Love Inspired Suspense June 2015 - Box Set 2 of 2: Exit Strategy\Payback\Covert Justice (41 page)

Heidi pictured the scene in the elevator. The conversation, Caroline looking through her purse, finding the granola bar. Heidi continued to reason, “No, not tonight. She didn't even look. She pulled the wrapper back an inch and took a bite. But he couldn't have known she wouldn't look at it. If he wanted to be sure she wouldn't notice, he would have used something fine—peanut dust, tiny flecks of peanut, maybe he even used peanut oil, and dipped the granola bar in it and then slid it back in the wrapper. Would she react to an amount that small?”

Blake nodded. “It would be enough. She's so sensitive to peanuts that we can't eat in a restaurant with peanuts on the table or shells on the floor. The oils in the air will make her face tingle.”

“So he contaminates a bar and puts it in her purse? How did it get in her purse? Does she leave it out at work?”

He grimaced and nodded again. “We've never had a problem with theft. She leaves her purse in her office most of the time. Sometimes she brings it with her to the shift-change meeting if she's leaving for an appointment or something.”

“What kind of appointments?”

“Any kind.”

“Personal or professional?”

“Either. Caroline is our Chief Financial Officer. The way our organization is structured, the sales and accounting staff all report to her. So she could be meeting with anyone from the people who service our printers to the clients who buy our finished product. Or she could have a dentist appointment. She doesn't have a standing appointment on any one day, if that's what you're asking. Every day is different.”

“So maybe she brought her purse to a shift-change meeting and he slipped the contaminated bar in there?”

Would Caroline have noticed? Heidi didn't know. She had to remind herself that the average American didn't walk around assuming people were trying to kill them. An extra half of a granola bar wouldn't look like a weapon. It would look like a snack.

“Did she leave early any day this week?”

Blake leaned back and rubbed his neck. “Maybe? I can't remember.”

Heidi didn't push him. Sometimes memories eluded people when they were stressed or fatigued, and Blake Harrison was both.

“Thursday,” Blake said after a few moments.

“What happened Thursday?”

“She had a hair appointment. I remember because I was annoyed that she was leaving.” He shook his head and Heidi could see the remorse on his face.

“Hey, don't beat yourself up.”

“I need to tell her I'm sorry.”

Heidi didn't know what to make of this guy. Smart. Strong. Stubborn. And a sensitive family guy? She'd always thought guys like this were an urban legend. Or a fairy tale.

Not that it mattered. She didn't have time for fairy tales.

“You can apologize later. I think for now, we need to focus on why on earth someone is trying to take out your family. Because there's a strong possibility that whoever put the granola bar in her purse also took her EpiPen. If that's true, then we've got a bigger problem than we thought.”

“Which is?”

“They weren't trying to scare her or distract her. They were trying to kill her.”

FIVE

A
s Sunday morning dawned, Blake drove Caroline home in her car. “What about your car?”

“We'll get it later,” he said.

Caroline didn't respond. If she hadn't been loopy from the medication, she would have pressed him about the car.

Heidi's Acura flitted in and out of his rearview mirror until he pulled into his driveway. He caught a glimpse as she drove past.

She'd promised to return in thirty minutes with food. And then they would talk.

She'd been there all night at the hospital. Again. Some of the time she'd spent in the waiting room, knitting what he now knew to be a scarf. Other times she'd disappear and he assumed she was talking to her team about the chaos that had descended into their world.

Before Caroline had been released, she'd introduced him to two men in scrubs.

FBI agents in scrubs.

They'd assured him they would stay with his mom and dad and would contact Heidi with anything suspicious.

Father, please protect them. Protect all of us.

Where had that prayer come from? He and God hadn't been on great terms for a while. He'd never stopped believing. He knew God was in control, but with everything that had happened with Lana, it felt as though God had let him down.

Still, in this moment, he knew there was no higher power he could turn to. He couldn't protect everyone he loved, no matter how much he wanted to or how hard he tried. Even Heidi, with her ever-growing team of FBI agents, couldn't guarantee their safety.

Father, please.

There wasn't anything else he could say.

“You okay?” Caroline asked as he parked in his driveway and scanned the lawn and surrounding woods.

“Tired.”

“I wish you would take me to my house.”

“Mom wants you to stay with me.” While true, it wasn't the real reason he'd insisted on having Caroline spend the rest of the day with him.

“I'm not four years old.”

Caroline could pout like a champ, but her drama had no effect on him. Not today. Besides, when Heidi returned and said what she needed to say, Caroline's objections would disintegrate.

Twenty minutes later, a sharp rap on his door pulled his attention away from the pantry. A pantry full of food that might kill him if it had been contaminated. How hard would it have been for Mark to break into his house and slip poison into his food? Maybe not the canned goods, but the bread? The open cereal boxes and cookies taunted him. He would throw that stuff away. Too risky.

“Were you expecting someone?” Caroline shifted on the couch. He nodded, but didn't offer any other reply.

