Extrasensory (14 page)

Why is she angry with me? I’m the one who almost got killed and she didn’t even know the
man who died in my place. Does she think I blew up my own car to call attention to myself?

Right now, however, she couldn’t care about Joy’s attitude or Chase’s anger. They were the least of her worries. Someone wanted her dead and because of that, a man had died in her place. It took every bit of discipline she had not to throw up, then run away and hide.

She felt someone move into the seat next to her and jumped, startled, before she realized it was Mark.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you jump out of your skin. Here.” He handed her a Styrofoam cup. “Coffee. It’s hot and it’s strong. I got it from the medics.” He grinned.

“If you won’t let them check you over, at least get this into your system.” His voice softened. “Mia, you’ve had a terrible shock. Give yourself a break, okay?” He was right. The coffee was hot and bitter but it was just what she needed to give her system a jolt.

“Thank you.” She gave Mark a weak smile. “I see Chase is upset.”

“Only because he’s finally decided maybe you’re onto something after all.

Otherwise why would someone try to take you out?” He shook his head. “I just wonder why whoever it is thought this would be a good idea. If they want us to ignore you, this isn’t the way to go about it. Now you can bet every word out of your mouth will be checked and double checked and analyzed three times over.”

“So what does Chase want?”

“He’s demanding Dan come back to the company tonight and review every security procedure with him.”

Mia bit her lip. Where would that leave her? Anyone could drive her home but unexpectedly, Dan had become her security blanket. “Is he going?” Mark shook his head. “I am. Dan can’t be every place at the same time and he needs to talk to the people here. See what they find out.”

“Someone should take me home,” she pointed out, “and get me out of everyone’s way.”

“We’ve got that covered. The police and the bomb squad will need your statement,” he told her, “but Dan’s convinced them to wait until tomorrow. After you’re through at Aunt Vivi’s in the morning, Dan will pick you up and take you downtown.”

“I can just imagine how that will go,” she said, her voice bitter. “I’ve been through this with the police before. Trust me. They’ll listen to what I have to say and file it in the nutcase folder.”

“Trust Dan, okay? He knows how to handle these things.”

“He seems to know how to handle everything,” she commented.

“Yes, ma’am,” he grinned, trying to break the tension. “That’s the truth. Dan is the man.”

At that moment she saw another car pull into the area and a tall, thin man in gray slacks and a polo shirt climbed out.

“Oh, lord,” she said. “Here comes trouble. I knew he’d be here sooner or later.”

“Who is it?”

“Dr. Hunter. The museum director and my boss. He just got back in town tonight.

Security must have called him.”

She watched the man in angry conversation with one of the policemen. Then Dan left Chase with Joy and walked over to Dr. Hunter. Mia watched him pull out his Phoenix credentials and gesture at the hulking mess that had been Mia’s car. They spoke for several minutes and Mia guessed Dan was telling him the story they’d cooked up. Finally he pointed toward the SUV Mia was sitting in.

In a moment, Hunter was headed in her direction using his familiar lanky stride.

“Are you okay to talk to him?” Mark asked.

“I’d better be.”

“Dan’s probably given him the special consultant story by now. Let’s see what he has to say.”

Mark opened the door, got out and introduced himself to Hunter.

The man bent down and peered inside the SUV at Mia. “Are you all right? I couldn’t believe it when security told me what happened.”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she assured him, hoping he couldn’t see the trembling in her hands.

“This must be some dangerous project they’ve asked you to consult on,” he remarked. “I’m not sure it’s safe to let you continue.”

Mia wasn’t sure if he was jealous that she’d been tapped or genuinely concerned for her safety. Hunter had a hard time giving up the spotlight to anyone on the staff. As far as he was concerned,
he
was the museum and the key person at all times.

“I promise you that Dr. Fleming will have the utmost security from here on in,” Mark assured him. “None of us expected that she’d be the focus of an attack. After this, we’ll be prepared. Major international art thieves will do anything to get what they want, you know.”

“International art thieves?” he repeated and his eyes gleamed. “I’m wondering if I might not be a more appropriate person for what you need.”

