Wrong Number (27 page)

He grabbed Aubree’s hand and took quick strides to a door on the side of the garage. “I’d take you in the front door, but this draws less attention from the neighbors.”

Aubree followed him and tried to calm the jitters in her stomach. They walked through the garage and into the mudroom of the house. She heard a female voice say, “They’re here!” and as they entered the kitchen, she saw the smiling face of Wyatt’s mother.

She was tall, probably five foot, ten inches, and her hair was dark brown and wavy just like Wyatt’s. His dad was the same impressive six-foot, five-inches as Wyatt, with a shiny spot on the top of his head that reminded Aubree of her late father.

“Aubree, I’d like you to meet my parents, James and Felicia Erickson.”

“I can’t believe what you’ve been through.” Felicia stepped forward and drew Aubree into a hug. “I’m so worried for you.”

“Now, Mom, you promised not to be a worrywart,” Wyatt said.

“But how can I help it?” She bent over the baby carrier. “How could anyone help it when they look at those blue eyes?” She reached out a finger for Scarlett. “You must be the most beautiful baby in the world, huh, Scarlett?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to have the police aware of all this?” James was looking from Scarlett to Aubree with a worried expression.

“Yes, Dad. Aubree knows what she’s doing—that’s why she’s still alive.”

James shook his head. “This is like one of those FBI stories I like to read, and they don’t always turn out right.”

“That’s why we’re taking this precaution,” Aubree said. “Believe me. If I knew of a safer way, I would do it.”

James held out a cell phone. “Here’s the disposable cell you asked me to pick up. Are you sure they can’t trace it?”

“It’s not registered to anyone, so we should be safe.” Aubree took the cell phone. “You paid cash, right?”

“Yep,” James said. “I’m still not sure about this.” James looked at Wyatt. “But I trust you, son.”

“We’d better get going, Mom and Dad.” Wyatt put his arm around Aubree. “The sooner we’re on our way, the sooner we can come back for a nice visit.”

Aubree felt her throat constrict as Wyatt unbuckled Scarlett and hugged her. “Now give your mommy a big hug,” he said and handed her to Aubree.

“You be a good baby, okay?” She whispered and then looked over the top of Scarlett’s head to Felicia. Wyatt’s mom blinked rapidly, and Aubree thought maybe she understood how hard this was. Aubree gave Felicia a hand-written note. “This is Scarlett’s napping schedule and the foods she likes to eat and some other things to keep her comfortable. Were you able to pick up some formula?”

“Yes, I’m sure she’ll be fine. We’ll take good care of her, and we won’t leave the house.” Felicia stepped toward her with tentative hands. “Scarlett, I’ll show you Wyatt’s old room, and you can play with his favorite puppy dog.”

Biting her lip, Aubree placed Scarlett into Felicia’s arms. Then she leaned in and gave her daughter one last kiss.

“Wyatt, keep her safe and don’t be the hero.” James’s voice sounded hoarse. “Call for help at the first sign of trouble.”

“There shouldn’t be any trouble,” Wyatt said.

“Yeah, just a simple information exchange is what we’re hoping for,” Aubree added.

Wyatt hugged his mom and dad. “I’ll call you as soon as we’re in the clear.”

“It was nice meeting you, Aubree.” James held out his hand. “You’re all Wyatt has talked about these past few weeks, and we’re looking forward to seeing you again soon.”

Aubree shook his hand and glanced at Wyatt, whose cheeks were pink. “It won’t be soon enough, but thank you for your help.”

Wyatt’s mom hugged her good-bye, and Scarlett looked confused as Aubree walked away. The baby whimpered and then cried. Her dark eyes were pleading with both Aubree and Wyatt.

“It’s okay, sweetie. Mama will be back soon. I love you,” Aubree said. Scarlett’s lip trembled, and she cried louder, holding her arms out. Wyatt guided Aubree through the door, and she brushed her hand across her eyes as they walked through the garage. Her throat was on fire by the time they reached the pickup, and her eyes stung from trying to hold back the tears.

