“I’d like to get a cell phone. And if I’m going to sneak around town, I need different clothes, a hat, a wig or something. A change of underwear would be nice, too, since all I have are the clothes on my back.”
“Let’s wait until she meets with Agent Bradley. That should keep her busy for at least thirty minutes to an hour. Then we could skip over to the big store we passed on the way into town. They’ll have everything you need.”
“One problem,” she said. “I don’t have money or credit cards.”
“I’ve got you covered.”
“I’ll reimburse you when I get my life back.” She shook her head. “Right now, I feel like I don’t exist—like I’ve been erased, and the imposter is now me.”
Chapter 6
An hour later, exhaustion pulled at Avery’s eyelids. She blinked, shoved a hand through her hair and glanced back at the Good Night Motel.
Her doppelganger chose that moment to emerge from her room.
Avery sat up, adrenaline spiking, flinging aside the fatigue. “She’s coming out.”
Grant nodded. “It’s that time. She’ll be heading to TJ’s Bar and Grill to meet with Agent Bradley.”
“I should be meeting with Agent Bradley.” Avery pressed her lips together. “I know. I know. If this imposter is working with the killer, we need to give her a chance to lead us to him.”
“If you don’t want to continue down this path, we can confront her at the bar and grill.”
“No. Like I said earlier, I don’t feel like I exist. With no credentials or any form of identification, I’m not sure they’d take me seriously.”
“If it means anything, I take you seriously,” he said with a smile. “Let’s follow and see if she keeps her appointment with your colleague.”
“My colleague,” Avery drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I can’t imagine what she’ll think of me when she learns I was four days late to my assignment.”
“She’ll be glad you survived. You could’ve been swept away with your vehicle in that flash flood.”
Avery shivered, her memory of getting out of her vehicle clearer since waking in the hospital. “It happened so fast. One minute, I was suspended over the steering wheel, held in place by the seatbelt. Next, I was fighting my way out of the car, the door barely opening, only to land in the rapidly rising water.”
Grant reached across the console and covered her hand with his. “You got out. That’s what counts.”
Avery nodded, her gaze following the imposter’s movements as she climbed into her rental Jeep and pulled out of the parking lot at the Good Night Motel.
“I’m glad I did. I just remember falling face-first into the mud and clawing my way up the side of the creek bank, then stumbling my way out to the highway. From there, it’s all a blank. I must have passed out.”
Grant’s big hand squeezed hers. Warm, strong and protective. “The doctor said you might not remember everything from that night. The mind has a way of protecting the victim from reliving the trauma.”
“I remember enough to spawn nightmares.” Avery pointed. “She’s pulling into TJ’s Bar and Grill.”
Grant turned into the parking lot of an auto parts store across the street from the bar and grill and parked, leaving the engine running. “We’ll watch until she goes inside, then make a dash for the things you need.”
“I like the plan. Do you think we’ll get back before she leaves?”
“We’ll hurry to make sure,” Grant promised.
Imposter Avery climbed out of the Nebraska rental car and entered the restaurant.
Using Grant’s phone, Avery looked up the address of the big store he had mentioned.
Grant waited a few seconds longer, then shifted into drive and followed the directions to the store.
“I’ll hit the electronics section and find a phone,” he said. “You can go collect the items of clothing and whatever else you need. We can meet at checkout. And don’t worry about cost. I’ll cover it.”
“Thankfully, this is a discount store, not high-end designer clothing,” Avery said. “I’ll find something that’ll work until I can get back to my apartment in San Antonio.”
