No Way Out by Fern Michaels (great books for teens .TXT) 📗

to buy a dozen books and donate them with the stipulation they be used for summer-camp reading programs. That ought to put her panties in a wad.”

They were hysterical at this point. “That’s a sight I’d rather skip,” Ellie said.

“You mean the look on her face?”

“No, the tighty whities!” Ellie was snorting with laughter, and Kara echoed her glee.

“Whew. That was funny,” Kara added. “It’s so good to hear you laugh.”

“It feels good to laugh.” Ellie had to admit to herself that it really did feel good.

“OK, girlfriend. I’d better get going. I don’t want to burn up all my minutes,” Ellie said. “Next week?”

“Same bat time? Same bat channel?” Kara snickered.

“You got it! Take care of yourself and keep laughing. Love you, my friend.”

“Love you, too,” Ellie said, and disconnected the call.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Rick. The money. His location. Where can he be? And what is he doing? Why does he need $5,000?

Ellie got up and took the sneakers with her. She opened the bedroom door, where Buddy had been waiting for almost an hour. He knew the routine, but he didn’t like it. Buddy would get anxious if he didn’t have access to her. “Hey, pal. All done. My mom is good, so is Kara.” He looked at her as if he knew exactly what she was saying. He woofed in approval. He nudged her leg. “What?” She patted him on the head. She knew he could feel her anxiety, too. Why did she have to bring him up? She knew the answer to that question. She wanted to know where he was. She needed to know where he was.

She took out a garbage bag and tossed her sneakers in it. She was horrified that she still had those old things. Why hadn’t she thrown them out already? Then it dawned on her. They were the sneakers she was wearing the night she was taken to the hospital. At least, that’s what they put in the bag with her personal belongings when she was discharged. They were her size and looked familiar when the nurse handed the bag to her. But the situation that put her there was still submerged somewhere in her subconscious. Perhaps she thought the shoes would help her remember. On the other hand, maybe it was better if she couldn’t.

She rinsed her glass and put it in the dishwasher. Percy was in his usual spot on the counter, expecting something. “You are too much!” Ellie laughed and gave him a treat. She knew that if she gave him a treat every time he got up on the counter, he would never stop. But it was too late. She had done it over a hundred times. Plus, Percy liked to be close to her eye level instead of always being on the floor. The floor was good for getting oneself from one part of the house to the other, but when it came to sitting, Percy wanted to be able to look you in the eye. He was quite a character.

Ellie headed up to the loft and promised herself she would not do any cyber-sleuthing about Rick. But as soon as she sat down, she logged into her access point to the dark web. You could find anything there if you knew how to navigate and access the sites. People in the tech world referred to it as going for a deep dive when someone wanted to get the nitty-gritty details on someone. That’s how so many hackers succeeded. They went through the back door, so to speak. No system was foolproof or hack proof. She should know that. Very often, she tested systems for possible security breaches.

Ellie usually avoided going to certain sites for her own purposes, but occasionally she would have to do it for a client. It was often part of the testing process. While she didn’t have access to bank records, getting public records was a snap. Most people would go to one of those “people info” websites and have to spend money to get background checks, often turning up nothing.

Ellie could get all the details with one or two clicks.

She started with the area where she had last seen Rick. At least, where she remembered seeing him last. In an instant, a sharp, searing pain passed through her head. She began to get dizzy.

She stumbled over to the sofa and lay down. This was the second time it had happened in just a few days. Both times, it had happened when she tried to find Rick. Maybe she should take it as a big hint from the universe—leave it alone. But she could not. She decided to rest a bit until the buzzing in her head subsided. The migraines had been frequent when she was in the hospital and had continued for a few months afterward. Since moving to Hibbing, the migraines were few and far between. She tried to recall the last one she had had. Except for the other day, she realized that it had been almost a year. Hibbing had been good for her in a very unconventional way.

Chapter Nineteen

Rick Barnes had led a charmed life for a long time. He had good looks, charisma, and a wad of money, money he didn’t mind spending on whatever he wanted. But, at the moment, he was broke and a thousand miles from home. He hated the idea of calling one of his old buddies and asking for money, but he certainly couldn’t ask his old man. His father had, for all intents and purposes, disowned him. Rick knew he was a fool to have blown through all that dough, $200,000, but he couldn’t help it. The parties, the cocaine, the women. Yeah, the women loved to drink Dom Perignon, and he loved to be able to order it just by snapping his fingers.

Fortunately for him, after blowing the first hundred grand, he had been on a winning streak at various casinos. Hotel suites, single-malt scotch,