The Archer [Book 13 of the Hawkman Series] (17 page)

"Mrs. King, you've been very quiet during this whole discussion,” Hawkman said.

"Yes, because my mind is on those Wallace boys. If they're the ones harassing my daughter, I'll have their hides. I know they have a black pickup. I've seen people jump out of their way as they barrel down the street. They're two rowdies and need to be stopped."

"I understand, and they will be halted in their tracks, if they're the culprits."

Before Violet could respond, Laura came back into the room and handed Hawkman a sheet of paper.

He glanced through her figures. “This will do it. You may not see me on your route to school, but don't worry, I'll be there."

Hawkman said his goodbyes to the family and left. He decided to head home, so he could inform Jennifer of his plan, and load her SUV with his stuff. When he arrived and explained to his wife what he intended to do, she gazed at him, biting her lower lip.

"Is there a problem?” he asked.

"Do you think there's the possibility you could get into a high-speed chase?"

"Possibly."

"What if you wreck my new vehicle?"

"Well, you just have to trust me at being a good driver."

She looked at him sideways. “Put that in writing."

He suppressed a smile. “Seriously, honey, I've got to use your Ford tomorrow; otherwise, the culprit will spot me in mine, and won't try anything. No one knows what yours looks like. It'll be a beautiful cover."

She sighed. “You're right. Let's just hope they don't try anything on me, since I'll be driving yours into town tomorrow."

He jerked up his head. “Be sure to take your cell phone and if you run into anything unusual, give me a call. If I can't get to you, I'll contact Detective Williams.” He looked at her closely. “Be sure to carry your gun."

Her hazel eyes grew wide. “Do you think there's a chance of their spotting your 4X4?"

"I have no idea. I think our offender comes from the college, so I doubt you'll be in any danger."

She gave him a skeptical look. “You know who it might be?"

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The alarm went off, jarring Hawkman out of a deep sleep. He hit the snooze button, rolled over, and covered his head with the blanket. When the buzzer rang again, he smacked it off and crawled out of bed. He glanced over at Jennifer, who didn't appear to have heard a thing, but he knew she played possum very well. Lordy, it's not even light out yet, he thought. Kids sure start classes early. He jumped into the shower, dressed, put on the coffee pot and dumped some dry food pellets into Miss Marple's dish before she let out a yowl. “You little mess, I want you to behave yourself. We don't need any of your shenanigans today."

He poured some of the hot brew into a thermos, placed the keys to the 4X4 on the counter and grabbed Jennifer's. Hitting the garage door opener, he high-tailed it out to the garage, and felt thankful he'd loaded everything into her Ford last night. When he slid under the steering wheel, his legs felt cramped, and he had to maneuver the seat back far enough to accommodate his long limbs. The butt warmer felt great on this chilly morning.

Driving toward Medford, he had the feeling there wouldn't be any events today, as two in a row might be pushing the harasser's luck and Laura would definitely be on the lookout. However, he couldn't take the chance. Laura had told him her route to school, assuring him she never varied, as it was a straight shot to the campus, and she returned home the same way.

He finally arrived in Medford, and rolled toward the Kings’ ranch looking for a good place to park alongside the road.

Laura combed back her hair and tied it into a pony tail, donned her jeans and a sweatshirt, then gulped down some dry cereal.

"It's not good for you to eat so fast,” Violet said, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"I'm running late and I don't want Mr. Casey to worry about me. I've caused enough strife in our family. I sure don't need to bring on more."

"It makes me feel more at ease, knowing he's going to be watching you to and from school. I worry from the time you drive out of the driveway until you're home at night."

Laura reached over and patted her mother's hand. “I know.” She glanced toward the living room. “Where's Dad?"

"He had to run into town to get some grain for Big Ears.” Violet grinned. “I can't help but chuckle when I think of that crazy mule butting Mr. Casey."

Laura laughed. “I wish I'd seen it.” She jumped up, threw on her jeans jacket and grabbed her back pack. “Gotta run; see ya later."

"Do you have enough money for lunch?” Violet asked, getting up from the table.

