Part Twelve
"I want those files, Frankie." Gloria's voice was harsh and menacing.
"Gloria, you don't understand- " Frankie was pleading.
"Oh, I understand alright. Let's go." Gloria waved the gun at her and pushed her toward a waiting car.
Harm and I both bolted for the door and ran into the alley just in time to see the car pulling away. We ran for his car around the corner. I jumped into the passenger side and we took off after them. They had headed east on Frederick Road and the traffic was light so it didn't take long to spot them. Harm kept his distance not wanting to let Gloria know that she was being followed. After we had been chasing her for about twenty minutes he said, "It looks like they're going to Frankie's house."
"I better call Gunny and let him know." Harm handed me his phone, and I dialed the number and filled him in. After I hung up I told Harm, "He's on his way, but he is going to contact Catherine first."
"Good," Harm hadn't said much. His face was closed and serious as he concentrated on keeping the car in sight.
I was still just trying to make sense of what we'd seen. "I just can't believe that Gloria is the one behind this."
"I know. She had everyone fooled." He seemed shocked, too.
"I wonder what set her off tonight."
"Maybe Frankie told her that she was going to let me look through her files. She must have panicked. She knew if I saw them I would be able to connect her charity to the illegal money."
"So if the files are at Frankie's house, why didn't you look at them when you were there this afternoon?"
He frowned and shook his head. "She acted like they were at her office."
"Maybe she's leading her on a wild goose chase."
"She is going to get herself killed if she isn't careful." He got very quiet and then said, "I shouldn't have left her alone."
I studied him for a moment knowing that he was going to feel responsible if any thing went wrong and said, "Harm, it wouldn't have made any difference. If Gloria said she needed to talk to her you wouldn't have thought twice about leaving them alone. Am I right?"
He glanced at me but didn't answer so I continued, "And think about it. If you hadn't been with me, you wouldn't have overheard them arguing, and we wouldn't be following them right now. So don't be so hard on yourself."
He kept his eyes on the road as he said, "I knew dragging you into that closet was a good idea."
"One of the best you've ever had." I reached over and squeezed his arm. "Don't worry, Harm, I won't let anything happen to your girlfriend."
"She may be my girlfriend, but you're the woman I love." His tone was light, but his eyes were sincere.
"As long as we have that straight," I said with a smile.
We reached the driveway a few minutes after they pulled into it. Frankie lived in a small frame house set off the road. The driveway was long and it wound around to the back of the house, so they couldn't see us when we pulled up in front. A small road ran beside the property and led to four or five houses that were nestled back among the trees. Harm decided to take a chance and turn onto that street and go on past the house. If they saw us he hoped they would assume we were someone who lived on the street just passing by and then we could park and hike back down to the house without being seen. If we left the car in front it would be too easy to spot. Harm hesitated only long enough to get a gun out of the glove compartment and another one out of the trunk. He shoved one at me and then took off without waiting.
I wasn't dressed for hiking. My high heels kept sinking down into the dirt and I finally gave up and pulled them off. Harm was eating up the ground in his haste to rescue Frankie and I struggled to keep up with him. We'd just made our way through the trees and stopped at the edge of the clearing in time to see them get out of the car and head toward the house. We were still at least fifty yards away but a light over the back porch lit up the wooden steps leading up to the back door. We could clearly see Frankie climb up the steps and fiddle nervously with her keys as she tried to unlock the door. Gloria stood behind her on the next step with the gun still trained on her back, and we could hear the irritation in her voice as she told Frankie to hurry up.
Without warning, Frankie turned abruptly, knocking Gloria off the steps and to the ground. Before she could get up Frankie jumped down and took off running toward the trees but away from where we were standing. Gloria struggled to her feet and ran in the same direction.
"She must be headed for the pond," Harm said as he took off after them. I knew from the surveillance reports that there was a large pond at the back of the property, but I wouldn't have been able to find it on my own. I followed him as quickly as I could while I tried to ignore the sticks and brambles and rocks that were digging into my feet. I hiked up my skirt in disgust, held onto my gun, and ran. If Frankie would just stay still it would make rescuing her a whole lot easier.
Ahead of me Harm was crouched down, and when I caught up to him he pulled me down beside him. We were obviously close to the pond because the ground was muddy and slick. We crawled forward in the ooze until we could see the two women. Gloria was breathing hard and Frankie was backing away from her with her eyes wide. The full moon reflected off the pond giving their faces a strange luminescence that illuminated their fear.
Harm whispered, "You stay here. I'm going to go around so I can get a drop on her from behind."
I nodded in agreement. We didn't want anything to make her start shooting. I tried to watch his progress but I soon lost him in the trees.
"You won't get away with this," Frankie said helplessly.
"Frankie, I'm not going to hurt you. Just give me the files." Gloria sounded reasonable but since she had the gun, she could afford to sound reasonable.
As quietly as possible I got to my feet so I would be ready to back Harm up once he made his move into the clearing. I noticed with disgust that I was covered with mud from head to toe, but on the bright side it helped me blend into the shrubbery, and it was probably pulling toxins from my pores as an added bonus. I crept forward and watched as Harm slowly emerged from the trees.
