"I'm not sure, and I don't think anyone is home." She stepped inside her home then came back with a bunch of letters. "Would you be so kind enough to do me a favor?"
"Sure," Felicia said.
"Can you give these to him? They mailman dropped them here by mistake."
"Sure," Felicia said and bid her goodbye. “She went over the mail.”
They walked back to the Corolla and climbed inside.
Felicia made a face. "What is it with people from small towns? Why are they so trusting?"
"Tell me about it." Kerry cleared his throat. "What if we were serial killers?"
"Should we knock at his house?"
"Let's try the other neighbors."
The agents walked to other side of the road and knocked on the door of the home on the corner.
A clean-shaven man with wind-swept hair greeted them. "Can I help you?"
"Oh, hi, you must be…" Felicia paused, as if gathering her thoughts. "We're looking for our cousin Sheila Downey. I'm not sure we got the right address."
The man studied them. "Don't know anybody by that name."
"Is this Twenty-One Cauliflower Street?" Kerry asked.
"It's the third house on your left."
"Do you know her?"
The man huffed. "Who are you, the cops?"
"We're going now." Kerry tugged Felicia. "Have a nice day."
As the two agents trotted down the street, Felicia asked, "How many more houses do we have to knock in?"
"One, his."
They surveyed the lakefront property. Kerry rang the doorbell and waited. When nobody came out, he tucked in the letters underneath the doorstep.
"Looks like he's neighbor is right, Michael doesn't seem to be around."
***
Vladimir watched the man and woman leave letters underneath his doorstep and waited until they left to put his phone make a call and put his phone on speaker.
"How's my favorite cousin?" Constantine asked in his cheery voice.
"Listen, I need you to check on this guy, David Benson, a realtor from Seattle."
"Are you planning to buy property there?"
Vladimir eyed the business card. "Nope, he appeared on my driveway. Slashed tire."
"Let me guess. You helped him."
"Too obvious if I didn't."
"Okay, will check on him. Is that all you need?"
He leaned toward the window. "Order me a hidden camera. The street has been busy lately."
"Right on."
Fuck!
Chapter 17
Three months had passed since Dana moved to Albuquerque and she was finally getting used to her new life. While the library patrons were busy reading books, Dana surfed the internet. She typed in "Vla" then backspaced. How will she be able to find Vladimir if she didn't know where to look?
An ad for her favorite retail shop that sold black and white clothing flashed on the screen. Her mouth watered. If only she could buy a dress or two. Jake didn't make her pay anything at home with her humble salary and now that she left earlier than usual to pick up Molly from school, there was no way she could afford to buy these extravagant dresses.
But she did have her debit card number memorized. She clenched her hands as temptation tugged her intestines. Should she buy it?
What's one dress? She accessed the Bank of America website and typed in her username and password. Her jaw dropped. Why do I have more money than I had? Oh… The sale of Dad's house. She switched back to the online shopping site and went on a shopping spree.
Sarah nudged her from behind. "So, you took my advice seriously."
Dana lunged her hand on her chest. "You scared me."
"I'm sorry."
Contemplating between pressing the purchase button, Dana stared at the screen.
"C'mon, buy it," Sarah dared. "You deserve it, you know that."
Flashing her a sheepish grin, Dana said, "I don't think I should."
"Silly, if you don't do it, I'll buy them for you."
Dana tapped Sarah's hand. "You don't need to do that for me."
"I insist."
"Sh." Dana placed her finger on her mouth as the patrons glanced at them.
Sarah whispered, "If you're scared that Jake will think you're overspending, you can have it delivered to my house and I can tell Jake I gave it to you." She winked.
A smile spread across Dana's lips. Little did Sarah know that Dana had bigger problems than that, but Sarah's solution seemed great. She needed to find a way to get her money and blamed herself for failing to discuss this with U.S. Marshall Collins and Adams. Her hard-earned money. "Sarah, you don't know how much that means to me. I will take your offer."
