Free Split Second by Douglas E. Richards

in
the car when I returned to my house for Nathan’s flash drive. In hindsight, I
should have brought the damn SMG.”
    “Ever fired a gun?”
    Jenna shook her head.
    “Then you were far better off
holding your assailant at bay with a glass of wine.”
    “If they had known I had the MP5,
I’ll bet you they would have found some magical way to discredit me. Maybe
report that a woman matching my description had robbed a private home and
stolen one, or something like that. Making sure to plant seeds of doubt in the
minds of anyone I might approach.”
    “There’s more,” said Blake with
a frown. “Right after you went to sleep I called the local police station. I
told them I was a PI and had gotten wind of a BOLO on Jenna Morrison. I
reported that I thought I might have seen you.”
    Jenna’s eyes narrowed. “BOLO?”
    “Sorry. Be on the lookout . You told me you came here and not to the cops
because you worried the groups after you might have law enforcement in their
pockets. I thought this idea was worth a quick experiment. My call was nothing
more than a fishing expedition. I had no reason to expect there really was a
BOLO out for you. But the detective I spoke with was very interested, and certainly didn’t correct me.”
    “Shit!” said Jenna. “So now
they’re looking for me in LA?”
    “No. I used my cell in a mode
that makes it untraceable and told them I was calling from San Diego—which is
where they expect you to be. But there’s more. I told them I saw you in the stolen
car, to which the detective replied, ‘What stolen car?’”
    “Just perfect,” she said
sarcastically, shaking her head in disgust. “So they’re hunting for me, despite
not having any official reason to be doing so.”
    “Exactly. Which suggests that
you were right. Whoever is behind this can wield the police like so many pawns.”
    Jenna felt ill once again. It
was all so . . . diabolical. She had been right. Had she gone to the cops she’d
be in the hands of the men who wanted her already. And if Andy Cavnar hadn’t
handed her a submachine gun on Palomar Mountain, everyone would think she was a
raving lunatic.
    “I should also tell you that
about an hour ago,” continued Blake, “I went out and bought a fabric cover for
your car. One that hides everything, its make, model, color, and license
plates. I parked my car on the street and moved yours to my designated spot,
and then covered it.”
    Jenna was impressed. This was a
simple but effective strategy to ensure the police never identified the stolen
car. “Thanks, Aaron,” she said sincerely.
    “You’re welcome. That car is the
only link to you. When the groups after you figure that out, they’ll pull out
all stops to find it.”
    Jenna tilted her head in thought.
“Speaking of cars, shouldn’t we consider going back to my house as soon as we
can? If that guy is still in the trunk of my car, you could interrogate him. Find
out everything he knows.”
    “That ship probably sailed
before you even arrived here,” said Blake. “The guy you bested is part of a team.
When he didn’t check in, or his team leader couldn’t reach him, they’d have sent
someone to your house to investigate. So he’s long out of your trunk, and by
now they have so many cameras pointing at your house a ghost couldn’t get in
undetected.”
    “I really blew it, didn’t I?”
she said miserably. “I should have made him tell me what this was all about
when I had the chance.”
    “Not at all. You were freaked
out, you had no weapons or combat training, and you were busy holding off a
seasoned killer with a bluff. You didn’t know what end was up, or when more of
his team might be arriving. And you believed him when he refused to tell you
anything more and insisted that you’d pushed him to his limits. You’re being
too hard on yourself. The fact that you figured out a way to turn the tables on
him was brilliant.”
    “Thanks,” whispered Jenna, but
his words didn’t help.