Moment in Time 3

Chapter 5

XX Part 2

Kate leans into the curve of Rick's possessive arm as they settle on the concealed couch together. Hayley, Vikram, and Alexis pull up chairs to join the discussion. "My PI course left out a lot, but one thing it banged into my head is 'Follow the money.'" Rick begins. "That and dirty pictures are what close the jaws of a trap."

The corners of Kate's mouth twitch. "I think we can forget the dirty pictures. Whatever else Reed's done, he loves his wife. While I was there for you, I saw him walking the halls of the hospital a couple of times. He looked like he was praying for her."

"Excuse me if he lost my sympathy when he tried to take you out. And how are you, anyway?" Rick puts a hand to her forehead. "You're hot, and not just in the good way. You need a doctor, Kate."

"I can't go to the hospital," Kate protests. "Reed will have people watching."

"How about Dr. Parish?" Alexis suggests. "We know we can trust her. And after my internship with her, I won't have any trouble sneaking you into the lab."

"Alexis," Kate protests, "you shouldn't be involved in this."

"I already am," the young woman argues. "If Reed comes after our family, I'm a target. And anyway, I visit some of the friends I made at the MEs office all the time. I even say hello to Dr. Perlmutter. No one will think anything about me being there. And you could go septic. Almost no one talks about it, except in the morgue, but that kills more people than anything, even heart disease."

"That does it!" Rick declares. "Kate, after all we've gone through, I'm not losing you to some nasty bug. So, Alexis, what do we do?"

"We'll need a body bag," Alexis figures. "And what would really work would be a coroner's van to put one in."

Rick groans. "The last place I want to see Kate is in one of those."

"I can nick one," Hayley volunteers. "I've done it before."

"That story would go great in a Storm novel," Rick realizes. "After we get Reed, you need to tell it to me."

"If I'm not in one myself, I will," Hayley promises, pulling out her phone. She runs a rapid search. "Got it! I know where to look. But it probably won't be there for about an hour."

"All right," Kate acknowledges, "we can use the time to figure out how to get to Reed."

Kate shivers as the rasping zipper closes the dark plastic over her. She's not usually claustrophobic, but this is one small space she could do without. At least she could if it didn't mean keeping her out of one for real. She closes her eyes and tries to concentrate on her goal, taking down Reed and keeping Rick and everyone she loves safe. She can hear Alexis mouthing the BS they made up and greeting former co-workers as the wheels of a gurney rumble beneath her.

Light almost blinds Kate as Lanie unzips her would-be shroud. "Girl, I've always been afraid I'd see you on my table. But at least you're not dead. " Lanie flips up Kate's top. "Yet. Who taught you to sew?"

"My nonna tried but would usually get frustrated and finish what I was working on herself. Martha's always's sending me to costume mistresses."

"Too bad you didn't have one handy for this. But it doesn't look like the infection's spread too far. I'll clean it out and suture it for you. And I'll give you some of the antibiotics I keep around for when our people cut themselves. But they're not magic, Kate. You start playing Wonder Woman and tear this thing open; things could get serious fast. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you, Lanie. Just hurry up. Your usual patients may have nothing but time, but for me, right now, every minute counts."

Lanie sighs. "One thing we learn around here, Kate, is that they always do."

Rick's face is the first thing Kate sees when her prison is breached inside the van leaving the ME's office. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Did anyone spot us?"

"Hayley says no. And as I understand it, she has extensive skills in the surveillance arts. And she'll have something considerably more nondescript than this van, waiting for us when we drop it back where she 'borrowed' it."

"Babe, with or without your fancy hidey-hole, we shouldn't go back to your office. Reed's goons could have it staked out by now."

"We won't. While you were with Lanie, Vikram helped locate the kind of base you talked about. We're going to a compound on Long Island. The place has been on the market for years, so the utilities are on. But it hasn't had any takers. We'll probably see why when we get there, but beggars can't be choosers. So I called a real estate agent I know and told her I wanted to scope the place out as a backdrop for a scene in my next book. She gave me the combination to the lockbox. I promised that if she keeps her mouth shut about it, I'll give her a thank you in print. So she's unlikely to tell anyone."

"Sounds like it should work. Have you come up with anything else on Reed?"

"The Defense Department posted his official schedule. He's supposed to be in New York tomorrow for a meeting with an aerospace contractor. But other than that, nothing else is listed for the day. So chances are, he'll be spending the rest of his time on unofficial business, which will give us the opportunity we wanted to turn the tables. We can tail him."

"Babe, he'll spot a tail," Kate protests, "or the Secret Service will."

"Not the kind we have in mind. You remember Simon Warburg, the drone guy we proved didn't murder anyone?"

"He'd be hard to forget. He had us replaying the plane attack in North by Northwest."

"Good movie reference. But anyway, Warburg's gone back to designing drones, specifically miniaturized ones. The military won't touch him with a ten-foot pole, but I've been following his work. He's been marketing his new creations. Some non-profits have been buying them for clearing landmine fields. But he'll sell to anyone who'll part with the bucks. So I arranged for several tiny beauties to be shipped early morning delivery to our Long Island hideout. They're only the size of a bee. They kind of look and sound like sting-jockeys too. No one will want to get too close. And Warburg made sure the controls use a frequency the feds don't usually monitor. So we can not only track Reed; we can use short burst transmission to listen in.

A grin spreads over Kate's exquisite features. "So if he's dealing with his drug operation…."

"We'll have the goods on him," Rick finishes.

"Get ready to move your bums," Hayley calls from the driver's seat. "About one minute until we make a switch of vehicles. We'll be looking for a blue Toyota Camry."

By the time Rick gets the van doors open, Hayley, Alexis, and Vikram are already rushing toward the car in question. Hayley sends a code to unlock it with her phone and pulls the keys from under the front mat as her passengers clamber aboard.

Kate winces as she fastens her seat belt. "We're all in!"

Hayley pulls away from the curb. "Anyone know where I can pick up a decent milkshake on the way?"

Rick and Kate answer simultaneously. "Murphy's. Exit 73."