Exit Strategy

  Exit Strategy

  (Joanna Mitchell Thrillers 2)

  Barbara Winkes

  Copyright © 2020 by Barbara Winkes

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales are purely coincidental.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For D.

  Chapter One

  Joanna caught the last few minutes of Rue’s training when she went to get her for dinner. It was the evening before their first vacation day. Rue wasn’t going to miss one session, kickboxing or therapy.

  As she leaned against the far wall, studying her, Joanna had to admit she was enjoying the sight, a pleasure tinged with guilt as she knew this sport wasn’t a random choice for Rue. Here on the island, they were safe—in the physical sense. The mind could play tricks at times, and Rue had countered them with new habits.

  When Rue joined her on the floor, she was drenched in sweat, wisps of damp hair sticking to her face.

  “Don’t come to close,” she warned. “Let me take a quick shower before we go?”

  “Sure. I’ll be here.”

  Rue looked her up and down, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, though she didn’t comment.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I’m just surprised, that’s all. See you in a bit.” She headed for the showers before Joanna could ask if the surprise was a good one. Judging from Rue’s appreciative gaze, she assumed it to be. She hadn’t worn a dress in years, but the long-skirted sundress, a flower pattern on black, seemed appropriate for the surroundings and the occasion. She, too, had adopted a few new habits.

  “Hey, Joanna,” Rue’s trainer Zach greeted her. Everyone working at the inn knew each other by name. That, too, was safe, because they understood discretion, asking for it, and providing it.

  “Hey. How is she doing?” She might be hovering and crossing lines with this question, but Joanna couldn’t take Rue’s presence lightly. She had to do everything in her power to make it worth-while, foresee potential obstacles.

  “She’s got a lot of rage,” he said thoughtfully. “I think this is a good way for her to channel it.”

  Joanna nodded. This came as no surprise to her. Rue had good reasons for her anger, but every once in a while, Joanna needed to make sure it was all because of the serial killer who had kidnapped her, and not because of the way her life had been uprooted afterwards. The latter had been her choice. She had chosen to be with Joanna. Again, nothing to take lightly.

  “If you’re done chatting, let’s get out of here. I’m starving,” Rue declared. She had dressed in shorts and a blouse, and toweled off her hair. It wouldn’t take long to dry in the local temperature.

  “Have a great evening,” Zach told her. “I’ll see you Thursday?”

  “You bet.”

  Outside the building, Rue stopped cold when she realized Joanna had brought the car.

  “We’re going somewhere? Don’t tell me I missed an anniversary.”

  “No, don’t worry.” This kind of surprises meant stress. Joanna hurried to explain. “It’s the beginning of our vacation. I didn’t feel like going to the inn. Is that okay with you?”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  She could sense Rue relax next to her.

  “Good. I thought we deserved something special.”

  What they thought they deserved, and got, it could be a tricky question at times.

  “It’s a great idea.” Rue leaned in to kiss her softly. “What did you have in mind?”

  “We said we might try the seafood restaurant near the pier.”

  “Can we afford it?”

  “Sure we can. We both have jobs.” In the beginning, Joanna had worried that both their jobs might be subject to some artificial inflation. It turned out that there was enough for them to do at the inn to justify full-time employment that paid for their life here. Joanna helped out wherever she was needed, and she enjoyed the flexible work a lot more than she could have imagined. Rue, who had been a personal assistant to Joanna’s father in another life, had quickly worked her way into the inn’s management. The house cost them next to nothing.

  “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  The restaurant turned out to be an excellent choice. They sat by the window, watching the sunset and then the moon rising in the darkened sky.

  Rue had a glass of white wine. Joanna stuck to water. Back in the city, she had smoked and drunk too much, sometimes even when her life wasn’t spiraling out of control. She was down to a drink or two on the weekend. Distance was a life-saver.

  “I love it,” Rue said. “I mean, the inn has great people, but this is different.”

  Joanna could only agree. The romantic atmosphere had her both wistful and excited. Strange to think that save for some highly traumatic events, they wouldn’t be here, together. A moment like this, it was hard not to imagine proposing to Rue. It was harder to imagine that anything could bring them closer together than those shared experiences.

  “It’s nice. We should come another time at least.”

  “Yes, but it’s our vacation. Let’s not plan too much.”

  “We won’t. I promise.”

  At times, Joanna would strain to listen to every minute change in tone, to determine every little flicker of mood. But there were moments like this when she was able to abandon her frantic analysis and enjoy the presence of the woman who had left everything behind, for her. Well, perhaps not just for Joanna. Rue appreciated the geographical and psychological distance to certain incidents as well.

  After the meal, they walked along the pier, with an ice cream cone for dessert. After all these months, Joanna had lost the fear that someday, a tourist could recognize her and an avalanche of trouble for the both of them would follow. It appeared that the authorities back in the city didn’t want her that badly. A cruel, sadistic man was dead. If her involvement was curious and questionable, they hadn’t wasted much time finding her. That meant Theo and Vanessa were fine, and she didn’t need to worry about anything.

