When the SUV didn’t follow, I turned back around. “False alarm. No one is following us.”
“Mmm hmm,” he said, not slowing down. “Better to be safe than sorry.” He glanced from the road to the rearview mirror.
It must have been the spy in him that kept him on edge. I’d never even noticed the SUV. My detecting skills were severely lacking. Maybe I should find a school to learn how to be stealthy. Did they even have spy schools? “Did you get the pictures so we can recreate his weird room?”
“Yep. Did you get a personal item?”
“I got the badge and this book,” I answered, holding up the badge box and pulling a small notebook out of my waistband.
“Book?”
“Yeah,” I answered and flipped it open. “It looks like a bunch of gibberish, just some letters and numbers, but it’s strongly tied to Thomas’s energy. I’m guessing he either used it every day or it was somehow emotional to him.”
West slipped the book from my hands and opened it, looking at it as he slowed going down the street. He’d glance at it for a second and then back on the road. If the bad guy wasn’t going to kill us, West’s driving was. “If you want to read it, pull over and let me drive.”
He handed it back. “We’re not stopping. We’re going the long way home and using backroads so we’ll know for sure if someone is following us.”
Home. I let out a contented sigh. West calling the Plantation his home was growing on me. He belonged there with me. I could feel it on a soul level. I rested my hand on my stomach and turned my gaze out the window. If I was pregnant, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Would it?
Twenty minutes later we arrived back at the plantation and drove through the iron gate. He slowed and parked behind an unfamiliar car.
“Any idea who that is?” West asked.
I glanced at the plates. “Never seen it before and I don’t know anyone from Texas, do you?”
“Nope.” He took the book of gibberish and Faraday’s badge and opened the glove box. He felt around and pushed a button, making a secret compartment open, and shoved both items inside.
“Bond car. I knew it,” I said, opening my door. “You told me it didn’t have any fun gadgets.”
He winked and got out. Shoving his gun into his waistband, he covered it with his shirt. “I can’t tell you all my secrets. You’ll get bored.”
“With you? Please,” I answered, slipping my fingers through his. “I guess we should go greet the guest.”
He handed me the keys before opening the front door. “Any sign of trouble, you run.”
“The visitor would have to be a brain-eating zombie, and even then, I wouldn’t run. I’d do a fast walk because we both know I don’t exercise…ever.”
I tried to open the door when he stopped me. “I’m serious.”
“Me too,” I answered and turned the knob, walking in through my front door. I wasn’t running, not with all the people I care about sitting inside. No way. If the guest was unwanted, I’d simply kick him out….even if it had to be at gunpoint. Maybe all those people had figured things out. Carrying a gun on my person could be useful. If I didn’t trip and shoot off my big toe.
Though I was expecting trouble, my ears were met with laughter carrying through the house and the scent of freshly baked apple pie.
I don’t know what worried me more, that the strange car was in my drive or someone was baking desserts in my kitchen. I was kind of OCD about my kitchen. If things didn’t go back in the proper place, I’d crack someone over the skull with my skillet.
I headed straight for that part of the house, following the scent of cinnamon that drifted down the hall.
“Uh, Cree.” West caught my arm before I’d even turned the corner in the kitchen’s direction. “You have company.”
“It can wait. Someone is in my kitchen,” I growled.
“Cree.” He held tight and turned me to face the ballroom.
My eyes widened, as did my smile, as I changed my course and headed straight for the man responsible for introducing me and West. Deputy Director Harrison Reed. “Well now, aren’t you a pleasant surprise.”
“Cree. West.” Reed nodded, holding out his hand to shake. I ignored it and threw my arms around the man and squeezed him like a long-lost relative. Okay, maybe I hadn’t done that with my newfound cousin, but Reed had never stolen my Jeep or tried to correct my desserts.
He patted my back. The man had issues with personal space, but I didn’t let that stop me.
“How’s Glynis? She okay?”
“She sends her regards,” he answered when I finally dropped my hold and stepped back.
“She didn’t come with you?” I asked, my lips turning down into a frown.
“Afraid not this time.”
I waved his answer away. “It’s okay. So what brings you to our neck of the woods?”
“I’m afraid this is official business,” he answered.
“Director of the FBI shows up on official business to your house, you don’t hug him, Cree. You tell him you aren’t speaking without the presence of a lawyer,” West answered and held out his hand. “Deputy Director Reed.”
They shook hands like old friends.
“So what’s the business? You need me to help find a dead body?” I asked.
Reed stood silent, the lines of his mouth pressed tightly together.
My eyes widened. “You do, don’t you?”
“She’s busy,” West replied. “We can’t help.”
I smacked his arm. “Speak for yourself.”
“Busy with what?” Reed asked.
West crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re working a mystery.”
“Oh…” My mouth parted. “Yeah, our mystery is kind of important. Can your case wait?”
Reed pulled out his phone, clicked a few buttons, and turned his phone to face me. “It’s the same case, Cree. Do you mind telling me what you were doing in the same alleyway where Thomas Faraday was found shot?”
