In Plain Sight (Sisterhood #25) - Fern Michaels Page 0,26

to a customer. He waited until the customer walked away. “Mr. Quincy, I’m afraid I have some kind of stomach bug. I have to leave. I’m sorry if I’m leaving you shorthanded, but I’m about to pass out here.”

“Sure, Jason, go on home. Take off tomorrow if you’re not better. We can manage. Take care of yourself. Don’t forget to punch out.”

“Thanks, Mr. Quincy. I appreciate it.”

There was no way to get out of the gardening department without passing the two women and the guy checking out the hoses. Where did he screw up? What had he done wrong? Were they following him? How in the hell did they find him to begin with? He didn’t have to pretend to be sick. He was sick now. He had to call the girls, but he’d given them his cell phone since they were afraid to use their own. He hadn’t had time to get a new one. Well, shit, there was a phone in the kitchen. He could call his cell from there. Whoever was following him didn’t have access to the kitchen. He could punch out and leave by the back entrance that a lot of the employees used. He had to act normal, do things the way he always did them. Shit, shit, shit. This spook stuff was not something he was good at. And from where he was standing, it didn’t look like he’d get any better at it anytime soon.

Jason looked around to make sure the kitchen was empty. It was. He quickly called his cell. Emily picked up on the first ring. He spoke quickly, explaining about Stacey’s seeking him out, the three strange people in the gardening department, and finally explaining that he was leaving.

“But I don’t understand,” Emily said, panic ringing in her voice. “How did you come under their radar? Think, Jason!”

“That’s all I’ve been doing, Emily. I guess I screwed up somehow. I’m sorry. Look, I’m going home to change and shower. I’ll leave right away and come pick you up and take you somewhere else. Don’t make any calls on that phone. They can triangulate or something to find out the pings. I’m not up on all that stuff, but I do know they can track cell-phone usage. I probably shouldn’t have called you now either. Sit tight, okay?”

Jason was standing under a steaming shower when the answer to his question rocked him back on his heels. Facebook! Of course. His whole life was on Facebook. He’d even bragged about his new friend Emily. Thank God he hadn’t told Emily about that little indiscretion. He’d even posted a picture of her. How could he have been so stupid? Maybe because he was starting to think of Emily Appleton as a little sister who needed help and who wasn’t really Emily Appleton at all but someone named Rosalee Muno. He didn’t even want to think about Patricia Olsen and who she was married to.

Jason was shaking like a leaf in a rainstorm when he stepped out of the shower.

He had to be smart now. Really smart. If they, whoever they were, found him at the Home Builders Depot, then they knew where he lived. They had probably followed him home and were waiting outside somewhere to follow him when he left. Smart. Think smart, he cautioned himself. How was he going to get out of the apartment without anyone’s seeing him? His two roommates were still sleeping since they worked the night shift at one of the big hotels. That meant their vehicles were in their assigned parking spaces. He could take one of their cars and leave his for them. They were good enough friends that they wouldn’t squawk, especially if he left a ten spot for gas. He quickly scribbled a note, left his keys on the counter, and pocketed Joe Cramer’s keys. He left a ten-dollar bill on the counter, scribbling another short note asking both roommates not to talk to anyone if they came around asking questions. It was all he could think of to do.

Now he had to figure out how he was going to get out unnoticed. He lived on the third floor. He looked out at the small balcony, then across at the one next door. He was in good shape. He should be able to hop over, then jump down and hit the ground running. Unless they had people stationed around the back. He peered out the sliding doors but didn’t see anything out