“I’ll make sure somebody goes to the garage and checks out the employees there,” Evan said. “I know you’ve been busy doing other things for me, but I need the background reports on anyone who works at the school as soon as possible.”
“I’ll email what I already have for you and will keep digging.”
“Thanks.” Evan hung up.
“What does this mean?” Annalise asked.
“It’s definitely an inside job,” Evan said grimly.
“I can tell you that the garage and van keys were always kept on a hook in the school office for when a teacher wanted to plan a field trip.”
Evan digested this information and tightened his hands on the steering wheel. Now he was not only determined to find Jacob and Gretchen and save Sadie, but also he wanted the rat that might have been responsible for setting all this in motion in the first place. He definitely wanted the insider.
Chapter Eight
They took their breakfast sandwiches to Evan’s room and sat at the table to eat. She felt overwhelmed with everything that was happening.
If she looked deep inside herself, she knew she’d recognize that her vulnerable state wasn’t only because of the heartrending message from Sadie, it was also because of Evan.
In the past three years she’d thought she’d moved on. She’d believed she’d gotten over him. But the truth of the matter was, she was surprised to realize she wasn’t over him. He still owned a large piece of her heart and she didn’t know what to do about it.
Right now they were both on a mission to save Sadie, and this wasn’t the time or the place to explore those feelings. She didn’t want to get in the way of Evan doing his job.
“I can’t believe somebody at the school might be behind all this,” she said as they ate. “That possibility absolutely blows my mind.”
“Hopefully we’ll know more when I get all the backgrounds from Hendrick.” He looked at her for a long moment. “So, what happened with you and the college in Missouri? I thought teaching there was something you really wanted to do.”
“You know when I was working in the public school system I was constantly battling for better and newer equipment for the students,” she replied.
“I remember how frustrated you were by the constant lack of funding.”
“When I got the offer from the college, it came with the assurance that my classes would be well-funded and the students would all have state-of-the-art equipment,” she replied.
“So, that wasn’t the case?”
She shook her head no. “As a teacher I had the absolute best equipment I could have asked for. It was a dream job as far as that was concerned.”
“Then, why aren’t you still working there?” he asked.
She frowned and stared down at her breakfast sandwich. “It didn’t take me long to realize the students didn’t care. They really didn’t care about learning. Getting a degree from that particular college was a status symbol and nothing more. If the students didn’t do well enough, then pressure was placed on the teachers to make sure they passed anyway. They were spoiled, rich kids with parents who indulged them far too much.”
“I’m sure giving a student a grade they hadn’t earned didn’t sit well with you,” he replied.
“Not even,” she replied adamantly. “I hated it. I stayed there for almost two years but started putting my résumé out there again. Then last year I was offered a one-year contract with the school here. It really has been a dream position. Not only do I have whatever I need as an educator, but the students are like sponges who love to learn.”
Once again tears blurred her vision as she thought of Sadie. She stared down, feeling foolish for her uncontrollable emotions. What was wrong with her? Maybe Evan was right; she was still functioning on too little sleep and her concerns for the little girl.
To her stunned surprise, he reached across the table and covered one of her hands with his. “We’re going to find her, Annalise,” he said with grim determination vibrating through his body and voice.
She turned her hand over and laced her fingers with his, surprised when he didn’t immediately pull away. He had big, capable hands, and his larger hand nearly engulfed her smaller one. For a long moment they remained that way. She was the one to finally pull away.
Annalise released a deep sigh. “The two things that give me some bit of comfort is that Sadie is so smart and she’s a survivor. Most of her life she endured being beaten and abused by her mother, and her father was never in her life. She was the one who helped me make the phone calls to you by serving as a lookout. She tried to protect me from Gretchen. She also interacted several times with Jacob, and I now wonder if she intentionally made herself the target to save the other girls who she knew weren’t as strong as she was.”
“Hopefully she’s smart enough to know that we need help in locating her,” he replied.
“She is,” Annalise replied firmly. She had to believe that. She desperately needed to believe that when this was all over, Sadie would be saved.
As they finished eating, she continued to tell him more about working at Sandhurst School. “Regina Sandhurst has been a great boss.” She frowned thoughtfully. “You know, now that I think about it, for the last couple of months Susan DeKalb has been worried about her finances, although I can’t imagine how she or anyone else at the school would have come in contact with the likes of Jacob or Gretchen.”
“Hopefully Hendrick can come up with some answers for us.”
“My contract is up in December, and I’m not sure I’ll sign another one.”
He looked at her in surprise. “But it sounds like this was your dream job...great equipment and children who love to learn.” He raised one of his dark eyebrows quizzically. “Would you not want to return because of what has happened?”
“No, something like this would never deter me from coming back to work. The real reason I’m probably going to return to Knoxville is because my father has been struggling with heart disease, and I think both my parents need me there.”
