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Laura Powell
Laura Powell had the same sick sensation in her stomach she remembered having as a little girl whenever she saw an old white van. The constant reminders about “stranger danger” echoed in her brain. Some creep had been trolling for little kids around her town when she was about nine or ten. The creep in a white van may have been cliché, but that is what he drove. Maybe at the time, it hadn't yet become cliché.
Police later arrested him on an unrelated charge before there were any children abducted. But Laura never forgot the feeling that would well up deep inside. Her parents said it was her gut telling her something wasn't quite right. “Listen to your gut,” her father would say. “Better to be safe than sorry,” her mother would add.
Ten years later Laura paid attention to that old feeling while walking on her college campus one evening. It saved her from being attacked and violated. Once again, her sick feeling returned, placing Laura on high alert. She hadn't seen anyone following her, but she could sense someone watching her. Stalking her.
She hadn't been a paralegal for long at Barlow, Hughes, and Waterford, but Nevin Barlow's activities seemed strange to her. At first, she ignored the sense things weren't quite right. The law firm was large and prestigious. It wasn't like John Grisham's The Firm. That's fiction; this is real life, she thought to herself. But the evidence, circumstantial as it may have been, became too much to ignore.
After the murder of Philip Swanson, Laura knew her gut was again correct. She and Phillip each discovered Nevin Barlow's involvement with a crime syndicate. No matter what the police said, Laura knew his murder was not because of a robbery gone tragically wrong.
“Listen to your gut,” her father's voice rang clear. “Better to be safe than sorry.”Her mother's voice was just as present in her mind now as it had been twenty years ago. She needed to call them when she got home. It had been weeks since they last spoke.
Laura had hoped the FBI wouldn't think her crazy when she called. To her relief, they seemed to take her seriously. She would meet with Special Agent Mark Sumners and tell him what she knew. He said they would protect her. Laura believed him. Agent Sumners struck her as both competent and sincere.
At six o'clock she exited her cubicle at Barlow, Hughes, and Waterford. She got on the elevator with two other paralegals and one of the firm's attorneys. They rode the elevator, with stops on three floors, to the lobby. She recognized everyone who got on the elevator.
Laura did not fear her coworkers. She didn't even fear Mr. Barlow around the office. It was out in public where she felt exposed. That is where her gut was telling her she was being followed.
The elevator doors opened at the lobby and Laura stepped out with the others. They passed the security guard and took their turns exiting the building through the revolving door, joining the crowded city street.
Laura took in a deep breath and exhaled. It was only a city block to the coffee shop where she would meet Special Agent Sumners. Stay vigilant and move quickly, she told herself. Everything will be fine. She joined the flow of people walking along the sidewalk.
*****
Oscar
Oscar stood near a T bus stop. Brody told him it offered the perfect cover. He could watch the front entrance to Barlow, Hughes, and Waterford without raising suspicion. Oscar spotted Laura Powell when she exited the building. She looked right past him when her eyes scanned the surrounding people. He was just another passenger waiting for the bus.
Oscar took the burner phone out of his pocket and called Brody.
“She's on the move,” he said when Brody answered.
“Which direction?” Brody asked.
Oscar relayed the information.
“Stay on her.”
Oscar moved into the flow of the crowd on the sidewalk. Brody cautioned Oscar to stay far enough behind the young woman so she wouldn't notice him.
Laura Powell moved like the old folks who power-walked around the mall.
“She's walking kinda fast,” Oscar said into the phone.
“Don't lose her,” Brody said. “And keep me updated. Our timing needs to be perfect.”
Oscar moved toward the interior of the sidewalk, closest to the buildings on his right, and picked up his pace. Oscar was of average height, build, and had an unremarkable face. These traits made him blend in and easy to forget. It is why Brody chose him for this job.
“She's approaching the intersection,” Oscar said into the phone.
“Get ready,” Brody said.
*****
Brody
The burner phone rang. Brody answered.
“She's on the move,” Oscar said.
“Which direction?”
Oscar relayed the information.
“Stay on her,” he told Oscar. Brody started the car and pulled into traffic. He had driven the city block many times, studying the traffic light patterns, and timing how long it took for the average woman Laura's size to reach the intersections on either end of the block. No matter which direction she went, Laura Powell needed to cross an intersection. There was nothing but office buildings between Barlow, Hughes, and Waterford until the next blocks, whether she turned left or right.
“She's walking kinda fast,” Oscar said into the phone.
“Don't lose her,” Brody said. “And keep me updated. Our timing needs to be perfect.”
Brody had planned for her walking either slower or faster. It would be fine as long as Oscar kept up.
Traffic flowed as expected. The lights changed as they had every other time.
“She's approaching the intersection,” Oscar said into the phone.
“Get ready,” Brody said.
****
Laura Powell
Laura glanced over her shoulder. The same faces surrounded her each time. None of them seemed a threat. Several people were on their phones. Nothing unusual about that.
The coffee shop was just past the intersection on her right. She was close. Special Agent Sumners would be there soon. He would protect her. Nevin Barlow, or whoever he sent to do his dirty work, would not get to her like they had Phillip Swanson.
She stopped at the intersection to wait for the light to change. She looked around again. Same faces. While she still had that sinking feeling in her stomach, no one appeared out of the shadows. It was a busy city street, just a block from her office. Everything would be okay.
Laura only needed to cross the street and go into the coffee shop. The FBI would be there. It would all be over soon.
The traffic light was yellow. All she needed was for the light to turn red and the walk signal would give her permission to cross.
****
Brody, Oscar, and Laura
Brody approached the intersection as the light turned yellow, right on schedule. He hit the gas and sped through the yellow to beat the light turning red. Laura noticed a beat-up old sedan speeding through the yellow to beat the red light. What a jerk, Laura thought. She kept her eye on the moving car. He'd be past in a few seconds, then it would be safe to cross with the light.
Oscar moved out of the crowd and came up behind Laura as Brody navigated the speeding sedan through the intersection. He had the car perfectly positioned in the right-hand lane. It all happened in an instant.
Oscar stepped forward, tripped, as planned, and knocked into Laura. She felt a hard nudge against her back. Laura pitched forward off the sidewalk into the path of the speeding car. Oscar reached out his arm, feigning to pull her back.
In that split second the car's bumper made contact with Laura Powell's body, tossing her several feet like a rag doll. Onlookers screamed. Oscar acted shocked and horrified. Brody sped away. A tragic case of hit and run.
Oscar slipped away from the crowd as everyone's attention turned toward Laura Powell lying motionless on the pavement.