Teri perked up at the name. It was one of the two she’d been told to be on the alert for. That priggish black-haired guy had told her she’d get a hundred dollars if she could tell him where Erica Jensen was.
“Go on, Mrs. Burleson.”
A giggle erupted from the other end. “I’m not married.”
Teri was impatient. A hundred dollars would make the weekend a lot more fun. “You said you saw Erica Jensen, Maggie?”
“Yeah. I was wondering if you could tell me her number.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Maggie. We’re not allowed to give out that information for confidentiality reasons. Where did you say you were?”
“It…the emergency happened in Blacksburg.”
Blacksburg? Where the hell was that? “Blacksburg, Texas?”
“No, Blacksburg, Virginia. Uh, I really need to talk to her.”
Teri decided to take another approach. “Maggie, I shouldn’t be doing this, but Erica is a friend of mine. If you tell me the message, I’ll make sure she gets it and calls you back.”
The line was silent for a few seconds. “She a friend of yours?”
“We’re in the fourth year of med school together. I just work here for extra money.” When Maggie hesitated, Teri said, “In fact, I’m going to pick up Erica at the airport tomorrow when she gets back from visiting her relatives in Virginia.”
“All right,” Maggie said, the apprehension apparent in her voice. “You should be proud of Erica. She saved my friend’s life yesterday. The doctors at the hospital said Tory, my friend, might have died if Erica hadn’t given her epinephrine.” She said the word slowly, trying to pronounce it properly.
“Oh my gosh! Is Erica with you now?” Teri impressed herself at how well she was doing. She was definitely earning that hundred dollars.
“No, and that’s why I was calling. Erica ran off just as the paramedics and police got there. Just after she left, I found her medical student badge. It must have fell out when Tory knocked her purse over. I put it in my pocket without telling the police. I been wondering all day whether I should tell them or not, but I figured there was some reason she ran away so fast without telling anyone her last name. That’s why I’m trying to call her, to see if I can tell the police.”
“No!” Teri said, too forcefully. She lowered her voice. “No, you did the right thing. I’ll give Erica the message. She probably just wanted her privacy.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“The ID has an address printed on the back. Just mail it there. She’ll get it back. Thank you very much for your help, Maggie.”
“I was pretty scared yesterday, but Erica helped me a lot. I’m glad I’m able to help her.”
On Fridays at 6:15, the hospital’s parking garage was about as empty as it ever got. David Lobec motioned for Bern to wait in the car while he got out to meet with Teri Linley. As he expected, she wasn’t going to give the information over the phone when a hundred dollars was on the line.
Through the Friday rush hour traffic, it had taken them almost an hour to get there after her phone call. Her Fiero was parked in front of them at the deserted end of the garage’s fourth level.
A big-haired girl in her twenties got out of the two-seater and approached him. On the other side, a young man opened the door and got out. He wore a body-builder’s tank top and had the physique to match it. Obviously he was the boyfriend along for protection. He puffed up to his full six foot height and casually leaned on the open door.
“Do you have the money?” she said.
Lobec pulled five twenties out of his pocket and handed the bills over to her. “Where was she sighted?”
“It’ll cost you two hundred.”
Lobec didn’t blink. “The offered price was one hundred. I suggest you take it.”
“It sounded on the phone like you really want this information, and by the looks of you, you can afford it. Two hundred or you don’t get it.” She held out her hand for the money.
Without moving his eyes from hers, Lobec grabbed her hand like a viper snatching its prey and pulled her towards him, twisting her arm back with his right hand. She gasped, but was too surprised to scream.
“You’ll tell me now for a hundred or you’ll tell me for nothing after I’ve broken your arm. Which shall it be?”
Out of his peripheral vision, Lobec saw the body-builder throw a punch at his head. He ducked under it and slammed his left fist into the man’s crotch in the same movement. Teri Linley began screaming. As the man doubled over, Lobec threw his elbow into the amateur’s face. Teeth cracked with the impact. The man groaned and vomited, spitting up blood.
Bern was still sitting in the car, smiling. According to the usual procedure, Bern was only to assist if Lobec’s attacker drew a weapon.
Lobec grabbed the woman’s face. “Now stop screaming.”
The woman, wide-eyed at her groaning boyfriend lying on the ground, exhaled in jittery sobs.
“Good. Unfortunately, I will now have to repeat myself. Where was she sighted?”
“B..B.Blacksburg, Virginia. Please, God, don’t hurt me.”
“You can help matters by answering my questions. Why was she there?”
Teri Linley’s words came out in a rush. “A girl said Erica Jensen saved her friend’s life and ran off before she gave her name to the police or anyone else. The girl found her South Texas ID. It had Erica’s name on it. That’s all I know, I swear!”
“When?”
“Yesterday. She didn’t say what time.”
“And you’re very sure it was Blacksburg, Virginia?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Thank you,” Lobec said, releasing her arm, satisfied that she was telling the truth. “I hope you’ve learned a valuable lesson in negotiation.”
The woman looked at him as if he were crazy.
Lobec smiled. “Never bargain when you don’t have the advantage.”
As Bern drove out of the garage, Lobec opened his cell phone and dialed.
“We going to Blacksburg?” Bern asked.
“No, I am calling Mitch Hornung.”
“What for? The girl just said she was in Blacksburg.”
“Exactly. She was in Blacksburg. Yesterday. For any number of possible reasons. She and Mr. Hamilton could easily have been passing through on their way to another location. Before we go on another potential wild goose chase, I want to find out if there is any reason they would stay there.”
After five rings, the line clicked. It switched to Hornung’s beeper answering machine. Lobec entered the cell phone’s number so that it would read out on Hornung’s beeper display.
During the next three hours, Bern and Lobec tried calling the people they had already met with for information about anyone Kevin might know in Blacksburg. Relatives, friends, schoolmates from grade school on up, anyone Erica and Kevin had ever been in contact with. The few people who were home on a Friday night were useless. Finally, Hornung answered the page. Lobec was livid. Though he was the best hacker money could buy, Hornung’s lack of dependability had always been a problem.
“Mr. Hornung, I gave specific instructions that you were to be on call at all times until this matter was resolved.”
“Sorry, man. I was with Monica.” He said it as if it were supposed to mean something to Lobec.
“That is irrelevant. Mr. Bern and I will be at your computer in fifteen minutes. Meet us there.”
“But Monica…”
“Do as I say, Mr. Hornung. I am not always this pleasant.”
When Mitch Hornung arrived at his office exactly fifteen minutes later, Lobec explained the problem.
“Man, I don’t know. This could take a while.” Hornung looked at the screen in front of him. “Says here that Blacksburg has a population of 22,921, but including all the students at Virginia Tech and the people in the surrounding area, we’re talking over 100,000.”