“No problem. Now I’ve got to get downstairs and start baking my ham.” She laughed. “Ren loves it. I had Tubbs pick me up one at the store yesterday. I’m making scalloped potatoes and asparagus to go with it. And a chocolate cake for dessert.”
“My stomach is growling already!” Merrie enthused.
“Don’t be late coming down to dinner,” Delsey teased.
“I won’t. I promise!”
Merrie hung up her beautiful gown and the two coats she’d purchased. She was still worried about her stalker.
She picked up one of her throwaway phones and called Sari.
It took three rings before her sister picked up. “Sari, it’s me,” Merrie said.
“Oh, honey, I’ve been so worried!” Sari exclaimed. “You haven’t called, you haven’t written... Is it bad up there?”
“No, no, it’s fine.” Merrie laughed. “I was afraid to use the phone, that’s all. Has anything happened?”
“We don’t have a clue where the killer is,” Sari said sadly. “But Paul’s working overtime trying to track him. So is Eb Scott.”
“I did a stupid thing,” Merrie began.
“What?”
“I used my credit card in Catelow,” she said. “There’s a party that Ren wants me to go to with him, and I didn’t have a dress...”
“He’s taking you to a party?” Sari exclaimed. “Really?”
“It’s not like that,” Merrie said quietly. “Randall didn’t tell him why I was really here, so I did. He said I’d be safer here than anywhere else. He’s abrasive. But he’s sort of nice,” she faltered. “Anyway, I used the credit card. Did I mess up?”
“He doesn’t know where you are. I’m almost certain of it. But I’ll tell Paul, just in case, okay?”
“And I ordered supplies from Amazon,” she added sheepishly. “I had to have paints and canvases and I knew you couldn’t send them to me without giving away my address up here...”
“It will be all right. We have another ally, helping us hunt the contract man.”
“We do? Who?”
She laughed. “You’ll never guess.”
“Tell me!”
“Paul’s cousin Mikey.”
“The mob boss? Really?”
“Really. He’s got a soft heart, apparently, and he’s fond of Paul. He said he’d do some checking on his end and see what he could turn up.”
“Wow. I feel really special now.”
“Apparently you are special, if the Wyoming iceman likes you,” Sari teased.
“He’s not bad. He’s just been hurt. Wounded animals strike out.”
“You see deep inside people, baby,” Sari said softly. “You always did. I miss you so much. We’ve hardly ever been apart.”
“I know. I miss you, too, and Mandy and Paul.” She sighed. “I guess I can’t come home anytime soon, huh?”
“Well, you could, you know that. We still have the Avengers around,” she teased, referencing Rogers and Barton. “But you’re safer up in Wyoming for the moment.”
“I suppose so. I’m getting a lot of painting done. I’ve done two canvases already.”
“Oh? What of?”
“A horse that was maltreated by a cowboy. He’ll let me near him, but he attacked some of the men who came around.”
“That’s you,” Sari said gently. “Wild things always came close to you, even birds. What else?”
“I painted Ren.”
“Ah.”
Merrie flushed and was glad her sister couldn’t see. “It’s not like that,” she protested. “I swear. He’s been nice to me, sort of.”
“Ah.”
“Will you stop saying that?”
There was soft laugh. “Okay. Listen, we gave you six throwaway phones. Couldn’t you call more often? We can afford to buy a lot more of them, you know.”
“All right, then, I’ll call once a week. How’s that?”
“Excellent. And I want to hear about the party. When is it?”
“Soon, but I’m not sure exactly when. I got this beautiful gown,” she added. “It’s exotic and expensive, and I look very different in it.”
“Put your hair up, too, when you wear it,” Sari suggested. “It will make you look more sophisticated.”
Merrie laughed. “I’m not sophisticated. But you’re probably right. I’ve got some of those glittery red rhinestone clips in my bags. I’ll use them. They’ll go with the dress.”
“You’ll look lovely. Take pictures.”
“You bet!”
“Call me again soon.”
“I promise I will,” she said. “Hug Mandy and Paul for me. I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay. Bye.”
She hung up. She missed her sister. It had been hardest being separated from Sari, because they’d always been together. She still worried about using her credit card. She hoped the contract killer wasn’t monitoring it. From what Paul had let slip about the man, she knew that he was meticulous. He’d find out everything he could about her, about her habits, before he struck. He’d plan it like a battle campaign.