotten closet to shake loose and use against her.
Her phone hummed with yet another personal email. Damn it. She reached to turn off the device and noticed this time the email appeared to be from her bank.
She swore again, her stomach knotted with dread as she opened the email. A screen shot showing a mobile deposit and immediate transfer of nine thousand dollars filled her phone screen. Another email hit her inbox, this one an alert from her credit card showing she’d purchased a twenty-thousand-dollar entertainment system.
“Dear God.” She closed her eyes, knowing how that sort of thing would look to her bosses, as well as an outside auditor. As if defense attorneys weren’t typically considered corrupt to start with, now her finances actually reflected bad practices.
She picked up her desk phone to report the credit card fraud, determined to keep her cool until she knew why she’d been targeted this way.
A text popped up on her phone screen, the words raising the hair on the back of her neck. Reporting it is useless. I control your accounts now. I control YOU now.
She struggled for a calm breath, to think her way through this choking fear. He had her money? No. No! Panic lanced through her with razor-tipped claws. Switching to her bank’s website, she discovered he was serious. Even her password recovery email address bounced back as incorrect.
If you want your life back you will cooperate.
Mitch Galway grabbed longneck bottles of beer three at a time from the coolers under the bar. At just past ten, the Escape Club was packed to capacity and the crowd was working up a profit-turning thirst as they danced and screamed and sang along with the bands on tonight’s schedule. His next customers ordered the everyday special and Mitch popped open canned beer with one hand while pouring bourbon into shot glasses with the other.
He glanced up at the stage when the last notes of the current song faded away. In the momentary lull, the lead singer introduced the owner of the club as guest drummer for the next set. Grant Sullivan knew drums, the Philly music scene and how to keep men like Mitch from going stir-crazy when they fell on tough times.
This was Mitch’s second week at the Escape and the only thing keeping him sane since the Philadelphia Fire Department had placed him on administrative leave. More than anything he wanted to stay connected with the action at his firehouse on the west side of town, but he didn’t dare. Getting impatient would only drag out his case and keep him off the job longer. He owed Grant big-time for giving him all the shifts he could handle between now and whenever the PFD reinstated him.
Another customer served, he moved on to the next. The bustling crowd kept his mind off the troubling thought of how long it might be before he worked a fire. He took an order, admiring the approach of a striking redhead. Chin up, it was as if she dared the whole world to try to take a shot or give her a kiss. He imagined those rosy lips could level a man with a technical knockout.
She squeezed close to the bar. No wedding band. He wondered where her boyfriend was. Maybe it was a girl’s night out. “What can I get for you?” He leaned over the bar so she wouldn’t have to shout her answer.
“I need to speak with Alexander.”
Huh. That phrase meant the lady was in some sort of trouble. “All right.” Following Escape Club protocol, Mitch scooped ice into a glass and filled it with water. Anyone who came into the bar and asked for Alexander needed to speak privately with Grant. Usually it was a matter of protection, or an assist getting out of a tough situation. Mitch dropped a straw into the glass and pushed it across the bar toward her. Giving a nod toward the stage, he said, “He’s on the drums. I’ll take you back as soon as he’s done.”
She gave a quick nod, her hands closing around the water glass, but she didn’t drink.
He continued to work the crowd, keeping an eye on her, noting the way she repeatedly peered over her shoulder and took careful stock of the people ebbing and flowing around her. He interrupted his service rhythm just long enough to send Grant a text message.
Shortly after Grant exited the stage to cheers and applause, Mitch’s cell phone hummed.
“Alexander’s waiting for you,” he said to the redhead.
Her lips compressed to a thin, stern line, she slid off the stool and joined him at the end of the bar. He led her to Grant’s office and stepped aside for her to enter. Intending to give them privacy, he didn’t follow.
“Join us,” Grant said, waving him inside.
With a nod, Mitch entered the office, closed the door and leaned back against it.
His boss extended a hand to the woman for a brisk handshake. “Grant Sullivan. You’ve met my bartender, Mitch Galway.”
“Julia Cooper.” She slid a wary glance at Mitch but didn’t shake his hand. “Yes.”
“Have a seat, please.” Grant’s chair creaked as he landed in it. The man was built like a boxer, stocky and solid, yet light on his feet with an energy that frequently outlasted his younger employees. “How did you hear about Alexander, Miss Cooper?”
“A woman I work out with had a problem a few months ago. You helped her.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Grant maintained a friendly but cautious reserve. With his salt-and-pepper hair and kind brown eyes, he had a way of putting people as ease. “What sort of trouble are you having?” he queried, his voice full of that patience Mitch admired.