"Sure thing. I'll let you know when the package arrives."
***
After work, Dana lined up at the bank. As she reached the clerk, she handed over the check.
"Can I see your ID, Lucy?"
Digging inside her purse, she pulled out her fake driver's license and gave it to the clerk.
The clerk glanced at it and looked up at her. "Would you like to open an account with us? It will save you the trouble of—"
"That's all right. Can you please give me the cash?"
"Sure. You want them in twenties or hundreds?"
"Hundreds should be fine." She sighed. The cash she had was only one-tenth of what she really owned and she was looking forward to the clothes she ordered. Surely, U.S. Marshall Collins hadn't realized what these outdated clothes were doing to her self-esteem.
***
Jake stepped inside the house, holding a paper bag, while Dana and Molly were curled up on the couch watching cartoons that evening.
"You're early," Dana said.
"Thought I'd surprise you both. Let's go out to dinner tonight." He arched her a smile.
Molly insisted he carry her piggyback. He laid the bag on the couch and ran around the living room while Molly giggled. Moments like this got her all misty-eyed. She missed her father so much. She appreciated him more now that he protected her and wished she had visited him more often.
Jake bent down and released Molly. She continued to laugh as she smudged her nose against his.
"Daddy has to take a shower. Then we'll go to dinner at your favorite restaurant," he said and signed. Jake picked up the paper bag and pulled out a pink dress. "So you can wear this new dress."
Molly gave him a huge embrace then swirled around the living room, holding her dress.
Dana watched them in delight.
Locking eyes with Dana, Jake plucked out another dress and gave it to her. "I figured you were a size zero, but wasn't sure. We can return it in case you don't like it."
Dana studied the black and white dress and welled up in tears. "It's beautiful. Thank you. And yes it fits." How could he possibly know black and white were my favorite colors? She kissed him on the cheek.
Silence crossed between them before he said, "Let me take a quick shower so we can go."
She nodded, wiping the tears from her face. How thoughtful of him. Maybe I shouldn't have gone in a shopping spree.
Jake excused himself while Dana tidied up the house. Molly had rushed to her room with her dress.
***
At the Italian restaurant, Dana twirled her spaghetti in silence. Wearing the dress Jake gave her made her feel beautiful again, something she hadn't felt in months. Her hair had grown a little bit above her shoulder, and some patrons threw her admiring glances. However, she was surprised Jake had shaved his beard. His eyes spelled gentleness and the sacrifice and love he bestowed his daughter melted her heart. But she couldn't get too close. This was only temporary till she got her old life back.
Her thoughts drifted back to her glamorous life at the catwalk. She missed the makeup artists polishing her face while the hair stylist worked wonders on her hair. When was the last time she got a manicure and pedicure done? Perhaps she would convince Sarah to have a girls' day out.
"Lucy, you okay?"
She morphed back into reality. "Yeah. Sorry."
"Is your food okay?" He eyed her spaghetti.
"Yeah, it's good."
"You haven't touched it."
She plunged the fork inside her mouth and chewed. "It's really good."
Molly was oblivious to them both as she colored while chewing her pizza.
Dana reached for her glass in time for Jake to rest his hand on hers. "I want you to be happy," he said.
She steadied her gaze then drank water. "Thank you."
From the corner of her eye, Dana spotted a tall man with a leather jacket looking toward them. She blinked. This guy looks familiar. Where have I seen him before?
The man followed the waiter escorting him to a table.
Jake snapped his fingers. "Lucy."
"Oh, sorry." She flinched.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Sure." She took Molly's hand, and they exited the restaurant.
***
"Look at this, Vladimir," Towering high, Constantine looked down at him and pointed on the computer screen as he typed in codes. "Someone from New Mexico went on a shopping spree."
Vladimir fixed his glasses and bent down to check. "Now look at that, you hacker."