“I think the museum needs your strong hand,” Mark said smoothly. “Taking you away might not be such a good idea.”

“It’s all right, Dr. Hunter,” Mia told him before he could think up any more objections. “Really. I’ll be fine. And Tally can continue working on the brochure.” Tally Shuman was her wonderful assistant.

Mark motioned to Dan to join them. “Dr. Hunter, I think you might want to have a further conversation with Dan Romeo, the man you just met. He’s our senior partner and the man in charge of the project. He’ll answer any questions you still have and also take care of getting this mess cleaned up.”

Skillfully, he steered the man away from the vehicle and toward Dan, then climbed back inside next to Mia.

She shivered and Mark’s forehead wrinkled with concern. “Are you still cold?

Dummy me. I should have closed the door and turned on the heater.”

“No, that’s fine. It’s not the weather.” It was May and the temperature even this late was still in the seventies. “Listen, I know Dan probably needs you.”

“Actually, I think your temporary ride is here.”

Mia frowned at him. “My who?”

“Your taxi service.”

The door next to her opened and Faith was there, leaning into the SUV and putting her arms around Mia and giving her a warming hug. “Come on. We’re going to your house to pack. Dan called to send someone on ahead to make sure there aren’t any booby traps waiting for you there.”

“Wait. Wait just a minute.” Mia’s breath hitched. “This is all moving too fast for me.

Pack?”

And then Dan was beside the SUV, reaching a hand in to help her out. “Listen. You can’t stay at your house, Mia. It isn’t safe.”

She looked up at him. “Not safe?”

“Think about it. Before this morning I didn’t even know you existed. Hardly anyone knows you’re helping us or that you were the one that alerted us to Oscar’s danger. I hate to say this but there’s a leak somewhere. That’s what I was talking to Chase about. A fact that’s making him very unhappy.”

“I didn’t think anyone but you was even taking me seriously,” she told him. “The reaction I got today in that conference room is more the norm.”

“Someone is and it’s apparent they aren’t taking any chances. The big event is this Friday and if someone is planning to steal Oscar, they don’t want you around to come up with any clues.”

“But I hardly know anything,” she cried.

“Yet,” Dan pointed out. “If whoever blew up your car is hiding around here watching, he already knows he missed his target. You need to be someplace safe.”

“Safe. Right.” She drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “And where would that be?”

“I wanted you to stay with us,” Faith told her, “but Mark thinks that would make us a target too and he may be right. It’s no secret where we live.”

“So then where can I go?”

“With me.” Dan’s face was carefully expressionless. “I called the hotel where I’m staying and had them change me to a two-bedroom suite. It’s quiet and out of the way and at least I can keep an eye on you. One of my men is on the way there to move my things and put some security measures in place in the suite.” Mia looked at each of them. “Dan, I can’t stay with you. It isn’t… It isn’t…”

“Proper?” He snorted. “I think at the moment propriety is the least of our problems.

I’d stash you at the cabin in Maine if I thought you’d go along with it.” He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to protest. “I know. I know. You have to be here. So this is the next best option.” His face softened, an obviously unfamiliar expression. “Please.

Just go along with this. You and I both know you’ll have more visions. We also know that until these people are caught, you’ve got a big bull’s-eye painted on your back. So let’s just do it, okay?”

She sighed. “All right. What choice do I have?”

“You’re all set.” Faith snapped her cell phone shut. “That was Dan’s agent calling me with an all clear at your house. We’ll go pack your bags and I’ll take you to the hotel. Someone will stay with you there until Dan gets back.”

“My God, how many men does he have working for him? Are they all on this case?”

Faith laughed. “The number is a mysterious unknown. From what Mark said, Dan and the others train them, keep them on salary and call them in when they’re needed. If this continues to escalate, you’ll see the other three partners here too.” She led a still stunned Mia to her car. When they were buckled in, Faith turned to her. “Dan and his partners helped me get Mark out of the worst situation of his life. I’d trust them to do anything.”

