Vanishing Act (19 page)

Kathryn shrugged. “It means nothing. A good left hook will take care of that situation. What are they doing now? Where are the guys? Damn, I wish I could see better.”

“Everyone is behind them. We’re at two o’clock now. Uh-oh!”

“What? What!”

“Looks to me like a small band of hoodlums coming up fast. The backpack is just sitting there on the ground. The woman still has the purse around her neck, it’s just a little one, no weight to it. The backpack looks like it’s loaded and heavy. Jack and Harry see it, too. They’re moving faster. Some runners are in between them. Faster, Kathryn!”

“Where’s Snowden’s guy?” Kathryn huffed.

“I don’t know, can’t see him.”

And then it all went wrong.

Sweat dripping into her eyes, Nikki brushed at her forehead with the inside of her arm as the group of slovenly youths closed in on the couple. A second later they had the woman’s purse and the backpack and were running like racehorses.

“What the hell? They’re just sitting there? Now what?” Kathryn exploded.

“Of course they’re just sitting there. If you were them, you’d be doing the same thing. Do you really think they’re going to call the cops? I-don’t-think-so!” Nikki said.

“Then why aren’t they chasing those kids to get back their belongings? The guy looked pretty buff and in condition in the pictures we saw. Maybe there was nothing important in the bags. There were six of them against two. Mostly women runners ahead and behind. Maybe they thought no one would help them.”

“Or, was it all a setup? Those hoodlums moved in, took the bag, and will return it at some point in time. Maybe they made us,” Nikki said.

“What now?” Kathryn asked, skidding to a stop close to where Jack and Harry were standing mopping their faces with the tails of their shirts but close enough that she could converse with them. “Where’s Snowden’s guy?”

“Up ahead, the guy with the high-and-tight haircut. Says it was a setup.”

Nikki felt like shouting that she’d called it, but she kept quiet. “Did any of his people take off after those hoods?”

“I think so, but you know Snowden’s guys. Everything is
NTK
.”

“Yeah, well, that’s getting real old, real quick. We need to know what’s going on,” Nikki said.

No sooner were the words out of Nikki’s mouth than her cell buzzed in her pocket. She mouthed the words, “It’s Yoko and Isabelle.” She listened, her jaw dropping, and then ended the call. “You guys are not going to believe this but those two ran after the hoods. Yoko took them all out. Isabelle said it only took her three intense minutes. They have the bags, and Isabelle called 911. They’re on their way back to the Watergate.”

“Holy shit!” Jack said.

Harry grinned from ear to ear.

Nikki looked at Kathryn.

Kathryn looked at Nikki.

Jack and Harry shrugged and moved off.

“Which one do you want, Kathryn?”

“I’ll take the woman.”

“Guess I have Mr. Charisma. Let’s do it!”

N
ikki settled the billed cap a little lower on her forehead. Kathryn did the same thing. With their shorts and sneakers, their bodies dripping with sweat, they looked just like all the other runners and joggers. They slowed as they approached Bonnie and Clyde. Then, on the whispered count of three they were behind the couple, their hands pressed hard into the duo’s shoulders.

“Well, hi there, Clyde!” Nikki said cheerfully. “Don’t be foolish and make a move. Breathe shallowly, or I’ll snap your neck. My partner will do the same to that lovely lady sitting next to you. I want you to sit really still so I can give you something.”

When Bonnie moved her head, Kathryn gave her a swat and jabbed the syringe deep into her well-muscled arm.

The man ignored Nikki and looked up.

Nikki clamped her hands tightly over the man’s ears. “I told you not to move.” The syringe found its mark. “Anyone paying attention to us?”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Kathryn said, her gaze raking the runners and joggers.

She sat down and wrapped her arms around her knees. Nikki did the same thing.

“How you doing there, Clyde?” Nikki asked. “Remember that Gumbi doll you had when you were a kid? Well, that’s how you’re going to feel for a good long while.”

“Who…what…?”

“Need to know, big guy,” Kathryn said as she kept scanning the runners and joggers.

“Vigi…vig…” Bonnie bleated.

Nikki laughed as she said, “Viti, vigi, vegi,” referring to an old
I Love Lucy
segment, her very favorite. “Well, you got it half-right. Isn’t it great, Kathryn, that these
skanks
recognize us as the infamous vigilantes?”

