Misplaced (48 page)

Chapte
r
Twenty-two
Vic
t
oria

Sh
e
could count on one hand the number of times she
’
d pla
y
ed the part of a damsel in distress; it ran contrary to e
v
ery
fibe
r
o
f
he
r
being
.
Still
,
whe
n
sh
e
ha
d
to
,
V
ictori
a
coul
d
be
convincing.

“I
can’t
belie
v
e
it!
I’
v
e
locked
my
keys
in
the
car.
My
phone,
too.”

Thankfully
,
th
e
guar
d
wh
o
manne
d
th
e
detector
s
o
n
the
ground floor
of the courthouse recognized her.

“
I
can’
t
le
t
yo
u
us
e
th
e
phone
,
bu
t
w
e
’
r
e
closin
g
th
e
building
soon.
If
you
don’t
mind
w
aiting,
I
could
w
alk
you
to
your
car
and see what can be done.”

“That would be wonderful.”

The
guard’s
name
w
as
Billy.
He
w
alked
in
front
of
her
and
Khara
,
hi
s
sof
t
voic
e
belyin
g
hi
s
heav
y
step
s
an
d
hand
s
that
swun
g
lik
e
mallet
s
o
n
hi
s
meat
y
arms
.
Hi
s
nam
e
w
a
s
no
t
a
deri
v
ation
of
W
illiam,
he
explained,
but
a
nickname
based
on
his fondness for wielding a billy club.

V
ictoria ga
v
e him a grim smile. “
P
erfect.”

A
t
the
last
moment,
she
produced
her
key
ring.
She
blamed
th
e
poo
r
desig
n
o
f
he
r
handba
g
fo
r
th
e
mistak
e
an
d
thanked
him profusely.

Khara
looked
at
her
approvingly as
they dro
v
e
a
w
ay. “I
see
that
you
are
not
as
lacking
in
treachery
as
you
would
ha
v
e
me
belie
v
e.”

“I
f
I
’
d
tol
d
hi
m
th
e
truth
,
w
e
’
d
stil
l
b
e
there
.
Wh
o
knows
what sort of questions he might ha
v
e asked?”

“S
u
c
h
a
s
,
‘
Why
is
a
m
an
you
don’t know
f
o
ll
o
wing
you
?
’
”

“Exactly
.
W
e
’
d
bet
t
e
r
fin
d
someplac
e
els
e
t
o
spen
d
the
night.”

“Why not stay with your aunt and uncle?”

“Elias
is
upset
enough;
this
will
send
him
o
v
er
the
edge.
A
hotel is no good, either—too easy to trace.”
Cell
phone
in
hand,
V
ictoria
scrolled
through
the
directory
until she found the number she had been searching for.

“Bea?”

“V
icky
?
O
h
m
y
god
,
I
ha
v
en’
t
hear
d
fro
m
yo
u
sinc
e
the
baptism. What’s up?”

“I need a favor. Can I come o
v
er?”

“Ah
,
jus
t
lik
e
ol
d
times
.
I’
m
jus
t
put
t
in
g
Natha
n
t
o
sleep
now,” she replied.

“I ha
v
e a friend with me. Mind if she comes along?”

“Y
ou know better
than to ask. Is e
v
erything all right?”

“I
’
ll explain when I see you. Is Duncan at home?”

“He’
s
th
e
vic
e
presiden
t
o
f
internationa
l
sales
,
V
icki
.
He’s
ne
v
er home.”

“Half an hour, then.”

Chapte
r
Twenty-three
Kha
r
a

Ins
i
d
e
th
e
hom
e
o
f
V
ictoria’
s
oldes
t
friend
,
the
y
sa
t
on
tall stools at a gleaming granite island in an elaborate kitchen.
W
it
h
he
r
pal
e
skin
,
y
ello
w
hair
,
an
d
innocen
t
blu
e
e
y
es
,
Bea
w
a
s
th
e
manifestatio
n
o
f
a
summe
r
day
.
He
r
smil
e
matched
a
dis
p
osi
t
io
n
t
ha
t
seeme
d
t
o
ha
v
e
ne
v
e
r
k
now
n a
momen
t
’s
trouble.
Barefoot
in
a
grey
wool
tunic
and
black
leggings,
she
’
d graciously ushered them inside.

