Wrong Number (13 page)

“I hope it’ll remind you that although life is difficult, it moves in stages.” Madeline hugged Aubree. “This stage you’re in is terribly hard, but I believe it will pass on to better things.”

After a painful good-bye the following morning, Madeline left on what she called her “wild goose chase” to get back home. Aubree didn’t know her mother’s travel plans, but Jason said Madeline wouldn’t be home for two days.

Later that evening, Aubree watched the minute hand crawl through the hour. Madeline’s FBI transport was scheduled to check in with Jason at eight o’clock. At 8:15 p.m., Aubree clenched the sofa pillow as Jason paced the room, hitting redial.

They both jumped when his phone rang. “You’re late.” He frowned, put a hand on the back of his head, and closed his eyes. He walked through the kitchen and into the office.

Aubree sucked in a breath and slid to the edge of the couch, listening to the murmur of Jason’s voice. She straightened her shoulders and stood before tiptoeing through the kitchen and leaning against the outside wall of the office. She heard Jason push a button, and the speakerphone clicked on. Her heart pounded, and she held her breath. She heard the other agent talking.

“We were being tracked. We went silent so that they wouldn’t pick up any signals.”

Jason cursed. “When did you lose them?”

“About thirty-five minutes ago.”

“What evidence did you collect?” Jason asked. Aubree heard him
opening drawers. Papers shuffled, and she heard the click of a pen as he began taking notes.

“Three males, wired and armed.”

Aubree gasped, and Jason poked his head out of the office. He raised his eyebrows at her and punched another button on the phone to resume the conversation in private. She was too angry to care that she’d been caught eavesdropping. Folding her arms, she stepped into the open doorway of the office and glared at Jason.

He didn’t seem surprised that Madeline had been followed. She watched with a sick feeling in her stomach as he scribbled notes. Had he used Madeline as bait? She felt the heat of anger coursing through her veins, and when Jason ended the call she narrowed her eyes.

“Why were you listening in on my conversation?”

Aubree ignored his question. “What did you do?”

Jason took a step back. “Whoa! Your mom is okay, and we may have a lead on whoever was tracking them.”

“Did you use my mother as bait?”

“What? No! Why would you think that?” Jason held up his hands.

She folded her arms and stared at him for a second before answering. “Because you don’t seem surprised that she was followed.”

Jason clasped his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling. “Of course I’m not surprised. I’ve known for a while now that someone might have been leaking information. I put a note out in the witness protection department that
you
were leaving today, not your mom.”

Aubree leaned back against the wall, bewildered.

“We’re getting closer to isolating the transfer of information, but I can’t tell if this information is moving on your case only or on all new placements in the witness protection program.”

She was quiet for a moment. “They’re going to kill me, aren’t they?” She lifted her head slowly and met Jason’s gaze.

Jason’s eyes flickered, and he hesitated, “No, they’re not going to hurt you.” He took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have told you anything. I would never put you or your mother in danger. She’ll be home tomorrow. There’s a lot more to these investigations than you would ever understand.”

“I understand, Jason, but I’ll never get my life back, and I hope you don’t think I’m ungrateful because I’m worried about my family.” She
walked down the hall. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.” She closed the door to her room.

In January, Aubree was given a file of papers on her new location, identity, and other kinds of information pertinent to her protective custody. She took her mother’s advice. She kept her chin up through all of the planning and briefing on her new life. She tried not to think about the doubts she had and the difficulties with the investigation. Jason kept her busy, quizzing her on small details.

“What’s your name?” he asked for the thousandth time as he paced around the backyard garden.

“Jolynn Dobson,” Aubree answered automatically.

“Where do you live?”

“Omaha, Nebraska.” She cuddled Scarlett and shaded her eyes from the sunlight.

“Where are you from?”

“Oh, around—how about you?”

