Tourist Trapped (31 page)

But the same song played, like a thirty-year-old broken record. Once again, she felt stirrings for someone who wed someone else. Was that a requirement in her crazy, mixed-up head? Did a man have to be “taken” so she could never experience the happy ending? Were she and Miguel destined to wander through life alone, paying for their sins?

Amanda thought it ironic that the person she had been going to with all of her troubles was now the source of her angst. Until she could spill her guts to Lauren, she needed to keep her unrequited love to herself. And it had to remain unrequited. Cooper worked for her—and had a wife.

She finished the sundae, almost licking the plate. Sugar had been the right decision, less of a hangover.

The sooner she returned to Chicago, the better. Getting into the old routine would help put things back into perspective, to regain her footing. The situation in Cancun left her too fragile. Time to strap on her adamantine attorney armor.

Cooper’s phone vibrated. She snatched it up. “Hello?”

“Is this Amanda Sloane?” The female voice floated through the air.

Could the woman be Cooper’s wife? Acid gurgled in Amanda’s gut as she braced for a once-over about the gunshot wound in Cooper’s arm. A lecture from a woman Amanda wished didn’t exist. “Mrs. Cooper?”

“No, this is Kate Dalton, Chad’s sister.”

“Is Cooper—I mean—Chad okay?”

“He’s fine and apologizes for not calling you himself. He’s busy with plans for tomorrow. Did you find your missing family?”

“Yes, Rebecca’s safe, please let Chad know.”

“He’ll be thrilled to hear that everyone’s all right. Are you on your way back to Chicago tomorrow?”

“Not quite yet.” Cooper had a sister. He had mentioned his deceased brother, but never a word about another sibling. “What’s happening tomorrow?”

“Chad didn’t tell you about Portland?”

“Just that he had to rush up there for a family emergency.”

“It’s a major undertaking. His investigative team has put a lot of hours into this rescue.”

“Is there any way I can help?”

“Amanda, you’re kind to offer, but we’re executing the plan tomorrow night. We could use your help, but that would be too much to ask.”

“Where and when?”

THIRTY-EIGHT

Friday December 18, Morning

“There they go.”
Vince pointed to the screen and Chad leaned in, holding his breath. For the first time in five years, outside of a handful of grainy stills, he saw his children. Jason was so tall—and both looked so different. Chad could have passed them on the street dozens of times and not recognized them. Skye’s dark brown hair went almost to her waist and needed trimming. Her jacket didn’t cover her lower arms. Jason’s pants ended at his ankles and his hair touched his shoulders. Both kids shuffled down the sidewalk, their heads bent down. Chad’s heart ached; they needed some serious TLC.

Skye looked nothing like the exuberant youngster who had loved to play tug-of-war with Maggie; no longer the giggling little girl who danced through Chad’s memories. Jason had lost the athletic gait developed from years of playing soccer.

Chad could still feel a newborn Skye’s tiny fingers grab hold of his pinkie, and the weight of Jason the first time Chad held his son. So many hopes and dreams, plans and promises.

But instead of Skye trading secrets at slumber parties or Jason spending an afternoon with his buddies on the basketball court, his kids had wasted away in cheap hotels.

Five years gone—no Christmas mornings, sipping hot chocolate while exchanging presents, or Friday nights with big bowls of buttered popcorn and rented movies. No laughter, no life. Only loneliness.

It took every nanogram of Chad’s willpower to remain in the hotel room. He wanted to dash into the street and sweep his children into his arms. He yearned to have them close, to feed them a hot meal and stay up all night to watch them sleep, safe again, after so many years.

But he couldn’t take the chance they’d flee. Something kept his children from contacting him, and he feared it might cause them to run away.

The young Coopers wandered through the motel parking lot and crossed the street, heading toward the shopping center. Where did they go every day? To school? Did they hang out at the mall? The kids looked gaunt; did they eat anything even remotely nutritious? Had they eaten breakfast or were they out foraging for their meal? He needed to get them safe this time.

“Vince, the more I think about it, the more I like your idea of an outsider and a dog posing to draw in the kids. I bet Skye will go for it. Do you have any leads on somebody? Maybe we could ask a member of the hotel staff?”

“Um…I’m workin’ on the gal—but the dog, I got that one in the bag. You won’t believe it—I got a West White Hi—no, a White West High—ah, hell, I got a Westie.”

Would it work? The Skye he knew would make a beeline for any dog, more so for a Westie. But five years had passed. Could the dog stir up memories of loss that would keep her away? And if they were able to succeed in rescuing the kids, would she assume the pup was her Maggie? He didn’t know, but he’d deal with the ramifications. It was worth the attempt.

At this point, anything’s worth trying.

* * *

Vince’s sense of
humor didn’t amuse Amanda. She found no irony in waiting for him at Portland’s Acapulco Mexican Restaurant Y Cantina. She sat in the turquoise booth and stared out the window, checking her watch every two minutes. Over the loudspeakers, a salsero serenaded the sparse mid-afternoon crowd.

