Midnight Sun (83 page)

“
Hey
,
I
’
ve
got
per
diem,
”
she
said
with
a
wink
.
“
I
’
ll
cover
you
,
Tony.
”

Warner
was
last
to
pay.
When
Myriam
handed
back
his
receipt
,
Warner
felt
something
extra
in
his
hand.
He
looked
at
it
before
pocketing
the
register
receipt
.
Myriam
had
included
a
slip
of paper
with
her
phone
number
on
it.
He
looked
up
in
surprise.

She
smiled
,
and
as
the
others
turned
away
, she
mouthed
the
words
“
call
me
.”
The
late
-
afternoon
sunlight
glinted
off
her
gold
nose
stud
and
her
eyes
sparkled.
A
weak
grin
twitched
at
the
corners
of
Warner
’
s
mouth,
the
blush
returning
to
his
cheeks
. He
turned
and
followed
the
others
out
the
door.

Chapter
17

Lonnie
entered
her
hotel
room
and
made
another
bathroom
stop
to
relieve
the
constant
pressure
the
baby
placed
on
her
bladder.
She
came
out
,
picked
up
her
phone
,
and
put
it
in
her
purse,
then
glanced
quickly
around
the
room
to
make
sure
she
wasn
’
t
forgetting
something
before
stepping
back
out
the
door.
It
shut
with
a
solid
click
and
she
tried the handle, verifying it was locked before she
moved
toward
the
elevators.

Two
maintenance
men
in
brown
coveralls
were
putting
tools
in
a
canvas
bag
as
she
passed
them.
She
heard
the
zipper
shut
on
the
bag
,
then
the
sound
of
their
heavy
footsteps
behind
her
as
she
drew
near
the
elevator.
As
she
came to a stop in front of
the
elevator
door
,
she
glanced
at
a
polished
brass
plaque
on
the
wall
in
front
of
her.
In
the
reflection
,
she
saw
the
two
men
moving
close
behind.
She
reached out and
pressed
the
down
button.

The
two
men
stopped
beside
her
, and she
gave
a
sideways
glance
up
at
them.
One
was
tall,
the
other
short
,
both
were
thickly
muscled.
The
tall
one
turned
his
face
fully
toward
her,
looking
directly
into
her
eyes.
Lonnie
’
s
heart
thumped
a
painful
beat
and
her
eyes
widened
with
surprise.

“
Hey
,
Trooper
Wyatt,
”
said
the
hard
-
looking
man
who
stared
down
at
her.
A
tattoo
of
a
skull
pe
e
ked
malevolently
above
the
collar
of
his
coveralls
on
the
right
side
of
his
neck.
The
Nazi
SS
double
lightning
bolt
symbol
balanced
the
look
on
the
left
side.

“
Leonard
Brassert,
what
are
you
doing
here?
”
she
asked
,
regaining
her
composure
and
giving
him
the coldest
look
she
could
muster.
“
They
let
you
out
for
good
behavior?
”