“Good, Aubree. That’s what I want you to keep practicing. Deflect the personal questions and become a great listener to other people’s information.” Jason sat in the deck chair next to her and smiled at Scarlett. “She’s a cute baby. Where’s her daddy?”

“He’s missing her right now, that’s for sure. Good thing we have digital cameras these days. He’s in Europe on business.”

“Really? Where in Europe?”

Aubree didn’t miss a beat. “Pretty much anywhere he can sell his new software program. What does your wife do?”

Jason clapped his hands. “You’re really getting the hang of this.”

“Yeah, well, let’s hope I don’t have to use my skills too much,” Aubree said. “I’d rather keep to myself.”

“You’re lucky you have Scarlett for that.” Jason twirled a small blue flower in front of the baby. “You’ll have your hands full caring for her, and what better excuse do you need?”

“Hey, you guys ready for some grub?” Sanderson poked his head out the door. “Aubree, maybe you can practice with me while we eat.”

“Looks like I’m going to have to get really good with excuses.” Aubree sighed, and both the FBI agents chuckled.

After being quizzed during lunch, Aubree retreated to her bedroom to feed Scarlett and rest. She rocked the infant in her arms, amazed at how much she’d already grown. In a couple weeks, it would be time for her two-month check-up, and Scarlett already weighed twelve pounds, with fat rolls appearing on her arms and legs.

She kissed Scarlett’s dark curls and thought about the new life being built for her in Omaha. A stay-at-home mom married to a software guru. She would try to blend into a small, two-bedroom home in the quiet neighborhood the FBI had selected for her.

The witness protection program would cover her expenses for now, so all she had to do was concentrate on staying undercover and alive. Aubree shivered as she thought about the self-defense skills Sanderson was teaching her. This definitely wasn’t the way she’d planned to spend her time as a new mother. The FBI allowed her time to recover and prepare for the move, but the house was on close watch.

Aubree wrote a letter to her mother but couldn’t give any details about where she was headed. It was hard to believe she was going halfway across the country to a state she’d never visited before. Jason told her it wasn’t as if they’d just drawn the name of the state out of a hat. A lot of planning went into the assignment. Jason would still be her case officer during her time in Nebraska, and few people would be privy to the information concerning Aubree’s whereabouts.

“Are you ready to go?” Sanderson knocked on the open bedroom door.

“I think so.” She picked up Scarlett and the diaper bag.

“I’ll load these in the car, and we’ll be on our way.” Sanderson smiled at her as he hefted her luggage.

Aubree followed slowly and stopped to glance in the mirror. Within the hour, her appearance would change significantly. She fingered her shoulder length, strawberry blonde hair and chewed on the inside of her cheek. Jason said it would be a drastic change, and she had never been a daredevil when it came to her hair. She looked in the mirror again and shrugged. “Guess there’s a first time for everything,” she told her reflection.

Unfortunately, Jason hadn’t minced words when he said drastic. A couple hours later, in a small salon in an FBI office, a government image specialist twirled the chair around to face a large mirror. Aubree gasped.
She had watched as long pieces of her hair fell to the ground, but she wasn’t quite prepared for what she saw.

A raven-haired woman looked back from the mirror. Her hair was short, and it framed her chin line. Aubree reached up and touched the back of her hair, which rose in an A-line style. Her neck was bare, and her eyebrows, which had always been blonde and non-descript, now accented her face in a dark brown color. She turned her head from side to side and noticed reddish highlights streaking through her black hair.

“What do you think?” the hairdresser asked.

“Wow . . . I guess.” Aubree pasted on a smile. “I don’t recognize myself. Thanks for your help.”

“I know it’ll take some getting used to, but pretty soon you won’t freak out every time you look in the mirror.” The woman smiled and winked at her.

Aubree laughed. “I hope so.”

“I’ll go tell them you’re ready.” The woman exited the room.

A minute later, Aubree heard the handle turning and looked up, expecting to see Jason. Instead, a tall brunette walked into the room.