Handshake
s
an
d
hug
s
barel
y
passe
d
amon
g
the
m
before
she insisted on giving them a tour of her splendid home. She seemed to ha
v
e no curiosity about why they
’
d come.

E
v
er
y
roo
m
containe
d
a
n
elemen
t
o
f
turquoise
.
Pillow
s
in
th
e
maste
r
suite
, a
mirro
r
frame
d
wit
h
nugget
s
i
n
th
e
great
room
,
an
d
pain
t
o
n
th
e
windo
w
sills
.
Whe
n
Khar
a
aske
d
her
abou
t
it
,
Be
a
ans
w
ere
d
straightfor
w
ardly
,
“T
o
kee
p
ou
t
bad
spirits. It’s an old South
w
estern tradition.”

Bac
k
i
n
th
e
kitchen
,
Be
a
asked
,
“S
o
wha
t
sor
t
o
f
narrow
escape
are
w
e
celebrating?”
while
rummaging
through
a
w
ell—
stocked
cabinet.
She
pulled
out
a
bottle
of
wine
and
w
a
v
ed
it
i
n
fron
t
o
f
V
ictoria
.
“Remembe
r
ho
w
man
y
time
s
w
e
snuck
into
the
dorm,
hoping
to
get
there
before
the
campus
police?”
T
urnin
g
he
r
a
t
tentio
n
t
o
Khara
,
Be
a
said
,
“
W
ithou
t
V
icki
,
I
’
d
ha
v
e
a
spotless
criminal
record.”
She
giggled,
gathering
glasses
an
d
set
t
in
g
the
m
o
n
a
n
ebon
y
table
.
“Ther
e
w
a
s
ne
v
e
r
a
dull
momen
t
whe
n
sh
e
w
a
s
around
.
A
wor
d
o
f
w
arning
,
though;
she
’
l
l
ope
n
you
r
e
y
e
s
t
o
a
lo
t
o
f
thing
s
i
f
you
’
r
e
no
t
careful.”
Be
a
smile
d
wistfull
y
an
d
asked
,
“
V
icki
,
d
o
yo
u
remembe
r
when
w
e
stake
d
ou
t
tha
t
ol
d
tunnel
?
I
t
w
a
s
rumore
d
t
o
ha
v
e
been
used
during
sla
v
ery
to
smuggle
fugiti
v
es
into
Mexico.”
Then,
addressing Khara, “It
w
as far too big a temptation to resist.”

“Bea
,
yo
u
tal
k
to
o
much,
”
V
ictori
a
chided
,
he
r
expression
taking
on
a
familiar
look—the
tense
turn
of
her
mouth,
the
w
ay
she
shook
her
head.
But
her
gestures
w
ere
useless;
her
friend
seemed
impervious
to
the
faces
V
ictoria
made
from
behind
her
glass of ruby liquid.

“
Any
w
ay
,
w
e
w
aite
d
i
n
tha
t
bat-infeste
d
passage
w
a
y
for
hours
with
a
pack
of
cigarettes
and
a
bottle
of
schnapps,
only
t
o
ge
t
caugh
t
u
p
i
n
a
rai
d
an
d
almos
t
deported
.
Throug
h
the
y
ears
,
tha
t
tunne
l
ha
d
bee
n
use
d
fo
r
smugglin
g
aliens
,
drug
trafficking,
you name it.
V
icki, remind me what
w
ere
w
e doing
there in the middle of the night.”

“Interviewin
g
illegals
.
I
w
a
s
tryin
g
t
o
fin
d
ou
t
wh
y
those
poo
r
peopl
e
woul
d
pu
t
themsel
v
e
s
i
n
th
e
hand
s
o
f
coyotes
knowing
their
wi
v
es
and
daughters
could
be
raped,
that
e
v
ery
dime
they
’
d
make
for
the
next
ten
y
ears
would
go
to
pay
those
criminals for bringing them in.”

Khar
a
studie
d
th
e
shado
w
o
f
sadnes
s
tha
t
w
a
s
al
w
ay
s
ready
to
appear,
the
w
ay
V
ictoria’s
brow
knitted
as
though
she
w
ere
in pain. “What did you learn?” she inquired.