she could protest, the policeman went on to their reason for being at the Hotel Luna. Again, she waited for his answer, wondering if her surmise was correct.
“We were looking for our parents. They told us they would be at that hotel, but they’ve led us on a wild-goose chase,” the man said, a sad expression on his face.
How did he know she was looking for her mother? And that her mother was with a man—apparently this Mr. Rampling’s father? How was it that he had all the details she was missing? She didn’t know the identity of her mother’s partner, only his first name.
And why was the young Mr. Rampling searching for his father?
At least, she thought, he wasn’t a carjacker.
The cop made some further notations, then said, “Okay, that about sums it up. If you’ll call before you leave town, we’ll let you know if we’ve found anything.”
Mr. Rampling extended his hand. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem.” The officer turned to her. “Remember to follow the speed limit, ma’am. You don’t want to cause an accident.”
“Thank you,” Julia added, feeling she should express her appreciation, too.
“No problem, ma’am.” He put on his hat and helped her out to escort her back to her car.
Once behind the wheel, Julia closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.
“You okay?”
She glared at him. “Yes, no thanks to you!”
“Hey, would you have preferred to stay down there and get shot?” he demanded, irritated by her response.
“No, but—”
“But nothing! I did what I had to do. Now, let’s get going.”
“Going where?”
“To your hotel.”
“My hotel?” She stared at him, confused and shocked at his suggestion. Apparently young Mr. Rampling had lied to the officer. He wasn’t staying at the hotel, after all. But now he expected her to be hospitable. “You can’t be serious! You jump in my car, get me shot at, pulled over by a policeman, and you expect me to take you to my hotel? I don’t think so!”
“Look, lady, I just need to use a phone and have a safe place to wait until I get some help. I don’t think that’s asking too much.”
“Well, I do!” When he didn’t leave her car instantly, she said, “I’d have to be pretty stupid to do as you’ve suggested. You’d probably try to lure me into bed!”
“You have nothing to worry about there. You’re not my type!”
“What a relief! And that’s supposed to make me feel safe? Get out!”
“Take me to a phone before you throw me out. That’s the least you can do since I saved your life.”
He had a point. Not one she liked, but she couldn’t disagree with him. Of course, he was the reason they’d been shot at, but he had pulled her down and gotten them out of that place.
And most important of all, he had information she needed.
Driving down the freeway, she tried to sound casual as she asked, “Your father said he would be at the Hotel Luna?”
“Yeah.”
“And you assumed that’s why I was there, too?”
“Of course I did. Your mother is with my father. We both know that, so there’s no need to pretend any longer.”
“I’m not pretending anything. I’m here to find my mother!”
“So I figured. Why else would you be down in that neighborhood?”
Silence.
“How did you get there?” she finally asked.
“By taxi. The driver promised to wait, but must’ve driven away as soon as I was inside.”
“That was rather naive of you, wasn’t it?” she asked, feeling superior.
“Not if you knew what I’d paid him.” His voice sounded grim.
“Where are you from?” she asked.
“I’m from Kansas City.” After a pause, he asked, “Does your mother usually hang out in dives?”
Julia snapped her head around to frown sternly at him. “Of course not!”
“Well, it couldn’t have been my father’s idea. How did you find out about the Hotel Luna?”
“She wrote me and…told me she was staying at the Hotel Luna in Dallas.”
“My father wrote me the same thing.”
“So it could be your father who hangs out in dives.”
“No way!”
She gave him a hard stare and almost drove off the road.
He grabbed the wheel. “Pay attention to your driving!”
“Sorry,” she muttered. “Why are you so sure it wasn’t your father?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Were you worried about him meeting my mom?”
“No! I was worried about him shacking up with your mom.”
“How dare you! My mother would not do such a thing!”
“Then what made you come after her?”
Julia didn’t want to answer that question. Instead, she pulled off at the next exit. As soon as she saw a gas station with a phone booth on the corner, she pulled in. “Get out. There’s a phone booth. Make your calls and stay away from me and my mother!”
“Gladly, as long as you and your mother stay away from my father!”
She told herself she was relieved when he opened the door and got out of her car. She didn’t hesitate to drive away. But she watched him in her rearview mirror all the way back to the freeway.
Nick Rampling stared after the woman. She hadn’t seemed like the daughter of a schemer, but women had lied before. Especially to men with money. God knew, he’d tried to protect his father, but it hadn’t been easy.
What was he going to do now?
Pulling himself together, he headed for the phone booth. After tapping in the numbers of his calling card, he waited until he got an answer.
“Hello?” a groggy voice said.
“Mike,
