Chapter Twenty

Jonas

I knew I was taking a big chance by breaking my “cover,” but if there was the slightest possibility that we could save Raymond again, it was a chance I was willing to take. Maybe it was the fact that I’d risked my life for him once already, but I felt like I had a lot invested in the guy.

I had to be careful, though. Spencer had connections. I didn’t know how many people were actually on his payroll, how many “eyes” might be watching me and would report back to him.

I hadn’t told Cleo yet, but my disguise had worked better than I’d expected. One of Spencer’s muscle-bound gorillas had approached me just after Cleo’s panicked call about Raymond.

“Haven’t seen you around here before.”

I glanced over at the man in a black leather jacket who was seated at the other end of the bench. The pea-sized diamond stud in his right ear caught the sun and sprayed a shimmering rainbow across his thick shoulder. The spectrum struck me as odd, out of place, the right prop on the wrong stage. He also had a tattoo on his neck. Some kind of a Chinese symbol. One that was supposed to mean “eat hot death” or “kitten torturer,” or some other sadistic line, but probably meant “I love butterflies.” I mean, besides the tattoo artist, who’d know? Someone fluent in Chinese, yeah, but there weren’t a lot of them around. It was the perfect joke to play on someone.

“Just got here this morning,” I drawled. That was one thing I hadn’t asked Lily…how I should speak while in this disguise.

“Where from?” He turned his head toward me for the briefest of seconds, and I caught a glimpse of his eyes, so pale blue, they were almost devoid of color. Their coldness was like an icy finger running up my spine, and it was all I could do to keep from shuddering.

“Charleston. Thumbed my way down.”

His only answer was a sort of low hum, then he was quiet. I listened to the everyday sounds of the city while I waited for him to speak, trying to pretend I didn’t care whether he had anything more to say to me or not. The beep-beep-beep of a UPS truck backing up; the high-pitched whine of a mo-ped; the unmistakable sound of Beach Boys music wafting from someone’s car window; a jogger panting past us, dragging an overweight Pomeranian on a leash behind him. The poor dog looked like a furry balloon on a string.

“You looking for work?” he finally asked.

This is it! “Uh…yeah, guess I could use the money. What kind of job we talking about? I don’t have a lot of experience.”

“Oh, we train you. That ain’t a problem, but it’s a real special kind of job…delicate, if you know what I mean…the main requirement is having the ability to keep your mouth shut. You got that kind of skill-set?”

“You mean can I keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth closed? Yeah, I got plenty of practice at that kind of job. I’m your man.”

Gorilla-neck nodded. “Glad to hear it. We work nights. I’ll meet you here at midnight.”

I nodded. “I’ll be here.”

****

He’d no sooner lumbered off, when my phone buzzed. I answered without checking the screen, thinking it was Cleo again.

“What’s up?”

“Jonas?”

My stomach flopped. It wasn’t the voice I was expecting.

“Oh, God! Jonas! I’ve been calling and calling. Didn’t you get my voice mails? Why haven’t you called me back?” She sounded breathless, excited.

“Hello, Jill.”

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Why haven’t you called me back?” Had she always sounded this whiney?

“I’d have thought that was pretty obvious, wouldn’t you? You’re pretty dense for a smart girl.”

“Don’t be mean, Jonas.”

What? “Please tell me you didn’t just say that. You can’t be serious. You dump me the night before our wedding; I don’t hear a word from you for three years, and now you’re telling me not to be “mean”? Give me a break!”

“I just needed to talk to you,” she whined again. I could almost see her famous pout. She wielded that tool like a pro, always managing to get what she wanted, but doing it in such a cute way that I’d never minded being maneuvered before. That is, until now.

“Everything was said three years ago.”

“No, Jonas. It wasn’t. I was wrong. I know that now. I—can we meet somewhere? To talk? I’m here…in Savannah. Didn’t your mom tell you?”

Jill was here? “No, I haven’t talked to her lately.”