“Yeah, just great,” Kathryn said. Her gaze never left the Basin. “No one is paying attention.”

“We still need to wait a little while. Some of those runners are going to do a second lap. We want to appear the same as when they did the first lap, just four friends enjoying a picnic on a hot July afternoon.” Nikki scooted around until she was facing the dopey-looking pair. “Thought you were smart with that little heist a while ago, huh? Just so you know, it didn’t work.”

Clyde tried to hold his head up, but he was fighting a losing battle.

“Look alive, you two! Well,
try
to look alive. Over there, past the Sno-Cone guy and through that stand of cherry trees. I see cops! I see six kids being handcuffed. I can’t see that plaid bag or that itty-bitty purse that was hanging around your neck. You know why I can’t see them?” Kathryn singsonged. “Our partners have them. And now we have you, and the police have those kids. My questions would be: Where did these two make contact? And are those kids going to point us out? Oh, yeah, they’re all looking at us as I speak. Think, Nikki! Quick! Those cops are going to split up and be here before you know it. Where the hell are Snowden’s people?”

Nikki looked around, her eyes desperate behind her dark glasses. The only word that screamed in her mind was “diversion.” But who was going to create it?

“Do you see what I’m seeing?” Kathryn hissed.

“Oh, yeah,” Nikki hissed in return as she stared across the Basin at Alexis, Joe Espinosa, and Maggie Spritzer. “How long do you think we have?”

“Depends on whether we have to drag these two or they can walk. We’re going to need some help. I’m thinking.”

“C’mon, Clyde, up and at ’em. If you aren’t on your feet in two seconds, I’m going to shove this needle up your ass so far you’re going to think you’re at a proctologist’s,” Nikki said.

Clyde was on his feet, wobbly but upright. He stumbled, and suddenly Nikki saw a tall, bronzed man was beside her, reaching down to help him to his feet.

“Follow me, ma’am.”

Before Nikki could blink, the muscled giant had Clyde over his shoulder and was so far ahead of them Nikki had to double-time it to catch up. Bonnie received the same treatment from the giant’s twin. Kathryn raced to keep up.

“I saw a movie once where two Navy
SEAL
guys carried a telephone pole on their shoulders. Kathryn, do you think…?”

“Yeah, I think, but who cares? I sure as hell hope those two guys belong to Snowden,” Kathryn gasped. “Can you see Alexis?”

“Yeah, they’re all running this way. How long do you think we have?”

“That bus left, Nikki. We’re out of time. Damn, I thought I was in shape. It’s the heat, we aren’t used to it. We need to split up once we get past the Sno-Cone guy.”

“Right. Sun’s going to go down soon. Clouds moving in. Rain, maybe.” Nikki gasped again as she swiped at the sweat pooling on her neck. “This is where we split. I’ll see you when I see you, Kathryn.”

Nikki looked up once in her haste to get away. She loved how the Basin was surrounded by the Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The 107 acres were a vision of beauty in the spring. How many times she and Jack had come here during their courtship. She had a favorite picture of the two of them surrounded by the cherry blossom branches that Jack had asked some tourist to take. It was her most treasured belonging.

Tears stung her eyes and mixed with the sweat that was rolling down her face.
Don’t think, just run. Run like the Devil is on your heels. Don’t look back, just run.
She was on Fifteenth Street, certain she wasn’t going to make it to Raoul Wallenberg Place, where she felt she would be safe, when she heard a shout directed at her. “Hey, good lookin’, you want a ride?”

Damn straight she wanted a ride, but not with some derelict on a motorbike. She looked up at the lone rider and almost fainted.

“If you slow down, I’ll be happy to climb on. God, Jack, another minute, and I was going to lose it. How’d you know I…?”

“Gut instinct. Hold on. Can you reach the helmet? Try, Nik. We can’t risk getting pulled over now. Harry’s going to report his bike stolen any minute, if he hasn’t already.”

“Oh, my God, you stole Harry’s Ducati! This bike is his most prized possession next to Yoko, not that Yoko is a possession. You know what I mean,” Nikki gasped as she settled herself on the back of the cycle.

“Yeah, but don’t worry, I have a gun. Hang on!”

“Everyone knows Harry can stop a bullet in midair with two fingers. I know you can’t shoot worth a damn. You’re going to have to do better than that, Jack.”

