John Locke - Lethal Experiment

“Maybe it was the lighting or a reflection off the glass.”

“Cosmo, I swear it was him.” She was visibly frightened. Shaking. She tightened her grip on my arm. “Thank God you’re here,” she said.

“What do you think he’s up to?”

“I think he’s following us.”

Chapter 28

Igot the waiter’s attention, gave him a credit card and asked I him to call us a cab. I stood and said, “I’m going to check out front, make sure he’s gone.”

Alison said, “Please don’t go out there. You might get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll just have a quick look around.”

“Wait,” she said. “Log in my cell phone number. If something happens, just press send.”

She gave me her number and I punched it into my phone. Then I went out the front door and circled the restaurant, looking for darkened areas where a big guy might be able to hide. When I turned the second corner I found myself face to face with him. He pointed a finger at my face with his thumb up, as if it were a gun. He let the thumb fall. “Bang,” he said.

The horrifically deformed giant had indeed been following us, just as I’d asked him to do when I called him from The Spotted Pig after talking to Darwin.

His job was to meet us in Dallas, follow us around and scare the shit out of Alison. His name is Augustus Quinn, and, like Callie, he’s an integral part of my team, which is to say, he knows where most of the bodies are buried.

Literally.

“She hasn’t mentioned Afaya,” I said. “Then again, I wouldn’t expect her to.”

“Doesn’t matter. Darwin was right about her.”

“In what way?”

“She’s robbing you.”

“No shit?”

He chuckled. “After you guys left I used the key you put in the planter, got your suitcase like we planned. I took it down the hall to my room—I’m in three twenty-six by the way—and when I came out I saw two guys enter your room.”

“With a key?”

He nodded.

“Must have worked a deal with the girl at the front desk.”

“Bellman,” Quinn said.

“You sure?”

“Positive. I went back to the lobby and waited for them. They got off the elevator and went straight to the bell desk and had a loud argument with the bellman. There was enough arm waving for me to spot a prison tat on one of the guys trying to rob you.”

We were quiet a moment.

“You sure Alison’s in on it?” I said.

“Otherwise, why would the bellman think you had something in the suitcase worth stealing?”

“So she flirts me into a dinner date, calls the bellman, he calls the thugs.”

“That’s my guess,” Quinn said.

“Seems pretty risky for an auditor.”

“Auditors look at other people’s money all day long,” Quinn said.

“Good point.”

“Be interesting to see how she plays it tonight,” he said, “when she finds out the robbery was a bust.”

“You think she won’t be able to let it go?”

“Exactly what I’m thinking.”

“So you think the plan will work?”

Augustus Quinn nodded. “Only I think we’ll catch convicts instead of terrorists.”

“Maybe the convicts and terrorists are connected.”

“One way to find out.”

“I better get back,” I said. “Make sure you beat us back to the hotel.”

“Give me a five-minute head start,” he said.

Chapter 29

Back in the restaurant Alison seemed frantic.

“Thank God you’re okay!” she said. “I was so worried about you!”

I had to admit, she was a natural con artist. But I also had to agree with Quinn: the true test would come later that night, when she had to cobble together a Plan B. At the time I was thinking if she could pull it off convincingly, I’d probably offer her a job when this whole thing was over.

“Did you see him?” she said.

“I did. But he ran away.”

“You think he’ll come back to the hotel?”

I shook my head. “I doubt it.”

The cab came and we got in and rode quietly to the hotel. I asked if she wanted to grab a coffee before going up to the room and she declined. As we walked through the lobby I watched her carefully to see if she made eye contact with the bellman. She did not. Again, I thought, very impressive. A natural.

We got to the elevators and I pressed the button. “So,” I said, “you want to raid my mini bar, maybe have a glass of wine?”

She smiled. “What a lovely offer,” she said. “But it’s been a long day. I think I’ll turn in early. Can I get a rain check on the nightcap?”

“Any time,” I said.

The elevator doors opened. She gave me her best little-girl-lost look and said, “Will you walk me to my room?”

I bowed. “It would be an honor,” I said.

“Cosmo Burlap—my knight in shining armor!”

She let me kiss her on the cheek before retiring. I slid the key card into the lock on my room, entered, and went straight for the mini bar.

“Already poured you a wine,” Quinn whispered, gesturing to the two glasses on the table.

“Thanks,” I whispered back. “But you know the rules.” I opened the mini bar and rummaged around for another bottle of wine.

“They only had the one bottle,” he said. Then he sighed and added, “How long have we known each other?”

“Not the point,” I said.

“Sooner or later you’re going to have to break down and trust someone.”

“Maybe so,” I said, “but not today.”

“Fine,” Quinn said. He took a sip from each glass and waited for me to select one. Quinn watched with amusement as I waited a full five minutes before picking up one of the glasses. Finally, I took a sip.

“Marriott stocks a good house wine,” I said.

Quinn picked up the remaining glass of wine and held it up in a silent toast. I did the same. We sat and sipped quietly until we heard the light tap on the connecting door to Alison’s room.

“Showtime,” Quinn said, silently mouthing the word.

He took his wine with him to the bathroom and closed the door. I waited for him to get settled, and she tapped again. I crossed the room and opened the connecting door.

“I can’t sleep,” Alison said. “I’m scared that guy might have followed us back to the hotel.”

She had freshened up and put on a red flannel nightshirt that had pink Vicky Secret hearts all over it. She showed as much leg as she could without revealing her own secrets. Normally I’d have made it easy on her and let her lure me into her bedroom so her goons could try to make good on the robbery. But I wanted to test her improv skills, since I was still considering her as a possible employee.

“You want to spend the night with me?” I said.

“No,” she said. “I want you to spend the night with me.”

“What’s the difference?” I said.

“I’ve already got all my girly stuff laid out in my bathroom,” she said. “Plus, I’ve got my iPod hooked up to some speakers. To set the mood.”

“I thought you were tired.”

“I am,” she said. “But not that tired.”

“And you’re scared,” I said.

“Without my knight in shining armor I’d be terrified,” she said.

“I should probably bring my jewelry cases,” I said, “just to be safe.”

She raised her arms over her head and clasped her hands together, arched her back, and pretended to yawn. Which of course caused her nightshirt to rise exactly ten inches—I know because I’m a trained observer, and have developed an eye for detail.

“I have to compliment you on your grooming,” I said.

“Oh, Gawd,” she said. And, bless her heart, she managed to blush without pinching her cheeks.

Alison tilted her face and put some huskiness in her voice and said, “Come here, Cosmo.”