“You aren’t going to believe this,” Cheng said, looking up from the laptop he had been working on across the hotel room from his partner.
“You found a back door into the guardian database?” Owen asked.
“I wish.” Cheng snorted. “But I do think I found where Charlotte Martin dropped off the grid.”
Owen straightened, interest lighting his eyes. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know that yet, but I tracked her to Culpeper, Virginia, and couldn’t figure out where she went from there. I thought maybe she bought a car with cash, but when I checked with the local dealers, nothing lined up.”
“You think she’s still in Culpeper?”
“No. I think she bought a horse there.”
“A horse?” Owen said. “And what do you think she did with it?”
“I think she’s using it for transportation.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Think about it. The first thing she did when she realized we were following her was to ditch everything with an electronic signature and take off on horseback,” Cheng reminded him. “And from what we’ve heard, she grew up on Martin’s farm, so she probably has basic survival skills.”
“What? You think she’s living in the woods like some hippie?” Owen asked incredulously. “That’s absurd. She had emergency cash.”
“Maybe she’s using the horse to get somewhere specific,” Cheng suggested, not giving up on the possibility. “She went to a lot of trouble to backtrack so her trail would be hard to follow.”
Owen tried to wrap his mind around Cheng’s suggestion. Regardless of Charlotte’s mode of transportation, Cheng did make a good point. If she’d gone to so much trouble to hide her trail, Charlotte likely already knew where she was going. “She’s following a predetermined emergency plan.”
“That’s what I think. The question is how do we figure out where she’s going? For all we know, she could be leading us on a wild goose chase only to circle back to either CIA or NSA headquarters.”
“If she does that, she’ll play right into our hands.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Cheng asked.
“We keep looking.”
“She could be anywhere.”
“That’s true, but unless she’s willing to watch the guardian program fall apart, eventually she’ll have to reinitialize the system,” Owen said smugly.
“And since you used your Nick White identity to return to the farm, we have all of Martin’s equipment and we’ll be able to tell when she does.”
“Exactly. We’ll still have to hack into it or get her to do it for us, but we should be able to use Dwight’s equipment to pinpoint the other computer using the program.”
“How long do you think the guardians can function without access to their data?” Cheng asked.
“I don’t know. The original plans put safeguards in place so each guardian would have limited access to his or her area of expertise. My guess is the funding will drive the time line.”
Cheng considered for a moment. “In that case, maybe we need to turn the heat up a bit and adjust their time line.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I have to think you know at least one or two agents who have been granted access to the guardian resources. If a few end up in distress or we can stir up some unrest in a key country or two, the guardians won’t have a choice but to reactivate their system to keep up with the increased operational demands.”
“I like the way you think,” Owen said. “I’ll see what I can find out tomorrow when I go into work. In the meantime, start asking around in the towns near where Charlotte was last seen. Maybe there’s still a clue or two left that we haven’t found.”
* * *
The wonder on Hannah’s face told Jake this would be a new experience for her. He looked at the tidily groomed golf course and the club located at the heart of it all and wondered what it would be like to see it for the first time. So much of his childhood had been spent here, learning to golf, fish, shoot, and swim. The stately clubhouse maintained its historic charm while employing the best of modern amenities.
It had been founded in 1745, as evidenced by the small plaque on the wall. Originally a hunting club, it hadn’t featured the golf course until later. Wide windows stretched along the back wall of the reception area, inviting guests to enjoy the beautifully manicured grounds and woods beyond.
Jake took Hannah’s hand to lead her upstairs to the dining room. Another set of windows lined the far wall, and he was surprised to see most of the round tables in the room were occupied.
The maître d’ greeted him by name. “Mr. Bradford, it’s so good to see you again. I’m so sorry about your parents.”
“Thank you, Terrance,” Jake said, anxious to change the subject. “Any chance you have a table available? I’m sorry. I didn’t think to call for a reservation.”
“I think I can squeeze you in.” He picked up two leather-bound menus and motioned for them to follow.
From the number of people already seated inside, Jake guessed a special event must be scheduled. “What’s going on here tonight?”
“We have a band setting up in the ballroom. The spring dance will start in a few minutes. You two should go.”
“Maybe we will.”
Jake waited until Hannah was seated before lowering himself into the chair across from her. His eyes swept the room, immediately drawn to the windows. Like in the main lobby, the view was of the golf course, but from the upper story, members were able to enjoy one of the best perspectives of the Appalachians.
