Deadly Visions Part 20

"I think you'd better listen to your dad. He knows what he's talking about."

She gave them both a despairing glance. "You just don't get it. I heard heardher!" She jumped up and ran to her room. The door slammed behind her.

"Should we go after her?" Cal asked.

It was what Joe wanted to do too. "No. She needs a little time to absorb this. She'll be okay." G.o.d, he hoped he was telling the truth.

"But how about you, Joe? Will you yoube okay?"

"Okay as I can be, I guess." Joe looked toward Nikki's closed door. "I never realized how tough it must have been for you, Dad. When Mom died, you had three kids, all in grade school. You must've felt like your world had ended and we could think only of ourselves."

Cal shrugged. "Because I had you kids, my world didn didn'tend."

"Yeah. I don't know what I would have done without Nikki."

"We should all go out to dinner tonight. There's something I need to discuss with you."

"Is that what you and Nikki were conspiring about?"

Cal stood up, smiling broadly."Well, I don't know if conspiring'is the word for it. I'll meet you back here around six, okay?"

"You're going to leave me hanging, aren't you?"

Cal winked."Yep."

Haddenfield climbed out of his car, wis.h.i.+ng he'd insisted on a more populous area for this meeting. He and Dylan stood on a dead-end street near Spelman College, and there wasn't a soul around. Were the students on break?

"I really don't appreciate this," Dylan said. He leaned against his rented SUV and took off his sungla.s.ses. "I thought we were going to keep our get-togethers to a minimum."

"Where is he?"

Dylan's expression didn't change."Where is who?"

"My team member. I know you were onto him when he disappeared."

"How could I not? He made every mistake in the book." Dylan chuckled."I told you I'd be staying close to Monica to make sure she didn't inadvertently give anything away. You said you could control your people."

"I wasn't there when he decided to go over. Where is he?"

"Dead, I'm afraid. I had to neutralize him quickly and quietly, and that was the only way. How was I to know that he was one of yours?"

Haddenfield closed his eyes. s.h.i.+t. This couldn't be happening.

"Don't get squeamish, Haddenfield. Just keep your eyes on the prize."

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing here? Why don't you just leave?"

"I will when you do. Some people in my government are suspicious as to why you decided to come here. After all, we're offering you far more funding than your government has ever given you."

"I know."

"Some believe that you're here trying to produce results that will encourage your government to increase your funding. Where would that leave us?"

"You're wrong. I'm just trying to finish my study."

"That's what you told us. Just know that I'm using my time here to do some research of my own. If I find that you're lying to me, that young man won't be your team's last casualty."

Joe slipped on his jacket and turned toward Cal. "Okay, Dad, are you going to tell me the big secret?"

Cal shot a glance at Nikki.

She smiled eagerly. She'd said little since emerging from her room a half hour before, but her grandfather always had a way of perking up her spirits. "Tell him," she said.

"Okay." Cal shrugged."I don't know why I've felt sofunny talking about this. It's no big deal, really. Except that it is isa big deal, at least to me."

Joe wrinkled his brow."Well?"

A knock at the door. Nikki walked over, looked through the peephole, and opened it wide.

Carla stood in the doorway.

"Carla?" Joe stood and crossed over to her. "Is everything all right? You haven't heard anything else from the crime lab, have you?"

"Uh, no." She stammered and looked at Cal. "I-I guess you haven't told him."

Cal shook his head."I was just about to."

"Told me what?"Joe glanced between them.

They didn't answer.

Instead, Cal joined Carla in the doorway, gently took her hand, and kissed her. He turned back to Joe. "That'swhat."

Joe was speechless for a good fifteen seconds. When he regained the ability to form words, he said, "Together? The two of you?"

Cal raised an eyebrow and mock-whispered to Carla, "Sharp. Real sharp. Can't get anything past my boy. They call him the Spirit Basher, you know."

Nikki giggled.

Joe still had trouble processing it."How long?"

Carla snuggled close to Cal. "About eight months, hon. We got acquainted when I took Nikki down to stay with him in Savannah. I went back the next weekend and pretty near every weekend after that."

"Why didn't either of you tell me?"

"That was my fault," Cal said."I just wanted to keep a lid on it for a while. You work with Carla, and I wanted to keep things separate."

Carla smiled teasingly. "Aww, listen to that malarkey. He just didn't want to complicate things if we turned out to be nothing more than a little fling."

"That wasn't it," Cal said.

"Sure it was, big guy. I didn't mind."

