Carol Ericson - The Stranger and I

They all walked together into the data lab where three agents tapped away at keyboards in front of computer screens with one hand, balancing cupcakes in the other. They looked up at Justin’s entrance and crowded around him to glean the details of Chad’s murder.

He revealed only the basics as he intercepted Lila’s puzzled look and finished, “Lila’s going to show me the site of Chad’s execution on the interactive map in the back and I’ll go down to Mexico in the next few days to check it out.”

Dave, the birthday boy, asked, “So you think they followed her?”

Justin replied, “Haven’t figured that out yet, but if the Mexicans killed the two dirtbags who murdered Chad, their accomplices probably waited for Chad’s car at the border.” He felt Lila tense by his side and all his nerve endings tingled with a desire to touch her, smooth away the worry lines between her eyebrows.

He steepled his fingers and shot her a look from beneath his eyelids. “She needs to get home safely. Maybe a helicopter ride into Lindbergh Field.” She’ll be safe and I’ll be safe. The thought nibbled at the edges of his mind. Ridiculous.

Dave shoved his glasses back up his nose and pressed, “Are we debriefing her here? Did Chad say anything before he died?”

Justin quelled the agent’s curiosity with a cold glance from narrowed eyes. “I already did that. Chad said nothing.”

Dave stepped back, holding up his hands. “All right. Enough said.”

Before Justin took Lila to the navigation room, Prasad announced, “I’m going into Twentynine Palms for rations to get us through the rest of the night. Anyone need anything?”

Dave protested, “Hey, it’s not your turn. It’s my turn to go in. You just want to see Janet.”

Victoria explained, “Prasad met a cute Japanese woman who works at the shopping center in Twentynine Palms. A Muslim who practices Islam and a Buddhist. We keep telling him it’s doomed.”

Prasad laughed. “Lust conquers all.”

He began taking orders for beef jerky, microwave popcorn and lattes while Justin and Lila retreated to the back room. A long night loomed ahead of them all.

As he punched the code in for the door, Lila asked, “Is that it? Just the six of you?”

“It varies, depending who’s out in the field. The team’s bigger but some of the agents are on assignment. Danny Molina and I are stationed in Mexico right now. Chad was, too.”

“Why weren’t you down there with him?”

He shoved the door open. “Personal business.”

As they entered the lab, Lila stared, wide-eyed, at the collection of satellite images on the screens around the room. Justin pointed out Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Indonesia before leading her to a lighted map of Mexico.

He handed her the pointer. “If you touch the screen with the pointer and then touch another spot twice quickly, the number of miles between the two distances will flash. Or I can switch it to minutes.”

She held the pointer between two fingers. “Cool.”

“If you press down on a point on the map, the name of the town will flash on the screen, or the name of the nearest town and the distance.”

She caught her full lower lip between her teeth and studied the map. Talking to herself, she said, “Let’s see, I got to the border at around eight o’clock, stopped for forty-five minutes in Loma Vista before that.”

He leaned in, watching her pore over the map. Her musky scent, a combination of tangy salt and stale lilac, enfolded him, weaving a silky web around him. He stepped back to break the threads.

She needed to get home, back to her family and friends. He knew instinctively she had lots of friends. Her warmth would draw people to her, grateful to be included in the glow that floated around her like a cape. God, he was losing it.

She murmured, “I think the site is around this area. It’s south of this little town, Loma Vista. Some dense foliage marked the spot. The rest of the way to Loma Vista was pretty bare.”

Blinking his eyes, he focused on the map where she circled with the wand.

“I can’t be absolutely sure until I see the place again. It was dark, and I was sleeping when we got there and terrified when I left.”

Drawing in closer, he noted the general location but didn’t write it down. He frowned. “Are you sure this is the place?”

She nodded. “I’m figuring it out by hours not miles, and I’m sure I stopped in Loma Vista and it took me another forty-five minutes to the border. Why?”

Scratching his chin, he said, “It seems kind of far from the border to be tunneling in. I expected something closer to the border itself.”

He flipped a switch to erase the entire transaction. “At least it gives me a starting point.”

Handing him the pointer, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell your colleagues out there about the tunnel?”

He shrugged. “It’s only a supposition right now. Something Chad and I worked on, nobody else, except Molina, and I’m not sure how far Chad took him into his confidence.”

She sighed. “I thought government agencies were supposed to be working together now—”

“Shh.” He held up his hand.

She started to speak, and he hissed, “Quiet.”

A hollow puff. A soft thud. A quick footstep.

He prowled toward the door of the navigation room, lifted a chair and lodged it under the door handle.

Her eyes round with fear, a sickly pallor soaking into her skin, Lila choked out, “What’s wrong?”

He spun toward her, regretting his next words. “The facility’s been compromised.”

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