“Molly, I’m sorry, but I’m not sure you have a high enough clearance for me to answer that.”
Molly’s eyes flicked to Sarah. “Does your team know all about you? The things I know?”
“Yes, they know it all. It’s one of the reasons I was recruited.”
“I figured they probably did, since you’re the one who’s using me as bait now. Most people would get upset about that, seeing as how we’re old childhood friends. They’d have to understand you, or they probably couldn’t work with you.”
“Yeah, it caused me some problems at first, but they finally caught on. Question: are you leaving the restaurant with your date?”
“No, we just get together for dinner once in a while. It’s not like that. I’ll have the restaurant call me a cab when I’m ready to leave.”
“I’ve got a better idea,” Noah said. “I think it’s time to show myself. When you go back to your booth, make a point of telling your date that you ran into an old friend—her name is Sarah, by the way—and you’re going to hang out with her after dinner. Point her out when she comes back to the table, and when you get done eating, just come on out with her and Moose. We’ll drive you home, which will let the men watching you get a look at me. For now, you need to get back to your date, you’ve been gone long enough. And Molly? Trust me when I say we’ll do everything we can to keep you safe.”
Molly nodded. “I know that,” she said, “as long as it doesn’t interfere with your mission, right? Don’t answer that, I already know. I’m giving this back, now.” She lifted the earpiece off her ear and passed it back to Sarah. “Okay, I trust him, so I’ll trust you. See you after dinner.” She glanced at herself in the mirror and then turned and walked out of the restroom.
Sarah slipped the earpiece back on. “I thought you didn’t want her to know you were around?”
“She made you and Moose, so it was the best way to handle the situation. Wait a few more seconds and then go back out to join him. Moose, did you copy all that?”
“I did. She just slid back into the booth, but not before she took a good look at me.”
“Yeah, I see her again. I think you guys were what was making her nervous; her body language is nice and calm, now.”
Noah watched as Sarah took a seat at the table again, and noticed that Morabito was looking her way as she did so. “Watch Pasquale,” he said. “He got suspicious because the two of you were gone so long. I think he’s made you.”
Molly turned and gave Sarah a finger wave, and Sarah returned it. Molly was smiling as she pointed Sarah out to Kitchener, and Morabito seemed to relax a bit.
Their waitress appeared then, bringing their plates and refilling their glasses. Moose and Sarah dug in to eat, doing their best to avoid paying any attention to Molly or her stalker. Molly’s dinner had arrived while she and Sarah were in the ladies’ room, and she and Mr. Kitchener were also concentrating on the meal.
THIRTEEN
Neil had gotten hungry while they were waiting, so Noah sent him to get sandwiches from a fast food restaurant across the street. While he was gone, Noah called Parker to fill him in on the change of plans.
“She made us,” he said when Parker answered. “Molly figured out that Moose and Sarah were watching her, and confronted Sarah in the bathroom at the restaurant. I decided the best option was to let her know that I’m here, and what the situation is. I didn’t go into detail about who I work for.”
“The girl has a top-secret clearance, and we occasionally employ Dexter Reedy when we run into problems we can’t solve on our own. It’s quite possible your old friend already knows something about us. You’ve got free rein on this, Camelot. Do what you feel necessary.”
“Yes, Sir. We’ll be driving her home after dinner tonight, so there’s a good chance Nicolaich’s people will spot me. That’s what I’m hoping for, at this point. If he knows I’m in town, he might try to switch over onto me, rather than her.”
“Just be sure he doesn’t get a clear shot,” Parker said. “With the shape we’re in, I can’t afford to lose you right now.”
“I understand, Sir, and I have no intention of letting him win. He wants to turn this into a game but he doesn’t realize that all games of skill are based on logic. When it comes to games, I tend to excel.”
“That’s what I’m counting on, Camelot.”
The line went dead, so Noah put the phone away. Neil returned only a moment later and they ate in the car.
The two of them watched the monitor as Moose, Sarah and Molly finished their meals. Moose and Sarah were done first, and waited a few extra minutes for Molly, but finally Noah saw them all rise and start toward the door. He got back into the front passenger seat as the three of them came out of the restaurant and walked toward the car.