“Yep, in my purse.”
“What time’s the press conference?”
“Tomorrow at six o’clock, they said.” She eyed him. “What’s wrong?”
As they walked, Charlie had glanced surreptitiously over his shoulder a couple of times. He looked over at her. “I don’t know. When I was in prison and then doing the PI stuff I developed this kind of built-in radar that tells me when somebody’s paying a little too close attention to me. My alarm’s going off right now.”
LuAnn started to look around, but he cut her off. “Don’t do that. Just keep walking. We’re fine. I checked you in at another hotel. It’s another block down. Let’s get you and Lisa in okay and then I’ll snoop around a little. It’s probably nothing.”
LuAnn looked at the worry creases around his eyes and concluded his words did not match his feelings. She gripped the baby carriage tighter as they continued down the street.
Twenty yards behind and on the other side of the street, Anthony Romanello debated whether or not he had been spotted. The streets were filled with people at this hour, but something in the sudden rigidity of the people he was tracking had set off his own warning bell. He hunkered in his jacket and dropped back another ten yards, still keeping them well in sight. He kept a constant lookout for the closest taxi in case they decided to snare one. He had the advantage though, in that it would take some time to load the baby carriage and baby in. He would have plenty of opportunity to hail a cab in that time. But they continued on foot until they reached their destination. Romanello waited outside the hotel for a moment, looked up and down the street, and then went in.
“When did you get these?” LuAnn stared at the new set of luggage stacked in a corner of the hotel suite.
Charlie grinned. “You can’t go on your big trip without the proper baggage. And this stuff is super-durable. Not that expensive crap that falls apart if you look at it wrong. One bag is already packed with things you’ll need for the trip over. Things for Lisa and what-not. I had a lady friend of mine do it. We’ll have to do some more shopping today to fill up the other bags, though.”
“My God, I can’t believe this, Charlie.” She gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek.
He looked down in embarrassment, his face flushed. “It wasn’t such a big deal. Here.” He handed her passport to her. She solemnly looked at the name inside, as though the fact of her reincarnation were just sinking in, which it was. She closed the small blue book. It represented a gateway to another world, a world she would soon, with a little luck, be embracing.
“Fill that sucker up, LuAnn, see the whole damned planet. You and Lisa.” He turned to leave. “I’m going to go check on some things. I’ll be back shortly.”
She fingered the passport and looked up at him, her cheeks slightly red. “Why don’t you come with us, Charlie?”
He turned slowly back around and stared at her. “What?”
LuAnn looked down at her hands and spoke hurriedly. “I was thinking I got all this money now. And you been real nice to me and Lisa. And I never been anywhere before and all. And, well, I’d like you to come with us—that is, if you want to. I’ll understand if you don’t.”
“That’s a very generous offer, LuAnn,” he said softly. “But you don’t really know me. And that’s a big commitment to make to someone you don’t really know.”
“I know all I need to,” she said stubbornly. “I know you’re a good person. I know you been taking care of us. And Lisa took to you like nobody’s business. That counts for a durn lot in my book.”
Charlie smiled in the little girl’s direction and then looked back at LuAnn. “Why don’t we both think on it, LuAnn. Then we’ll talk, okay?”
She shrugged and slid several strands of hair out of her face. “I ain’t proposing marriage to you, Charlie, if that’s what you think.”