“All right, then.” Lys looked beyond Gabby’s shoulder. Her expression turned tense. “Uh-oh.”
Gabby instinctively turned to see what was wrong.
A flustered Kelly was running down the middle of the street toward them. “Where’s Plumber?”
“What’s wrong, Kelly?” Lys asked.
“The Chief laid down the law. If I don't get this report uploaded to the system in the next thirty minutes, he’s going to fire me. That’s what’s wrong.”
“It’s been due for a week.”
“I know that, Sara. I’ve been busy getting the cottage ready.”
Gabby had created problems for her. “I’m sorry, Kelly.”
“So, if you’ve got thirty minutes, what are you doing here?” Leave it to Lys to cut through the clutter.
Kelly looked a shade shy of panic. “Something fritzed out in the computer and it keeps eating my report, which is why I need Plumber.”
“Oh, boy.” Sara, not Lys responded. “He left a few minutes ago, I suspect, headed to Carl’s Crossing to pick up building supplies for the podium and stage.”
Lys crossed her chest with her arms. “No way he’ll be back in thirty minutes.”
Kelly let out a wounded animal sound. “What am I going to do?”
“Isn’t there anyone else in town who can help?” Gabby asked.
“No.” Kelly grumbled her worry. “No one.”
This was Gabby’s fault. If Kelly hadn’t been shopping for her and preparing the cottage, she’d have gotten her report in. Plumber would not approve, but Gabby had no choice. She frowned. “Calm down and tell me. What’s the computer doing?”
Kelly lifted a hand. “Eating my bloody report.”
“How?” Gabby kept her voice calm. “Walk me through it—and be specific.”
“I open the document and the machine freezes up. It won’t let me do anything but shut down and start over.”
Gabby processed that. “Blue screen?”
“Yes!” Kelly growled. “I hate that blue screen.”
“Maybe I can help,” Gabby said. “I don’t know it all, but I’ve run into the blue-screen monster before.”
“Oh, thank you!” Kelly grabbed Gabby’s arm and hauled her down the street and into the police station. “It’s right back here.”
In a shallow alcove, the computer sat atop a desk that stretched wall-to-wall.
Gabby slid onto the chair’s seat and began running diagnostics that were second nature to her. In a matter of minutes, she had vanquished the blue-screen monster and recovered a copy of Kelly’s report. She copied and pasted a backup copy of it into a second document, added copy to the title, saved it, and then called out. “Kelly.”
Kelly scooted over toward her. “You did it—and got a copy of my report!”
“I’ve already saved the original and a backup copy. So just go where you need to go to upload it, then copy and paste the copy in, submit, and you’ll have it done.”
Relief flooded Kelly’s face. “Wonderful. Thank you, Gabby. You really did save my job.”
“You’re welcome.” Gabby started to stand.
Hearing footfalls from the street door behind her, Kelly turned and stepped out of the alcove. “Good morning. Can I help you gentlemen with something?”
“I hope so,” a man said.
Gabby went board stiff. His voice. Agent Bain. He’d found her!
“I’ll be right with you.” Kelly took one look at Gabby’s face, stepped back into the alcove, then whispered, “What’s wrong?”
Gentlemen. More than one. “There are two of them?” Gabby mumbled, horrified. When Kelly nodded, Gabby said, “Describe the second man.”
“Tall, bald, mid-fifties, short beard.”
“Oh, no.” Gabby shot to her feet. “I’ve got to get out of here. Right now.”
Kelly blocked her. “What is it?”
“They’re trouble for me, Kelly. Please, please don’t tell them I’m here.” She grabbed Kelly’s sleeve. “Please!”
“I won’t. I promise.” Kelly positioned her body to block Bain’s view of Gabby. “Thanks, Mac. Appreciate the assist.” Kelly dropped her voice. “I’ll keep them busy in here. You go out the back.” She shoved Gabby toward the back door.
Gabby ran down the hallway and out the back door, and she kept running all the way to the dock where Lys and Sara were tacking up a stretch of fencing. “Is Plumber back?”
“He just pulled in,” Lys said. “Gabby, wait. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. You okay?”
“Fine.” She took off in a sprint to find Plumber, spotted him at the clearing.
He saw her coming, took one look at her face, and ran to meet her. “What’s wrong?”
“Bain is here. He’s in the police station right now. And the Medros thug—Bain’s partner, who picked up the thumb drives and asked me about Rogan Gregos is with him!”
Plumber’s worry manifested on his face. Drawing his mouth down into a flat line, he scanned the street. “We’ve got to get you out of here.” They rushed to the Jeep. “Get in and stay down.”
Gabby pulled the door open then shut it behind her and wedged herself between the floorboard and seat. She rested her cheek against the cold leather. Her heart thudded in her ears, threatening to pound out of her chest.
When Plumber got inside, he said, “You’re going to be okay. You hear me? You’re going to be okay.”
Tears she didn’t want to shed soaked her face. “I don’t want to leave here.”
“You won’t have to leave.” He keyed the engine and took off. “I promise.”
“But they’re here, Plumber. I can’t stay.”
“You can. I’ll find a way.” He pressed a number on his phone—someone on speed-dial. “Hunter,” Plumber said, revealing he’d called the troops. “It’s SW. You know that photo Gabby IDed? Yeah, that one. I need info right now. Status is critical. He’s here—with Bain.”
Gabby pulled out her phone. “I should call Justin Wade.”
SW went still. “That’s not necessary.”
Not necessary? “Is Hunter Justin Wade?”
“Not exactly.” Plumber’s attention shifted. “Yeah, Hunter. Go ahead.” He listened and then repeated to Gabby. “Mick Fallon is his name. He really is Rogan Gregos’s cousin.”
“Who is Rogan Gregos?” Gabby asked.
“Holding her gaze, Plumber told Hunter, “Send me a photo of Rogan Gregos ASAP. It looks like it’s total truth time.” He paused to listen, then added, “No, she isn’t going to take it well, which is why I’ve been avoiding telling her. But she needs to know now.” Another pause. Still holding her gaze, Plumber went on. “I know that, okay? I tell her, and I’m fried. Bottomline, better me than her.” Plumber took in a sharp breath. “Just get me the photo, Hunter. Please.”
Total truth. He had been lying to her? Fried? What did that mean? “Plumber?” It was warm in the Jeep, yet Gabby felt freezing cold inside. What truth could he possibly tell her that would fry him?