A Minute to Midnight

by David Baldacci

  “Do you really think he has the wherewithal to come up with a veil and a tux and a corsage? And after seeing how he is with his granddaughter, do you really think he has it in him to kill a little boy?”

  “I’m not saying you’re not making good points, because you are. But I can’t exclude him as a suspect just because of how I might feel about him. I have to look at the hard evidence.”

  “But what will you do if your witness does ID him?”

  Pine looked over at Tanner, who was now patting one of the Quarleses’ dogs affectionately on the head.

  She said miserably, “I don’t know, Carol. I really don’t know.”

  Chapter 58

  SARAH COULDN’T BE SURE,” said Laredo. He was on the phone with Pine. It was the next day and he had gone back to Columbus to show Tanner’s photo to Sarah. “She said she only saw him from the back.”

  “Okay,” said Pine, who was sitting in her rental SUV outside her old house. “So where does that leave us?”

  “In no-man’s-land, apparently,” said Laredo. “But we do have to check the pullover we found for DNA and take a cast of those bolts in the truck bed to compare against the marks on Hanna Rebane.”

  “We’ll need a search warrant for that.”

  “That won’t be a problem. Wallis is already on it. We have more than enough probable cause.”

  Pine said nothing.

  “What?” he said in a prompting tone.

  “I don’t think he’s good for it. I’ve been outside his house all morning. I checked on him a couple of times. He’s dead asleep in the bean bag chair with Roscoe on top of him and five beer cans lying all around him. And the portable radio plugged into the wall is playing Charlie Daniels nonstop. So you’re telling me that’s the guy who successfully killed four people, dressed them up, and is making it hard for us to track him down? But then he conveniently burns evidence in his trash barrel and doesn’t bother to wrap the body in something so the bolt heads in his truck bed don’t get transferred to the victim?”

  Laredo sighed. “Well, when you put it that way.”

  “And there’s something else.”

  “What?”

  “Roscoe.”

  “Who?”

  “Tanner’s dog. How many serial killers are you aware of who had a pet that they doted on?”

  Laredo didn’t answer right away. “Well, I can’t think of any right now.”

  “Serial killers usually start off their careers by torturing and killing animals, not befriending them.”

  “Well, that’s true, although there are exceptions to every rule.”

  “Going with the odds, though, I don’t see our killer being a dog person. Especially one with a kidney problem who pees all over the place. So I say we put the search warrant on hold, we keep eyes on Cy, but we need to follow up some other leads.”

  “Like what leads?”

  “I’ll let you know when I come up with some.”

  She clicked off, put her truck in gear, and drove off, leaving Tanner to his sleep and his Charlie Daniels tunes.

  Well, the devil has come down to Georgia. I just have to find him. And I’m pretty damn sure he’s not dead asleep in that house.

  On impulse she drove over to Jack Lineberry’s. The gate was open for some reason, and she drove through and up to the main house. As soon as she stepped out of her SUV, a man approached.

  It was Jerry, the not-so-friendly security man. He was dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, and tie, and a comm piece was inserted in his right ear.

  “What do you want?” he asked briskly.

  “I just wanted to see Jack.”

  “Did you make an appointment with Mr. Lineberry?”

  “No, I’m just paying a friendly call. Is he in?”

  “You have no reason to know that or not.”

  Pine took a step back and appraised him. “What’s your last name?”

  “Why?”

  “Does everything have to have a reason?”

  “With me it does.”

  “Where were you stationed with the Secret Service?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Ever on the presidential detail?”

  “Same answer.”

  Pine nodded and gave him an amused look. “Okay, Jerry. Hang on a sec.”

  She pulled out her phone and punched in a number. “Hey, Jack, it’s Atlee. Yeah, I’m right outside. But Jerry needs a reason for me to talk to you. What? Oh, sure. With pleasure.”

  She handed the phone to Jerry. “He wants to talk to you.”

  Jerry looked at the phone like it was a cobra about to strike.

