Part 34 (2/2)
”She can wait until tomorrow,” Dominic insisted. ”Rick's processing the evidence gathered from her. The work is still going on. But you're exhausted and I am too.”
”Okay. So . . . what are we going to do now?” she asked.
Before he could answer, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and said, ”It's Terry. Let's hope he has something for us on Gwendolyn Lindell.” He tucked the phone against his ear. ”h.e.l.lo?”
”Your Ms. Lindell is a slippery thing,” Terry grunted.
”But not too slippery for the great Special Agent Terry O'Donnell, I'm sure.”
A sigh reached Dominic's ear. ”Actually, I'm at a loss. I did manage to track her from the States, to Canada, to Ecuador, back to the States about a year ago. And then she vanished. Nothing with the credit cards, couldn't find a fake ID, nothing. She's staying low, working a job that doesn't require prints, and is paying cash.”
”Or she's dead and no one's found the body yet.”
”Or that.”
”All right, let me know if you find something concrete.”
”Will do.”
Dominic hung up and frowned as he glanced around the area leading into the parking garage. Looked clear. His eyes probed, seeking any immediate danger or threat. He kept Serena close to him, not just because he liked her there, which he did, but he wanted to use his own body as a s.h.i.+eld. If someone decided to take a shot at her, he wanted her as hard to see as possible.
When nothing happened by the time they entered the darker, cooler interior of the parking garage, he still wouldn't let himself relax. His eyes scanned in an arc, his ears in tune with the sounds around them.
”Are you all right?”
”Just fine.”
”You're about to squeeze me in half.”
He loosened his grip. ”Oops, sorry.”
They arrived at his car and she looked at him. ”Why did you park in here when you could've parked right outside the hospital?”
Once inside the vehicle, he answered, ”Because I didn't want to draw attention to the fact that I was here. If someone followed us,” he shrugged, ”there's not much I can do about that. But my car sitting right out front would be like a neon sign.”
”Oh. True. Just wondered.”
He nodded to the pole he'd parked beside. ”See that?”
”The camera?”
”Right. That one is trained on this area.” He nodded to the one across the garage. ”And that one is also aimed this way. There's one behind me too.”
Realization dawned. ”Ah. So if anyone tried anything, you'd have a really good picture of it.”
”Exactly.”
Her stomach gurgled and she clasped a hand over it, embarra.s.sment staining her cheeks.
He lifted a brow. ”Hungry?”
The embarra.s.sment faded and she drawled, ”What gave you that idea?”
”Come on, I'll feed you. Katie's on your house tonight. I'll let her know she doesn't need to get there until around 11:00. Does that work for you?”
”Sure.” The soft smile she shot him couldn't hide the fear she was feeling-or the bone-deep weariness.
”Hey,” he said, reaching over to grasp her left hand in his. He squeezed her fingers. ”We're going to get this guy.”
”I know.”
”What's that verse? Isaiah 40:31?”
She closed her eyes and quoted, ”'But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.'”
”Don't give up, Serena. G.o.d's with us in this. He wants the killing to stop too.”
She pulled in a deep breath and opened her eyes to look at him. ”Then why doesn't he just lead us to the killer,” she grumbled. Bit her lip and looked up, staring out the window. ”I'm not giving up. You don't have to worry about that.”
He glanced at her, troubled by the sudden hard look in her eyes. ”What? What are you thinking?”
She blinked. ”I'm worried about Camille. I just wish she would call or text or something.”
”You want me to put a BOLO out on her?”
Serena bit her lip. ”Let's give it one more day. If I haven't heard from her by tomorrow night, you can do that. Let me check with her father first.”
”Sure, if you think that's what you need to do.”
”Tomorrow's Sunday.”
”A day of rest.”
She snorted. ”Not for the weary.”
He nodded to a local fast-food place. ”How about a burger?” She wrinkled her nose and he laughed. ”I'm just kidding.”
”Cute.” Her eyes brightened. ”How about one of my pizzas?”
”You really like pizza, don't you?”
”I have to confess, it's my absolute favorite meal ever.”
”It's not really a meal, you realize that, right?”
She pursed her lips. ”Take me home, Mr. Special Agent FBI man, and I'll whip us up a meal of a pizza.”
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