He checked the peephole and opened the door for Heidi.

She stood at the door, two huge boxes in her hands. “I understand the Schwinns' bakery is a peanut-free facility,” she said as she stepped inside.

She placed the boxes on the coffee table and stuck her hand out in Caroline's direction. “Hi. I'm Heidi Zimmerman.”

Caroline's confused gaze bounced from the boxes to Heidi to Blake and made the circuit again before she took Heidi's hand. “Caroline Harrison. Nice to meet you.” Uncertainty laced her words.

Heidi tilted her head in his direction. “You didn't tell her?”

Blake cleared his throat. He'd intended to, but—

Heidi reached into her pocket and held her badge out for Caroline's inspection. “Then please accept my apologies, Ms. Harrison. I thought your brother would have given you a heads-up.” He heard annoyance and understanding in her words. “Let's start again. Special Agent Heidi Zimmerman. I'm with the FBI, and I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I'm concerned that someone is trying to kill your family.”

Caroline glared at Blake. “I knew something... How could you fail to mention... How long have you known—”

“Could I make a suggestion?” Heidi opened the boxes on the table, revealing doughnuts, bagels and even a stack of chocolate chip cookies. “In my experience, it's best not to dive into a deep conversation without fortifying yourself first. Doughnut?”

She looked through the box. “Chocolate glazed? Lemon filled?”

Caroline continued to glare at Blake, but she accepted a chocolate éclair and he grabbed a cinnamon twist. As soon as they had food in their mouths, Heidi brought Caroline up to speed.

He'd thought hearing it for the second time wouldn't be too bad, but watching Caroline absorb the news made it all much worse.

Thirty minutes and multiple doughnuts later, Caroline looked at him and whispered, “What on earth are we going to do? We can't dump this on mom and dad. Not now.”

Heidi took a bite of a chocolate chip cookie and he got the impression she was giving herself time to think.

He'd been thinking a lot, too. This might be his best chance to throw out his plan. “I've got an idea,” he said. Both women looked at him. Caroline looked surprised, Heidi wary.

He pointed at Heidi. “You said you have an engineering degree?”

“Yes. Why?”

“What if you come work for us?”

“Work for you?”

“Yes. We could hire you as a consultant or something. You'd have an excuse to be around all the time. You could get to know Mark. Learn the process. Maybe figure out why he wanted to work for us.” He looked at Caroline. “We won't say anything to Mom and Dad until Dad's home. Or until we don't have any other choice. Whichever comes first. I hate keeping anything from them, especially something this big, but I know they'll understand once we explain.”

Caroline nodded her agreement.

Heidi took another bite. “It's not a bad idea,” she said after she swallowed. “Not bad at all.”

Caroline smirked in his direction. He knew that look. She was up to something. Something he wouldn't like. She smiled at Heidi. “You should stay here on the property.”

What? Oh, no. He knew where this was going.

Heidi shook her head. “I don't think that's a good—”

“Hear me out. We have a small little A-frame that we used to use as a guesthouse. We've always called it the cabin and I think it would be perfect for you. It has a kitchen and a living room downstairs and the bedroom and bathroom are upstairs in the loft. It needs a little bit of work to make it habitable, but I could have it ready in two days. Then you'd be right by the plant, and by us. You'd be able to provide some security for us while figuring out what Mark's up to.” She bit into a doughnut hole, a triumphant gleam in her eyes as she smiled at Blake. This was payback for all the times he'd nagged her about going out more, opening herself up to the idea of meeting someone.

Heidi took another bite of her cookie, but her eyes never left his face. She must be waiting to see what he thought of Caroline's plan. The short answer—not much. He knew his sister and she never failed to seize an opportunity to try to entangle him with a woman.

The worst part of it was that he didn't see how he could get out of it this time.

“Where are you staying?” If she were nearby—

She gave the name of her hotel. “Takes me about twenty minutes to get here.”

Twenty minutes. If anything terrible happened, she couldn't get here in time to stop it. Although she did seem to have a gift for being in the right place at the right time.

But...he didn't know her. Didn't know for sure if he could trust her. Although the whole lifesaving bit made it hard not to.

He tried to read her face, but she did a great job of keeping her thoughts hidden. “I guess it's up to you,” he said. “If you want to stay here, you're more than welcome to the cabin. Although you might not want it after you see it.”

* * *

An hour later, Heidi slid her phone back into her pocket and smiled at Blake. “We've got a green light for your plan to hire me as a consultant. We need to fine-tune things a bit, but if you believe you can sell it to your staff, then it's worth a shot.”

Blake nodded from the recliner he'd been dozing in. “That's great. Do we need to talk now?”

Caroline rolled over on the couch. “I can wake up. I think,” she said, sleep thick in her voice.

“No.” Heidi looked at her watch. It was 9:30 a.m. When had she slept last? Her poor body wouldn't know what to do if it ever got a decent night's rest. “We all need to sleep.” She stifled a yawn. “Why don't we plan to meet tonight. Around eight?”