“Hi, Miranda.” Aubree hadn’t seen the agent since she’d been reassigned a few months ago. Aubree knew Jason didn’t like her, but she’d never had any problems with Agent Olsen.

“Wow! Is that really Aubree Stewart in there?” Miranda walked around the chair and stared at Aubree. “It looks nice.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes. Now smile as if you like it too, and let me take a picture of you for your file.” Miranda held up a small digital camera.

“I thought this wasn’t going in my file,” Aubree said.

“Because they don’t keep many pictures of people in the witness protection program?” Miranda said and winked.

Aubree shrugged. “Something like that.”

“Everybody has a file on everything. Some of the info is just hidden deeper.” Miranda clicked the camera. “The inside of the file folder will probably be the only thing to ever see this picture.” She pushed the button on the camera again. “Now you take care of yourself and have some fun, okay?”

“I’ll try.” Aubree ran her hand through her hair and smiled.

“Sorry to shoot and run, but they like to keep me busy around here.” Miranda waved and opened the door.

“Good-bye,” Aubree said. She wondered if she’d ever see Miranda again or any of the other people who had helped her lately. She doubted it.

Scarlett fussed, and Aubree realized it was time to feed her again. In a few hours, she’d be saying good-bye to California and taking an indirect route to Omaha. While she fed Scarlett, she thought about the changes taking place in her life. The room was quiet, and the light overhead illuminated everything with a false brightness. Aubree listened to the hum of the heating vent and cuddled Scarlett. Glancing in the mirror again, she wondered if the old Aubree would be lost forever. Would Jolynn Dobson overtake the fading memories she held of Devin before he died?

A staccato knock announced Jason’s entrance to the room, and Aubree quickly wiped the pained expression from her face. Jason was surprised at Aubree’s new look. He lifted his chin and smiled. “That’s what I’m talking about. You’re going to do fine.”

He quizzed her again as they drove toward the airport and reassured her that everything was in order. “I don’t want you to worry,” he said. “When you’re nervous, you make mistakes.”

“I know,” Aubree answered. She looked through her new purse and the unfamiliar ID cards with Jolynn Dobson’s name all over them. She took a deep breath and pushed the desperate feelings of anxiety away. “I’m ready to do this.”

Jason shook her hand at the airport. “Now, remember. We have you flying under the name Kelsey Riker on the first flight. Do not use the name Jolynn Dobson until you are on the second flight into Nebraska.”

“I hope no one asks me my name,” Aubree said.

Jason smiled. “They probably won’t. Here’s where I hand you off, but don’t worry, there’s an FBI agent flying with you.”

“But I thought no one is supposed to know who I am.”

“He doesn’t. He thinks you’re someone connected to an entirely different case. He’s supposed to be alert for any kind of suspicious behavior and be ready to protect you and Scarlett.”

Her eyes stung, and she put a hand over her trembling lips. Scarlett cooed from her car seat, and Aubree swung it back and forth, blinking back tears.

“There will be someone to pick you up at the airport in Omaha. They’ll be holding a sign that says ITEC Convention,” Jason whispered.
“Just walk up to him and say, ‘Do I have time to use the restroom before we go?’ and he’ll deliver you to the next point.”

“Okay.” Her mind buzzed with all of the information. Jason had warned her the previous week that there would be last minute details she’d have to remember about her arrival in Nebraska. She tried to calm her mind and repeat the information he’d just given her. “Are you sure this is safe?”

Jason’s jaw tensed, and his eyes narrowed. “I thought you trusted me.”

“I do, but I’m scared.”

He pulled her to his chest. “It’s my job to keep you safe, Aubree, but this is more than a job to me.”

The clean scent of his aftershave lingered in the air, and Aubree relaxed into his arms. Jason held her for a moment, then backed away and cleared his throat. His eyes looked moist, and he grasped her hand and squeezed it. Aubree hesitated, unsure of what to say or do next. Jason blushed and released her hand. He reached into his suit pocket.