Mia stared out the window at the huge mass of people now gathered in the garage, as Faith headed toward the street. She wondered about the man who’d died in her place and again nausea rose in her throat.

“I can’t believe what an idiot you sent me.”

The caller was in his car, speeding along the Interstate, doing his best to keep his anger under control.

He could imagine Khalid leaning back in the leather chair in his den, white silk shirt open at the throat against his dark skin, tailored slacks freshly creased, booted feet propped up on his desk. Smoke from a thin cigar would be curling into the air in a lazy pattern. With all the rules these days and his family’s fetishes, the caller knew the den was the only place the man could indulge his vice. Arrogance would be evident in every line of his body.

“You were the ones who gave him the instructions,” Khalid said. “Perhaps you didn’t make yourselves clear enough.”

“We were clear all right. There just seems to be a difference of opinion in what

‘disappear completely’ means.”

“She had to be removed,” Khalid insisted. “She was a danger to all of us. And this project.”

“So you say.”

“And your partner,” Khalid pointed out. “We agreed completely on that point, even though for different reasons.”

“In any event,” the caller said, agitated, “a very stupid mistake has been made. I told you something like this could call attention to places and things best left unnoticed and may very well put our plan in jeopardy. I stressed we needed someone who could do this quickly and quietly.”

“What can I say?” The shrug was implied. “Good help is hard to get these days.

You knew the time frame gave us few choices. Apparently he misunderstood your instructions. Now you must get rid of him. Deal with the mess and clean it up.”
Bastard,
the caller thought.
Your man screwed up and you want to wash your hands of it.

If things go wrong, you can hop on your plane and leave us holding the bag. That’s bullshit.

“It was supposed to be a simple job.” The caller was trying very hard to hang onto his patience. “Get rid of the girl. Quietly. Just grab her. Make her disappear. Did your…employee think blowing up her car would go unnoticed? Be charged off as an accident?”

“I told you.” Khalid was annoyed now. “The man made a simple mistake.”
Mistake didn’t begin to describe what had happened,
he thought. He’d already had this fight with his partner. He hadn’t wanted to do this in the first place. When he’d said they needed to neutralize Mia Fleming, he meant figure out how to discredit her so she wouldn’t be a factor. Making her disappear was an acceptable choice, made reluctantly.

He hadn’t meant killing her—at least not in so public a fashion.

He still didn’t perceive her as any real threat. He didn’t even believe in her so-called abilities. The problem was, apparently Dan Romeo did, as did Khalid and that was creating obstacles he’d rather not have to deal with. The bombing was too extreme and was a major error. Now a member of Romeo’s team had been killed. A bad omen, he was sure. And that one reckless act could draw a great deal more unwanted attention.

Even put their plan in jeopardy.

“Surely you don’t think Dan Romeo will simply ignore that the dead man was one of his agents.”

“He can look but he won’t find anything.” Khalid sounded self-assured. Arrogant.

“Meanwhile the woman is still a problem.” Silence hummed across the connection.

“You and Romeo seem to really believe in these so-called visions. I don’t but what if she somehow comes up with something? Some little thing that they decide points to us?”

“Then figure out a way to defuse her influence. Shift attention away from her. And in a way that would send them off on a wild goose chase.”

“All right. We have a plan that we can activate.” He made a rude noise. “And this one we’ll handle ourselves.”

“Meanwhile you’d better clean up this problem as quickly as possible. Without leaving any tracks back to any of us. There’s far too much money involved here for another mistake of any kind.” The hissing sound of cigar smoke being exhaled drifted across the connection. “So what’s your plan?”

“Compromising the security system without actually committing the theft would have them running in circles. And allow us to get what we need.”

“Really. Exactly how do you plan to do that?”

The voice took on a soft, evil tone. “I think we’ve come up with just the answer.”

* * * * *

Mia had the hysterical urge to laugh when she saw the Phoenix agent that Dan had sent standing in front of her house, leaning against a black SUV. Like every other agent she’d met in this very long day, he was wearing a black jacket, gray slacks and white shirt.

“Do they all come out of a Play-Doh factory?” she asked Faith. “Same vehicles.