From church to bar.

  This Anderson character was becoming harder and harder to figure out.

  The door closed behind him and she exited her car and approached. Bikers, bodies decorated with tattoos and swathed in leather, stumbled out. They were staggering from side-to-side.

  Mae stepped around them as she entered the dimly lit establishment. In all the weeks that she’d followed Mr. Anderson, he’d never been to a bar. Drinking hadn’t been in his file, nor did it seem to be his style.

  The bar was filled with more people than she would have thought for the time of day. A stage was in the middle of the room with a pole at the end.

  So the place wasn’t just for drinking.

  Great.

  A girl slipped past a curtain in the back, and the volume of the music increased in the room until the walls seemed to ripple with the vibration. Mae averted her gaze from the girl and continued around the bar. Mr. Anderson was at the other end speaking with the bartender.

  Mae ducked into a booth. A waitress in a short skirt and a tube top stopped at her table.

  “What can I get ya?”

  “Glass of water.”

  “I wouldn’t drink the water.”

  Until then Mae hadn’t looked at her face. When she did, pity raced over her. The girl was pretty enough, but her teeth were black. Puffy purple skin lay under her red swollen eyes. Her lips were covered in red lipstick that seemed to have missed most of their mark.

  “What do you recommend?”

  “First, I recommend leaving here, but the cola isn’t half bad.”

  “I’ll take a cola. Thank you.”

  The young girl nodded before moving away. There were times when that could have been Mae’s future. If General Tacker hadn’t found her when he did…

  She shuddered.

  The cola arrived, and she sipped through the straw, trying to watch the subject over the rim. Reading lips was a talent she’d acquired on one of her missions; the only problem was, she wasn’t great at it. Only passable.

  He was asking about Max. That much she got.

  Why was this guy so obsessed with Max? Finding out about Max and OPAL was going to get this guy killed. Mae was almost convinced that he didn’t know anything about what he was looking for, but she was going to have to get closer to find out for sure.

  Exactly how she was going to do that was her problem.

  There had to be a way.

  There was always a way.

  ****

  Levi flinched when the door to the Scotch House opened and Mae entered. No decent woman should be in this establishment. He regretted bringing her there. But he had to know about Max.

  The bartender had moved away to serve a customer now he was back. “What can I do for you?”

  “I’d like to inquire about Max Cooper.”

  “Cooper? I don’t believe I know anyone named Cooper.”

  He went to wiping down the bar, and Levi pulled a photo from his pocket. It had been taken after a long hot day in the sun playing cards. Towels were tied around the heads of the guys in his unit as they leaned against a rough wooden table.

  “Do you know this guy?”

  The bartender leaned over the picture. “Oh, him. Yeah, I remember him. But I don’t remember his name being Max. But who knows? Right? I’m forgetting more and more every passing day. Has he done something wrong?”

  So the bartender knew Coop. That was at least a start. “Unfortunately, Max was killed in action.”

  “Oh, well I guess something is wrong.” He looked down and away.

  Levi couldn’t stop now. “I served with Max.”

  “I see.” He paused. “And?”

  “And, he asked me to take care of something for him, but he didn’t give a lot of details seeing as our time at the end was limited.”

  “All right.”

  “I was hoping you could fill in the gaps for me.”

  The bartender wiped the bar with a damp towel then he threw it over his shoulder. “I guess I can try. I owe him that much since he died for the country and all.”

  “Thank you.” Levi drew in a deep breath. “I don’t have much to go on, just a name. Opal. He was mumbling it at the end, but I think he wanted me to look after Opal. Or take care of Opal, or something. The only problem is that I can’t seem to find out who Opal is, or was, or any way that an Opal relates to Max at all.”

  “Opal, Opal, Opal, it’s not ringing a bell. That fellow was big with the ladies, though. Almost everyone on the stage had a drink with him at one time or another. It was like he was on a crusade to help them escape this establishment. The owner had words with him on a couple of occasions, but he finally gave up. Not like there wasn’t always some girl down on her luck that needed to work in a place like this.”

  Max had been helping girls leave the bar? Now that was even more interesting.

  “He had been labeled a troublemaker in school. We used to rib him about it. But after his parents died, and he went to that home, then to live with his aunt, he changed. He was completely different. Before he joined the military he worked for a research and development firm over on Beech Street. Maybe there was an Opal there.”

  “Thank you. You’ve been helpful.”

  “No problem.” He moved away to serve another customer.

  Levi played with the edges of the napkin beneath his perspiring glass. Water ran from the middle to the bottom and soaked the thin ordinary paper. Rings coated the wooden bar top from years of drinks.

  Max had once sat here, perhaps creating his own distinct ring. Levi was learning that Max was a very complex person.

  What could Max have done at a research and development firm? Levi needed to return to his apartment and flip through the file he’d created. He didn’t remember Max having a college education, but that didn’t mean he didn’t.

  Then he needed to contact that firm or maybe go pay them a visit.

