Fatal Enemy

Chapter 4

Jess waited long enough for Richard to relax into complacency and Anna to regain some composure before she flew from Miami to Buffalo. At the airport she rented an anonymous-looking grey sedan. She’d rejected a non-stop flight to Toronto. Although faster and easier, she’d be dependent on flight schedules for the return. Since 9/11, airport security had become irritatingly problematic. She’d be required to prove Anna’s identity, which would make them easier to stop and trace. No, driving into and out of Canada was best.

Reluctantly, she rejected buying an untraceable gun on the streets of Buffalo. Taking a gun into Canada was a serious crime. Canadian citizens weren’t allowed to carry concealed weapons. Even owning them was severely restricted. If she was caught she’d be arrested and probably imprisoned. Anna would certainly be returned to her father. No, the risk was too great. She’d take Anna away from Richard permanently using guile alone. She refused to fail again.

Jess drove to Lewiston, New York, and checked into a mom-and-pop motel. She rented the room for two nights. Tomorrow, she’d test her plan. The following day, she’d execute it.

She slept lightly for four hours, then dressed casually in khaki slacks, pink shirt, blue blazer, and running shoes. She fluffed her curly blonde hair and studied herself in the mirror, pleased by the guileless soccer mom effect she’d created.

It was dark at five a.m. as she drove toward the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. If he thought about her at all, Richard would expect her to take the shortest route to and from Toronto. She intended to oblige. Drive time was seventy-five minutes, baring construction or heavy traffic.

The border crossing went well. Off season, during the week, the area was almost deserted both ways. Very few travelers meant only one of the two customs booths were open. As in most of the small tourist towns, the Canadian customs officer simply asked her name, nationality, where she was going and when she planned to return. She’d offered the typical tourist’s response for a visit to Niagara Falls and paid the toll. He’d waved her through without asking for ID. May the return be so easy, she thought, wiping the sweat from each palm onto her slacks.

She reached the private school where her research revealed Anna was enrolled. After circling the block twice to be sure Richard wasn’t lurking and didn’t have Anna under surveillance, she parked in front. She had a clear view of the playground while waiting for 10:15 a.m. It nagged her that Richard seemed to have allowed Anna out of his control. Was he that sure of himself? Had he arrogantly assumed Jess had given up? If so, he didn’t know her at all. That thought comforted more than the alternatives.

At 10:20, a young woman led twenty energetic children out the door to the playground. Jess spotted Anna. When she saw the little girl with the strawberry curls for the first time, Jess’s eyes teared. She wiped her eyes with her fingers, willing the tears away. No time for sorrow now. She pushed all emotion aside as luxury. The job demanded her full attention.

Anna seemed quiet and unfocused, but functional. Eyes dull and heavy-lidded, she stood apart from the other children clutching a rag doll under her left arm and sucking her right thumb.

A low flame of denied anger began in Jess’s stomach. Anna’s parents had been locked into their own rage, unable to put Anna’s life first. The child would never be normal again. Anna was a victim of a tragic struggle. All Jess could do now was try to mitigate the damage. And get the bastard responsible. And maybe, someday, make it up to her by uniting her with her brother.

Richard Martin was no kind of father. Never to Peter, and not to Anna, either. The knowledge soothed Jess’s guilt only slightly.

Like every good investigator, she’d analyzed the risks, then constructed Plan A and Plan B. Plan A: she and Anna returned home without Richard’s interference, luring him back into the U.S. where authorities would arrest him. Plan B provided an alternative if Richard attempted to thwart her. He would be dealt with at the border crossing. At least, in theory.

Yet again, she regretted the decision she’d had to make about the gun and prayed her alternative would work, even though it could cost Jess her own life. She’d no alternatives left.