CARRIE'S PROTECTOR by REBECCA YORK Page A

later?
    Maybe saving it was best. But maybe he should eat more of the sandwich. It wouldn’t keep, would it?
    It was still hard to think about what to do, but it felt as though his mind wasn’t quite as fuzzy as it had been.
    Did he recognize this house? He wasn’t sure, but he thought it looked familiar.
    He remembered a friend talking about his own mind being fuzzy. The guy had been on a gazillion medications, and he was having problems with his memory. Then his doctor had cut back some of his meds, and he’d started thinking better.
    Could that be his problem?

Chapter Eight
    Wyatt gave Carrie a direct look. “I have to think Madison’s involved.”
    “It could be a coincidence,” she argued.
    “You mean his house getting searched and his getting killed the same day you’re supposed to meet Gunderson and someone tries to kill you? Highly unlikely.”
    “Then we should go with the paying-our-respects-to-the-widow plan.”
    “And if there’s a TV truck outside, we drive past.”
    “And then what?”
    “Go on to the next best lead.”
    “Which is?”
    “I’m thinking.”
    When Carrie finished her breakfast, she took the toiletries she’d bought into the bathroom and got dressed.
    “We’re going to have to stop at a more upscale department store,” he said as he eyed her jeans and T-shirt.
    She nodded.
    “I wish we didn’t have to go out in public.”
    “I’ll be quick,” she answered, starting to mentally plan what she could buy. If she got a dress, she’d also have to buy stockings and good shoes. Probably it was better to stick to dress slacks and a dark jacket.
    “Are we checking out?” she asked, as he gathered up his belongings.
    “Probably better not to stay in the same place for two nights.”
    “Then we should get suitcases, too.”
    She gathered up the things she’d bought and put them back into the bags.
    “Put on your hat,” Wyatt said.
    “I actually hate hats.”
    “When this is over, you’ll never have to wear one again.”
    And would he be around to see her with the dye out of her hair and the length back? Did she want him to be?
    The answer was yes, but she couldn’t focus on that. Right now she had to make sure there was life after hiding out.
    He repeated the security procedures from the night before, then motioned her to the car.
    They drove to the Columbia Mall.
    “Macy’s is probably the best bet,” she said.
    “Okay. I’ll get slacks, a dress shirt, a sports jacket and loafers, then meet you in the luggage department. And one more thing. The store probably has security cameras, and there will be cameras outside the building where Mrs. Madison lives. Keep your gaze down, like you need to watch your feet to walk straight.”
    “You think the police will be looking at cameras here?”
    “Like I said, it’s always better to be prepared. If somebody thinks they’ve spotted us, the cops might go back over the security tapes.”
    Inside they split up.
    Carrie had never liked clothes shopping. And she liked it even less this morning because she kept wondering if anyone was watching her. To minimize her exposure, she tried to streamline the process. First she picked up slacks she thought would fit. Then she found a black blazer with narrow white stripes and paired it with a simple white knit top. Her selections fit and didn’t look too bad with the low shoes she’d worn to the meeting with Gunderson that never happened. She took the tags off the new clothing and brought them to the checkout counter, then asked the clerk to put what she’d been wearing in the store bag.
    At the luggage department, she didn’t spot Wyatt at first. Then a tall man in a navy sports jacket and gray pants turned around, and she realized she’d been totally faked out. She’d seen him in only casual clothing, looking like a rough-around-the-edges secret agent. But he was very polished in the dressier outfit, as if he could fit right into a boardroom.
    “You clean up pretty well,” she