It felt strange, sharing these things with him. It felt strange to be sharing anything with him. She’d never dreamed they’d ever see or talk to each other again.
“I’m assuming you’re a rock star at TCD,” she said. “I can’t imagine you doing anything else.”
He smiled. “You should know it’s all in my blood, the pressure...the danger...and the desire to save people who find themselves in horrible situations. I’ll work there as long as they’ll have me.”
“I’m sure they consider you a terrific asset,” she replied.
He released a small, dry laugh. “You were always good at flattery.”
“It’s not empty flattery,” she protested. “It’s the truth. Look at the situation you just got us out of.”
His smile faded and his eyes darkened. “Jacob and Gretchen got away with one of the hostages. Right now I consider this whole operation an epic fail.”
“From what I’ve heard, the fail wasn’t yours but rather that of local officials. You couldn’t know that those officers would run and hide at the first gun shots outside the van window,” she protested. She’d overheard just enough conversations to know what had happened.
“Yeah, but I should have made sure there were enough men in the back of the school to keep that van from leaving. I should have recognized the weakness, especially after working with Chief Cummings for any length of time.”
“You can’t control everything all the time, Evan. You’re being way too hard on yourself,” she said softly. “You did everything humanly possible. You need to cut yourself some slack.”
He merely sighed and they fell into a silence. It wasn’t a comfortable silence, rather it was charged with tension.
“Surely they’ve had enough time by now to find someplace to land,” she said in frustration.
�
�We won’t know that unless Hendrick comes up with something or Sadie gets access to a computer.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a sign of his own frustration.
A knock fell on his door. He got up from the table. “Maybe that’s one of my men with some new information.”
He opened the door and over his shoulder Annalise saw a tall, brown-haired stranger. He offered Evan a tentative smile. “Are you Special Agent Duran?”
“I am,” Evan replied.
“Uh... I have some news for you.”
“And you are?” Evan asked.
The man shifted from one foot to the other, and his gaze shot from Evan to Annalise. “My name is Phil Sanders. I have some information about Jacob Noble. Uh...can I come in?”
“Why don’t you just give me the information you have for me?” Evan replied.
He froze and Annalise gasped as Phil reached behind him and pulled a gun. There was a charged long minute of silence. Her heart raced, and every muscle in her body tensed with a fight or flight adrenaline rush.
“What do you want, Phil?” Evan asked calmly.
“The first thing I want is for you to toss your gun onto the bed, and if you make a wrong move, I’ll kill you both.”
Annalise gasped. Who was this man? What did he want? There were FBI and local authorities throughout the hotel. How had he managed to just walk up to Evan’s door?
“That’s not happening, so just tell me what you want,” Evan replied, his voice still cool and calm.
The man looked frustrated. “I need you to get rid of your weapon.”
“And I told you that isn’t happening, so tell me what you want and why you’re here or shoot me right now.”
The man gestured with his gun for Evan to back up. He did so, and Phil stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “I’m with the Brotherhood of Jacob, and I want you to call off the search for Jacob and Gretchen.”
“And if I don’t?”
Phil’s blue eyes narrowed. “If you don’t call off the search right now, then I’m going to kill you.”
Annalise’s heart banged hard against her ribs, making her half-breathless as she stared at the gunman.
His hand shook as he held the weapon pointed at Evan’s chest. “Stop the search for Jacob and Gretchen right now.”
“Annalise, I want you to go into the bathroom and close and lock the door,” Evan said.
“Don’t move,” Phil half shouted at her. He aimed the gun at her and then jerked it back to point at Evan.
“Go ahead, Annalise...” Evan said calmly.
“I’m not leaving you,” she replied despite her fear. There was no way she was just going to run and hide in the bathroom and leave Evan to face this threat alone.
“Listen to me, Annalise,” Evan said, his voice still calm and steady. “Focus on me. I need you to go to the bathroom and lock the door.”
Annalise stood and held her position next to the table. “Don’t move...don’t move,” Phil yelled at her. Sweat worked down the sides of his reddened face.
There was no way, no matter how many times Evan told her to go into the bathroom, she was leaving him. With both of them in the room, the man would be more apt to get distracted. If he did, then Evan would be able to take control of the situation.
“Phil, you need to calm down,” Evan said.
“My job is to protect Jacob, so you need to stop the search for him right now. He’s our leader, and he’s doing good things for the world,” Phil replied.
“Phil, I don’t have the power to stop anything,” Evan replied. “I couldn’t stop this search right now if I wanted to. It’s all out of my hands. So, you have two choices right now—either kill me or put the gun down and let’s talk.”
“You have the power,” Phil screamed. “Stop the damned search. Jacob has to be protected.”
Annalise took two steps forward and then paused. Her fear was all-consuming. Phil looked half-deranged as he faced them. How had this happened? How had the man even found out where they were staying?
“Nobody can protect Jacob anymore,” Evan said softly. “Jacob and Gretchen have made some really bad mistakes. Now why don’t you put your gun down, and you can tell me about the good work the members of the Brotherhood do.”