  He snatched it from her, cleared his throat, and said, “Yes sir?” He listened and nodded. “Yes sir,” he said again and handed the phone back to Pine.

  “Well?” she said.

  “This way.”

  He turned and marched toward the house with Pine following him and doing nothing to hide her gleeful look.

  Lineberry met her at the front door and took Pine back to his office.

  He had on blue slacks, a white button-down shirt open at the collar, and tasseled loafers. Pine noted once more what a handsome man he was. But there was something underneath the strong features; she couldn’t be sure, but it seemed akin to a penetrating sadness.

  He said, “Sorry about Jerry, he’s overzealous at times.”

  “What’s his last name?”

  “Jerry’s? It’s Danvers. Jerry Danvers.”

  “You said Secret Service?”

  “Yes. So, to what do I owe this visit?”

  She looked at the stacks of paper on his desk. “You look like you’re busy.”

  “Nothing that can’t wait. Please sit down. Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, I’m good, thanks.”

  They took their seats and he looked at her expectantly.

  “Do you own a Pagani?” she asked.

  He looked puzzled. “A Pagani? What’s that?”

  “A car. A really expensive car. Runs about three million.”

  “No, I don’t own a Pagani.”

  “Not to be too personal, but could you afford one?”

  “Yes, but that’s a lot of money for an asset that will depreciate as soon as you drive it off the lot.”

  “Okay.”

  “For the record, I usually drive a Jag. Hunter green.”

  “Is that the only car you own?”

  “No, I have the Porsche SUV you rode in the other day. And I have a silver Aston Martin convertible. Why?”

  “Just wondering.”

  He looked at her appraisingly. “Why do I doubt that?”

  “Did you ever know a man who used to live here named Barry Vincent? He apparently knew my parents.”

  Lineberry’s expression hardened just a jot, Pine observed, and he sat back in his chair.

  “Barry Vincent? I seem to remember that name from somewhere.”

  Pine told him about Myron Pringle breaking up a fight between Vincent and her father.

  “Yes, yes, I remember something like that, too. I think Myron might have mentioned it back then. But to answer your question, I didn’t know this Vincent person. I’m not sure, but I don’t think he was in town long.”

  “But why would he come here in the first place? Where did he come from?”

  “I have no idea on either count.”

  “He seemed to have it in for my father. For a guy who didn’t live here long, and who didn’t work at the mine, what would his beef be with my father?”

  “I guess you’d have to ask Vincent.”

  “I would, if I knew where he was. It’s been nearly thirty years.”

  “Well, that is a puzzle.”

  He fell silent and they spent a few beats staring at one another.

  “You know, you really do look remarkably like your mother.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “It was clearly meant as one.”

  An awkward momen
t passed.

  He said suddenly, “Would you like to go out to dinner tonight? In Atlanta?”

  “It’s a one-hour drive from your place. Long way to go to eat.”

  “It’s a nice day and the evening forecast is for clear skies. The Aston Martin hasn’t been out in a while. We could head out at six, then home by eleven or midnight. I can pick you up at your place.”

  She considered this. “Okay. But I’ll come over here. It’s on the way. And in the interest of full disclosure, I might have some more questions for you.”

  “And hopefully I’ll have more answers for you than I did just now.”

  Pine left and passed Jerry at the front door. The other guard had also turned up and was watching her closely.

  “Mr. Danvers, nice to see you again.”

  Jerry bristled at her remark. “Right.”

  Pine looked at the other man. “And you’re Tyler, right?”

  He grinned and put out his hand. “Tyler Straub. Nice to formally meet you, Agent Pine.”

  Pine shook his hand and said, “Well, it’s nice to know one of you has manners.”

  “You’re leaving?” Danvers said, scowling.

  “For now. But I’ll be back tonight. I’m going to dinner with your boss in Atlanta.”

  He looked over her clothes. “I hope you have something else to wear. Mr. Lineberry only goes to the best places.”

  “Hey, Jer,” said Straub, frowning. “Let’s dial it back. No reason to go down that road. She’s cool. And she’s friends with the boss. So don’t rock the boat.”