“Yeah, well…I’m looking for an apartment now. I thought we might—”

“Might what? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.” I yanked off my cap and raked an angry hand through my hair. “You can’t possibly think that you can waltz back into my life after all this time, that we’ll just pick up where we left off. It doesn’t work that way, Jill.”

“But—”

“No! If that’s what you came down here thinking, then you’ve wasted your time, and you might as well turn around and go right back the way you came. It’s over. It’s been over. There’s someone else in my life, now…someone very important to me.” Though I was surprised to hear myself saying those words aloud, I realized they were true. “And besides that, I’m in the middle of a big story. There’s no time to see you even if I wanted to—which I don’t—by the way. I’ve just got too much going on right now.”

After a long silence, she asked, “What’s her name? She must be pretty special if she’s captured your heart.”

“Her name’s Cleo…Cleo Davis…and yes, she is special.”

I heard her sigh. “Well…okay then. I’ll let you go. I know you’re busy. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Goodbye, Jill.”

****

I pulled my cap back on, yanking it low, staring at nothing through narrowed eyes. That was weird…very un-Jill-like. She’d acquiesced too easily. Made me suspicious. What was she up to? And what had caused her decision to move to Savannah? There had to be more to it. She wouldn’t have up and moved like this just to be closer to me. Last I’d heard, she’d married some rich old guy, about three times her age. Had he kicked the bucket or kicked her out? Maybe it was time to call Mom. I was sure she could shed some light on the subject. But not now. It wasn’t a good idea to stay on the phone for too long. I didn’t know who might be watching me. It was time to head to my apartment, anyway. Time to take a shower and change so I could meet Cleo.

Cleo…

Thinking about her made me smile. No teeth showing, though; I remembered her warning. The circumstances were far from ideal, we were mired up in some pretty serious stuff, and Raymond could be in grave danger again—maybe even dead this time. In spite of it all, I couldn’t wait to see her.

****

My apartment phone rang as I was heading out my front door, but I ignored it. I’d taken enough time to shower and change out of my hobo clothes into something more conducive to nighttime surveillance, but there was no time for chit-chat. If it was important, they’d leave a message or call back.

Before the fourth ring had even finished, my cell phone started vibrating. Wow! Someone was sure being persistent. I glanced at the screen. Mom. Better late than never, I guess. I unlocked my car door and slid inside before answering. “You’re late.” I scolded as I wheeled out of my parking space.

“You already know.” She sounded deflated.

“Mm-hmm. What took you so long?”

Silence crackled on the other end of the line before she finally asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yup.”

“You sound okay.”

“That’s because I am, Mom.” I laughed.

Another silence crackled. “You’ve met someone.”

How did she do that? Were all mothers equipped with special radar when it came to their kids? Some sort of device that was able to read mood variations via voice over the telephone? Or maybe it was just my mother. “I guess there’s no sense in my denying it. You’d see right through me. Yes, I’ve met someone, but it’s complicated.”

“Complicated? How?”

“I met her as a result of the story I’m working on for the paper, and it’s just taken an unexpected turn.”

“The story or the relationship?” She laughed.

“The story. She doesn’t know about the relationship, yet.”

“But you’re going to tell her, right?”

“Yes, Mom, but not yet. Like I said…it’s complicated.”

“Can I give you a piece of advice, Jonas?”

“If I said no, would it stop you?”

“Has it ever stopped me before?” she laughed.

“Exactly. Go ahead, before you burst.”

“It’s just this…tell her soon, son.”

“Right.”

“And Jonas…?”

“Yeah?”

“This story you’re working on? The one for the paper? I don’t know, but I’ve got a feeling that there’s danger involved?”

“No fishing, Mom.”

“You just answered my question. I don’t want to know any details. It’s easier for me not to know. Just please…do me a favor and be careful. I told you, I need more grandbabies, and you can’t give them to me if you’re not around.”

“Right. I got it. Gotta go.”