"Yeah, I'm fine,” Laura called over her shoulder, as she ran out the door and hopped into her car.

Heading toward the college, she kept a sharp eye out for, not only a black pickup, but also for the blue vehicle Mr. Casey would be driving. There weren't many places he could pull off, but she suspected he could be on one of the side roads or even in someone's driveway. She'd not received any phone calls in several days, and prayed the person had given up on trying to contact her, which in her heart, she doubted.

With her hand on the steering wheel, her sleeve had slid up and revealed the tracking bracelet. She liked the idea of having it on, plus the one under the car fender. It made her feel more secure, knowing Mr. Casey had done all this for her protection.

Ahead, in a clump of trees, the sun's reflection glinting off something big and shiny caught her eye. She couldn't tell the color due to the glare and her heart leaped when a vehicle moved onto the road after she passed. A wave of relief surged through her when she could make out the small blue SUV. He stayed quite a distance back, which she understood. No need for it to appear she had a tail.

The rest of the trip went without incident and Laura pulled into the student parking lot, and watched the blue vehicle go by the entry. She felt the trip home would be more precarious. Finding a slot, she parked, and wondered what Mr. Casey would do for the next few hours. Curling her arms through the straps of her backpack, she hoisted it over her shoulders, locked up the car and just as she unzipped the pocket in her fanny pack to store the car keys, her cell phone rang. Hands trembling, she flipped it open and saw ‘unidentified number'. “Hello", she said, her voice shaking.

She leaned against the side of the car as she listened to the voice, and remembered Mr. Casey wanted her to spur this person into a meeting, if possible.

"I'd like to meet you, but don't even know your name,” she said.

She listened for a moment, then responded, “No. It has to be at a public place."

Hanging up, she hit the save button, closed the lid and bit her lower lip. It bothered her that this person always disguised his voice. She scanned the cars in the lot, wondering if he'd watched her while making the call. Most of the time, she couldn't tell if it was a male or female. Mr. Casey referred to the individual as a male. After he heard this message, she'd ask what he thought. She didn't have time to notify him right now; it would have to wait until between classes. Shrugging her shoulders, she hurried to her first period.

Laura had a hard time concentrating on her studies, as the phone call kept going through her mind. It embarrassed her when the professor called on her and she had to ask him to repeat the question. She answered okay, but her whole body quivered, and she could feel her face burning.

The hour seemed to drag, and finally the bell signaled for the class to dismiss. She had approximately fifteen minutes to get to the next one. Since she only had to go a few doors down the hall, she scooted outside and quickly gave Tom Casey a call. He answered immediately and she quickly told him about the message.

"Yes, I saved it."

She listened to his instructions. “Okay. Talk to you later.” Closing the cell phone, she went back inside the building and strolled down the corridor to her next class.

Laura thought the day would never end, and let out a sigh when the last bell rang. Gathering her books, she loaded her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. She hurried down the steps into the parking lot, eager to get on the road toward home. When only a few feet from the car, she suddenly stopped in her tracks in disbelief, and let out a loud groan. “Oh, no."

Not believing her eyes, she dropped down on her haunches and ran her hands over the flat rear tire. She knew how to change it, but the chore would take her at least thirty minutes and Mr. Casey would be worried. Unlocking the car, she threw her load of books inside, slipped under the steering wheel, closed and locked the door, then glanced into the rearview mirror. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Parked in the slot directly behind her was a black pickup. The bed of the truck interfered with her view, but she could see two figures in the cab. However, the dark tinted rear window made it difficult to recognize them. Snatching her cell phone from her fanny pack, she called Tom Casey.

When he answered, she said. “You're not going to believe this, but I have a flat tire and it's going to take me at least a half hour to change it. Also, there's a black pickup parked in the slot behind me. I can't see who's in it, because the window is tinted."

She quickly turned around and stared at the license plate. “Yes, I can see it,” and she relayed the numbers. “I have no idea who owns it."