  These days, her focus was on making sure Rue was okay, blissful distance and the day to day job.

  She still wondered when would be the right time to say the words. She’d wait. Joanna wanted to do everything perfectly. She’d need a ring—and wear something that would make it easier to get down on one knee.

  “What are you thinking?” Rue asked.

  “That I’m so happy you’re here,” Joanna said, pulling her close for a kiss.

  Rue was happy, too. At least that was the most plausible explanation. They celebrated the start of their vacation some more, making love and enjoying another night without bad dreams. It might be the longest stretch since they started their life together.

  In the morning, Joanna stole out of bed and prepared coffee. With her cup, she returned to the bedroom, smiling at Rue, who was still fast asleep and tangled in the covers.

  Peace. It wasn’t something that had come easily to either of them, but damn, they had earned it. Every moment of it.

  She went to set the table on the small terrace. One of the reasons Joanna loved this house was that there was little chance for anyone to surprise them. Every car had to come up the hill. They didn’t have visitors, and the only unexpected arrival had been Rue’s…but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

  They were close enough to the inn to walk on foot, but not close enough to be disturbed by anyone. Former Internal Affairs Inspector Vanessa Young had found the perfect solution for them. Irony, or poetic justice, Joanna wasn’t always sure, not that it mattered an
ymore.

  In her old life, she’d never taken the time to listen to birds sing. She didn’t think there was time, back then, when she was chasing murderers, then ghosts, and her own demons. Joanna was done chasing. She was home.

  As if on cue, Rue arrived on the terrace, hiding a yawn behind her hand.

  “I see my timing is perfect. You’re all done. Sorry about that.”

  “That’s okay. You needed the rest, I assume.”

  Rue’s smile told her she’d taken the insinuation as intended.

  “I did. Wow. It’s kind of extreme, everything that needed to happen for me to take a vacation.”

  “I’m sorry my old man was such a horrible boss.” Joanna wasn’t sorry at all that Rue had found a way to leave the company. At the inn, everyone knew that they were a couple, and no one batted an eye.

  “Well, look who’s got the last laugh.”

  “You took a pretty big pay cut.” Sometimes she had to stoke things, just a little to make sure they were still on the same page. Joanna could do so safely, because Rue knew her patterns.

  “And I get to live and work in a paradise. With you. Every once in a while I’m petty enough to wish he could see that.” Rue took a sip of coffee and closed her eyes in bliss. “I know I say this almost every morning, but it never tasted this good in the city.”

  Joanna saw no reason to argue with Rue on the subject of her father. No matter what they achieved, happiness, careers, the perfect life—Lawrence would always find fault with one issue in particular. But she didn’t have to care, not any longer. The island taught her every day what she’d managed, and what she might still be longing for, but Rue was right. They had made it this far, against odds stacked high against them.

  Peace. Paradise. Joanna might be the kind of person afraid of trusting something too good to be true, but she couldn’t deny the facts.

  “Everything tastes better,” she agreed, meaning it in a general sense. Rue’s blush made her smile.

  This was their version of the good life.

  * * * *

  They spent the day on the beach, had a picnic for a late lunch and came home to wash off the sand and sunscreen before going to dinner at the inn. In the beginning, Joanna had accepted the owner’s offer mostly for practicality. Now that Rue was living with her, they took turns driving to town for groceries and ate at the inn’s restaurant less often.

  Rue was still in the bathroom when Joanna sat down at the piano that had come with the house as the last owners didn’t want to move it.

  She wasn’t that great at it, hadn’t practiced in a long time. The piano lessons she’d gotten as a young girl were among the few things for which she was still grateful to her parents. Joanna’s mother had left when she was ten years old, her father had decided she no longer deserved his support when he found out she was dating a girl on college. Things hadn’t always been so disappointing. The piano called to her, even though she abandoned the melody the moment Rue returned from the bathroom.

  “That was nice,” she said. “You never play when I’m in the room.”

  “I might, someday.” Joanna laughed as she got up. “Believe me, for now, I’m doing you a favor. You’re ready to go?”

  “I am. I think I’ll need to ask Zach for some extra sessions. It seems like all we are doing is eat and lounge on the beach.”

  “That’s not all we’ve done.”

  “I stand corrected. But now I’m hungry. Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Since neither of them had to drive tonight, Joanna had a beer as well while Rue sipped on a colorful cocktail. It reminded her of how they’d first met, a chance encounter in a dingy bar, a place where Joanna had often hung out with Vanessa and on occasion made bad decisions. Rue’s date had stood her up.

  “You are getting lost in the what-if again,” Rue whispered.

  “Am I that transparent?”

  “It might be that I had too much therapy, but yes, you are. Who knows what might have happened? I might have run into some bad people, and have no one coming for me. But you did. And I want to be here. You hear me?”

  “I hear you,” Joanna said, reaching out to take her hand.