"Yeah. The press is making it appear that Dana Simmons is traveling in Europe, but somebody ordered clothes from The Black and White shop..." He Googled Dana Simmons. Images of the supermodel flashed on the screen. "Voila, this woman loves black and white."
Vladimir rubbed his chin. "Could be a coincidence."
"A coincidence? I don't think so. Do you think a supermodel like Dana could survive in a small town in New Mexico?"
Vladimir smirked. "Could be someone else trying to provide a distraction."
"What's the matter with you? You don't seem interested in finding her."
"Well, I could make some calls in their town and try to get him some leads."
Constantine glared at him. "You know that ain't a good idea. We need to do these ourselves. You can't be too obvious."
Vladimir took a big gulp of his coffee. "I understand how aggressive you can be since it's only your first year in the business. Wait until you reach twenty years, and you'll think it's the same shit and just another day."
He put his fingers to his eyes then pointed at him. "Well, that's why you need someone like me. Fresh eyes, eager like a lion, ready to gobble up her prey."
Vladimir chuckled. "What do you propose?"
Constantine leaned his hip on his desk. "I believe we should do this in our own time." He tossed brochures of Albuquerque New Mexico on his desk. "We're both due for a vacation."
Vladimir shook his head. "That's my territory now. Get back to work."
Scowling, Constantine left the room.
From above the rim of his glasses, Vladimir studied the purchases then grinned.
His phone rang. "Yep."
"I believe I found your girl," the caller said in a smooth voice. "I wasn't sure the first time, but saw her again at the Italian restaurant wearing a black dress and she sure looked like the photo you gave me."
"Good job. I'll make sure you get a bonus, Ted." He hanged up and punched in a number.
"Thank you for calling Seasons Travel. How may I direct your call?"
"I need a one way ticket to New Mexico from Anchorage."
"Where in New Mexico, sir?"
"Bluewater Acres." He diverted his gaze outside the window, watching snowflakes fall into the ground. A wicked smile spread across his lips as he imagined what he would do to Dana once he saw her.
The clicking sound of the computer keys overshadowed his thoughts. "You'll need to fly to Albuquerque, and it's about a hundred twenty miles to get to—"
"When is the next flight?"
"Would you prefer a layover in LAX or Arizona?"
"It doesn't matter, just book me the damn flight." He took off his glasses and removed his wallet from his pocket.
"Okay, sir." He overheard typing on a keyboard. "I have one flight leaving at noon and—"
"I'll take that." He gave her his credit card info and waited for her to transmit the confirmation then hanged up. Rubbing his hands together, he grinned. "Dana Simmons, we will finally meet."
Chapter 18
Dana was delighted when Sarah showed up at her doorstep and embraced her tight. "You came."
"And I'm early," Sarah said. "Oh, and your package is going to arrive tomorrow."
Swirling around, she burst into a smile. "Yippee." A surge of adrenaline sprinkled upon Dana.
As they climbed into Dana's Beetle, Sarah nudged Dana. Rachel was watching them from her window. "Look how much she envies you."
Dana started the ignition then backed up from the driveway. "Don't pay attention to her. She's a miserable woman."
"Oh, those are the ones you need to pay attention to since you don't know what they're capable of."
Shifting gears, Dana stepped on the gas and turned on the radio. "Let's not worry about that today. I can't wait to get my nails done and have a facial."
Sarah grinned. "Same here. I think we should do this once a quarter."
Tapping on her steering wheel, Dana blurted, "Are you kidding me? I used to get mine done once a week."
"Seriously?" Sarah arched her eyebrows. "You sound like a spoiled supermodel," she laughed.
Swallowing hard, Dana remembered she was Lucy the librarian, not Dana the supermodel.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." She blinked. "Of course, I'm no supermodel. What I meant was my fantasy would be to have a spa day every week and not worry about cooking, cleaning, laundry, you know… the works."
"Oh, I hear you." Sarah snapped her fingers. "That would be paradise."
Yeah, paradise.