After Kate had grilled her about Cancun, Vince had taken over the call, but provided few details. Something about rescuing Cooper’s kids and needing her to stand outside with a dog. Amanda didn’t know what they were rescuing the kids from, or what good it would do for her to hang out in the Portland drizzle holding a dog leash, but, if Cooper needed her help, she’d be there.

She hadn’t spoken to Cooper; Amanda assumed he was enmeshed in the rescue plans. Or maybe he was still disappointed in her—yet he wanted her to fly up. That had to mean something, didn’t it?

She shivered. After more than a week in Cancun, the cold, damp Oregon weather grated against her skin. She wrapped her jacket tightly around her, the first time she had worn it since flying out of O’Hare in what seemed like years before.

“Hola señorita, welcome to Acapulco Cantina.” The waitress set a basket of chips and a small bowl of salsa on the table. “Can I get you una bebida—something to drink?” The girl, a young thing under a shitload of makeup, chomped on a mouthful of chewing gum.

“Gracias. Uno café con solo, por favor.”

“W-what?”

“May I please have a black coffee?” Amanda smiled. “Gracias.”

She looked at her watch again. Miraculously, the planets had aligned and she made the journey with time to spare. Someone named Sally had handled the middle-of-the-night arrangements. Amanda’s gunshot wound didn’t bother her on the flights, thanks to the painkillers.

Lucia had offered to keep an eye on Amanda’s family, and the captain of the police force, once he discovered the involvement of his personnel in the kidnapping, provided a guard at the door of her father’s hospital room and one at the hotel.

Amanda and Lucia hadn’t figured out who shot the kidnappers on Cozumel. Probably not Trent, he had proclaimed his wife as dead. Had Rodriguez killed them for allowing Rebecca’s escape? Unanswered questions circled like gulls, but Lucia remained on the case.

The waitress brought the coffee and Amanda handed her a five. “Keep the change.”

She sipped the steaming beverage, careful not to burn her lips. Caffeine had kept her going over the last twenty-four hours. She hadn’t slept since waking on Cozumel the previous morning. Cozumel. Hard to believe that only yesterday they found Rebecca.

One of Amanda’s bags tipped over and she pulled it out of the aisle. Vince had instructed her to behave is if checking into the hotel. Before leaving Cancun, she packed Cooper’s gear as well as hers, and asked Miriam to work with Jaz to coordinate its return to Chicago. Amanda toted along a few items she thought Cooper might appreciate—including his laptops and cell phones.

“Amanda Sloane?” An older, heavyset woman with short, spiky, bleached blonde hair and a faux leather jacket jingled a set of car keys in her acrylic-nailed hand. “I’m Sally, Vince’s assistant. We’re glad you could make it.”

Sally helped Amanda load the luggage into the back of an old, dog-eared Honda CRV. They rode down a busy street, passing a myriad of fast food joints interspersed with the occasional tattoo parlor and a couple of night clubs—one with dancers. Amanda tried to imagine Cooper’s kids ending up in East Portland.

Sally pulled to the side and parked. “Give me a minute.” She extricated a long, black wig from her bag and a pair of eyeglasses. Once she adjusted the hair, they drove two blocks and parked in a Ramada Inn lot.

As Amanda retrieved her bags from the back of the SUV, her hands trembled.

* * *

Sally led Amanda
through the hotel lobby and up to a corner room on the second floor. It opened to an adjoining room, both abuzz with men and women walking through instructions. Although none of them were in uniform, Amanda got the impression she stood amid a small police force. Sort of a plainclothes SWAT team.

No Cooper anywhere…and which woman was his wife?

A short, big-bellied man with a shaved head walked over. “Amanda? I’m Vince Morgan. Are you ready to help us out? Don’t worry, it won’t be dangerous.”

“I’ve survived the jungles of Mexico; I think I can handle the streets of Portland.” Her thigh twinged in remembrance.

“As I mentioned on the phone, we could use your help as a lookout. This is the place under surveillance.” He pointed to a computer screen that displayed the image of a long motor lodge. It didn’t look like a hovel, but it wouldn’t be Amanda’s first choice.

“It’s on the other side of these curtains. We want you to stroll down the street with her.” Vince pointed to an overly pampered West Highland white terrier sprawled on the floor, snoozing amongst the chaos. The dog wore a bright red and black checked sweater and had been groomed within an inch of her life.

“Act like you’re staying at the hotel and need to walk your dog. Her name’s Fiona. There’s a baggie dispenser on the leash”

“They think of everything, don’t they?”

“Yeah, well, keep her safe. We need to return her to one of the guy’s wives later tonight. Keep walkin’ around the area—up and down the street. Fiona’s got digestive problems, so you have to be out there awhile.”

“Ms. Sloane? Hi, I’m Kate Dalton, Chad’s sister.” A tall, auburn-haired woman extended her hand. “I’m so glad to finally meet you—and that you’re willing to help. First, we’re going to fit you with a few accessories to aid in communication.”

