“Alex?”
“Turn up the volume. Now.”
He glanced at the TV, froze for one brief second, then jumped up and fumbled on the floor for the remote. He jammed a few wrong keys before the newscaster’s voice thundered through the surround-sound speakers.
“- missing since last Thursday, when police believe he was abducted from the high school where he teaches. A substantial reward is being offered for information leading to his recovery. If you’ve seen this man, please call the number below.”
On the large screen, Daniel’s face was blown up to four times its actual size. It was a snapshot rather than an official portrait from the yearbook. He was outside somewhere sunny, smiling widely, his hair tousled and damp from sweat. His arms were stretched over the shoulders of two shorter people whose faces were cropped out of the image. It was a very good picture of him, both attractive and engaging; he looked like the kind of person you would want to help. An 800 number was printed in bright red across the bottom of the screen.
The picture disappeared, replaced by a handsomely aging anchorman and a much younger, perky blond anchorwoman.
“That’s a shame, Bryan. Let’s hope they get him back home to his family soon. Now we’ll take a look at the weather with Marceline. How are things looking for the rest of the week, Marcie?”
The picture moved to a sultry brunette standing in front of a digital map of the entire country.
“This is national news,” Alex whispered. Her mind started working through the scenarios.
Daniel muted the sound.
“The school must have called the police,” Daniel said.
She just looked at him.
“What?”
“Daniel, do you know how many people go missing every day?”
“Oh… their pictures don’t all end up on the news, do they?”
“Especially not full-grown men who’ve only been missing a few days.” She got up and started pacing. “They’re trying to flush you out. What does that mean? Where are they going with this? Do they think Kevin killed me? Or do they think I figured out the truth and took off with you? Why would they think I’d take you with me? It has to be about Kevin. It is his face, too. They must think I lost. Right? This news spot would be easier for the CIA to arrange than for my department. Of course, if they’re working together…”
“Will Kevin see this?” Daniel worried. “He’s right there in DC.”
“Kevin’s not showing his face, regardless.”
She paced for another minute, then went to sit with Daniel again. She curled her legs under her and took his hand.
“Daniel, who did you talk to yesterday?”
His color heightened. “I told you. I didn’t speak to anyone but the people at the counter.”
“I know, but who were they? Male, female, old, young?”
“Um, the checker at the grocery store was a guy, older, maybe fifty, Hispanic.”
“Was the store busy?”
“A little. He was the only checker. There were three people in line behind me.”
“That’s good.”
“The dollar store was small. It was just me. But the woman at the counter had a TV on – she was watching a game show. She didn’t look up much.”
“How old was she?”
“Older than the first guy. White hair. Why? Older people watch more news, don’t they?”
She shrugged. “Possibly. The third?”
“Just graduated, I guess. I remember wondering if school was out before I realized she worked there.”
Her stomach felt suddenly heavier. “A young girl? And she was friendly – very friendly.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes. How did you know?”
She sighed. “Daniel, you’re an attractive man.”
“I’m ordinary, at best. And I’m a decade too old for a girl that age,” he protested.
“Old enough to be intriguing. Look, it doesn’t matter. We’ll do the few things we can. You stop shaving as of now, and we lie not just low, but flat. Aside from that, all we can do is hope the girl’s not a news watcher. And that they don’t run any pieces on whatever social media kids are using right now.”
“Would they?”
“If they think of it. They’re throwing Hail Marys.”
He dropped his head into his free hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. We’ve all made mistakes on this little endeavor.”
“You haven’t. You’re trying to make me feel better.”
“I’ve made several major errors in the past few weeks.”
He looked up, disbelieving.
“One, I didn’t just ignore Carston’s e-mail in the first place. Two, I fell for the trap. Three, I missed your tracker. Four, I didn’t arm the ceiling in the barn. And then Kevin made the mistake of taking off his gas mask… I guess that’s the only one I can think of for him, except for not having transport out. Bummer, I guess he wins that round.”
“Well, he also did something wrong in the beginning or the CIA would have bought that he was dead.”
“Good point. Thanks.”
“Arnie, though,” he said sadly. “Arnie’s still batting a thousand.”
“Don’t you just hate those insufferable perfectionists?”
Daniel laughed. “So much.” The humor left his face. “But I don’t think you made so many mistakes. I mean, I guess when it comes to what’s best for you, yes. But for me… Well, I’m glad you fell for it.”
She gave him a sardonic look. “That’s taking romance a little too far, don’t you think?” She wished she could completely excise the memory of their first night together, with a scalpel if necessary. She wished those images weren’t so clear and sharp in her mind – the tendons standing out in his neck, the sound of his muffled screams. She shuddered, wondering how long it would take until they faded.
“I’m serious. If it wasn’t you, they would have sent someone else for me. And if that person had gotten the best of Kevin, whoever it was would have killed me right then, wouldn’t he?”
She looked into his earnest eyes, and then shuddered again. “You’re right.”
He stared back for a long moment, then sighed. “So what do we do now?”
Alex frowned. “Well, our options are limited. My face still isn’t ready for scrutiny. But it’s now better than yours. So we can stay here and keep our heads down, or we could go north. I have a place. It’s not as fancy as this one or as well protected. I don’t have a Batcave.” The jealousy in her voice on the last line was unconcealed.
“So you think it’s safer here?”
“It depends. I’d like to get Arnie’s thoughts about the town before we decide. Kevin’s take wouldn’t hurt, either. Hopefully he’ll call soon. The plans have changed a little. I think he’s going to get his wish. He gets to be the victor after all.”
The day dragged. Alex didn’t want to leave the television. It didn’t change things much, knowing how many times they aired the piece and how many outlets picked it up, but she still had to watch. Arnie took the new situation with the stoicism she expected, only the tightening of his eyes betraying his worry.
Alex wanted to send Arnie to the Batcave with a list of everything she needed. She’d love to have the SIG for herself, plus extra ammo, and for Daniel the sawed-off shotgun that she’d seen in Kevin’s stash. A sniper rifle wasn’t as helpful in close quarters as a shotgun would be. It could incapacitate multiple attackers with one load of buckshot.
She also wanted to hunt for gas masks – she couldn’t wire up the house if she didn’t have a third for Arnie. She doubted Kevin would have overlooked such an obvious safety feature, but then again, maybe it was obvious only to someone like her. In his world, Kevin probably only worried about bullets and bombs.
But though she wanted these things badly, it might already be too late for preparations. If the flirtatious checker had called after the first broadcast – which could have aired earlier in the day than the one they’d seen, or even the day before – it would take a certain amount of time for their enemies to begin the search. Someone had to get here, then ask questions around town, and finally start investigating possible leads. But then, if that someone had good luck, the surveillance would begin. And she had no way of knowing if it already had.