He turned his attention to his menu, noting that several of his favorite dishes were still listed. He was a little surprised that he was craving the familiar and mentally selected the chicken cordon bleu.
When he looked up, he saw Hannah had already closed her menu and set it aside. “Did you already decide?”
“I think I’m going to have the ravioli. That’s something I don’t know how to make myself.”
“Not many people make their own pasta.”
“We always did, but ravioli is beyond me.”
Not for the first time, Jake thought Hannah seemed a little out of place in the same way his main character did when she’d fallen out of the 1800s into the present century.
After the waiter took their order, Jake said, “Tell me about the article you found.”
“It’s about a young couple, their three-year-old daughter, and an older woman dying in a car accident. Another article I found said the police suspected another car may have been involved and even mentioned the possibility that it could have been deliberate.”
“Whoa. Do you know who they are or why your mom would have kept the article?”
“No. I don’t know anything about them. It makes me wonder why my mom kept it all these years, especially in an emergency kit.”
“An emergency kit?”
She hesitated for a brief moment, just long enough to make Jake wonder if she regretted telling him so much. When she spoke, however, her voice was casual, and he thought maybe he’d imagined it.
“Yeah. I grabbed it when I started out on this trek. I didn’t realize the article was inside until I was already on the trail.”
“I still can’t believe you were riding horseback through the countryside.”
“It seemed like the thing to do.”
Not satisfied with her answer, Jake pressed with more questions. “What did you do before? Work? School? What?”
Again she hesitated, making Jake question if the words that followed would be true. “I worked on the farm with my dad. After he died, I couldn’t stay there anymore.”
“You lost your home?”
Her shoulders lifted, and the glimmer of tears in her eyes showed he’d hit a nerve.
“I’m so sorry.” Jake reached across the table and took her hand. “Were you left with anything?”
She fell silent.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s okay.” Her hand gave his a squeeze. “I know it must look odd to someone like you to find a woman traveling alone.”
When she fell silent, he asked, “Who is this person you’re supposed to meet next month?”
“An old family friend. He’ll help me try to pick up the pieces and put my affairs in order.”
“Would it help if I took you to meet him sooner?” Jake asked, and then added hastily, “Not that I want you to leave anytime soon.”
“That’s okay. We already have the date set,” Hannah said. “It’s actually been wonderful being able to work at the farm with your grandma.”
“Everyone doesn’t think that about older people. I’m glad you do.”
Hannah’s eyes lit up. “You should have seen her helping me with the roses earlier today. She has quite a talent with arranging flowers.”
Jake smiled in response. “I never thought about it before, but growing up, we always had fresh flowers in the house, at least during the spring and summer.”
“Miss Abigail certainly has an eye for it. It amazes me that she can do things like that without any problems, yet we’re afraid to leave her alone in the kitchen.”
“I think she just loses track of the time. Most of the time—” Jake stopped midsentence when he looked up and saw Toby across the room. He looked the same, like a walking Ken doll in cowboy boots, an arrogant air carried on his broad shoulders.
Part of Jake hoped Toby wouldn’t notice him, but he wasn’t that lucky. Their eyes met, and the other man immediately changed direction and headed toward him.
“I’ll be darned. Jake Bradford.”
“Toby.” Jake stood but didn’t offer to shake his old adversary’s hand.
“What in the world are you doing here? I thought you were still living the good life in New York.”
“I’m staying at the house now. At least for the time being.”
Toby shifted his attention to Hannah. “I don’t think we’ve met.”
Trapped by manners, Jake introduced them. “Hannah Thomas, this is Toby Howell.”
Hannah simply nodded a greeting.
Toby offered a swarthy smile and looked back at Jake. “I have to say, Jake, you still have a good eye for the ladies.”
Jake didn’t dignify the comment with a response, but Toby pressed on with the one-sided conversation. “How’s my stallion doing?”
“I wasn’t aware you owned a stallion.”
Toby’s voice turned cold. “You know perfectly well what I mean.”
“You know, I found out something interesting the other day,” Jake said.
“And what’s that?”
“I never knew Dennis Bellingsworth had agreed to sell Shadow to my dad before you came along.” Jake remained standing and kept his gaze on his old rival. “Made me start to wonder why Bellingsworth changed his mind.”
“I guess you could say I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
“And what offer would that be?”
Toby’s only answer was a cocky grin. “You all enjoy your dinner.” He shifted his gaze to Hannah and added, “Good to meet you, Hannah. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”