30

Carla trotted off the porch as fast as her little legs would carry her.

“Don’t go off too far. That drive wore me out. I don’t want to be chasing you.”

Sophie went in and rummaged through her quaint kitchen cabinets with the carved wood trim and found an odd glass bowl that didn’t match the rest of the set. All the furniture and the kitchen trappings had come with the purchase of the cabin. The woman who’d designed the look had done a nice job. Some kitschy mountain cabin decor graced the place, but not so much it was cliché.

She ran the water for a moment before filling the bowl. She’d been gone for a while and didn’t want crud from the old pipes in the bowl. Carla barked at something and Sophie headed out to see what the pup had found. She sat down on the top of the few steps leading down from the porch and looked out to the lake.

It was a perfect house. The secluded little log cabin had been a jewel to find. Foreclosure, so she got it cheap. Maybe that isolation had added to the reason it was on the market so long. Too far off the beaten path for most, but it was tailor-made for her. Quiet.

“Carla.”

The dog looked up from whatever she was sniffing at the edge of the lake.

“Come here.”

As if she’d been responding to Sophie all her little life, the creature turned and pranced right to her.

“Good girl.”

Happily, Carla took the attention for a moment, but her desire to explore took over soon enough. Sophie understood. Her first time here, she’d walked every inch of the area, memorizing the downed trees, the masses of dense bushes tucked here and there, and exactly how far it was before she could see another cabin. More than far enough for what she needed.

She kicked her shoes off and walked barefoot to the bench through the tall grass below. Her cell rang. Her work cell. She’d only turned it back on once she’d entered California.

“Successful trip, I trust?” Dave wanted numbers right off the bat. She had to physically shake her head to remember what little sales work she had done on this trip. She’d been gone five weeks. Dave gave her the perfect amount of freedom, but he would want something to show for her time. She worked on commission, so he didn’t care how long it took to woo the hospital administrators to buy their system. But, it’d been a week since she’d even checked in.

“How’s three out of five sound?” Along with two dead bodies. Brings me to a grand total of fourteen, but Dave wasn’t interested in those stats. The schitzoid swing from sales professional to dirty cabbie was harsh, but the sales calls had paid off. So had the cabbie job, for that matter.

“You are the man. Umm … woman. Which three?” Dave’s excitement was really cute.

“Desert Springs, Sunrise, and Valley.”

He’d hired her to sell software systems to hospitals without much of a background check. Changing your identity was hell on the resume. But the car salesmen turned software marketing VP had said his gut told him she was a beast.

She’d laughed at how right he really was. After several horrid interviews, she’d taken his confidence as a motivator. What’s it hurt him? Job was pure commission. If she failed it would only cost him a little training time. He’d made his money back in spades. In less than a year she was getting all the big leads and was assigned the best territories.

There was one more thing Dave wanted to hear. “Duke left a message today too.”

“And? You’re killing me, Maria.”

“It’s a go. Two point five, Dave. The entire network—hospital, outpatient, heart center, and medical facilities. Tech guys will be busy until next Halloween. I’ll send you the specs and orders soon.”

Carla came back up and jumped on her. Sophie didn’t feel like being Maria at the moment, but that was the price she paid. A few minutes on this call and a full day’s work tomorrow and she’d be set for a while.

“Damn. I’ll need another project manager for that one. Nice work. You beat everyone’s numbers again. One more and you’ll have the record. Your bonus should be enough to buy a house.”

“Already did.” She laughed. “Gotta walk the dog. I’ll email you tomorrow.” She paced into the house and down the little hall.

“When did you get a dog?”

Carla had followed.

“Found her in Vegas and decided to keep her.”

“Cute. Bring her when you come in. And when might that be?”

She stopped in front of a closed door and placed her palm on the wood. “Think I’m off to Dallas in a day or two. Want to follow up with Baylor. That COO is not happy with the system they have at all, but he’s hesitating because it’s only a year old and he dumped a wad into it. I think I can talk him over the hurdles if I keep at him.”

“Great. You need anything from me?”

She patted the wood. “Not a thing. I’m all good.”

“You sound … cheerful.”

Sophie chuckled. “I guess I had better stop that, hadn’t I?”

“No. That’s not what I meant. I mean it’s good to hear you sound so cheerful.”

“Bye, Dave.”

He huffed. “Later.”

She disconnected the call and pushed open the door. Carla stood in the doorway.

“This is Danny’s room.”

There was a bed with hand and leg shackles like the hospitals use, several blankets folded neatly at the foot. A small beside table sat alongside it. The lighting was wall mounted so it couldn’t be used as a weapon. She’d put two chairs in the room. One was a small plastic one for her to sit next to him and help him though his illness and she’d bought a more comfortable rocker so she could watch him as he slept.

Carla rushed to the bed and jumped on it.

“We must be patient, it may take him a while to come to love us again. Well, me. To love me again. But we will be a happy family.”

You’re gonna fuck this up.

The condescending tone grated Sophie’s ears.

She was not. And this time she would ignore that voice and not play into her hate. Maybe she actually was cheerful. She was only a few days away from being with Danny, it didn’t matter.

You better not wait too long. What if they move him?

Taunting.

What if that crappy van you picked out breaks down?

Criticizing.

What if you run out of drugs?

Undermining.

Sophie slammed open the closet door as the volume in her head reached a screeching crescendo. She ran her finger over boxes and tubes, checked the supplies off the mental list she’d memorized over a year ago. It was all in order. Drugs, bandages, plastic sheeting, bottled water, and men’s necessities, all purchased months before. She had thought of everything. It would be fine, if she didn’t fuck it up. How long should she wait for the cops on protection duty to get complacent? “Two days? Three?”

Carla yapped.

“Three days.”