Reggie walked down the stairs to the basement. Several steps from the bottom she froze as she scanned the enormous space. The basement had to be at least twice the size of the main floor.
Billy watched her with a lopsided grin, obviously proud of his playground.
Gone was the quaintness of the log cabin above and in its stead, an ultra-modern living space had appeared as if by magic. One corner housed a workout area complete with treadmill, weight machines and other instruments of torture. Opposite the gym, the largest TV screen she’d ever seen was attached to the wall, and eight black leather recliners formed a semicircle in front of the monstrosity, as if waiting for the movie to start.
“Would you like to see my office?” Billy asked. He motioned to a wall made entirely of glass that divided the fun side from the work side of the basement.
Reggie gawked at his office then back at the man. Who was he? His office made the computer system at Benton and Greene appear archaic. “That’s your office?” It looked more like the set of a James Bond movie. “It’s a bit more elaborate than I expected.”
“I warned you he was a computer nerd.” Dylan walked up beside her. “I wasn’t exaggerating.”
“I see that.”
As Billy approached the glass door leading to his office, the door slid open. Fluorescent lighting turned the office area into a glittering crystal-white room. Four large flat screen monitors hung side by side at eye level. Two walls contained computers that stretched from floor to ceiling. Red, green and amber lights flickered on the monitors. She had never seen so many computers in one place.
Reggie arched an eyebrow at her host. “What exactly is it that you do for a living, Billy?”
“I’m a consultant.”
“For…”
“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” He looked at Dylan and both men laughed.
“He’s joking, sort of. He works for the government. That’s why he lives here in Paw Paw. It may look as if it’s in the middle of nowhere, but in reality it’s less than a two hour drive to the most powerful city in the world, and much less by boat.”
“Not to mention by helicopter.” Billy added.
“You have a helicopter?” Reggie asked.
“Nah, they usually just send one for me.”
“Is he kidding?” She turned to Dylan.
“About the helicopter?” Dylan shrugged. “Beats me.”
Looking at the equipment for a moment, her mind took a leap. With narrowed eyes, she looked back at Billy. “Are you a spy? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
“A spy?” Billy hooted. “I’m just good at computers and the government values my expertise.”
Reggie held up a hand. “Don’t tell me anymore. I don’t think I want to know.”
****
Sweat poured off Reggie as she turned the treadmill’s speed control up another notch. It felt good to release some of the pent-up energy. She watched Dylan and Billy hunched over a computer.
Billy looked up from the keyboard and motioned for her. She grabbed a towel along the way and wiped off her face.
“Got it.” Billy told her.
“Who is it?”
“A company called Millennium Marketing accessed both your credit card records and Dylan’s yesterday.”
“How would they know about Dylan?”
“They probably tracked him down through that rusty old thing he calls a truck.” Billy explained. “When you paid for the motel rooms with your credit card, it alerted them. Good thing the two of you went shopping.”
“Who are they, and why do they want to kill me?” she asked, still breathless.
“I doubt if Millennium Marketing wants to kill you. I’m doing a computer check on Millennium now. In the meantime, I need to ask you some questions.”
She nodded as she wiped sweat from her face. Dylan walked over to a small refrigerator tucked away in the corner of the room and brought her a bottle of water.
She smiled her thanks. He was so thoughtful.
“And this would be a good time for me to take a shower and maybe a short nap. That way you can talk in private,” Dylan told them as he handed her the water.
“You don’t have to do that. I trust you.”
He patted her shoulder. “Thanks but I’m exhausted after driving all night. I’ve got to get some rest or I won’t be of any help.” He looked at Billy. “Same room as always?”
Billy nodded. “Good night, Sleeping Beauty.”
After Dylan left, Reggie sat in the chair beside Billy. She wanted to ask about Dylan, but knew it wasn’t the time or place.
As Billy opened a word processor, he looked at her. “Let’s start at the beginning. Full name, address, social security number, place of employment”
He typed as she gave him the information. “Any brothers and sisters?”
She shook her head. She dreaded the next question.
“Parents’ names?”
She told him the story of being abandoned at the age of four and the ensuing foster homes.
“You weren’t ever adopted?”
“Nobody wants a little girl with diabetes. Too much work.”
He looked at her for a moment but said nothing. “Do you know your parents’ names?”
She nodded. “But I can’t see how they would have anything to do with what’s going on.”
“You just never know. People are strange creatures. Some very insignificant event for one person could be catastrophic for another. Maybe you turned down a boy for the homecoming dance, and he’s waited for years to get back at you.”
“If you’d known me in high school, you’d know just how wrong you are. Believe me, I was very forgettable.” She laughed. “My mother’s name was…is…” Reggie shrugged. “Her name is Jeannie Myers. Stanley Federer is listed as the father on my birth certificate.”
He stared at her for a moment. “Unusual name. Do you know anything about him?”
“No, as far as I know he might have been a one night stand or they might still be together. I have no idea.”
“I’m surprised you never looked them up. The Internet makes it easy.”
She bit her lip. Her foot tapped against the floor, and shrugged away the painful memories of rejection. “My parents didn’t want me, so I certainly wasn’t going to impose myself on them. I don’t need them. I can take care of myself.”
Billy nodded. “I don’t blame you for being angry, but it’s hard to know the truth in situations like—”
“I’m not angry. I got over that a long time ago.”After that, she gave him the names of all the foster parents and children she could remember, any significant relationships in her life, college experiences and anything else she thought might be important.
“Almost finished.” He stretched his massive arms to full length. “Do you have any idea where your parents lived when they deserted you?”
“Not really. I always assumed Philadelphia, since that’s where I grew up, but I don’t really know. The social workers would never tell me who my parents were. I didn’t learn that until I became an adult. By that time, I didn’t care to learn any more about them.”
He nodded and looked back at the monitor. Using the cursor, he reviewed the information. He stared at her for a moment. “Don’t take the next questions personally, but I gotta ask.”
She nodded.
“Any bad habits I need to know about—drugs or gambling? Anything that might bring you into contact with the darker side of life?”
“No way. Never had the time. Too busy working and going to school.”
“Did you use any creative ways to help with paying for college that might have been on the wrong side of the law? You know a lot of people do.”
“I didn’t have to.” She shook her head and tried not to feel insulted. He was helping her. “Pennsylvania has some sort of fund for foster children so they can go to college if their grades are good enough. I made sure mine were good enough.”
“Good for you. That’s enough for now.” Billy stood. “Let me show you where you can take a shower and rest. You’re probably tired, too.”
“I am but I slept some in the truck. Dylan did all the driving.”
“So Sundance, how long have you and Butch been running from the outlaws?”
“I met Dylan...Butch last Wednesday—” So began the crazy story of the past few days. “Have you ever heard anything so crazy? I crash into him and he invites me to his house for a holiday dinner. Not to mention, I have someone out to kill me and he drives me halfway across the country to a computer geek friend—no offense.”
Billy threw his head back and barreled out a laugh. “Reggie, If I wasn’t one-hundred percent, totally and completely in love with Theresa, I’d marry you!”
“Dylan is amazing and the most caring person in the world.”
“That’s Monroe. He believes God orchestrates everything and has called him to help those in need. Whatever the need may be.”
“Why would anyone put themselves into danger for a stranger?” She looked at Billy. “Don’t you think that’s a little off the wall?”
“Not really, that’s pretty much my philosophy, too.”
She didn’t get it. Sure, the police and firefighters did that, but they got paid to do it. “I can understand doing it to protect someone you love, but not someone you don’t even know.”
“You aren’t a Christian, are you?”
“What’s that got to do with it?”
“Everything.”