Before Wyatt started the pickup, he leaned over and pulled her into a hug. “It’s gonna be okay. Just think about how it will feel to be free again.” He kissed the top of her head and wiped a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb.

She stared into his eyes, and her brows furrowed. “I’ve been dreaming about it for the past year.”

Wyatt kissed her and put the truck into gear, and they began the drive back up Logan canyon. The campus of Utah State University loomed ahead of them, and Aubree was surprised at how close it was to the canyon. Within five minutes, she watched the trees change from oak to quaking aspen to fir as they drove further up the mountains. Her chest hurt, and she realized she’d been holding her breath. She’d been thinking about being apart from Scarlett for the first time and hoping she would hold her again soon.

She turned the cell phone over in her hands and mentally dialed the FBI’s main number, which would connect her to Jason. She had decided to call the FBI’s secure line in case the number Jason gave her before had been compromised. In a few hours, he would be aware of her general location, and she hoped he would be happy about what she had to tell him.

T
WENTY-FOUR

A
T 1:45 P.M
., A
UBREE
took a deep breath and dialed the number to the FBI in Los Angeles. Wyatt had insisted they eat lunch first at the Hometown Drive-In he loved, and now Aubree wondered if that had been a good idea. Her stomach felt unsettled as they sat in the parking lot with the AC cranked up. Her heart hammered against her chest, and she let out a whoosh of air when she was finally connected to Jason.

“Aubree? Is that really you? We’ve been looking all over for you!” Jason said. “Where are you?”

“I’ll tell you in a minute, but I want you to know I’m ready to stop running. I need your help.”

“That’s good to know, because I need you here,” Jason said. “I think we’ve cracked this case.”

Aubree paused. “But how? Did you finally seal up that gaping hole you have in your office?”

“Yes, we fired Miranda. We took her into custody and found out who she was working for. Some guy related to the mafia who was trying to bust through the witness protection program. She had a file with pictures of nearly every person our office has placed in the last year.”

“That’s crazy,” Aubree said.

“We really brought down the house. We’ve arrested twelve people in the last week related to this operation.” Jason paused. “We’re really close now.”

“That’s wonderful!” Aubree said. She reached over and grabbed Wyatt’s hand, but then the skin on her arms tingled, and her mouth went dry. “But what about Governor Ferrin?”

“We investigated him; he doesn’t have anything to do with your case other than having a voice similar to the one on the phone.” Jason sounded exasperated. “We have some other leads we’re looking into.”

Warning bells were going off in Aubree’s head, but she didn’t know what to do. She had thought out what she would mention over the phone, and the GREANE program wasn’t included in that list. Should she hang up and try talking to someone else? She clenched her jaw and said, “I remembered something from the conversation I heard, and I want to talk to you about it.”

“What did you remember?” Jason asked.

“I’m afraid to talk over the phone, but I know that Governor Ferrin and possibly his brother have everything to do with my case.”

“But why would you think that? Aubree, they’re the good guys—a governor and a chief of police.”

Squeezing the phone, she said, “I need you to get to Bear Lake, Idaho.”

“Idaho?” Jason sputtered. “I need you in San Diego. We’re not sure who else might have photos of you, and until we do, you’re not safe.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I talk to you in person.”

Wyatt mouthed, “What’s wrong?” and Aubree shook her head.

“There’s no reason for me to travel all the way to Idaho when I’m busy solving your case here,” Jason said. “We’ve wasted a lot of time searching everywhere for you. I know you’ve got a trailer . . . or at least you did.”

“But how did you—”

“We’re the FBI, Aubree. I figured out the details on your purchase, but I’m surprised you’ve survived this long. Is someone helping you? Are you with someone right now?”

The pickup was getting hot despite the AC, and Aubree wiped perspiration from her forehead. “That doesn’t matter. I have information now, and because of what happened in Omaha, I’m doing this my way.”

Jason cursed, but Aubree kept talking. “I want to know how Tidmore was connected to Miranda. And how did bombing the
Midway
have anything to do with the witness protection program and the mafia?” She knew she had him when he paused, and she heard papers shuffling.