Within minutes, Jack weaved the Ducati into and out of almost bumper-to-bumper traffic. Horns blared, curses following him through open car windows. He ignored it all as he barreled his way around corners and down side streets until he hit Independence Avenue.

Twenty minutes later, he slowed and cruised Virginia Avenue. “I’m going to drop you off here, Nik. You only have three blocks to go. You can hoof it, right?”

“Sure. No problem.” Nikki leaned over and kissed Jack so hard he thought he was going to black out. “That’s for loving me as much as I love you.”

His head spinning, Jack managed to get out a garbled sentence, which was, “Call Harry and tell him I have his bike.” His eyes glazed over, he managed to return the kiss Nikki blew in his direction before she sprinted down Virginia Avenue. He waited a minute to see if anyone was paying attention to her or if she had a tail. When he was sure she was in the clear, he maneuvered the Ducati back into traffic.

Nikki was heading for the main door of the Watergate when a young woman came up alongside her. She, too, had been jogging.

“I haven’t seen you around here. You new to the building?” she asked Nikki.

A warning bell went off inside Nikki’s head. “I’m just visiting my two aunts. Actually, I’m heading back to New Hampshire in the morning. How do you stand this awful heat?” Was the woman staring at her a little too carefully? Yes, she was, Nikki decided. She knew instinctively she had to get away from her.

“You get used to it. How do you stand those winters in New Hampshire?”

“You get used to it. No state tax in New Hampshire, that’s an incentive.” Nikki couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw something flicker, some sign of recognition.

Nikki was the first one in the elevator. “What floor?”

“Seventeen.” The woman removed her sunglasses and stepped sideways to get a better look at Nikki. At least that was Nikki’s first thought. Nikki kept her glasses on and stared ahead as she pressed the button that would let her off at the fourth floor.

“You look familiar,” the woman said. Her tone was now different, not exactly suspicious but different from the casual repartee they’d been having.

Nikki’s heartbeat quickened. “People say that all the time. I do soap commercials. Maybe that’s where you’ve seen me. Ah, here’s my floor. Nice talking to you.”

“Hey, what apartment are you in? I’m always looking for a running partner. I’m in 1706. If you ever come back, just knock on my door.”

Nikki waved airily. “Nice to know. Seventeen oh six, I’ll remember that.” She was out the door before the woman could ask again for her apartment number.

Nikki immediately ran down the hall to the red
EXIT
sign. She galloped up the four flights of stairs to the eighth floor. She almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Kathryn sitting on the top step.

“Something’s wrong with me, Nikki. I can’t move.”

“You need water. So do I. Just sit here, I’ll be right back.”

“Like I’m really going to go somewhere. If John Law shows up in the next few minutes, I’m done for.”

Nikki was back within minutes, her arms full. “Drink the water first, then the Gatorade.” She followed her own instructions as she sat down next to Kathryn and swigged until both bottles were empty.

“What’s going on?” Kathryn asked.

“Myra and Annie are holding the fort. Annie said Charles called and said his people will be delivering a package once it gets dark. I take that to mean Bonnie and Clyde. No one else is here yet.” She went on to explain how Jack had found her and brought her home. “I was ready to cave, Kathryn. How did you make it here on your own?”

“Honest to God, Nikki, I don’t know. I just kept pushing. My blisters have blisters. I’m afraid to take off my sneakers and socks. Fear is my only answer.”

“Some woman got a little too close to me when I hit the front door of our building. I had to ride the elevator with her. I got off on the fourth floor and walked up the other four. We need to get out of here. Listen, we both made it, that’s the good thing. Come on, I’ll help you. A shower and a few more bottles of water, and you’ll be good as new.”

“I feel like such a…wuss. I really thought I was in good shape, Nikki.”

“Like you said, it’s the heat. We trained on a mountain where the air is cool. You are in good shape, so don’t go berating yourself.”

“I feel like a bag of wet noodles.”

“I feel the same way you do. Myra and Annie have news. Wait till you see it.”

“I don’t want to see anything but the shower,” Kathryn said as she hobbled behind Nikki to Apartment 809, where Myra and Annie were waiting in the open doorway. “What?” she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

Nikki pointed to the television. “Seems someone said they saw the vigilantes at the Crystal City Underground. They have it staked out—
FBI
, the locals, and media. That anchor, Joyce Hart, is saying the vigilantes are vain and have egos bigger than the Washington Monument, and she’s staying till we show ourselves.”