At the payment booth, I handed over cash rather than using the credit card I normally would have. A decision prompted by Bettany’s warning about phones. If they could listen to calls, electronic payments would leave an equally clear trail.
As we merged onto the highway, I made a split-second decision to avoid our usual route home to the Chicago suburbs. Instead, I took the exit for downtown, entering the maze of the city where we might lose our followers in the evening traffic.
“Bettany,” I said, keeping my voice calm while checking the mirrors constantly. “I need you to give me Mr. Carrots now.”
She passed the worn stuffed rabbit forward. Its once white fur now gray with years of love. “Daddy said you’d need to look inside the special pocket.”
I handed the rabbit back. “Hold him for now. When we get somewhere safe, I’ll look.”
“Are we in danger, Grandma?” she asked, her voice small but steady.
I met her eyes in the rearview mirror, struck by how much she resembled Robert at that age. The same serious expression when confronting difficult truths.
“I’m not sure yet, sweetheart, but your father clearly wanted us to be careful, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
The SUV remained several cars behind us, too consistent to be coincidence. I made a series of random turns through the city streets, confirming my suspicion when it adjusted course to match our seemingly erratic path.
My mind raced with questions. What had Robert gotten himself involved in? Why hadn’t he warned me directly? What information could be so dangerous that it would make my accountant’s son turn his daughter into a secret messenger?
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