Joe wondered if the shock still showed on his face. He glanced at Nikki."You knew?"

Still smiling, she nodded.

Cal patted Nikki on the head. "Carla joined us for dinner almost every night Nikki was in Savannah. I asked Nikki to keep it our secret for a while."

"Why didn't you tell me?"Joe asked.

"I'm telling you now."

Carla touched Joe's arm. "Are you okay, hon?"

"Sure. I mean, you're two of my favorite people. I just thought you'd scarcely more than met."

Cal gestured toward the open door. "Joe, you look like you could use a steak."

"And maybe a few stiff drinks."

Carla slipped her arm through Joe's. "By the end of the evening, I might even have you talked into giving me away."

Dylan slid his key card into Tess Wayland's hotel door lock and listened as the tumblers clicked. Perfect. He'd come earlier with his modified Palm Pilot and attached reader, which was all he needed to obtain the current magnetic code. With that, it had been a simple matter to encode the silver magnetic card he always carried with him.

He slipped inside the room and locked the dead bolt behind him. He didn't think Tess would be coming back anytime soon, but he couldn't risk her catching him.

He glanced around the room, looking for any portable alarm devices or motion detectors. Such gadgets were becoming increasingly popular among professional women who travel alone. They were rarely used during the day, however, when the housekeeping staff would be running in and out. And what could possibly happen in beautiful Atlanta, Georgia?

Nothing besides a few nasty serial murders.

No alarms, no cameras, no sensors. Dylan walked toward the cluttered dresser. He rifled through a stack of papers. He would've rather taken a look around the Monica Gaines Monica Gaines's Psychic Worldproduction offices, but staffers had been working around the clock since their arrival. It wouldn't be impossible to get in and take a look, but there was far less risk here.

He found a stack of notes, torn from a hotel pad, next to the telephone. He squinted to see past the coffee stains. Nothing of use, he realized. Just the usual innocuous bulls.h.i.+t-a pet-sitter's phone number, rental car confirmation codes, address of a local talent agency, and- Wait a minute.

Here it was. He raised the piece of notepaper and memorized the address written on it.

Jackpot.

Cal smiled. "Hey, I think the dazed look is starting to wear off."

Joe dropped down on the sofa. It had been astrange evening, watching his father and Carla kissing, holding hands, and exchanging their private little jokes. Carla had gone home after dinner and Nikki was now in bed. "I admit to being a little surprised, but I really don't have a problem with it, Dad."

"Not even a little bit? She's younger than you are, you know."

"That doesn't make any difference. You're both old enough to know what you want. I've never seen her so happy."

"I'm happy too."

"Well, I hope it lasts this time."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're not exactly the relations.h.i.+p-longevity king. I don't want to see her get hurt. She's not like those Savannah tourists that you romance for a week, then drop off at the airport. Carla's taking this a little more seriously than a fling."

"So am I. Hey, did I tell you that one of those nice little women wanted me to live with her in North Dakota? Poor thing was pretty upset with me when I had to decline."

"That's what I'm talking about. Carla has no shortage of admirers, but I can tell that she really likes you."

Cal's expression sobered."I know how lucky I am. I tried to tell her she'd be better off with a younger guy, but she wouldn't believe it. Trust me, I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

"If you do, half the department will be coming down on you. And I'll be leading the charge."

"Got it. Lecture over?"

"For the moment." Joe emptied his pockets andplaced his wallet and keys on the coffee table. He stared at the phone numbers thatTess had given him.

"What's that?" Cal asked.

"A couple of phone numbers. The top one's a cell phone that Monica Gaines used. The second is a number that she called. She had a habit of disappearing for weeks at a time, and she phoned this number a couple of times during one of those disappearances."

"Have you called it yet?"

"No, I figure I'll wait and-"

Cal s.n.a.t.c.hed the sc.r.a.p of paper from his hand. He picked up the cordless phone and began punching numbers.

"Dad, don't do that."

"Why the h.e.l.l not? I suppose you were going to run the number through a database and get the person's name first."

"It had occurred to me."

"Takes too much time. I've always liked the direct approach better."

Joe tried to s.n.a.t.c.h the paper, but Cal held it out of reach."Dad, this isn't your investigation."

Cal finished punching in the number. "Consider it a professional courtesy."

"It's not the way we do things anymore. Hang up now."

Cal put the phone to his ear.

"It's after eleven,"Joe said."It's too late to do this."

"No, it's the perfect time. If we wake them up, they'll be less likely to censor themselves."

"Dad ..."