Page 66 of Grave Peril

Rip passed on the alcohol, as did Lela, sticking to caffeinated beverages. It was vital to stay alert, since getting into Lela’s apartment was a risky proposition.

The meal, privacy, and security were worth every dollar. Rip paid in cash, and ventured back into the city with Lela. He made sure no one followed, sticking to side streets. Along the way, Lela picked up some food and supplies.

Lela’s residence was in a multistoried building on an upper floor. After watching the place for a while, Rip decided it was as safe as it was going to get.

He took her in the side door and up the stairs, since residents used the elevator. The stairwell was dimly lit and silent. There were no surveillance cameras covering the stairs. The building’s security guard was stationed in the lobby.

Rip made sure the hallway was unoccupied before he went to Lela’s door. She picked the lock to let him inside, then secured the deadbolt. The curtains were drawn and the apartment was dark, but enough light from the city shone through. It provided just enough visibility.

“I’m impressed at how fast you did that.” Rip put the bags on the kitchen counter.

“Picking the lock? It’s not that hard,” Lela said quietly.

“Well, we’re in. As long as we keep the lights off and whisper when we talk, we’re fairly safe.” Rip took off his boots and walked around in sock feet.

Lela kicked off her shoes. “This building has good soundproofing. I didn’t hear my neighbors even under normal conditions.” She took some stuff out of the bags. “I have some food in my freezer. With what we bought, it should be enough for a few days.”

“I hope it won’t be too long. But now that we’re inside, it’s safer to stay put,” Rip said. “I made sure no one saw us come in. During the daylight hours, it’s possible that law enforcement keeps an eye on the place. But I doubt they expect you to come back here. And their resources are limited.”

“If we’re smart, we should be okay.”

“So let’s take a look at that safe,” Rip said.

Lela took out a tiny flashlight and showed him where the safe was. “Hold this for me.” She handed him the light. Then she went to her double oven and got on her knees. She opened the door of the bottom oven and removed the racks.

Then she traced around the bottom panel until she found the spring-loaded release. When the panel came out, the safe was revealed.

“It’s bolted to the floor, and the metal is encased in rubber to avoid metal detectors,” Lela said.

“Doesn’t rubber melt?”

Lela smiled. “I deactivated the electronics. The oven doesn’t work.”

“You never cease to amaze me.” Rip lifted the rubber layer from the top of the safe.

Lela entered the combination then opened the door. She reached inside to retrieve a flash drive. “It’s this one. This is the original drive I used to copy data from the senator’s computer. I transferred the evidence I turned over to the FBI to a different drive.”

Rip took the drive. “I’ll transmit the contents to Travis via the secure Stealth connection.” He stood up. “Does your computer need a password?”

“Nope, I’ve never kept anything on it that was confidential.”

“Ever think of going into the security business?”

Lela laughed. “I’ll get this oven put back together while you handle the transmission.”

When Rip returned to the living room, Lela was sitting on the sofa drinking a beer. “There’s more in the fridge.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Rip got a bottle of beer and twisted off the top. He settled into an armchair close to Lela.

“I suppose that holding back evidence in a criminal case was obstruction of justice,” Lela said.

Rip took a swig of beer. “Don’t sweat it. The feds will be glad to have new information, whatever it is.” He balanced his beer on his knee. “So…now we wait.”

“I hope it doesn’t take too long to break the encryption. I’m dying to know what Ortiz was hiding.”

“You mean what else he was hiding.”

“Exactly.” Lela smiled. “Sitting here in the dark and whispering, I feel like a cat burglar in my own home.”

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