  “You’ll play for me sometime?” They both laughed.

  “I know what you’re doing, but no, I’m not ready. Let me practice a few more weeks…or months.”

  Joanna found Rue’s pout as sexy as it was adorable. She was about to add something when Denise, the inn’s owner, stopped at their table.

  “Good evening, ladies. I hope everything is to your satisfaction?”

  “What is it?” Joanna asked.

  “What do you mean? You’re my guests tonight, so I hope you have everything you need to leave a good review.”

  “And?”

  Denise made a face. “You got me. I’m so sorry. I know you’re on vacation, but is there any chance you could check on the air conditioning in 213 later? If it’s something more severe, I can call in the technician first thing in the morning, but I still harbor the hope that it’s something you might be able to fix.”

  “No problem. Let me finish my plate, and I can go take a look? We wanted to hang out here a bit longer anyway.”

  “That would be great, thank you so much.”

  “I’ll let you know what I find, if anything.”

  Turning back to Rue, Joanna found her expression impassive.

  “You’re okay with that, right? It won’t take long. I’ll come find you in the bar.”

  “Okay.” Rue sighed. In the first couple of weeks, they had barely spent a moment apart, even seen each other at work a lot, but that wasn’t the case any longer. Rue went by herself to training and therapy, and to the grocery store. Her work hours didn’t always overlap with Joanna’s.

  “Sure?”

  “I said it was okay. I’m a bit disappointed,” she continued after a small pause. “It’s only the first day, and they already find something for you to do.”

  “We owe Denise a great deal.”

  “You’re right,” Rue acknowledged. “It’s probably nothing big.”

  “I’ll be quick,” Joanna promised. “The sooner I do this, the sooner we can forget about it.”

  “Let’s hope.”

  “Come on. We’ll have all night—and another ten days.” Joanna leaned closer and whispered, “And we don’t have to come back here.”

  That earned her a small smile from Rue, a success in her book.

  Chapter Two

  A man in his late thirties or early forties greeted her in 213. Joanna couldn’t help noticing the dresses spread out on the bed.

  “My wife is in the bathroom,” he said. “I’d be happy if you could do this quick.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll just take a look. If there’s nothing I can do, you could get another room.”

  “We’ll live with it for one night if we must,” he grumbled. “That doesn’t bode well for our time here.”

  “I’m really sorry, sir.” Joanna thought about Denise’s joke regarding reviews. She hoped she could keep this guest from leaving a bad one anywhere. She checked the air conditioning, aware of the man hovering over her. It made her antsy and irritated, nothing she could let show. To her relief, she could diagnose the problem pretty much right away: Someone had turned the air conditioning all the way down, and taken out the plug. The system was fairly new.

  “Excuse me, sir, could you give me some space here?” She was surprised at the flash of anger on his face. He composed himself quickly and stepped away.

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you.”

  Perhaps she should cut him some slack. They might be jet lagged, or on their honeymoon. In any case this wasn’t a welcome distraction for anyone, and Joanna would have preferred to stay with Rue. After plugging in the air conditioning and turning it to mid-level, she waited for the soft sound to come on.

  “This should be working now,” she said. Her gaze went to the still closed bathroom door.

  He m
oved to block it, or perhaps it was just her impression. If anyone understood the need for privacy, it was Joanna.

  The man didn’t thank or tip her. She didn’t envy his wife. At least she could go back to Rue.

  As they had agreed on, Rue was waiting for her at the bar, at a corner table where no one would bother her. Come to think of it, everyone on this island took privacy seriously.

  “Hey. That wasn’t too long, was it?”

  “True.” Rue got up to pull her into a close embrace. “You fixed things?”

  “If you can call it that. I plugged the thing and turned it on.”

  “The maid forgot?”

  “I don’t know, but as far as I know we are full, and it’s pretty much always on.”

  “Well, it’s not your problem anymore. Let’s celebrate that.”

  She waved to the waiter, and Joanna willed herself to forget the impolite man. It wasn’t like she depended on his tip, and plenty of guests were more appreciative. This time, they both went with a cocktail—after all, their home and bed was only a short walk away.

  * * * *

  Joanna woke with a start, unable to determine why. Rue was sleeping peacefully, and she couldn’t remember any nightmares. She sat up in bed, listening for any sounds that might be out of place, but there was nothing but her own rapid heartbeat, calming as she found nothing to be concerned about.

  She left the bed to get some water from the fridge and looked out of the window. The road leading up the hill to their home was dark and silent. Sometimes, the wind carried over faint sounds from the inn, but they faded into the background. It was still early in their vacation. No reason to worry about anything. Rue had a therapy session the next day, and they’d spend the day in town afterwards. Lunch, window shopping…They didn’t need much for a comfortable lifestyle.

  Joanna lay back down, but she couldn’t fall asleep. Something bothered her…Something about the man in 213. Given her history, she might be, and probably was paranoid. Someone had forgotten to plug in the air conditioning. It was no longer her problem.