"Drop the gun, Gloria."
She gasped and twirled to face him. "Harry, stay out of this." She didn't drop the gun, but she didn't point it at him either.
Frankie in the meantime took advantage of Gloria's lapse in attention and started running away around the edge of the water. I was still hidden in the trees, but I rolled my eyes and was about to take off after her when I heard yelling and cussing. A minute later she reappeared struggling ineffectively in the grasp of a large man. It was one of the men I had seen that morning in Gloria's office. He had a gun, too, and he pointed it at Harm and Gloria and said, "Drop your guns, or she dies."
Harm threw his gun to the ground and Gloria followed with hers. I was getting confused about who was working with who. I mean Gloria didn't seem happy to see this guy, but I could sort all of that out later. I was about to aim my gun at him and hope that he wouldn't shoot Frankie, when Gunny stepped silently from behind him and stuck a gun to his back. "Let her go," he insisted quietly. "And drop the gun while you're at it."
He did as he was told and Frankie scampered away from him, this time toward Harm. She threw herself into his arms and he hugged her protectively. Even as Gunny herded the big man toward Gloria, I wondered where his partner might be. I didn't have to wonder for long. I was about to join them when I heard a click and the barrel of a gun was pressed into the side of my head.
"Not so fast everyone." He grabbed me by the throat and marched me into the clearing.
Gunny dropped his gun and Big Guy number one retrieved his. The ground was littered with weapons. Except for mine. When Big Guy number two grabbed me, he didn't bother to see if I was armed. I was trying to keep it hidden half way under my sleeve until the time was right.
Harm pushed himself away from Frankie and started toward me. "Mac-- "
The man holding me made a violent motion with the gun at my head and the arm around my throat tightened. My vision blurred as my air supply was cut off but he loosened his hold when Harm stopped and demanded, "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Don't play dumb. We want the money. It's ours and Sadiq is not very happy that he had to send us all this way to collect it. Which one of you is Frankie Mitchell?" The man tightened his grip on my neck again, and I felt myself sagging against him. I clawed at his arm with my one free hand.
"Let her go." Harm pleaded on my behalf. "We'll cooperate. You don't need her anymore."
His plea was ignored and the man asked again, "Which one of you is Frankie Mitchell?"
Frankie stepped forward and said bravely, "I am."
He looked at her, and made a nodding gesture toward me with his head and asked, "Well then, what do you want me to do with her?"
Frankie looked at me very calmly and said quietly, "Kill her."
To be continued--
"I want those files, Frankie." Gloria's voice was harsh and menacing.
"Gloria, you don't understand- " Frankie was pleading.
"Oh, I understand alright. Let's go." Gloria waved the gun at her and pushed her toward a waiting car.
Harm and I both bolted for the door and ran into the alley just in time to see the car pulling away. We ran for his car around the corner. I jumped into the passenger side and we took off after them. They had headed east on Frederick Road and the traffic was light so it didn't take long to spot them. Harm kept his distance not wanting to let Gloria know that she was being followed. After we had been chasing her for about twenty minutes he said, "It looks like they're going to Frankie's house."
"I better call Gunny and let him know." Harm handed me his phone, and I dialed the number and filled him in. After I hung up I told Harm, "He's on his way, but he is going to contact Catherine first."
"Good," Harm hadn't said much. His face was closed and serious as he concentrated on keeping the car in sight.
I was still just trying to make sense of what we'd seen. "I just can't believe that Gloria is the one behind this."
"I know. She had everyone fooled." He seemed shocked, too.
"I wonder what set her off tonight."
"Maybe Frankie told her that she was going to let me look through her files. She must have panicked. She knew if I saw them I would be able to connect her charity to the illegal money."
"So if the files are at Frankie's house, why didn't you look at them when you were there this afternoon?"
He frowned and shook his head. "She acted like they were at her office."
"Maybe she's leading her on a wild goose chase."
"She is going to get herself killed if she isn't careful." He got very quiet and then said, "I shouldn't have left her alone."
I studied him for a moment knowing that he was going to feel responsible if any thing went wrong and said, "Harm, it wouldn't have made any difference. If Gloria said she needed to talk to her you wouldn't have thought twice about leaving them alone. Am I right?"
He glanced at me but didn't answer so I continued, "And think about it. If you hadn't been with me, you wouldn't have overheard them arguing, and we wouldn't be following them right now. So don't be so hard on yourself."
He kept his eyes on the road as he said, "I knew dragging you into that closet was a good idea."
"One of the best you've ever had." I reached over and squeezed his arm. "Don't worry, Harm, I won't let anything happen to your girlfriend."
"She may be my girlfriend, but you're the woman I love." His tone was light, but his eyes were sincere.
"As long as we have that straight," I said with a smile.