The gun in Phil’s hand began to shake as he looked from Evan to Annalise. She took another step forward, and Phil’s eyes widened in panic.
“Look at me, Phil,” Evan said. “Give me your gun, Phil.” Evan’s voice was almost hypnotic, and she knew his use of Phil’s name was to let the man know Evan really saw him and wanted to interact with him.
It was one of his strengths as a hostage negotiator...making people feel comfortable...making people want to talk to him. While it hadn’t worked with Jacob, it appeared to be working on Phil, who looked far less sure of himself than he had when he’d initially confronted Evan.
“Come on, Phil. I know you’re a good man who wants to do the right thing,” Evan continued. “I’m sure you didn’t know what Jacob and the rest of the men were planning. People died, Phil. When they went into the school they killed good people who were just going about their daily lives and doing their jobs.”
“None of us back at the compound had any idea they were going to bust into a school,” Phil admitted.
Evan took a step toward him and then reached out and took hold of the barrel of the gun. Phil began to weep as he finally relinquished the weapon.
Evan led him to the edge of the bed and grabbed his cell phone. As Phil continued to cry, Evan made a quick call to Davis. Annalise sank back down at the table as a sigh of relief escaped her.
“You don’t understand,” Phil said as Evan hung up. “Jacob and Gretchen control everything. They tell us all what to do and we do it. They’ve always told us how to live our daily lives. We...we...none of us know how to survive without them.”
“Phil, I’m sure you’re all smart and resourceful people. Everyone will have to find a way without them,” Evan replied smoothly.
“I don’t even know why he went to that school in the first place.” Phil swiped at his tears. “He didn’t tell all of us exactly what his plans were. If I hadn’t seen it on the news, I wouldn’t have known they were all in that school.”
“It’s going to be okay, Phil. You’re going to be just fine,” Evan replied with assurance.
Annalise’s admiration for Evan soared off the charts. Moments before, Phil had held Evan at gunpoint and threatened to kill him. Now he was talking to that same man in a calm and respectful and compassionate way.
Phil explained to Evan he’d hidden out in a storage closet until the halls were quiet, and then he’d come to the room. He’d also told them there were others at the compound who knew not only the hotel where FBI agents were staying, but also Evan’s room number.
She remained silent at the table and listened to the two men talk. Finally Davis appeared at the door with Nick, and the two men left with Phil in their custody.
Evan walked back to the bed, sank down and then looked at her. “Are you okay?”
“My heart is still beating faster than it should, but I’m fine.”
“Why didn’t you do what I asked of you? You should have gone into the bathroom.”
“I thought it was better for me not to remove myself from the room,” she countered. “I figured two of us would be more of a distraction to him. As it is, it all worked out okay.”
“Until we neutralize this situation, I need you to listen to me.” He offered her a faint smile. “You know how I like to control my crime scenes.”
“I do. Would it be possible for you to work this scene from my house instead of this hotel? I’d love to go home. I have all the office equipment we would need... We can set up a command center in my living room. I also have three bedrooms. That way we wouldn’t be spending all our time in these hotel
rooms. Think about it, Evan. My place is only five minutes from here.”
He frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t like the fact that members of this group now know where we are staying. I don’t want to have to use additional resources to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“What I worry about is that the next person from the compound who shows up here will shoot first instead of talk. They might all blame you for everything because you were the main man on the scene,” she replied.
He frowned, obviously thinking it through.
“Evan, let’s just pack up and go. It makes sense.” She wasn’t sure why, but she suddenly realized she needed to be back in her own home.
She wanted her familiar things surrounding her. It felt like it had been months and months since she’d been home. Right now her emotions were all over the place. She was frightened for Sadie, and her feelings where Evan was concerned were so unsettled.
The confines of a hotel room felt far too intimate, and at least if they were working from her house she could feel like she had a little distance from Evan...distance that might help her sort out her crazy emotions about him.
This wasn’t over yet. She had no idea how long it might be before it was over. Hopefully it would end with Sadie’s rescue and clarity for her where Evan was concerned.
She got up from the table and sank down on the bed next to him. “I just want you to know that I was impressed with how you handled Phil.”
“I had a pretty good idea that he wasn’t going to shoot anyone,” he replied.
“But how did you know that?”
He smiled at her. “Annalise, I’m trained to know that. I look for certain tells. More than anything I could see his fear. He held the weapon without any real confidence, and he was far too emotional. Besides, he didn’t have a killer’s eyes.”
She returned his smile. “I always told you that you’re the best hostage negotiator in the whole wide world.”
His dark gaze softened. “And I always said that you were the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world.”
He was too close to her. Her breath suddenly felt a bit labored as the moment between them lingered. His thigh pressed against hers, his warm body intimately near, and as the residual fear she’d felt earlier completely drained away from her another emotion surfaced.
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