Page 62 of Intangible
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“So what do we look at first today?” Memphis asked, pulling Thayer out of the Bronco in the parking lot downtown.
They had parked in the same place they had been parking for the entire week now. It stood to reason that following a routine would make whoever was hunting Thayer comfortable enough to make a move. That was the hope, anyway. So far, it had proved to be wrong.
“Does it matter? What could there possibly be left to see?” she answered, taking his hand as they walked toward the shops. “At least I get to walk around outside for a couple of hours. I have a feeling that will come to an end when I get home.”
“Let’s do this then. I’ll buy a blanket, we’ll pick up some food and have a picnic in the park by the river. We can watch the barges being pushed up the river.”
“That sounds like a perfect idea,” Thayer agreed enthusiastically. Anything to break up the monotony of walking the same streets again.
Picking up sandwiches from the Peabody deli, complete with an assortment of desserts to sample, they walked to the nearest riverfront park. Finding the perfect spot with views of the Pyramid and the bridge from Arkansas, they spread their blanket out on the ground. Since it was the weekend, the park was full of families enjoying the pleasant afternoon.
“This isn’t bad, right?” Memphis asked, opening up the picnic. “Let’s see what our money bought us for lunch.” The deli had packed the basket for them with a variety of items. Memphis pulled out two large sandwiches, chips, and fruit. “Root beer? Nasty. This must be yours.”
“You don’t drink root beer?”
“No, that stuff is gross.”
“Oh, but your Powerade is better?”
“Toilet water is better.” He grinned at her as she wrinkled her nose in disgust. “You know I’m going to miss giving you a hard time, right?” Memphis handed her a bag of chips, reclining back against the tree they sat under.
“You can always come visit.”
“Yeah,” he said halfheartedly, looking back down at his sandwich. They finished their lunch in silence before Memphis scooted down, placing his arm over his eyes to catch a nap. Thayer watched him for a while, but she finally turned to watch the barges make their slow way up the river pushed by tugboats.
She sat quietly for a long time, sitting on their blanket until the park slowly started to empty, the families heading home for dinner. Looking over her shoulder finally as the sun neared the horizon, she found Memphis watching her.
“I guess we should go,” she said without moving. His green eyes moved over her as he sat up.
“I guess we should,” he said, standing. Reaching down, he pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his hand through her hair, he pulled her into a kiss. She knew this would be it, when they reached the parking lot, they would each go their separate ways. As much as she wanted to stay by his side forever, she had to think of what was best for them all.
His tongue delved into her mouth, twining around hers as they held each other desperately by the river. When he stepped back, they were both breathless.
Picking up the blanket, he folded it into the basket. Taking her hand in his, they walked slowly back, savoring their last moments together.
Chapter 25
Knox had lefthis men to follow Thayer all day while he saw to the arrangements for their return home and checked on the people following up on the few leads they had found. Security at the senator’s house had been increased, with more men patrolling the perimeter as well as more cameras in previously blind areas to protect her better.
He was now standing in the parking lot by the rental SUV, waiting for her and Memphis to show up. They were already a few minutes late from the agreed upon time, but he wasn’t concerned yet. When a light rain began, he returned to the inside of the vehicle to wait.
Checking his watch again, he growled, realizing they were now fifteen minutes behind schedule. He assumed they were sucking face somewhere out of the rain. They had five more minutes before he went to jerk them away from wherever they were holed up. He shouldn’t be expected to babysit them anymore at their ages.
Knox was flipping through a magazine he had picked up at a local bookstore when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Fishing it out, Knox saw it was Fisher.
“Fisher, where the fuck are they? The plane is waiting,” he barked into the phone. He was greeted by a moment of silence before Fisher cleared his throat.
“Are they not with you? They should have been there fifteen minutes ago,” the man answered.
“You’re supposed to be watching them. Why don’t you know where they are?” Knox closed his magazine slowly as panic began to squeeze his chest.
“They ducked into that construction overhang on the way back. I assumed you would see them emerge on the other side, it’s less than a block,” Fisher said.
Knox could hear Fisher starting to run through the phone as he jumped out of the SUV. Without responding to Fisher, Knox ran toward the construction area at the edge of the parking lot. Racing behind the plastic, he slid to a stop. Neither Memphis nor Thayer were anywhere to be seen, but there was a trail of blood on the sidewalk.
Noticing the trail disappear behind a door, Knox tried the knob, finding it unlocked. Swinging it wide, he waited for Fisher to enter with his gun out before following. It only took a second for his men to sweep the empty building to determine no one was inside.