We reached the driveway a few minutes after they pulled into it. Frankie lived in a small frame house set off the road. The driveway was long and it wound around to the back of the house, so they couldn't see us when we pulled up in front. A small road ran beside the property and led to four or five houses that were nestled back among the trees. Harm decided to take a chance and turn onto that street and go on past the house. If they saw us he hoped they would assume we were someone who lived on the street just passing by and then we could park and hike back down to the house without being seen. If we left the car in front it would be too easy to spot. Harm hesitated only long enough to get a gun out of the glove compartment and another one out of the trunk. He shoved one at me and then took off without waiting.
I wasn't dressed for hiking. My high heels kept sinking down into the dirt and I finally gave up and pulled them off. Harm was eating up the ground in his haste to rescue Frankie and I struggled to keep up with him. We'd just made our way through the trees and stopped at the edge of the clearing in time to see them get out of the car and head toward the house. We were still at least fifty yards away but a light over the back porch lit up the wooden steps leading up to the back door. We could clearly see Frankie climb up the steps and fiddle nervously with her keys as she tried to unlock the door. Gloria stood behind her on the next step with the gun still trained on her back, and we could hear the irritation in her voice as she told Frankie to hurry up.
Without warning, Frankie turned abruptly, knocking Gloria off the steps and to the ground. Before she could get up Frankie jumped down and took off running toward the trees but away from where we were standing. Gloria struggled to her feet and ran in the same direction.
"She must be headed for the pond," Harm said as he took off after them. I knew from the surveillance reports that there was a large pond at the back of the property, but I wouldn't have been able to find it on my own. I followed him as quickly as I could while I tried to ignore the sticks and brambles and rocks that were digging into my feet. I hiked up my skirt in disgust, held onto my gun, and ran. If Frankie would just stay still it would make rescuing her a whole lot easier.
Ahead of me Harm was crouched down, and when I caught up to him he pulled me down beside him. We were obviously close to the pond because the ground was muddy and slick. We crawled forward in the ooze until we could see the two women. Gloria was breathing hard and Frankie was backing away from her with her eyes wide. The full moon reflected off the pond giving their faces a strange luminescence that illuminated their fear.
Harm whispered, "You stay here. I'm going to go around so I can get a drop on her from behind."
I nodded in agreement. We didn't want anything to make her start shooting. I tried to watch his progress but I soon lost him in the trees.
"You won't get away with this," Frankie said helplessly.
"Frankie, I'm not going to hurt you. Just give me the files." Gloria sounded reasonable but since she had the gun, she could afford to sound reasonable.
As quietly as possible I got to my feet so I would be ready to back Harm up once he made his move into the clearing. I noticed with disgust that I was covered with mud from head to toe, but on the bright side it helped me blend into the shrubbery, and it was probably pulling toxins from my pores as an added bonus. I crept forward and watched as Harm slowly emerged from the trees.
"Drop the gun, Gloria."
She gasped and twirled to face him. "Harry, stay out of this." She didn't drop the gun, but she didn't point it at him either.
Frankie in the meantime took advantage of Gloria's lapse in attention and started running away around the edge of the water. I was still hidden in the trees, but I rolled my eyes and was about to take off after her when I heard yelling and cussing. A minute later she reappeared struggling ineffectively in the grasp of a large man. It was one of the men I had seen that morning in Gloria's office. He had a gun, too, and he pointed it at Harm and Gloria and said, "Drop your guns, or she dies."
Harm threw his gun to the ground and Gloria followed with hers. I was getting confused about who was working with who. I mean Gloria didn't seem happy to see this guy, but I could sort all of that out later. I was about to aim my gun at him and hope that he wouldn't shoot Frankie, when Gunny stepped silently from behind him and stuck a gun to his back. "Let her go," he insisted quietly. "And drop the gun while you're at it."
He did as he was told and Frankie scampered away from him, this time toward Harm. She threw herself into his arms and he hugged her protectively. Even as Gunny herded the big man toward Gloria, I wondered where his partner might be. I didn't have to wonder for long. I was about to join them when I heard a click and the barrel of a gun was pressed into the side of my head.
"Not so fast everyone." He grabbed me by the throat and marched me into the clearing.
Gunny dropped his gun and Big Guy number one retrieved his. The ground was littered with weapons. Except for mine. When Big Guy number two grabbed me, he didn't bother to see if I was armed. I was trying to keep it hidden half way under my sleeve until the time was right.
Harm pushed himself away from Frankie and started toward me. "Mac-- "
The man holding me made a violent motion with the gun at my head and the arm around my throat tightened. My vision blurred as my air supply was cut off but he loosened his hold when Harm stopped and demanded, "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Don't play dumb. We want the money. It's ours and Sadiq is not very happy that he had to send us all this way to collect it. Which one of you is Frankie Mitchell?" The man tightened his grip on my neck again, and I felt myself sagging against him. I clawed at his arm with my one free hand.
"Let her go." Harm pleaded on my behalf. "We'll cooperate. You don't need her anymore."
His plea was ignored and the man asked again, "Which one of you is Frankie Mitchell?"
Frankie stepped forward and said bravely, "I am."
He looked at her, and made a nodding gesture toward me with his head and asked, "Well then, what do you want me to do with her?"
Frankie looked at me very calmly and said quietly, "Kill her."
To be continued--