The Lonely Mile(21)
Not that it mattered. Carli and her friend were so involved in their conversation, he could have tossed a bomb in their general direction, and, unless it had struck one of them, they would never have noticed. He sat in his car and daydreamed, watching his angel until she disappeared from sight.
That was yesterday. Today, Martin had chosen the convenience store parking lot again, for the simple reason that it was closer to Carli’s house. He knew that her friend, the almost-but-not-quite-as-pretty one whose beauty paled in comparison to Carli’s, lived somewhere between the school and his angel’s home, although he wasn’t exactly sure where. It was important, at least at this stage, that she have company when he approached, so that he wouldn’t unduly frighten her.
Sitting in the parking lot of the same convenience store twice in three days was by no means ideal. He knew he was exposing himself to a certain measure of risk, but the town Carli lived in was so small there weren’t a lot of reasonable options. Oh well, he thought, both times were before the actual kidnapping, which made it unlikely any of the sheep would notice anything out of the ordinary, and besides, anything worth having—which Carli definitely was—was worth taking a few risks to acquire.
He had just taken a bite from his bag of chips and cracked open his soda when Carli and her friend rounded the corner, meandering down the sidewalk that would take them past the store and on to their homes. Like yesterday, they were deeply involved in a conversation, seemingly unaware of their surroundings. Martin wondered what they were discussing. Boys, probably, although that particular subject would become moot once she became his companion, and certainly when, if she moved on afterward. She would have no need for anyone else when she was with him, and no opportunity for anyone else after that. He was glad Carli didn’t appear to have a boyfriend—he couldn’t bear that.
Finally, the pair reached the convenience store parking lot, heads together, both of them giggling at something Carli’s friend had just said, and, as they approached, Martin opened his car door and strolled casually to a point roughly ten feet in front of them. They still hadn’t taken any notice of him, or of anything else for that matter. He held his soda can in one hand and a plain white envelope in the other. “Excuse me,” he said in a voice just loud enough to be heard.
Both girls glanced at him suspiciously, as teens everywhere do when being addressed by an adult they don’t know. Carli’s friend looked around as if to be sure the older stranger was actually talking to them. He was. Nobody else was within earshot.
For a moment no one spoke, and then Carli answered tentatively, “Yes?”
Martin’s heart soared. He had known his angel would be the one to answer, and she had. Her voice was sweetly feminine, melodic and pleasing, just as he had known it would be, even though an element of suspicion shadowed her tone. Kids today were so distrustful. It was a shame. Martin blamed nervous parents for that.
This was where it would get interesting. Martin knew if he seemed too anxious or came on too strong, he would spook his new companion and her friend. “Yes…uh…” He tried to put just a touch of uncertainty in his voice. Kids ate up vulnerability. They were drawn to it. Martin called it the Lost Puppy Principle. “Um, is one of you Carli Ferguson?”
The girls looked at each other uncertainly. “Why do you want to know?” his angel finally asked.
“I’m sorry,” Martin said with what he hoped was a disarming smile. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. My name is Ron White, and I’m the assistant women’s varsity soccer coach at the University of Albany. You know, upstate? In New York?”
The girls looked at each other hesitantly and he continued. “Anyway, the time must have gotten away from me. I was supposed to meet Carli Ferguson and the Athletic Director at Stockton High about a possible soccer scholarship from Albany. A full ride for four years!”
A grin began tugging at the corners of Carli’s beautiful mouth, and Martin knew he had her. “I feel very badly that I missed my appointment, but I saw you girls walking past and it occurred to me that you,” he smiled at Carli, “look a lot like the photo I saw of the young athlete I was supposed to meet today. I guess I was mistaken. I’m so sorry to have bothered you.”
Martin turned and took a step back toward his car. After a hesitation of perhaps half a second, Carli said, “I’m Carli Ferguson.”
Martin smiled widely and then once again rearranged his features into a look of polite interest before turning back around to face the girls. He held the envelope out. “This contains all the details of the scholarship offer, but must only be opened by an adult of legal age. I strongly suggest Carli’s father. I look forward to working with you to develop your soccer skills.”
After the girls walked away, Martin retreated to his car and watched them leave, his attention captivated again by that perfect figure, clad in tight, form-fitting jeans. He hoped his angel would follow his instructions and save the envelope for her father, but even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t really matter. Either way, the busybody would get to see it soon enough.
CHAPTER 19
BILL BLINKED IN SURPRISE when he saw his daughter waiting for him in the hallway outside his apartment door. “Hey, honey, this is an unexpected pleasure.” He crinkled his forehead suspiciously. “Wait a minute. It’s not Friday, is it? Did I sleep through two days or something? Are you here for the weekend?”