CHAPTER SEVEN
Kat tried not to be too obvious.
As she and Hannah made their way through Grand Central Market, she kept giving sidelong glances at her much younger temporary roommate, checking on how she was managing being out in the world after a month of isolation. She seemed to be okay so far.
The market was a giant collection of indoor and outdoor food vendors in the heart of downtown. It was always crowded at this hour in the early afternoon, which was one of the reasons Kat had chosen it. The other was that it was within walking distance of both her office and apartment.
She wanted a busy place to meet with her potential new client because of the nature of the case. Wren Rivera wasn’t just a new client; she was also an old friend. They’d served together in Afghanistan, where Kat was an Army Ranger and Wren was a medic.
In fact, Wren was among the first to help treat Kat after her Humvee hit an IED and killed nearly everyone else in the vehicle.
The explosion left her with multiple injuries.
Wren and the medical team had done a good job patching her up.
But neither they nor the doctors back home could do much about the lasting visual remnants of the incident, specifically her multiple facial burn marks and the long scar that ran vertically down her left cheek from just below her eye.
They’d stayed in touch and, since they lived in the same city, met up occasionally for a bite and catch-up session. But this was different. Wren had called her out of the blue yesterday, claiming she thought she was being stalked.
She said that over the last week, she’d noticed a man trailing her as she went to work, when she went to lunch, and after she left for the day. She said he seemed to wear disguises, but she still recognized him because of a distinctive mole on his cheek and the odd, shuffling way he walked.
Kat had agreed to meet with her, but not at the office. She worried that if this was legitimate and the stalker saw Wren visiting a private detective’s office, it might either prompt him to do something drastic or make him fade into the woodwork for a while, making him harder to identify.
That’s why she had instructed Wren to follow specific instructions when they met up.
She had her friend get into a rideshare as soon as she left her office, then have it take her to nearby Union Station.
She was to get out at one end and walk through the crowded train station to the exit for taxis, where she would hop into one and have it take her here, to this crowded market.
She told Wren to weave in and out of the foot traffic until she got to a specific restroom, where they’d be waiting for her.
That’s where she and Hannah were headed now.
She looked at her watch. It was 1:27. They were supposed to meet Wren in the restroom around 1:30, and it appeared they would arrive a bit early.
“How are you doing?” Kat asked Hannah.
“So far, so good,” she replied drily. “No sign of Ash Pierce yet, so that’s a plus.”
Kat smiled at her. She knew the kid was naming the hitwoman as a way of diminishing the hold she had on her. Dark humor was a treasured resource in circumstances like these.
“Considering that Pierce doesn’t know where I live or work and that we’re currently in one of the most crowded spots downtown, I feel like we’re in good shape.”
Hannah nodded, though she didn’t look totally convinced. They set that topic aside as they reached the restroom. There was a small line, which Kat ignored. She wasn’t here to use the facilities.
“Hey,” someone objected as she and Hannah breezed by, but she paid her no mind.
When they got inside, she saw that Wren was already there.
The woman looked much like she had the last time they’d met, about six months ago.
Petite,with dark skin, short brown hair, and eyes to match, she appeared frail.
But Kat had seen her treat giant soldiers with horrible wounds, often having to both soothe and restrain them as she worked on their injuries. She was tougher than she looked.
Which was why Kat took her concerns seriously. Wren wasn’t one to cry wolf. And it was clear from the circles under her eyes that she’d lost a lot of sleep worrying about this guy.
“Hey,” Kat said, walking over and giving her a warm embrace. “It’s great to see you, even under these circumstances.”
“You too,” Wren replied, her eyes darting nervously toward Hannah, who’d joined them.
“This is Hannah,” Kat explained. “She’s a college student who unofficially interned with me last summer. She’s been helping me out the last few weeks on some cases, and I thought she could be an asset with yours, too.”
Wren shrugged. “If you trust her, I trust her.”
“I trust her with my life, which she actually saved once.”
Kat saw Hannah blush—a rarity for her—and moved on quickly.
“So here’s the plan,” she said. “You’re going to leave the restroom and walk casually down the breezeway to the noodle joint at the far end of the market. Then you’ll double back and stop at the kabob place about midway down on your left. Don’t hurry.”
“Why not?” Wren asked anxiously.
“The goal here isn’t to evade this guy,” Kat explained.
“It’s to make sure that he didn’t track you despite all the bouncing around you did.