“Aubree, I can’t tell you everything about our investigation. I know it looks bad because we have a few loose ends, but what do you expect? The
leak from Miranda just fell in our laps the day I talked to you. We haven’t had time to sort through everything yet.”

She tapped the dashboard, signaling Wyatt to get on the road. “That’s exactly what I mean. You may have solved a case dealing with Miranda, but you didn’t solve my case.”

“But we’re closer than you think.”

“Please, Jason, I need you available to take a call at Hometown Drive-In tomorrow at noon.”

“Noon? Are you joking?”

“No, and I’m risking my life here. What if whoever followed me to Nebraska didn’t find me through Miranda? I could’ve died in Omaha. Please do it for Scarlett.”

She heard a sigh, and then Jason murmured, “I’ll be at this burger joint you’re talking about with my guys tomorrow at noon.”

“I promise it will be worth your time. It wasn’t the voice that mattered this whole time—it was one word—GREANE.” Aubree ended the call. “He’s coming.” She relayed the information Jason had given her. “Now let’s toss this cell phone.”

“I’ll pull over by the marina,” Wyatt said. In the event someone did trace the call, they would get to Bear Lake, but not to the Paris Springs Campground.

Wyatt parked the truck, and they walked closer to a marina with dozens of colorful sailboats. After she tossed the cell phone into the water, Aubree hugged Wyatt. “I’m worried that the FBI still doesn’t know Ferrin is connected to my case. It didn’t sound like they suspected him at all.”

“Do you think they know more than they’re telling you?” Wyatt ran a hand through his hair and kicked at a pile of sand. “Or is their case merely overlapping yours?”

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.” Aubree stopped and picked a few of the grassy reeds growing near the edge of the water. “I don’t want to go back with them to San Diego. I don’t want to ever go back there.”

“I’m not going to argue with you about that.” Wyatt held her close. Aubree pulled apart the weed and blew on Wyatt’s face. He tickled her, and she squealed, but he wouldn’t stop until she fell onto the sand and cried for mercy.

They sat on the small sandbank and watched the azure waters of
Bear Lake lap softly against the beach. At first it was quiet, and then Aubree sensed Wyatt wanted to say something. Her nerves had been so tight all day that she felt frazzled and tired. She leaned into him. “What’s on your mind?”

“Where do you want to go when this is all over?” he asked in a low voice.

She wanted to say, “Anywhere Wyatt Erickson decides to go,” but her heart clamped down on that hope, and she struggled to speak. “I’d like to stay with my mom for a while and sort things out. Give her a chance to see Scarlett and maybe get rid of all the memories haunting me.”

“Oh—that’s probably a good place to heal.” His voice sounded a bit strained, and Aubree wanted to reassure him, to tell him she loved him too, because she hadn’t earlier, but she couldn’t. Until she knew for sure that her case was closed, she wouldn’t do that to him. She changed the subject before the silence became awkward.

“I want to call my mom and let her know I’m okay.”

“I think that’s a great idea, and we know my phone is safe.” Wyatt handed her his cell phone. “Do you want to call from here or on the way back?”

“I’ll give her a call from the truck. Let’s go.”

He stood and pulled her up from the sandy bank. Aubree noticed he hesitated a second before pulling her close to him again, and she felt guilty for hurting him.

“Wyatt,” she looked up into his handsome face and noted how the gold flecks in his eyes stood out against the green. “I want to thank you for everything. I hope I’ll get a chance to make it up to you soon—you’ve gone way beyond the duties of any park ranger I’ve ever heard of.”

“It’s been my pleasure.” He leaned toward her, and she closed her eyes, but then she felt his lips on the top of her head. They walked back to the pickup, with Aubree berating herself the whole way, wishing she could stop being afraid and tell him how she felt. She could see the confusion in his eyes, the disappointment that maybe she thought of him as only a helpful, handsome park ranger who’d given her something to do for the past few weeks.