Page 34 of Memory of Murder
Apparently the senator had wanted to ensure today’s conversation was kept absolutely quiet.
Again, Jack checked the vehicle before they got in to leave. At the end of the driveway, they waited for the gates to open and rolled forward.
They had a new place to stay. Anne had taken care of that matter while they waited for their lunch at Judith’s. If the woman had been in today, she hadn’t come out to say hello.Maybe she couldn’t bear to face Anne after what she’d done—filling Eve in on their conversation. But then perhaps Judith didn’t realize she’d done exactly what they’d wanted her to do—spread the word they were here and looking for information.
“Our tail is back.” Jack nodded toward the rearview mirror.
“Are we still going to shop?” She watched the black sedan in the side mirror.
“Why not. He can follow us there, and we’ll lose him after that. Just be prepared in case he makes some sort of aggressive move.”
Vividly recalling yesterday’s driving adventures, Anne leaned deeper into the seat, braced one hand on the door’s armrest and the other on the console between them. “Got it.”
The drive via US-14 from Barrington to Crystal Lake took all of five minutes. Another five or so minutes later and they arrived in the parking lot of the superstore they’d agreed upon.
Jack watched as the black sedan drove on past where they had parked. It wound through the lines of parked cars, finally sliding into a slot three rows away.
“I guess they want to know the location of our new hotel,” Anne surmised. Motel actually. The one she’d chosen wasn’t one those watching them would likely consider.
“We’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
They emerged from the car. Jack reached into the back seat and got the box. “Just in case.” He looked at Anne over the top of the car.
“Good idea.”
They walked together to the entrance. Anne had never shopped for clothes with a man. This would be a unique experience for sure. She grabbed a cart. Jack deposited the box in the cart, and she placed her shoulder bag on top of it.
“Ladies first,” Jack suggested.
“Works for me.” Anne headed for the women’s department.
While she perused the racks of tops, Jack stepped a short distance away and made a call. She glanced at him from time to time, hoping there wasn’t bad news. Or maybe this was a good call and she would have something better to think about instead of being frustrated over the meeting with Langston. What a jerk the man was.
The sound of her own cell phone vibrating tugged her attention to her purse. She poked around inside until she found it.
Lisa.
Worry sent a flare of adrenaline in her chest. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“Hey, Anne. I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”
“No.” She rifled through the tops on the rack in front of her. “It’s fine. Everything okay?”
“I’m not sure.”
Her assistant did not sound okay. “What’s going on?”
“The tile supplier just called about our new job. He said he’d forgotten about a customer on the list ahead of us who apparently wants the exact same tile we ordered for the principal bathroom.”
Anne’s stomach dipped. Not good. “What kind of delay are we looking at?”
“Two to three weeks from today. He claims the tile we ordered that will arrive next week will have to go to the other customer.”
That kind of delay absolutely would not work.
“Hold on,” Lisa said before Anne could respond. “Got another call.”
Anne forced herself to focus on the task at hand despite the news from Lisa. She grabbed a mustard-colored tee without a logo or image plastered across the front. She tossed it into the cart and carried on sorting through the offerings on the rack. When the seconds continued to tick off, she glanced at thescreen to ensure the call was still connected. It was and she was still on hold.
