Page 56 of Never Flinch

Corrie goes to the minibar. Kate focuses her full attention on Holly. It’s a little like being hit with a spotlight.

“I have a show tonight.” She isn’t as hesitant about using the word as Corrie was. “I’ll want you with us. Macbride Hall, North Clinton Street, seven PM.”

Holly has a notebook in her bag. She writes down this information.

“May I ask if you’re armed, Holly?”

“I will be for your events,” she says… and little does she like it.

“Please God, don’t shoot anyone,” Kate says. “After Des Moines, that’s the last thing I need. Unless they deserve it, of course.”

“Glass, Holly?” Corrie asks.

“No, thanks.” She takes a can of Coke from Corrie and sips. It’s cold and good. To Kate, Holly says, “If we exercise reasonable caution, everything will be fine. Here and elsewhere. No one is going to get shot. No confrontations of any kind. We’ll avoid them.”

“Confrontation is part of what Katedoes,” Corrie says.

Kate wheels on her, eyebrows raised. Corrie looks like she wishes she could take that particular observation back. Then Kate lets loose with that hooting laugh again. “She’s right, but I’d like to stick to verbal fireworks from here on out. Everybody has a good time and nobody gets hurt.”

“That sounds fine to me, Ms. McKay.”

“Make it Kate. We’re going to be friends.”

No, Holly thinks,I don’t believe we will. What I’m going to be is an employee, just like young Ms. Anderson. Only Kate McKay might be the sort of person who wantseveryoneto be her friend. To fall under her spell. With some people, Holly knows, it’s a compulsion. She could be wrong, snap judgements are never to be trusted, but she doesn’t think she is.

“Kate, then. My number one job is to make sure you can go about your business without being harmed. It would be easier to do that if the woman who’s menacing you can be found and arrested. For that reason, I’d like to go over her communications with you. And I want to find out about your—”

“My enemies?” Kate laughs. “That would be a long list, but most of them limit their aggression to cable news panels and mean tweets. I can’t think of anyone who’d put anthrax in a greeting card.”

“If we put our heads together, we might come up with someone who would. Maybe more than one.”

“Okay,” Kate says, “but later. I have a Zoom call coming up, I want to take a swim, then the presser, the Macbride tonight, and theRiverCenter in Davenport tomorrow. What about Sunday? That’s a day off, thank God. Except for the drive to Madison. Did Corrie tell you—”

“That you’ll be driving? Yes. I have my own car. Corrie can fill me in on your route. Some of the time I’ll be behind you, and you’ll see me—it’s a blue Chrysler 300, hard to miss. Some of the time I’ll be ahead of you, and you won’t.”

Kate points a finger at Holly and gives her a wink. “Trying to spot our stalker. Smart. And we’ll bring you up to speed as soon as possible.”

Holly doesn’t like it. This is only Friday; surely they could find time to go over the stalker’s communications before Sunday. Kate could skip her swim in the hotel pool, for instance. (Hotel pools and yeast infections go together, Holly thinks.Oough.) She thinks Kate isn’t taking this as seriously as it deserves to be taken.

For that matter, Holly thinks,it’s hard to tell how seriously she’s taking me. No surprise there. She’s used to being underestimated. Sometimes it comes in handy. In this case, it might not.

“I also have a GPS tracker I’d like to put on your car, if you don’t mind.”

“It’s not a car, it’s a truck, and I have no problem with that.”

“Where are you supposed to be staying in Davenport?”

Kate shrugs, but Corrie knows. “The Axis. It’s actually across the state line in Illinois.”

“Keep that reservation but book a different hotel,” Holly says. “Three rooms, in my name. Your stalker knows your names, but she won’t know mine.”

“I’ll want a suite,” Kate says. “Connecting with Corrie’s room. And with yours, if possible.”

Yes, I’m an employee, all right, Holly thinks.

“What about the press conference?” Corrie asks Holly. She’s clearly not happy about this change. Maybe also not happy about Holly taking charge. “There’salwaysa press conference.”

“That can still be at the Axis. Corrie, I understand this is annoying. As a person who’s a scheduling nut myself, I understand that. But your stalker knows your schedule, it’s on Kate’s website for anyoneto see, and this crazy person has shown she’s interested in inflicting mortal harm. If you’re serious about protection, weneedto make these changes.”

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