  Levi rose from the bar stool. His cane slipped from his hand. After grabbing it, he rose and took a step forward slamming right into Mae Girasol.

  Dark liquid ran from the top button of her shirt to her waistline. She lifted her face, her mouth rounded in a perfect O.

  “You.”

  He wasn’t sure if she was accusing him or making a statement. The accidental meeting seemed contrived but he would roll with it. Maybe he could figure out why she was following him.

  Could it have something to do with Max?

  If this lady could help him solve Max’s riddle, he was more than willing to play along.

  Chapter Four

  Levi reached for bar napkins and looked as if he was going to pat her dry, but changed his mind and handed them over.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Mae shook her head. “It was my fault. I’m sorry.” She narrowed her gaze. “Hey, you’re that guy from the graveyard.”

  “I am.”

  “What are you doing here?” She held her breath. Her desire to get close to him in the fastest way possible seemed contrived even to her. If he didn’t catch on, it would be a miracle.

  “Talking to the bartender.”

  “About what?” Now she was really pushing it. What was wrong with her?

  He cocked his brow. “Not that it is any of your concern, but I’m trying to learn about my friend Max.”

  “The one who’s grave you were visiting.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, maybe I can help you.”

  “Oh?”

  “I like to research people. I’m a bit of an information gatherer.”

  “I see. And why would you help me?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe because you’re in a bar looking for answers about your friend and you seem really uncomfortable with your surroundings.”

  She held her breathing hoping that she was reading the situation correctly. If she was wrong, she could blow her cover as well as keep him from talking to her at all.

  The waitress walked toward her, tears coated her eyes. “Did you mean to leave this?”

  Mae didn’t have time to talk about what she’d done, but the waitress didn’t look like she was going to give up.

  “Yes.”

  “This is five hundred dollars and a number for a bus station so I can pick up a paid ticket to my hometown. How did you know?”

  She’d hoped to be out of the bar before she was found out. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen.

  “She likes to research people, and she’s a bit of an information gatherer.”

  Mae’s jaw dropped when Levi repeated her words. The waitress wrapped her arms around Mae’s waist. She thanked Mae profusely as she laid the tray on the counter and told the bartender goodbye. He threw up his hands and mumbled something about do-gooders.

  “Did you really help that girl?”

  “I hope so.” Mae watched the sunlight disappear from the room as the door closed on the waitress’ backside.

  “Where would you like to go?”

  “Uh?”

  “You said you wanted to know about Max and that you could help me. Where do you want to have this conversation? I don’t really want to do it here.”

  Mae didn’t either, but she was still reeling from the fact that helping the waitress had helped her make a connection with her mark.

  “Um, why don’t we step outside and see if there is a park bench somewhere.”

  They exited the building. Bikes and cars still littered the parking lot. There was no green space in the vicinity. While she didn’t really want to separate from Levi for fear he would change his mind, she knew that she would need to find a safe space for them to talk or he might run away.

  “I don’t see anywhere.” He spoke first.

  “I agree.” She paused. “Do you know the park at White’s Valley?”

  “I do.”

  “How about we meet there? I can follow you, or you can follow me.”

  “You go first.”

  She got in her car and pulled out. She waited for him to get behind her before she moved any farther. True to his words he followed her, but he wasn’t the only one.

  The unmarked blue sedan wasn’t one that she recognized. Either someone was following her to see if she was performing her job, or someone else was following Anderson.

  Neither one was a good thing, of that she was sure.

  ****

  Levi had had the inclination to run from Mae until the waitress stopped and shared her experience with the lady. She was following Levi and something was going on, but if someone like her could help a complete stranger like Max had been doing, then maybe she wasn’t all bad.

  He had to at least give her a shot.

  In fact, this could be just the sign he’d been looking for.

  Her park suggestion was a good one. If microphones or bugs were planted in a building then the outside should be relatively safe. Levi was starting to suspect that Max was into more than he’d admitted.

  Other than Levi’s search to help Max, there was no reason for him to be followed.

  As he pulled onto the highway, he looked in his rearview mirror. A blue sedan was right behind him. If he braked, they braked. If he gave a little gas, they gave gas as well.

  So, he had two followers.

  If it was a friend of Mae’s then he might find himself in a situation he couldn’t handle alone. At that moment there was no way to be sure.

  He pulled up a number on his phone. It rang and rang. Finally, there was an answer. A baby cried softly in the background.

  “Hello?” A whisper. He’d called at a bad time.

  “Leah?”

  “Levi?”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry if I woke the baby.”

  “It’s okay. He’s just struggling to go back to sleep. Are you okay?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Oh. Does it have anything to do with the Max hunt?”

  “It does. The Max hunt is getting more and more interesting.”

  “So, nothing yet?”

  “I’m not sure. Turns out that a Mae Girasol has been following me. She created a pretend situation to talk to me at a bar and now I’m going to White’s Valley Park to meet her. But it seems that we’ve acquired another follower.”

