Chapter Twenty-Four #3
“I have to agree,” Jessica said. “You can’t stash her in a safe house and expect him to go away. He won’t. He’s been calculating and patient. He’s unraveling, but he’s still careful.”
Ronan pinched the bridge of his nose and Elle wanted to pat his arm, but she was hyperaware that Howard and Gary were watching like hawks.
“What do you suggest?” Ronan asked tightly.
“You could pretend to make her bait, but truthfully, I don’t think he’ll buy it unless the decoy is very realistic. He’s been watching her for two years. He knows her face, her gestures, the way she moves. He’ll be expecting you to use a decoy.”
Ronan dragged his fingers through his hair. “So what do we do? Just sit her in a chair in front of the Safeway with a sign that says ‘kill me now’?”
“You know she isn’t saying that,” Elle said softly.
His shoulders abruptly slumped. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Jessica.”
“It’s okay. I get it. This isn’t easy.” Jessica’s expression was full of regret. “What kind of realistic decoy can you put into play?”
For a long moment everyone just sat there, staring at each other.
Elle cleared her throat. “Dianne Foster’s memorial service is on Sunday.
Judith suggested I attend. That was on Monday, right after Sara left to go back to San Francisco.
I told Judith that I’d go. That was before we found the bug in my jacket, so Ashton heard me say so.
I think he’d believe I’d come out of hiding to go and pay my respects.
We can put whatever plan into play then.
If we whisper into the right ears that I’m still planning to attend, the rumor will spread.
If for no other reason than people will be angry that I’m the reason—” She caught herself.
“I’m the perceived reason that Dianne is dead. ”
Howard nodded thoughtfully. “That could work. Tamara Woodgate—she’s the deputy accompanying Ms. Hellier to San Francisco today—is your height, Elle, and she’s trained in hand-to-hand combat.
She’s a member of our SWAT team. She has the skills to defend herself if she’s impersonating you.
We need to get a wig and have it dyed to match your color, but that’s doable by Sunday. ”
Elle wanted to say that she was capable of defending herself, but Ronan was starting to look hopeful that she wouldn’t be putting her life at risk, so she said nothing.
“Women wear hats to funerals,” Jessica added. “If we’re skillful, we can hide Tamara’s face with the brim. She’ll have a few days to learn how to mimic Elle’s gait, some of her mannerisms.”
Ronan shook his head. “You can’t lure him into Dianne’s memorial service. It’s far too dangerous. We can’t have innocent people injured in the crossfire.”
Elle was thinking the same thing. “I go to the bluff at night,” she said. She wasn’t going to mention that Ronan had met her there nearly every evening. “On the headland in Mendocino. I go there to think.”
“It’s a good place for that,” Gary said. “Are you suggesting that after the service, you’ll go ‘think’ on the headland?”
“Actually I’m suggesting that Tamara could start to enter the hall and change her mind at the last minute.
” She grimaced. “I get panic attacks. Ever since the accident. I’m sure Ashton’s heard me talking myself through dozens of them over the two years he was listening to me.
Tamara could pretend to be having a panic attack and go to the bluff to recover her composure.
It’s isolated enough that no one else would be in the line of fire, and the land there is flat enough that snipers placed on a few of the water towers in town could provide cover in case things go wrong.
If Tamara is convincing enough, he’ll follow her there.
Let him make his move and be there to grab him.
” She looked at Jessica. “Would that work?”
Jessica nodded. “I think it would. Panic attacks are normal in your situation, by the way. You’d be odd if you didn’t have lingering trauma. But using what he’ll see as your weakness to lead him into a trap is very smart, Elle.”
Ronan’s exhale was slow and controlled. “That’s an excellent plan, Elle. Thank you.”
She knew he was really thanking her for respecting his need to keep her safe. “Who knew my panic attacks would come in handy?” she asked lightly.
He smiled at her and the knot in her stomach began to settle. She returned her gaze to Jessica, who wore an indulgent smile.
Oops. I guess we weren’t as discreet as we should have been.
“Ronan,” Howard said, “plan on being at Tamara’s side the whole time. Dempsey won’t believe that you’d let Elle go alone.”
Elle frowned, about to protest putting Ronan in danger, when she caught the twitch of Howard’s lips.
Yeah, they hadn’t been discreet at all.
“He’ll shoot Ronan first,” she said.
“That’s why he’ll also have body armor,” Howard replied. “It could work.”
Jessica nodded. “It could. Let’s hope it does. If we fail, if he suspects it’s a trap, he’ll almost certainly kill someone else in retaliation.”
Elle folded her hands on the table. “Then let’s make sure it works.”