Julia reached into her purse and swiped her cell phone screen before handing it to Grant. “A man sent me threatening text messages during my lunch break and the situation quickly escalated. He followed me back to the law firm where I work. Those pictures arrived in my personal email account shortly after I got back to my desk.”
“Quick worker. I’d guess you’re probably not his first.” Grant looked up, his gaze sharp on the potential client. “You’re a lawyer?”
She nodded. “Everything related to my problem is in that file.”
A lawyer with an impatient stalker, thought Mitch. An impatient stalker seemed like an oxymoron, but he wasn’t the expert.
“You just noticed him today?” Grant peered intently at her phone, swiping through whatever information she’d gathered.
“Yes.” She paused while a quiver twitched across her shoulders. “The pictures were taken over the past few days. That’s why I’m here.”
“I see.” Grant continued his study. “Have you spoken to the police?”
“I don’t think the police can help me in time. They’d have to catch him stalking me and I have a feeling that won’t be easy. Average height, average build, no stand-out features.” She sighed. “And it could take months—if ever—for the FBI to figure out who hacked my credit card and bank account,” she said. “On top of that, based on the timing and the wording of those texts, I have to assume he’s fixated on me because of a criminal case I’m working. He could jeopardize my participation in the case, not to mention my career.”
Grant’s mouth flexed into a frown. “The car-theft ring?”
“Yes.”
Mitch stifled an admiring whistle. It was the biggest case in the local news. Every branch of law enforcement had been trying to bust the operation, but witnesses and informants regularly wound up dead. The FBI had snatched one of the key players and managed to keep him alive—so far—and he’d lawyered up with the best defense firm in the area.
Grant scowled at her, his eyes narrowed. “You’re with Marburg?”
“Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder at Mitch before addressing Grant again. “Will that be a problem?”
“No.”
The answer made Grant a better man than Mitch. In his boss’s shoes, he wouldn’t want to help anyone associated with Marburg. Their legal team had represented the bastard who’d shot and wounded Grant, ending his career with the Philly police department.
“Mitch will help you out,” Grant said. “He’ll be a buffer between you and the stalker until we can make an ID. He can investigate who might want to target you.”
The announcement startled Mitch. Stalkers and investigations sounded like a problem better suited to one of the cops moonlighting at the Escape.
“Buffer? Is that code for bodyguard?” Julia asked. “The partners will know something’s up if he’s tagging along behind me at the office.”
“Tell them he’s your boyfriend,” Grant suggested.
“That would be worse. No offense,” she clarified, eyeing Mitch. “A new associate with a personal life is frowned upon.”
Mitch shrugged a shoulder, holding his ground and taking her measure as she took his. She didn’t strike him as the type to scare easy. Not with the deep red hair and sheer defiance in her stormy sea green eyes. He couldn’t wait to see what the stalker had done to drive her here. Not that it mattered beyond getting the guy off her. When Grant handed out assignments, it was best not to argue. “Is there a different excuse you’d rather use?”
“No,” she replied through gritted teeth.
“I won’t create any trouble for you at work,” Mitch assured her. “I’ll follow your lead and won’t even enter the building unless I’m following your stalker.” He understood the value of privacy and discretion in the workplace.
Her shoulders relaxed a fraction. “All right. I’ll be safe enough at the office and at home. I have a security system in my apartment.”
“If you want our help, you’ll accept that he’ll be with you around the clock,” Grant corrected. “At least until we identify the man and his motives.”
“I’m not comfortable with that.” Her shoulders locked up again. “Surely, Mr. Galway—”
“Mitch.”
“—has better things to do than tail me.” She glared at his interruption.
“If you’re sure you can handle this, why did you ask for my help?” Grant voiced the question even as Mitch thought it.
“I... That is...” She stopped and cleared her throat, those tempestuous eyes skimming over him from head to toe once more before darting back to Grant. “I do need the buffer,” she admitted, reluctance dripping from every syllable. “Twenty-four/seven is more than I expected.”
“Good!” Grant beamed. “We aim to exceed expectations in every aspect of our operation.” He stood, returned her cell phone and brought the meeting to an end. “Send me a copy of that file, Miss Cooper. I added my contact information to your phone. Mitch, I’ll cover the rest of your shift at the bar. You take good care of our new client.”
“Of course.” Mitch opened the door, tipping his head for her to go first. The woman wasn’t happy, but she’d stopped protesting. His curiosity about her and the situation revved into high gear and he found a new appreciation for the free time created by his administrative leave.
Maybe this unexpected career detour would prove a little more interesting than he’d thought.
