the way she works. It all seems innocent, innocuous. She comes off as a charming, funny, happy-go-lucky kind of gal. America’s sweetheart, but beneath the façade is the heart of a killer.”
“We’re on her tail now.”
“She often will do something to let me know she’s outsmarted me.”
“You mean like using her real name to buy a ticket?” Agent Buckley asked.
“Exactly. She does that to throw me off, thinking I would never head to Seattle. Coming blatantly to the airport was a ploy. She believes that will send me on a wild-goose chase south instead of north.”
Agent Buckley frowned. “You’re losing me. She tried to book a ticket to Seattle, wanting us to think she was headed north, when she’s actually heading south, but then goes north?”
“Yes, but I’m not fooled. Mark my words, she’s heading to Seattle. The woman is diabolical.”
Agent Buckley blinked twice. “That’s pretty convoluted thinking, isn’t it?”
“That’s the way her mind works, which has made it nearly impossible to apprehend her.”
As Wilkes spoke he led the way to the rental car lot. He had the location of the vehicle Sutherland had rented, and the make and model of the car, including the license plate number. The garage was mostly empty.
“Do you see anything out of the ordinary?” Wilkes asked the junior agent.
Agent Buckley glanced around and then walked about ten feet away before squatting down.
“What is it?” Wilkes demanded, his heart racing.
Withdrawing a pair of rubber gloves from his pocket, Agent Buckley retrieved a smashed cellphone. “I believe I know why Dashiell Sutherland’s cell went straight to voicemail,” he said, holding up the damaged phone. “It looks like a car ran over it.” The junior agent looked pleased with himself. “We could assume Davison has taken a hostage. At this point, I wonder if he even knows it.”
Dash and Ashley stopped at the next exit, and instead of gassing up at the station nearest the exit Dash drove two or three miles farther to one with a mini-mart attached. Ashley purchased sandwiches, chips, and drinks for them both while Dash filled the tank.
“I hope you like turkey,” she said, when she handed him the cellophane-wrapped sandwich. The only other choice was tuna and she couldn’t tolerate even the smell of tuna. Instead, she’d purchased them both turkey with tomato and lettuce instead. And she’d had to dig for those. “I hope you’re not a fan of tuna.”
Dash cringed. “I never liked canned fish.”
“Me, neither.”
They sat in the car and Dash peeled off the sandwich wrapping and peeked under the bread. “Turkey with tomato and lettuce,” he said, and sounded pleased.
“It’s one of my favorites,” she commented, peeling away her own wrapping.
“Mine, too.” He paused and glanced at her. “I’ll admit Little Blade hasn’t been a hassle.”
Ashley relaxed against the back of the seat and pulled out a small bit of her turkey from the sandwich and fed it to the puppy.
“Aren’t you going to say ‘I told you so’?” he asked skeptically.
“No. First off, it’s early in the trip and I don’t want to jinx anything, and second…”
“Second,” he pressed.
“I think a lot more of you for admitting you were wrong. You didn’t need to and you did. That tells me you’re not a man with a high sense of self-importance.” She’d met more than one of those types and had come to recognize the trait quickly enough.
“So you’re into me?”
Although the question was meant as a tease, she sensed he was curious about her feelings for him. There was definitely more than a hint of sexual attraction between them. She felt it and was certain Dash did, too. Every now and then she’d chance a look at him while he was driving and feel a zing in the pit of her stomach. He’d come back for her at the rest stop, which had earned him enough points to place him in the her-kind-of-hero category.
Without explanation, Dash got
“We’re on her tail now.”
“She often will do something to let me know she’s outsmarted me.”
“You mean like using her real name to buy a ticket?” Agent Buckley asked.
“Exactly. She does that to throw me off, thinking I would never head to Seattle. Coming blatantly to the airport was a ploy. She believes that will send me on a wild-goose chase south instead of north.”
Agent Buckley frowned. “You’re losing me. She tried to book a ticket to Seattle, wanting us to think she was headed north, when she’s actually heading south, but then goes north?”
“Yes, but I’m not fooled. Mark my words, she’s heading to Seattle. The woman is diabolical.”
Agent Buckley blinked twice. “That’s pretty convoluted thinking, isn’t it?”
“That’s the way her mind works, which has made it nearly impossible to apprehend her.”
As Wilkes spoke he led the way to the rental car lot. He had the location of the vehicle Sutherland had rented, and the make and model of the car, including the license plate number. The garage was mostly empty.
“Do you see anything out of the ordinary?” Wilkes asked the junior agent.
Agent Buckley glanced around and then walked about ten feet away before squatting down.
“What is it?” Wilkes demanded, his heart racing.
Withdrawing a pair of rubber gloves from his pocket, Agent Buckley retrieved a smashed cellphone. “I believe I know why Dashiell Sutherland’s cell went straight to voicemail,” he said, holding up the damaged phone. “It looks like a car ran over it.” The junior agent looked pleased with himself. “We could assume Davison has taken a hostage. At this point, I wonder if he even knows it.”
Dash and Ashley stopped at the next exit, and instead of gassing up at the station nearest the exit Dash drove two or three miles farther to one with a mini-mart attached. Ashley purchased sandwiches, chips, and drinks for them both while Dash filled the tank.
“I hope you like turkey,” she said, when she handed him the cellophane-wrapped sandwich. The only other choice was tuna and she couldn’t tolerate even the smell of tuna. Instead, she’d purchased them both turkey with tomato and lettuce instead. And she’d had to dig for those. “I hope you’re not a fan of tuna.”
Dash cringed. “I never liked canned fish.”
“Me, neither.”
They sat in the car and Dash peeled off the sandwich wrapping and peeked under the bread. “Turkey with tomato and lettuce,” he said, and sounded pleased.
“It’s one of my favorites,” she commented, peeling away her own wrapping.
“Mine, too.” He paused and glanced at her. “I’ll admit Little Blade hasn’t been a hassle.”
Ashley relaxed against the back of the seat and pulled out a small bit of her turkey from the sandwich and fed it to the puppy.
“Aren’t you going to say ‘I told you so’?” he asked skeptically.
“No. First off, it’s early in the trip and I don’t want to jinx anything, and second…”
“Second,” he pressed.
“I think a lot more of you for admitting you were wrong. You didn’t need to and you did. That tells me you’re not a man with a high sense of self-importance.” She’d met more than one of those types and had come to recognize the trait quickly enough.
“So you’re into me?”
Although the question was meant as a tease, she sensed he was curious about her feelings for him. There was definitely more than a hint of sexual attraction between them. She felt it and was certain Dash did, too. Every now and then she’d chance a look at him while he was driving and feel a zing in the pit of her stomach. He’d come back for her at the rest stop, which had earned him enough points to place him in the her-kind-of-hero category.
Without explanation, Dash got
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