Killjoy

Chapter 33

The plans kept changing. Carrie didn't like change, any kind of change, unless, of course, she was the one in charge of making those changes. Agent Hillman was point man, and Agent Bean was his gofer. Hillman's first command when he was placed in charge of Carrie was to order Bean to tell her the decision had been made to keep her in Colorado.

After Bean informed Mrs. Salvetti of the Bureau's decision and suffered her reaction, he returned to Agent Hillman and threatened to hand in his resignation if Hillman ever made him do that again.

"I'm putting in for combat pay," Bean announced.

They could both hear Carrie screaming from the waiting room. "Doesn't she realize there are sick people in this hospital?"

Hillman muttered, clearly appalled by the woman's conduct.

"She doesn't care," Bean countered. "She's demanding to go to Florida and stay in the safe house with her niece."

"I take it, then, you didn't tell her we can't find her niece?"

"No, sir. I thought I'd let you explain that to her."

"For God's sake, man. You're an agent with the FBI. Surely you can handle a cranky woman."

"With all due respect, sir, she isn't just a cranky woman. She's a…"

"A what?" Hillman snapped.

A she-devil, Bean wanted to say but didn't dare. Hillman wouldn't believe him. Besides, he would find out soon enough what

the Salvetti woman was capable of when she wasn't happy. "Sir, she isn't what I would call a normal woman. Normal women don't have fire shooting out of their eyes."

Hillman was disgusted. "She'll do whatever we tell her to do."

Wanna bet? The ringing in his ears, he noticed, had subsided into a dull echo. "Yes, sir, I'm sure she'll listen to you." He said

the last without breaking into a smile and was quite proud of his achievement.

"We have the woman's best interests at heart. Surely you explained our motives to her, didn't you, Bean?"

"She didn't give me the opportunity to explain our position."

"When she calms down-"

They both heard another shout. Bean grimaced as Hillman demanded, "Who's in there with her?"

"Gorman," he answered. "He must have told her we haven't been able to locate her niece."

The door to the waiting room opened and Gorman stepped out. Hillman and Bean stood at the end of the hallway and watched

as Gorman hastily pulled the door closed. His face was as red as hot peppers.

Gorman spotted Hillman, drew himself up to his full six foot two height, and walked down the hall to join them.

"Is she giving you trouble too?" Hillman asked.

Bean tried not to snicker. Of course she'd given him trouble. Just look at his face.

"She's a… difficult woman," Gorman said, trying to be diplomatic. "She refuses to cooperate. Told me she's going to Florida

with or without Hill of Beans."

"Hill of Beans?" Hillman asked.

Gorman cleared his throat. "That's what she's calling you and Agent Bean. Hill of Beans. She's also demanding a beach house."

"A beach house? She wants a beach house?" Hillman asked incredulously.

Bean cast him a smug I-told-you-so look. Now, perhaps, his superior would agree that the Salvetti woman was as difficult as

he'd told him she was.

"And what did you say to her demands?"

"I told her that wasn't possible, that since her testimony isn't mandatory, she'll be staying in Colorado. I explained the defense attorney has the transcripts of Skarrett's first trial and he hasn't asked to depose Mrs. Salvetti again and that, for that reason,

there wasn't any need for her to go to Florida."

"And her response?" Bean asked.

"She tried to grab my gun."

"I'm sure she was bluffing," Hillman said. "Let's give her a few minutes to cool off," he suggested.

It was going to take Carrie more than a few minutes to calm her temper. Blowing up was her response to the fear gnawing at

her stomach. What the hell was Avery going to do? Did she think she could stroll into that courthouse and testify against

Skarrett? Carrie kept picturing her niece being gunned down on the courthouse steps.

If Monk… or Jilly… got hold of her… Carrie rushed to the phone, got an outside line, and called Tony collect. She prayed

he hadn't already left for the airport.

He must have been sitting by the phone, because he picked up on the first ring.

Carrie didn't waste time on preliminaries. "They're going to put me in a house and keep me here, in Colorado," she blurted.

"Where in Colorado?" he asked.

"They wouldn't tell me, but I heard one of them talking on his cell phone. He didn't know I was listening, and he mentioned

a place called Wedgewood. It must be some kind of suburb."

"Aspen's too small to have suburbs," he countered.

"I don't know where the hell it is. Look it up on the Internet, for God's sake. Use your head. There can't be more than one Wedgewood suburb in Colorado." She burst into tears. "If I have to be in a safe house for a long time, what will happen to

my company? I can't be away too long. I can't…"

"Honey, I can handle things here. I've run a company before."

"But I need you with me, Tony. You have to come."

"All right, I will," he promised. "I won't let you go through this alone. Do you want me to come to the hospital? Can they wait

to move you until I get there?"

"I'll make them wait," she said. "Sara has already been moved into the new physical therapy wing. It hasn't even been opened

yet, so security's easy. I'll stay there with her until they move both of us. I won't let them take me anywhere until you get here."

"Yes, okay," he said, sounding relieved.

"Do you know they can't find Avery? When she called me, she told me she wouldn't be joining me in protective custody. Have

you talked to her?"

"No, not yet. I've been pacing by the phone, waiting. It's not like Avery to make me worry. I don't understand why she hasn't called."

"She knows you'll give her hell for upsetting me," Carrie said. "She doesn't like to disappoint either one of us."

"I know, honey, but I'm worried sick about her."

"Me too. She'll call, and when she does, you tell her not to go to Sheldon Beach. Make her realize how dangerous it will be

for her."

"Yes, I will," he promised. "I'm not going to let anything happen to her."

"What if Avery calls after you've left for the airport?"

"Honey, she knows my cell phone number."

Of course Avery did. Carrie was so rattled she couldn't think. "I'll see you soon."

Carrie hung up the phone and decided to call Avery's office to find out if her friends had heard from her, but she was prevented from making any more calls when Agent Hillman walked into the room and told her that Judge Collins wanted to talk to her.

"We'll be moving you into the new wing in a few minutes."

"Yes, all right. Whatever you say."

Hillman was surprised and pleased by her cooperation. He was feeling a bit smug too, for he'd been right. He'd told Bean and Gorman that once Mrs. Salvetti calmed down, she would cooperate, and she was doing exactly that now.

Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad assignment after all.