  There was a gasp over the line. “A bar? Wait a minute, did you say you’re going to meet the lady that was following you at a park?”

  “Yes.” Now he wished he hadn’t called. He sounded crazy.

  “You think they’re with her and about to ambush you?”

  “I’m not sure.” He watched Mae’s head swivel from the rearview mirror to the side mirror over and over.

  The actions led him to believe that Mae had noticed the follower as well. That would mean she wasn’t expecting company.

  “I’ll tell Tom. You call me as soon as you’re done talking to let me know you’re all right. If I don’t hear from you in thirty minutes, I’m sending someone out to check.”

  Levi chuckled, but it was with relief. “Thank you.”

  “No problem. I told you I would always have your back.”

  “I know. And I appreciate it.”

  “I’m praying for you, Levi.”

  “Thank you. That means a lot.” He paused. “I’ll call soon.”

  “Do.”

  The phone went silent in the car. Mae was pulling into a parking space. She didn’t get out very fast. The blue car went past their parked cars and farther into the park. There was no doubt they were being followed. The question was why and by whom. And would they stay away the whole time Levi and Mae spoke or would they be getting a visit soon.

  Chapter Five

  Mae could feel her insides shaking as she climbed from the car. Before this gig for the FBI, she’d been an NSA analyst. Her place was behind a desk and a computer. That’s where she carried out her missions. She did research. That part that she’d shared with Mr. Anderson had not been a lie.

  The only reason she’d been tapped for this surveillance was because of her familiarity with the OPAL program.

  Her lack of experience was why she was flubbing everything up.

  The blue car parked several lots away. Hesitantly, she climbed from her vehicle double checking that her holster was unbuttoned and that she could reach her weapon quickly.

  Those in power should have thought better about sending her into the field. She’d qualified with the weapon when she entered the NSA and every year since, but she’d never used it anywhere other than the range.

  “Are you all right?” Mr. Anderson was staring at her. He was sending furtive glances at the blue car as well. Maybe she could let that play to her advantage.

  Men like him loved to protect a damsel in distress. Or so she’d read. And that was exactly what she was at the moment, even though she didn’t want to admit it.

  “Um, I think so.” She shot a glance at the car.

  “Are they following you or me?”

  “I’m not sure.” It was the most truthful thing she’d said in a while.

  “Would you like to go somewhere else?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sure they’ll follow us there as well. Let’s pretend we don’t notice. Maybe they’ll give themselves away.”

  He used the cane to help him over the uneven ground as they walked a gravel pathway beside a pond. White geese and brown ducks swam across the rippling water.

  “Would they be following you because of your people research?”

  “Anything is possible.” She sure hoped not. As an NSA analyst she was vulnerable. There were things that she knew. Things she was supposed to keep secret. Things she’d seen that her brain wouldn’t allow her to forget. But she was also a chicken, so it might not be too hard to get them out of her.

  They walked a little farther, then he took a seat on a park bench. He pointed. “Do you know how to use that?”

  “Use what?”

  “The weapon in your side holster.”

  “How did you—”

  “Let’s say I’ve been trained to see it, but you did lift your jacket when you sat down.”

  “Of course I did.” She blew out air. She was messing up all around today.

  He leaned forward and put both his hands on his cane. His body was blocking the driver in the blue car from seeing her.

  He was protecting her.

  And she was about to throw him under the bus.

  Hopefully not.

  “So, what is it you think you can do for me?”

  “When you were talking over Max Cooper’s grave you said you needed to give up the search. What search?”

  He leaned back, crossed his legs, and put an arm along the chair back. “You’re very nosey.”

  “I like to know details. I can’t really help without them.” She hoped that would get him to talk.

  He laughed. “I understand. I’ve struggled with not knowing the details for a year.”

  “Oh.” That’s odd. He was supposed to know everything about OPAL.

  “I don’t mind telling you. I’ve told everyone else. Max Cooper died practically in my arms. His dying words to me were to take care of Opal. I thought it was a sister, girlfriend, mother, I mean, I don’t really know, but it turns out there was never an Opal in his life. At least not one that I can find. Heck, maybe she was a waitress at the Scotch House and he helped her to leave like you did today. The bartender said he often did as much. I really wanted to fulfill his wish, but honestly it doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to.” He faced her. “Unless you have something to offer. You said you research people. Do you think you could do a deep dive into Max’s life and find this Opal lady? That way I might be able to fulfill his dying wish.”

  His voice was shaky, and he had a pained stare.

  Now Mae could honestly report to her superiors that Mr. Anderson knew nothing about OPAL. He was completely clueless about the project.

  He thought it was a woman. And he’d told everyone that.

  There was a problem. What was she going to tell Mr. Anderson? She’d gotten his hopes up that maybe she could help and now she was going to have to dash that hope. There was no Opal to help him find.

  Why couldn’t they have left her in the office where she belonged?