Arizona
Lyle could barely breathe while they walked down the stairs. Kate seemed calm and relaxed, not at all bothered by what they were doing. Once they reached the bottom floor of the stairwell, they hid around the corner and waited.
“What now?” he asked.
“Now,” she said, “the swat team will come in and we will slip out.”
“How long does that take?”
“Depends on how efficient they are,” she said. “They were probably supposed to check in after clearing each floor, but it could have been each room. I’d say another few minutes at most.”
Turned out to be ten minutes, and it felt like an eternity to Lyle. He kept shifting, feeling lightheaded and dizzy. Kate had kicked him hard in the face and it was throbbing.
When the door finally sprang open he almost cried out. Five men in swat uniforms came in, carrying assault rifles, and started up the stairs. They didn’t notice the two fugitives hiding around the corner.
Kate waited until they were a few flights up and then headed toward the door. “Just stay calm and follow me.”
Lyle followed, barely daring to breathe. Once they were outside, they saw swarms of people looking at the building, mostly civilians but with officers and detectives mixed in.
Kate walked confidently along the building. No one paid them more than a passing glance. A few saw Lyle’s bruised eye and stared longer, but no one seemed to recognize him.
They made it through the crowd, and Kate directed him toward the back lot of cars. As soon as they were hidden behind some brush she stripped the officer’s clothes off. She found an open car and tossed the shirt inside, then the pants. Lyle did the same.
Then they found another unlocked car and climbed in. “Do you know how to hotwire it?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said, popping it open and playing with the wires.
“What if someone comes by and asks what we’re doing?”
“Then stall.”
“Stall? How am I supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know, show them a magic trick.”
Lyle sighed. It only took Kate a few seconds to get the car turned on and moving. They drove slowly out of the parking lot, using a back exit that hadn’t been closed off. Once they were on the road heading away from the hotel Lyle started breathing easier.
“That sucked,” he said.
“Yes it did,” she agreed. “But you didn’t do too badly considering.”
“You kidding? I couldn’t even think straight.”
“But you didn’t freak out,” Kate said. “So maybe there is hope for you yet.”
“My face hurts.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No you aren’t,” Lyle said.
She shrugged. “No, not really.”
“Where are we going now?”
“Farther east,” she replied. “By all reports, that’s where Victor is holding up.”
“Who’s Victor?” Lyle asked.
“He’s the guy running this entire operation,” Kate said.
“You used to know him?”
Kate was silent for a long moment. Finally, she said, “No. I don’t think I ever really knew him at all.”
