Page 83 of The Hero
Bob sat there for a moment and took a deep breath as his smile slowly faded. He was more worried than he’d let on about this meeting with West. But if the man showed up, he and his former Deltas would make sure nothing happened to his wife.
He stood and headed for the kitchen. He had lunches to make and snacks to pack, and he made a mental note to let April know he would be unavailable for the rest of the afternoon.
He was looking forward to the hike. To getting both their minds off Ian West. Tomorrow, he’d figure out the tracker, and the audio and visual equipment. Today ... he was going to enjoy spending time with the woman he loved.
Chapter Sixteen
Marlowe fidgeted in the chair as Kendric and his friends went over the plan for what seemed like the hundredth time. She was nervous, and listening to them talk about what to do if something went wrong wasn’t helping.
She was wearing a pair of onyx earrings, each of which held a tiny camera that recorded visual and audio. Chappy’s Jeep had a camera in the rearview mirror, as well as one on the central high-mount brake light, both filming the interior of the vehicle. She wasn’t wearing any kind of police mic, because no one wanted Ian to accidentally spot it or insist she prove she wasn’t wired.
No one was planning on Ian West getting anywhere near her, but everyone wanted to cover all the bases and make sure they captured the evidence they needed not only to get the charges against Marlowe dropped, but to bring West down at the same time.
The chief of police and his deputies were ready to pounce the second Ian produced the coins—if he actually brought them. There was also a representative from the FBI in town, two from US Customs and Border Protection, and a woman from Homeland Security, who would all be watching the feed from the chief’s office. Rutkey had secured written promises that Marlowe wouldn’t be extradited, since she was cooperating with the authorities to get the priceless artifacts returned.
Of course, if Ian didn’t produce the coins, or he didn’t admit to his role in Marlowe’s arrest, things could get messy for all three agencies, since she was still technically an escaped fugitive. They were all banking on Ian not being able to keep his mouth shut.
Everyone wanted to take him down, but they had to have irrefutable proof that he’d broken the law. Any good lawyer would be able to rip apart a circumstantial case. So it was up to Marlowe to not only get Ian to admit he’d pilfered from the dig site—and framed her for the pills—but convince him to actually give up one of the coins.
It was a lot of pressure, and honestly, Marlowe was second-guessing her insistence on being the one to meet with her former coworker. What did she know about being undercover? Nothing. That’s what.
She much preferred to be hanging out with Kendric when he was on a job.
Their hike to Table Rock two days ago was awesome. It was much nicer being in the woods of Maine than the jungles of Thailand. They’d laughed as they’d hiked and talked about nothing and everything. And he’d been right, the view from the huge boulder that seemed to be hanging off a precipice as if by magic was spectacular. Even the turkey-and-ham sandwiches Kendric had made them for lunch seemed to taste better when enjoyed with an amazing view.
She couldn’t wait to see the same view in the fall when the trees were changing colors. Kendric had promised to bring her back.
Then yesterday, she’d gotten her wish to accompany Kendric when he’d been called out to cut down a tree that looked as if it was one storm away from crushing a house. She’d been fascinated by the precision and planning it took to ensure the tree didn’t fall in the wrong direction and cause property damage or hurt someone.
And seeing her husband in a tight T-shirt, his muscles bulging as he operated the chain saw and cut the tree into manageable pieces, wasn’t exactly a hardship. She’d helped him pick up the smaller pieces and load them into a trailer, and throughout it all, she couldn’t stop smiling.
Now she was back in the small interrogation room at the police station, getting ready to meet with the last person she’d ever wanted to see again.
“Are you listening, Marlowe?” the chief of police asked.
Mentally scolding herself, she nodded.
“Good. Because once you get in that Jeep, you’re on your own. We’ll be listening, and people here at the station will be watching, but we won’t be there to give you advice or tell you what to say.”
Marlowe nodded again, chastised. She knew this was high stakes for everyone involved, but she simply wanted to go back home and climb into bed with Kendric. He’d woken her up early and had made slow, sweet love to her. She was nearing the end of her period, and he made it seem like not a big deal at all ... which was a refreshing change from some other men she’d been with, who’d acted as if she had the plague when it was that time of the month.
Everythingto do with Kendric was going amazingly well. He’d even brought up last night how he was looking into the details involved to make sure their marriage was legal here in the States. She loved him so much, it was almost scary.
“I’m thinking the faster you get to the point, the better,” Chief Rutkey said. “Just like you did on the phone. Get him to give you one of the coins if he brought them, try to get him talking about the drugs found in your tent, but don’t push too hard. And get out of there as quick as you can. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, we’ve got thirty minutes until go time. We all need to be in place and ready, if and when our mark shows up. Marlowe, we’ll do some audio and visual checks before you head out. Two of my deputies will be playing Frisbee at the park and can get to you in seconds if you need them. Bob and JJ will be in the woods around the parking lot. Cal and Chappy will be in their cars down the street. As soon as West arrives, I’ll be blocking traffic along Highway 2 to make sure he can’tget away, and the reps from the various agencies will be here, watching and listening to everything. We’ve got this.”
Marlowe was reassured by all the planning the chief had done. It was highly unlikely anything would go wrong, but if it did, there were a lot of people who would be nearby, ready to help.
April, Carlise, and June had insisted that as soon as the meeting was over, she come to Jack’s Lumber, where they’d be waiting to hear all about how it went ... with champagne. They wanted to celebrate Marlowe successfully taking down Ian. She was humbled by their confidence.
Knowing she had such good friends, and so many people at her back, made her feel a little more confident about what she was about to do. But she was still uneasy. She’d been a little rash in suggesting she take center stage at his takedown, but she’d so desperately wanted to help. To ensure Ian suffered the consequences for what he’d done.
Everyone began to stand up, and sudden panic made it hard for Marlowe to breathe. But then Kendric was there. He took her elbow and helped her stand, leading her out of the small room and toward the front door of the station.
The soup she’d had for lunch before they’d left the apartment churned in her stomach.