The picture on the screen was from an odd angle of West and me picking the lock into the warehouse. He turned the phone to West so he could see.
“The homeless guy was one your guys?” West asked.
“We’ve had surveillance on that alleyway since Thomas popped up on the grid again,” he answered.
I held up my hand. “Why does the FBI care about a dead thief?”
“That’s classified. I just need to know what you found.”
“I’m sure it doesn’t have anything to do with the guy being CIA, does it?”
He glanced between West and me and dropped his folded arms to his side. He gave me his answer without even saying a word.
“How did you know?”
I shrugged. “I have to go see who’s in my kitchen. Are you staying for dinner?”
I walked past him, not even bothering to stop. I wasn’t about to divulge what we were working on. Not if it meant we’d be kicked off the case. I needed these answers, more than Reed might.
“Cree,” Reed called out, and I turned at the last minute. “This is a matter of national security.”
“It’s more than that to me.” I raised my brow. “I’ll set you a plate. I think I smell pot roast.”
I didn’t wait around for his reply before walking off and straight to the kitchen. I stood just beneath the doorframe and watched in silence while Charlotte stirred something in a pot and Roni leaned down to sniff the apple pie she’d pulled out of the oven.
“Well, this is a surprise.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Don’t be mad. We’ll clean and put it all back where it belongs.”
I slowly nodded.
“We were just trying to help,” Charlotte said, recapping the pot. “Oh, did you see the FBI guy was in the ballroom?”
“Yeah,” I answered, glancing around. “Where is Freddie?”
“Oh, he’s out in the woods adding more security cameras. I asked if he needed help, but he told me no,” Veronica answered.
“So what are you two cooking?”
“I haven’t cooked anything,” Charlotte answered. “Veronica wanted to cook for you to thank you for taking her in. I’m just supervising since you’re so anal about your kitchen.”
My stomach growled from the scent of herbs and spices drifting in the air. “Well, it smells great.”
“I just need to put the rolls in the oven, if you guys care to set the table,” Veronica said.
I grabbed some plates while Charlotte grabbed the silverware, and we headed for the table. I’d just put a plate down when Charlotte whispered, “What did you find?”
“Loads,” I answered back in a whisper. “I’ll tell you about it later.” I took the silverware from her and put it all on top of the stack of plates. “I need you to call Doc Stone and find out when he’s available for an Insight session and then round up the crew. We need to jump on this one.” My words were practically whispered in her ear.
“Is that why he’s here?” Charlotte gestured with her thumb toward the ballroom.
“He says his reason is classified, but it’s somehow tied to Thomas’s death. I can just feel it.”
She slowly nodded. “I’ll make the calls from Freddie’s room after dinner.”
“Thanks.”
Chapter 14
I sat out on the porch after dinner sipping coffee with Harrison. His decision to stay hadn’t surprised me. He wanted answers, and I was tight-lipped about everything I knew.
“You need to tell me what you know, Cree. It’s the only way I can protect you,” he said.
I shrugged. What I knew wasn’t much, except the code to get into the agent’s secret hidden lair. “I’ll tell you what you want, right after you tell me why in the hell you let Faraday believe his brother died all those years ago, oh…and…why you never told him the truth about him being CIA. For years, he believed his brother was just another scumbag who belonged behind bars. I’m sorry, Harrison, but that’s just wrong on so many levels I can’t even tell you.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that he was working undercover and they needed him to go off the grid.”
My mouth parted, and I pushed the swing a little harder than I should. “Well then, I can neither confirm nor deny that his spirit has been hanging around since his real death.”
“I see,” Harrison said and rose from his spot, pulling his keys out of his pocket and picking up his coat. “I thought you were smart enough to stay out of this one, Cree.”
“And I thought you knew me better, Deputy Director Reed.”
His lips turned down at the corners from the way I used his last name and not using his first name in the annoying way I liked. “It’s Harrison.”
“Today you’re not Glynis’s dad who still worships the ground I walk on since I saved his baby girl’s life. Today you’re the director telling me to keep my nose out of government business.”
“Cree, I’m still Glynis’s dad. That’s why I’m here. I don’t want you to get hurt in the crossfire. The person who killed Faraday is dangerous and unpredictable. He got the drop on one of the CIA’s best undercover agents. This isn’t a game. I worry about you, and I’m here as your friend.” He slid into his black overcoat. “Promise me that you’ll call me if you find anything.”
I sat silently, earning his glare.
“I can’t help you if I don’t know you need it.”
“I appreciate your concern,” I said, rising from my seat. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Do the right thing and tell Faraday his brother wasn’t a slimeball. He deserves to know the truth.”
Harrison raised a brow. “I can neither confirm nor deny that information.”
“Well then…” I smiled and linked my fingers together. “Find someone who has that authority and tell him. Once I get that call, I’ll be more than happy to tell you everything I know and trust me…you want to know what I know.”
