tomorrow afternoon. If Nate came through with her new identity.
She circled every menial job she could find, from the San Fernando Valley to Torrance. With that done and the promise of cash tomorrow, she went to get some dinner. There was a place she knew where they sold burritos, big ones, for a couple of bucks. That would do.
THE APARTMENT WAS completely empty. Not a matchbook, a hairpin or a paper cup. Kate Rydell traveled light and fast. What was she running from? An abusive husband? A criminal warrant? Whatever it was, her behavior told Vince she wasn’t going to answer questions willingly. He’d have to find out more about her so that he could apply pressure. He didn’t give a damn about her reasons, she was going to help him put Tim’s killers behind bars. How hard it was going to be was up to her.
He turned to the super who’d let him in. “She was here last night?”
“I told ya. She was here this morning, too.”
“You didn’t see her leave?”
The man shook his head, which made his jowls quiver. “No. I musta been showing an apartment.”
“She didn’t leave a forwarding address? A note? A number?”
“Nah, nothing. Too bad. She always paid in cash, on time, and she never made any trouble.”
Vince thanked the man, and as he went back to his car he realized the only option he had left was to find Kate’s friend Ellen. No way in hell he was letting his only witness get away.
KATE SAT IN THE LAST booth against the back wall at the Copper Skillet. She kept her eyes on the door, even though it would be at least five more minutes before Ellen could conceivably get there.
The day had been long and tense. Nate had arranged a new identity for her, but he couldn’t get his hands on the paperwork until tomorrow morning. Her new name would be Kate Hogan. She was glad he’d remembered to use Kate again. She’d used it now for four different identities. It was simply too difficult for her to change her first name over and over. She needed to react quickly, seamlessly, and always being a Kate helped.
She had to get through tonight, then go to Gino’s tomorrow to pick up her new ID. She’d only been to the pizza parlor once. It wasn’t only a pizzeria. It was also an emergency meeting place. The phone there was always monitored, via a nifty computer program Seth had written, and Gino, an ex-Delta Force sharpshooter, had given them a safe place to hide. There, she’d change the license plates on her car, then she’d start in on the interviews. That part wouldn’t be too bad. Nate, bless his heart, had provided references for Kate Hogan, and she had several places lined up. Of course, she couldn’t do much of anything until she cashed her check.
It was almost six, and she sipped her coffee, watching every person who walked into the restaurant. Four minutes later, she sighed with relief when Ellen entered, still wearing her uniform. Ellen had a rough life, especially with her four kids to feed. Her husband was an undocumented worker in the garment district, and they had to pay for childcare, as well as all the other expenses. Kate had no idea how they got by.
“Hey,” Ellen said as she slipped into the booth. “You didn’t call Tyson.”
“I know. I will.”
“The cops came to see me.”
Kate’s heart froze. “What did you tell them?”
“Nothing. Except that you didn’t see the murder.”
“Did you tell them you were meeting me here?”
“Hell, no. I don’t tell cops my business. I figured you’d call them when you were ready, but jeez, Kate. Give me a break. I don’t need that.”
“I know. You’re right. I’ll have it straightened out by tomorrow. I promise.”
“You better. Shit, can you imagine if they come to the house?”
“No, no, they won’t. I’ll call. They won’t bother you again.”
Ellen pushed her brittle blond hair behind her ears, then she opened her purse. It was all Kate could do not to snatch the pay envelope from her hand. “Mr. Tyson was pissed you quit without telling him. I said it was a personal thing.”
“What did he say?”
Ellen smiled. “That you were ungrateful and downright rude.”
Kate grinned. That was Mr. Tyson all right.
“I have to go or Ricky’s gonna kill me. He’s got a job tonight.”
“Okay, thanks, Ellen. You have no idea how much this helped.”
“Hey, we’re friends, right? Let me know when this whole cop thing is over with, huh?”
“You bet,” Kate said, knowing it was a lie. She hated so much about her life now, but this…This was hell. She’d never betrayed a friend before Kosovo. Not ever. And now, it was becoming second nature.
VINCE WATCHED ELLEN leave the parking lot, and his gaze turned back to the Copper Skillet entrance. He knew Kate was inside, but he wasn’t going to approach her in such a public place.
He sipped his cold coffee, waiting. He was good at that. God knew he’d had enough practice. The longer he sat, the more he thought about Tim and the pricks who’d killed him.
He’d gone to see Tim’s wife that afternoon, and for a man who’d been involved with death for more years than he cared to remember, it had ripped his heart out to see her, weeping like a child at the loss of her husband. Vince had tried to find the right words, but Tim’s death was so wrong there was nothing at all that he could say. Except that he wouldn’t rest until justice was served.
There she was. Kate Rydell, walking out of the restaurant, her head low, almost hidden in her big coat. When she got to her car, she looked in the back seat, then all around her before she slipped the key in the door.
He waited until she drove past him to start his pursuit. This was something else he was good at. Following without being seen.
She drove carefully, never over the speed limit. All surface streets, with a hell of a lot of turns. Finally, she got to a dive motel in Reseda, and he waited and watched as she walked up the stairs to the far unit on the second floor.
It was showtime.
3
KATE’S HAND SHOOK AS she took the check out of her purse once again, praying she’d misread the amount. But no, it was half of what it should have been, not even three hundred dollars. She wanted to call Tyson and scream at him, but she couldn’t, could she? The deductions, of course. For the uniform she’d not returned, for her locker—which were in addition to tax deductions.
Altogether, more had been taken out than paid, putting her in an incredible bind. She’d never get an apartment and money for gas, food or much else, with this. Until Nate could come up with more cash, she was stuck here. In this dingy room, with the noise from the street keeping her up at night.
It wasn’t fair, but that had become the central theme of her life: Not Fair.
