Chapter 20 #3
"There's no way to find the car?"
"Probably not. But we have the make and model, and we've put the license plate out there, so if anyone sees the car, they will stop it and, hopefully, find the person who was watching you."
"That would be good. That's one reason I called. I've been thinking about the timeline, and it doesn't add up."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I haven't been able to figure out how they knew where we were staying, Tessa.
Your aunt called her friend from her phone while we were standing in front of the apartment building.
There was no one else around, and I know Vivienne wouldn't have told anyone where we were, so how did they find us so fast?
Vivienne even put the room on her credit card. "
"That still could be connected to me," I said slowly.
"Then I was thinking it was our phones. They were tracking us through our phones, but that seemed complicated. I woke up at four a.m. with another idea," Morgan continued.
"Which is what?" I asked.
"There is one other constant from Thursday night on," she replied.
"Constant?" I echoed.
"The Jeep," Colton said, swearing under his breath. "You had my Jeep."
"Are you saying they tracked your Jeep?"
"Where did you park it when you went home?" Colton asked.
"It was in front of the apartment building on the street," I said.
"It was out in the open?"
"Yes."
"You need to check the car, Tessa," Morgan said. "Before you go anywhere else in it."
Colton was already heading for the door. I jumped up to follow him, taking the phone with me. "I think we're doing that now."
I followed him out of the apartment and down to the street. When we got to the Jeep, he squatted next to the front wheel on the passenger side and started checking the underside.
"Colton is looking for something on the car," I told Morgan. As I heard him swear, I added, "I think he found it."
"Tessa." He waved me toward the Jeep. I squatted next to him, following the flashlight on his phone to a matte black box the size of a deck of cards attached to the wheel well.
"Is that a tracker?" I asked.
"Yes." He flipped off the light, and I got up and stepped back as he did the same.
"There was a tracker on the Jeep," I told Morgan as I followed him into the building. "Colton, where are you going? Aren't you going to take it off?"
He shook his head, clearly indicating he didn't want to talk until we got back inside.
Once we were inside his apartment, he said, "You were right, Morgan. He was tracking you through the Jeep. I didn't take it off, because we might be able to use it."
I suddenly saw where he was going. "If you leave it on, you could lure him somewhere," I said.
"Exactly. We can bring him to us."
I felt a wave of excitement. "That's a great idea. We don't have to look over our shoulders if we're waiting for him."
"You won't be waiting," Colton said firmly. "I will. You're done with the Jeep, Tessa. This vehicle is bait, and you are not going to be bait."
"If he doesn't see me in the Jeep, and you lure him to a location, he might run."
"I'll put the Jeep in a place where that can't happen."
"Well, you can't take it to the police station."
"No, it will be somewhere else, but I'll have units backing me up. We're going to get him," he said, new energy in his voice.
"I hope so," I said.
"Hello?" Morgan said.
"Sorry," I said, turning my attention back to the phone. "Colton has a plan."
"I heard. I think it's a great one, but where are you going to be, Tessa?"
I glanced at my watch. "Since Colton won't let me be part of the trap, I guess I'll go to the theater and see who's there. But I don't think rehearsals are starting until eleven, so I'll get a cab to your location, and we can talk before then."
"Okay. Room 2310," she said, also giving the name of her hotel.
"I'll see you in a little while." As I ended the call, Colton gave me a frown. "What's that look for?"
"I think you should go to wherever Morgan is and stay there. Where is she, by the way?" When I hesitated, he said, "You really don't trust me?"
"Actually, I do trust you. She's at the Hilton by the river."
"Then go there and stay there. You're still a target."
"I can't just sit on my hands."
"That's exactly what you should do. I'm on this. I'm going to find Paige's killer."
I liked his confident determination. "I hope so, but I think I'll be fine at the theater."
"Where you almost got crushed by something falling on you."
"That won't happen again. I'll be careful," I told him.
"Fine. I would offer to drop you off—"
"But you can't. We don't want the tracker to go to the hotel where Morgan is."
"I'll put you in a cab, and then I'll work on setting a trap."
I didn't bother to argue as he walked outside with me, insisting that he call a cabbie he knew personally to make sure I got where I was going. I appreciated his thoughtful worry. It was nice to have him on my side and working along with me.
As we waited in front of his building, I said, "Thanks for the couch."
"You fell asleep before I left the room."
"It all caught up to me at once."
"I figured. You've done good, Tessa. You put everything in motion. The truth about Paige will come out, and it will be because of you."
He was talking like I was done, but I didn't bother to correct him.
I would be careful, but I wasn't going to do nothing.
There were still some people I might be able to get some information from that he wouldn't be able to crack.
If I could get him more ammunition to help blow this case wide open, I would.
The cab pulled up a moment later, and Colton exchanged greetings with a middle-aged Asian man who seemed more than capable of getting me across town.
"Call me later," I said as I got in the car. "I'll be eager to hear if the trap works."
"I will. And if anything else comes up, you call me."
I slid into the seat and shut my door, giving him a wave as the cab pulled away.
It felt strange to feel close to a man I'd known for just a few days and who had started out as a formidable enemy only to become my ally.
I had a feeling I was still going to need Colton's help.
I hoped we were getting closer to the truth, but if we were chasing the wrong lead, we could just be getting farther away.