I’m going to follow you from about twenty paces behind.
Hannah will be about that distance behind me.
We’ll both be watching for anyone who seems to have fixated on you, particularly men with moles on their left cheek who walk with a shuffle.
Once you’re inside, order a bite. Hannah will get a table, and I’ll wait outside to keep an eye on things until you sit with her.
Once I’m comfortable that you weren’t followed, I’ll join the two of you, and you can fill us in a little more. Sound good?”
Wren nodded, looking more relieved already.
*
Ten minutes later, confident that the coast was clear, Kat joined the other two at a table in the corner of the kabob restaurant.
She silently noted that, without even being told to, Hannah had chosen a table against the far wall that had views of the entire place and where they couldn’t be snuck up on. The kid had skills.
“So tell us a little more about this guy,” Kat said as she sat down. “When did you first notice him, and what made you think he was following you?”
“It was last Friday,” Wren said. “I was at work, which is in an office tower not too far from here.”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Hannah said, “but what do you do?”
“I’m sure Kat mentioned how we became friends,” Wren explained. “I was a medic in the army. Once I left, I joined a home health company specializing in care for injured veterans. I’m the administrative nursing liaison for the company.”
“Okay,” Hannah said, nodding. “Please go on.”
Wren picked up where she’d left off. “Around mid-morning, I realized that I was out of protein bars, so I went to a convenience store next door to the office. While I was paying at the counter, I looked up at the circular mirror above the clerk and noticed the man standing behind me in line. It was the mole that made him register for me. But I didn’t really think about it again until I went to a café down the block to pick up the lunch I’d pre-ordered.
As I was walking out, I noticed him in line a few folks behind me.
I thought it was odd but dismissed it as just someone who worked in the area being on the same schedule as me. ”
“But you don’t think that was it?” Kat prodded.
“No. That evening, I stopped into a liquor store that was on my walk back to the parking garage my company uses. I was picking up a bottle of wine for a friend’s housewarming party over the weekend. The man was there too.”
Wren sucked in nervous air at the memory. After a moment, she went on.
“I don’t know when he walked in. But at some point, I looked up and he was hanging out in the same aisle as me.
But he didn’t seem to really be looking at any wines.
He kept glancing over at me. I bought mine and left quickly.
The whole way to the parking garage—about a block and a half—I held the bottle like a weapon, just in case. But I didn’t see him there.”
“When did you see him next?” Hannah asked.
“Yesterday morning, Monday,” Wren answered immediately.
“I was on alert as I walked from the garage to the office. Then I saw him across the street. Only now he was wearing a fedora and a blond wig. But because of the shuffling walk, I locked in on him right away. He sat down on a bench and watched as I walked into my building.”
“Did you see him again?” Kat asked.
“Yes. I brought my lunch yesterday because I didn’t want to go outside if I could help it.
But when I left for the day, I saw him again.
He was in the lobby of my building! I was so glad that I had asked a friend to leave at the same time as me because the guy followed us all the way to the garage.
My friend wanted to turn around and take photos of him, but I said not to because I wasn’t sure how dangerous he was. ”
“And today?” Kat wondered.
“This morning, after I parked, I actually waited until I saw a different co-worker arrive and pull into a nearby spot before getting out of my car. We didn’t even know each other that well, but he was nice enough to stay with me the whole time.
I didn’t see the guy with he mole on the way in, but I wasn’t sure if that was because he wasn’t there or just that he was wearing a better disguise today. ”
“Okay,” Kat said, satisfied. “I’ll take the case.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I want you to have peace of mind. So I’ll get on this ASAP. And when I find the guy, I’ll be the one stalking him.”
“We will,” Hannah said forcefully.
Kat looked over her with surprise. She hadn’t expected that and wasn’t sure what to make of it.
She could see an unexpected mix of emotions on Hannah’s face.
There was—not quite fear, but intense anxiety there.
But she also saw determination. It seemed almost like the young woman had decided that it was time to battle her demons directly rather than just try to hide from them.
Part of her was reluctant to let Hannah in the field after everything she’d been through recently.
Then again, this was the first time she’d expressed interest in leaving the apartment building in a month.
That was a major step forward and one to be encouraged.
It felt worth the risk of having a recurrence of anxiety.
She hoped Jessie would agree, but there wasn’t time to get her best friend’s input right now.
“Okay,” she said with a smile, I guess we’ll be stalking him.”