Kate led Amanda into the second room to outfit her with an earpiece and a microphone. Cooper was bent over, taping up one of the cops. Amanda’s heart stopped for an instant. It would never work, Cooper and her, shoulder-to-shoulder in the office. It’d be easier to chew on glass.

He stood and caught sight of her. A multitude of expressions passed over his face in an instant. The one that remained looked none-too-pleased. “Amanda? Kate, what’s going on here? I told you this isn’t a good idea.”

“Sally, can you finish up?” Kate said.

The older woman pulled Amanda into the first room and Kate shut the door. Sally harnessed up the electronics to the background din of the siblings’ raised voices.

“Ignore them, hon. It’s last-minute jitters. We need you here,” Sally said.

Amanda gazed at the door and Sally grabbed her chin and steered it back to focus on Sally. “Amanda, you’re gonna have to concentrate, hon. You’ll be able to hear instructions through the earpiece—try to keep it out of sight from the kids. Speak normally and we’ll hear you through the mic. You don’t have to yell. Got it?”

Amanda nodded.

“Good. Now you remember the plan, right? Take little Miss Fiona here outside and walk her because the sweet thing has an upset stomach. We need you to distract the kids long enough for us to move in. You ready?”

Amanda took a deep breath. Whether or not Cooper wanted her to participate in whatever it was they were doing, by god, she would help. “Yes. I’ll walk that dog until sunrise, if that’s what you need.”

“Good girl.” Sally hooked the leash on a drowsy Fiona and handed it to Amanda. “Go get ‘em.”

* * *

Amanda blinked back
the tears of rejection and zeroed in on the business at hand, leading Fiona out of the room, through the lobby and out the door. She and the pooch meandered to the side of the Ramada. She yanked her knit beret out of her pocket and pulled it over her head to protect it from the drizzle, making sure it covered the earpiece. The effects of the prescribed Percocet had begun to wane, allowing pain to sear through her leg with every step.

The Westie was a pro. She sniffed and squatted every few feet, fascinated with the scents of life on the other side of the tracks.

Amanda wished she had been more attentive. She had no idea what Cooper’s kids looked like—heck she didn’t even know how many he had or how old they were. All she could do was keep on the lookout for anything that appeared odd.

They met a woman walking a poodle. They and the dogs exchanged greetings and the woman continued on. Amanda shivered, the dampness creeping in beneath her coat.

Fiona kept sniffing the evergreen bushes, each one fascinating her more than the last.

The same red Buick sedan drove around the block every five minutes. So much for being subtle. Two guys pulled up in a utility truck and one hopped into the lift and raised it to the top of a pole. Were they part of the team?

The Oregon cold numbed her arms and legs, but her cheeks burned. Amanda had thought maybe Cooper felt something for her, but she must have mistaken pity for love. What did it matter? He was married and in the midst of retrieving his kids from some mystery situation.

And yet, just to know he cared a little bit.

Amanda had committed to helping in Portland, determined to undertake whatever they instructed her to do until told to stop. But then she’d hop on the first plane back to Chicago and wait for Rebecca’s return.

Time to go home and lick her wounds.

* * *

“What did I
tell ya? She’s perfect—we knew it!” Vince slapped Chad on the shoulder. “I don’t know why you’re so upset; she was more than willing to fly up when we talked to her last night.”

“Because she’s got a hell of a lot going on and I’m sure the last thing she needed was to drop everything in Cancun to jet up here to help me out.” Besides, having her witness his family disaster bordered on utter humiliation.

But beneath the embarrassment, Chad’s heart fluttered when she had entered the hotel room. He had to force himself to ignore the ache, the yearning to hold her in his arms.

“Well, I’m glad she flew in. I think she’s the ideal addition to our team,” Kate said. She and Peter sat on the edge of the bed, clasping hands. “This has to work. We’ve got to get the kids back tonight. I don’t think my heart can take another disappointment.” Kate jumped up and stared at the monitor. “How is Amanda doing?”

“She’s an ace,” Vince said.

“I wish I had a chance to talk to her,” Chad said. “I hope her family’s safe.”

Had they found Rebecca and Trent? It had to be over, one way or another. Either they rescued the couple, or both were dead. Based on her demeanor, he suspected she had succeeded in finding them. But, with Amanda on the kidnappers’ trail, how could it end differently?

He searched for her after his showdown with Kate, but Amanda had already stepped outside. Chad watched his boss stand in the cold rain with the cosseted canine. Amanda was a trooper, he had to admit. It boggled his mind to try to compare the stylish attorney he knew from Chicago to the tanned, lithe sleuth in Cancun, and now to the soggy figure standing in front of the camera. But Vince and Kate were right, she didn’t look anything like an off-hours cop.

“What did she say about Cancun? Anything?” Chad said.

“They rescued her family, so when I mentioned your operation in Portland, she offered to help,” Kate said. “She requested that someone else make arrangements, something about jazz and a weekend and a new boyfriend. Anyway, Sally scheduled her flights and we told her where to meet us.”