Listening intently for several seconds, she wiped a hand across her face. “Okay, but I know how to do it. No, they haven't left the pickup,” she said, glancing into her rearview mirror. After hanging up, she hunkered down in the seat and pretended to be studying one of her books, while still keeping an eye on the truck. To her amazement, a girl ran out to the black vehicle, one of the occupants hopped out and let her inside. Laura furrowed her brow, turned around in the seat and watched as the truck drove off.

Soon Mr. Casey pulled up and parked where the black truck had been. Laura jumped out of her car and met him in the middle. “I just saw the strangest thing happen."

"Let's get the jack and spare out of your trunk, then you can tell me while I fix the flat."

She opened the rear lid and lifted out the equipment needed. While Hawkman pumped the jack, he said, “Okay, what'd you see?"

"Remember, I told you about the black pickup parked where you are now?"

"Yes."

"Cindy Brown came from the campus, and climbed into the cab. I'd swear the guy who got out to let her in, looked like Greg Wallace."

Hawkman stopped working and stared at her. “Are you sure?"

"I haven't seen the Wallace brothers in a long time, but he sure resembled him."

"Could you tell if the driver happened to be his brother, Steve?"

"No, I never got a good view of who occupied the driver's seat, as he pulled straight ahead,” she pointed, “and drove out the far exit."

Hawkman replaced the tire. “Glad you have a regular one instead of those makeshift things.” He turned the flattened rubber over several times and frowned. “Odd, I don't see what caused this to go flat; there's no nail or damage to the tire.” Then he looked at the valve core. “I think someone's been messing with your car."

She looked at him with worried eyes. “What did they do?"

"The valve stem and cap are gone, which caused the air to escape. Did you see anyone standing around the area when you got out of class?"

"No."

"What about the guys in the black pickup?"

"They were inside the truck when I got out here, and didn't even look around when I approached my car."

Hawkman put the tire into the trunk and closed the lid. “You need to get the stem fixed. You don't want to be without a spare. Why don't we go do that right now."

She bowed her head and blushed. “I don't have any money, I spent it all on lunch."

He patted her on the shoulder. “It's on me."

"Thanks."

"Call your folks, let them know you're safe and I'm here. Don't worry them about our suspicions; just tell them you had a flat and we're getting it fixed before heading home."

"Sounds good.” She smiled. “My family trades at a station on the way. We'll stop there. One of the mechanics will gladly help me."

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When Laura got within a quarter of a mile of home, a black pickup rolled out of a side road and pulled behind the green Toyota. Hawkman pressed the accelerator, and noticed Laura did the same. Thankful Jennifer's new vehicle had some guts, he soon caught up, and noticed the black truck had not increased its speed. He also observed the back window wasn't tinted. The profile of Mr. Higgins showed through the glass, as he turned his head to converse with the person in the passenger seat. They passed the Kings’ and moseyed on toward their place.

Hawkman turned into the driveway soon after Laura, and drove around to the back of the house. He wanted to hear the message she'd received.

Laura strolled toward him, as he climbed out of the Ford Escape.

"Boy, when the Higgins pulled behind me, my heart skipped a hundred beats,” she said.

Hawkman nodded. “Took me a moment to figure it out, too. Could you tell who occupied the passenger seat?"

"Joey. The Higgins own a small plot across the road. They were probably checking on the cattle they have grazing there."

"Makes sense.” He stood with arms crossed and legs apart. “Do you have time for me to listen to the call you received today?"

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot.” She turned and headed for the back door. “Let's go inside where it's warmer. I also have a question I want to ask after you've heard it."

They hovered over the kitchen table with Olly and Violet looking on. Hawkman placed his recorder next to her cell phone, then gave her the signal to start the message. After it ended, he clicked off the small instruments.

"It sounds like one of the same voices I've recorded before,” he said.

Laura picked up her phone. “Does it sound like a boy or girl to you?"

"Male, why?"

"I detected an inflection in the voice which sounded feminine to me.” She looked into Hawkman's face. “I'm also aware of these little gadgets called ‘voice changers'. In one of my classes we were studying criminals and the devices they'd use to throw people off track. It made me wonder if we're looking in the wrong direction."