“Eight's fine.”

“Okay. Then I'm going to head out.” Heidi stood and retrieved her jacket from the back of the couch.

The slam of the recliner being pushed back into a sitting position startled her and her hand flew to her back. Maybe Blake wouldn't notice?

“Are you armed?”

So much for that “not noticing” idea. “Yes. I'm always armed.”

Her statement might have been more troublesome a few hours ago, but instead of concern, relief flashed across Blake's face. Given everything he'd been through, he had to appreciate having someone prepared to defend them. Which reminded her—

“Do you have a gun in the house?”

“Two. A 9 mm and a shotgun.”

“Loaded?” She appreciated the need for safety, but under the circumstances, an unloaded weapon wouldn't do them much good.

“Yes. Out of reach of Maggie, but yes.”

Good.

Blake hefted himself out of the recliner and winced. Still sore from Friday's adventure, no doubt. “Are you sure you're okay to drive? I could give you a lift.”

Wow. Contrary to what she'd believed, chivalry was not dead. At least not where Blake Harrison was concerned.

It was a fair question. Keeping her eyes open was requiring a massive amount of willpower and she'd crossed into the zone where she could be a danger to herself and others if she didn't sleep soon. On the other hand, she didn't think Blake was in much better shape, and he hadn't had the training to teach him to power through the fatigue.

“I think I'll make it.” She could hear her uncertainty.

Blake pursed his lips. “I don't like it. You're welcome to crash here. Get a few hours and then go to your hotel.”

Tempting. But he was in the recliner. Caroline snored on the couch. The only other options were the beds and there was no way she was sleeping in their beds. Besides, she needed a shower and a change of clothes, both of which required a trip to her hotel.

“I appreciate it, but I'll be okay. I'll call my team and get a few things rolling. That will keep me awake.”

Blake clearly wasn't pleased, but he didn't argue.

She dialed her team before she pulled out of the driveway and it took the entire twenty minutes to her hotel and an additional fifteen after she'd secured herself in her room to get things lined up to her satisfaction. She grabbed a shower and fell across the hotel bed.

Over the next twelve hours, a team of agents would descend on Etowah, North Carolina. They'd come in trucks and minivans and SUVs and they'd be dressed as repairmen and nurses and accountants.

They would have two jobs. Protect the Harrisons.

And bring down the Kovacs.

* * *

Heidi pulled into the Harrison driveway at 7:50 p.m. She'd gotten six hours of sleep. Not as much as she needed, but not so much that she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

A rush of adrenaline coursed through her as she took the three steps to Blake's front porch. She attributed it to her excitement about the way this assignment was taking shape. She ignored the way her stomach flipped when Blake opened the door.

“Everything okay?” She scanned the room.

“Great,” he said and flashed her a smile. Her stomach flipped again. What was with her? “Come on in.”

His phone rang and he glanced at it. “It's Caroline. She's at the hospital with Mom,” he said.

“Please, take it.”

As Blake stepped onto the porch to take the call, a small blond head peaked out from the hallway. Heidi glimpsed a pink-clad foot, then an elbow. Then a pair of twinkling eyes met Heidi's. No doubt about it. Maggie Harrison.

“Hello.” At Heidi's greeting, the little girl sprang into the room.

“Hello! You're Heidi, aren't you? I'm glad you're here. You have a lot of hair. I'm Maggie. I want a dog, but Daddy says not yet. Do you have a dog?”

Heidi knelt down to eye level with Maggie. “I do have a lot of hair. My godfather says I have one curl for every time I've made him smile.” She paused and put on her most grieved expression. “I'm afraid I do not have a dog. Do you think we could be friends anyway?”

The little girl launched herself at Heidi and threw her arms around her neck. Unprepared for the miniature assault, Heidi wrapped one arm around Maggie and allowed them to roll back onto the floor.

Maggie jumped up giggling. “I knocked you over! I'm sorry! Are you hurt?” She proceeded to pace around Heidi in a wide circle, examining her for injuries. “Did you bump your head?” A tiny hand reached out toward Heidi's hair, but paused.

Maggie was clearly intrigued by her curls, but not quite brave enough to touch them without permission. Heidi stifled a laugh. “I'm not sure. Maybe you should check for bumps.”

Maggie wasted no time and began a full inspection, lifting curls and patting them back into place. “I think you'll be okay,” she said with authority.

“Whew! That's a relief. Help me up, will you?” Maggie took her hands and pulled with gusto.

Heidi had almost regained her footing when Blake stepped back inside.

“Daddy!” Maggie ran straight for her father and jumped into his arms. He spun her around several times before squeezing her tight and setting her on her feet. “I knocked Heidi over!”

“You did what?”

“I knocked her over!” She hooted with laughter. “She doesn't have a dog, but we can still be friends.”

“I'm glad you're going to be friends, but you shouldn't call an adult by their first name, Maggie-moo. Can you say Ms. Zimmerman?”