***
Constantine rolled his suitcase outside the airport as Vladimir shook his head. The moon hid beneath the clouds while they strolled to their rented Ford Mustang.
"Remind me again why you needed to come with me?" Vladimir lighted a cigarette.
His cousin plucked the cigarette from his lips. "If you want to concentrate on finding your supermodel, you better quit smoking."
Vladimir combed his fingers through his hair, "You're worst than my mother."
Constantine winked. The cab driver pulled up to the curb then stepped down to put their luggage inside the trunk.
"I don't know why you never learned the art of packing light," Vladimir groaned.
His cousin chuckled. "What would you do without me?"
He smirked and climbed into the car.
"Cheer up," Constantine said. "I got us tickets to the balloon museum and the old town as well. We might find her there."
"You're going to drain me out."
"On the contrary, I'm going to inject some life into you." Constantine laughed. "Have you forgotten that public places are the most convenient locations to commit a crime?"
But Vladimir was wishing he came alone. His younger cousin could be hasty, and his greed often consumed him.
***
Dana and Sarah giggled as they marched back to the car, their nails shimmering against the sun.
Sarah slurped her iced tea and beamed. "I feel like a queen today."
"And we shall rule the kingdom, Queen Sarah," Dana added while she shut the door of her Beetle.
"I wonder what Jake is going to say when he sees you. You're such a lucky woman to be with him,. When his wife died, the single women of Bluewater Acres threw themselves at him, but he spent time raising his daughter."
Dana didn't flinch, she kept her eyes on the road. "I guess I'm lucky."
"How did you two meet anyway?"
Biting her lip, Dana gathered her thoughts. She had to replay the game of charades Agent Collins prepped her. "Um, nothing extraordinary. I was in the area and asked him for directions at the gasoline station."
"Really? What were you doing here?"
Heart pounding, Dana opened the window.
"I mean, I don't know anyone who
wants to come to Bluewater Acres."
"I was lost. A friend and I went to Albuquerque for a wedding, and we made the wrong left turn. My friend dared me to ask him out so I gave him my number." She winked, fascinated by how natural a fabricated story could be. "I didn't think he'd call, but I'm glad he did."
"Wow, and who says that ain't extraordinary? Oh, girl, that's better than my story. Ask me how I met Jim."
"How?"
"We were neighbors and walked to school together every day. I hated his guts until one day he kissed me." Sarah giggled, and Dana glanced over to see a tainted blush spread on her face. "And I thought he could be cool."
Swerving to the right, Dana laughed. "A kiss can change everything."
"Tell me about it. I was love-struck after that day. I couldn't even look at him, and he thought I got angry that he kissed me."
"Boys." Dana sighed. "They can be so clueless at times." Her thoughts shifted to Jake, probably the only man who didn't seem clueless. But she had to remind herself not to get too close.
***
Vladimir waited in his car rental, staring at Sarah Winter's house. He let Constantine visit the balloon museum by himself. This had to be done alone. The white picket fence surrounded by pink roses gave light to the faded paint of the ranch-style home. Vladimir had surveyed the area earlier that afternoon, and nobody was home except for the golden retriever that slept in the front lawn.
Glancing at his watch, Vladimir turned on the timer and gave a wry smile.
Moments later, a UPS truck pulled over the curb. A man slipped out of the car carrying a box.
Scrutinizing the area, Vladimir bolted out of his car and approached him.
The driver greeted him. "I'm looking for Sarah Winters."
"Let me take that for my wife. She needs to stop shopping. When I told her that her clothes can't fit inside her closet, she asked me if she can have mine." He shared a laugh with the driver.
"My wife is the same. She claims she has nothing to wear when she has outfits she's never touched." He handed Vladimir the delivery receipt for his signature.
Vladimir signed Jim Winters' name. "Thanks."
The driver jumped in his delivery truck and rolled down the window. "I hope she doesn't return the items and order again," he chuckled.