Page 11 of Witness To Murder
“I’m sure you did,” Owen said. “Unless the driver already saw what he needed to see or found what he needed to find, the one thing you can count on is that he or she will be back. We will catch him.”
His words relaxed her just a little. Her shoulders loosened, and drawing in a breath came easier. “I like that plan.”
He opened the passenger-side door of his sporty silver car and waited for her to settle in. Once he’d closed the door, he moved around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.
“Where is the safe house?” She sank deeply into the luxurious leather seats and relaxed a bit more.
“This one’s on Elm Street. It’s great. You’ll see.”
Colby Agency Safe House
East Elm Street, 6:50 p.m.
HE WASN’T WRONGwhen he said it was great.
Leah wasn’t sure how she would prevent her jaw from perpetually dropping. The safe house was an 1879 brownstone in the fabled historic area of East Elm. The place was truly gorgeous.
Just walking up the steps was awe inspiring. The architecture was splendid. Inside, things only got better. The ceilings soared, and the historic details had been carefully maintained while, at the same time, modernizing as needed. The windows were large and allowed a tremendous amount of natural light to flood into the rooms. Beautifully maintained hardwoods and a staircase that made you want to climb up to the next floor, your fingers trailing the intricately carved railing as you went. There were fireplaces in every room, her host explained. All restored so meticulously. The pièce de résistance was an intimate courtyard in the back that was completely self-contained with trees and shrubs, making it at once welcoming and utterly private. It was like being in a natural refuge miles from the city, and yet it was right here in the heart of Chicago.
“Wow, this is incredible. Like a vacation in a perfectly splendid VRBO.”
“The agency has safe houses all over. Some in town, some miles away. This one allows us to be close to the ongoinginvestigation and yet securely away from any trouble. Your privacy and security are our top priority.”
“And I appreciate it more than you can possibly know.” Well, if this investigation was going to test her sanity and her safety as well as decimate her finances, at least she would be living in luxury.
“I’ll take your bag to your room, and then we can see what’s in the kitchen.”
He’d insisted on carrying her bag from her building to the car and then into the brownstone. She imagined he was a real gentleman even when he wasn’t on the job. Owen Walker gave every impression of being a really nice man.
“Should I come along?”
He smiled and indicated that she should go first. “Of course. You can pick your room instead of me selecting it for you, if you’d like.”
“I imagine all the rooms are lovely,” she said as they climbed the stairs.
“They are. You’ll only need to decide if you want a street view or a lake view.”
“I think I’ll go with the lake view.” Maybe the water would calm her nerves. She could use a little serenity right now.
“Very good choice.” He flashed her another one of those smiles that made her smile back without thinking.
A new worry nudged her. This part of her current reality was suddenly feeling far too good to be true. When would the other shoe drop? She banished the thought. Clearing those hauntingwhat-ifs from her head was the only way to hang on to some semblance of peace of mind.
The room with the best lake view was on the third floor, according to her host. The large window turned out to be French doors that opened onto a small balcony. And like he said, the view from that balcony was utterly breathtaking.
“What about you?” She turned to her host. “Where will you be sleeping?”
The notion that she would love to hear him say “with you” flashed through her sleep-deprived mind.
Not smart, Leah.
“I’ll be on the second floor, just below you. No one is getting to you without going through me first.”
If he’d meant to make her feel safe, he’d done a fantastic job. “That definitely makes me feel better.”
He deposited her bag onto the four-poster bed. “Now, let’s see what we can scrounge up for dinner.”
She didn’t mention that ramen noodles were a mainstay at her place. Owen didn’t look like an instant-meal kind of guy.