His lips twisted at the corner. “You’re trying to blackmail me.”
“Oh no, not blackmail. We both know that’s against the law.” My smile grew. “But if I happen to find any answers, I’d be more inclined to remember your phone number. We both know my brain sometimes turns to mush.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said, shaking his head as he stepped off the veranda.
“So will I,” I called out as he reached his SUV. “Have a good night, Harrison. It was great to see you again.”
He pulled open the door of the SUV and turned back to face me. “Remember my warning, Cree. He’s dangerous.”
Bad guys normally were.
It was a bad guy who’d brought the address and the password to get into the agent's lair.
“Moreno knows more,” I whispered, sitting back down on the swing and watching Harrison drive away. He wasn’t gone for good. I wasn’t that lucky. Moreno had said he was delivering on a promise. What exactly had been the circumstances of that arrangement?
Moreno knew more. I could feel it down to my bones.
“Is he gone?” Charlotte asked.
“For now,” I said and patted the swing next to me. “Where are the guys?”
“Freddie and West are setting up the war room.”
I grinned. “War room?”
“They have the home field advantage if things happen here. I think I overheard them talking about where to put in a safe room. So are you going to tell me what you found at that address?”
“Faraday’s brother was CIA.”
“Noooo.” Charlotte covered her mouth.
I gave her a hard nod. “Yep, and he had this one room that had a gazillion pictures on the walls with strings stretched between one photo and another.”
“That’s weird.” Her brows furrowed.
“Oh and then there was a bank vault in another room.”
“Did you figure out the combination?”
“No, we got sidetracked with the picture room, that was until I found his hidden base of operations in his closet.”
“His what?”
“His security room where he kept all of his work stuff.”
“This is starting to sound like a Patterson novel.”
“I know, right? How fun is that?”
“I guess you managed to get something personal of his to use with Insight?”
“Oh yeah.” I hopped up and headed for West’s car and slid into the passenger side. I opened the glove box and felt around for anything that felt like a button until it popped open like it had for West.
My hand patted the entire compartment. Empty. I slid halfway out of the car so I could get a better view. I gasped. Nothing.
I hopped up, slammed the door, and jogged up the veranda steps. “Which room is command central?”
“The basement.”
“Crap,” I growled and jogged into the house and down the basement steps.
Both men glanced up as I entered.
“What’s wrong?” West asked, leaving the map they had been looking at.
“Tell me you got the badge and book out of your car?”
“No.” There was a pensive shimmer of unease in his eyes. “I haven’t.”
I threw up my hands. “They’re gone. I just looked. It’s empty.”
“You looked in the secret compartment, right, not the glove box?”
“I watched you open it. I looked. They are gone.”
West jogged past me and up the stairs. I pointed to the security cameras that showed West going out to his car. “How long has that been running?”
“Since before you and West got back. That was the first video I installed and started recording.
“Can you rewind the feedback to when we got home? Can we watch it?”
“Sure,” he answered. He clicked a few buttons and paused the screen as we were pulling down the drive.
Freddie moved out of the chai
r, and I plopped down. He pointed to the turn-style device. “Just slowly turn it to fast forward on that cam until you notice movement.”
I slowly turned the knob. The moon had set, and it had turned to night without any movements in the drive. Nothing. And then I saw it, freezing the frame when the overhead light in the car illuminated.
A figure dressed in black was in the car. No face, no telltale marks of who it might be. He was just there, opening the glove box before he manually turned off the overhead light.
I could barely make out his outline during the remaining scenes. Nothing.
I leaned back in the chair. Frustration ate at my gut. I’d thought maybe Harrison had slipped out and taken it, but I’d been wrong. “This guy came from nowhere. He had to have been watching us since we pulled up to know where to look.”
“They’re gone,” West announced, jogging down the stairs. “Did you get a face?”
I shook my head and rewound to the point of the overhead light coming on and moved out of the seat for West to take a look. “This guy was smooth.”
“If he was watching when you pulled up, I might have gotten him on another cam, but it’s going to take a while to sift through all ten feeds.”
“We’ll do it in shifts,” West announced. “Go get some rest. I’ll get started.”
“Actually, West, you have something equally important to do.”
He sighed as if expecting the need to argue. “What’s more important than finding the thief?”
“Printing the pictures to recreate the room.”
West Archer
Chapter 15
West woke up and rolled over to an empty bed. Grabbing Cree’s pillow, he squeezed it, inhaling her rose-scented shampoo. Lights streaming in through the curtains danced on the floor. He glanced at the bedside clock. Ten in the morning.
He let go of the pillow and rolled onto his back. He’d been up till four in the morning printing pictures and recreating the creepy room. He still had no idea what Faraday had been trying to figure out.
Knowing someone had been so close to the house last night without anyone knowing had twisted his gut into bands ready to snap. These were his people, this was his sanctuary, and someone was playing with fire. He had every intention of finding out whom it was and stopping them by any means necessary.
Deadly Ties Page 5