  Pine looked at Straub. “Good advice. I’m not the enemy here.”

  Straub slowly nodded. “Mr. Lineberry thinks very highly of you.”

  “Well, it’s reciprocated.”

  “Just remember to dress up,” said Danvers. “Mr. Lineberry will be.”

  “Don’t worry, Jerry, I’ll knock your socks off tonight.”

  He looked at her as though that would be absolutely impossible.

  “And it never hurts to smile,” Pine added as she walked to her truck.

  On the way out she could hear Danvers giving Straub grief for standing up to him.

  Jack Lineberry had an interesting household, she thought.

  Chapter 59

  ON THE WAY BACK to Andersonville, Pine called Max Wallis.

  “I need to get a line on a guy named Barry Vincent who lived here back in the eighties. And I was wondering if you could help.”

  “Okay. What does this pertain to? Could he have something to do with the killings?”

  “No,” replied Pine. “It has to do with my sister’s disappearance. I…I was hoping that you could do me a favor.”

  “Well, considering you’ve been helping me, how can I refuse,” he said good-naturedly.

  “I really appreciate this, Max.”

  “Sure thing. What do you want to know about him?”

  “I want anything you can find out about him, including his picture.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. I should be able to run something down on him.”

  “That would be great.”

  “One other thing. Laredo called me and said you want to put a pin in Cy Tanner?”

  “Look, that’s my opinion, Max, but this is your show. If you want to execute the search warrant and haul him in, I can’t stop you.”

  “But you think it’d be the wrong move?”

  “I think it would be the wrong move right now. That may change.”

  “Okay,” he said doubtfully. “What are you up to today?”

  “I’m going to dinner with Jack Lineberry in Atlanta. We’re driving over in his Aston Martin to some place fabulous, I’m sure.”

  “Well, ain’t you high and mighty,” said Wallis in a joking manner.

  “But aside from the nice car and food, I want to find out what I can about that night back in 1989.”

  “You think he’s been holding out on you?”

  “I think this whole town has been holding out on me. And I’m getting tired of it.”

  * * *

  Blum sat in Pine’s room that night as her boss got ready to go to dinner.

  “That black dress you wore before should do the trick.”

  “Well, it’ll have to since it’s the only ‘trick’ I brought. But I have to tell you, high heels are highly overrated.”

  “Well, with your height, why bother?”

  “I like looking down on men,” said Pine with a smile as she slipped into the dress. When Blum raised her eyebrows at this remark, Pine added, “I’m just kidding.”

  She looked at herself in the mirror hanging from the wall. “Not that I care, but Lineberry’s already seen me in this.”

  “When?”

  “When I had dinner in Americus with Lauren Graham. He was there and came over and joined us for a drink.”

  “And you still had it on when you went out with Eddie Laredo later that same night.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Heard you two coming back in.” She added in a hesitant tone, “I don’t know where you went after that.”

  “We went to our separate rooms and stayed there,” said Pine firmly. Although at the same time she was thinking it could have turned out differently, if she’d had a few more drinks and was not wrapped up in investigating serious crimes.

  “Never doubted it.”

  Pine glanced at her. “You’d fail a polygraph on that one.”

  Blum smiled. “I have a different wrap from the one I gave you before. That will make the outfit look fresh to Mr. Lineberry.”

  “I’m not trying to sell myself to the guy, Carol.”

  “No, but you do want information. And within the bounds of reason and good taste you’re entitled to use every tool in your arsenal to get it.”

  Pine shot her another glance. “Why do I think you want to use the term feminine wiles?”

  “I didn’t think I had to. And there’s nothing wrong with using what you have to your advantage.”

  She glanced at Pine’s earlobes. “Do you have earrings other than those diamond studs? Turquoise would look great with the wrap I’m thinking about.”

  “No. I only got my ears pierced when I was fourteen, way after all my friends. I guess I wasn’t into it. I just have the ones I’m wearing.”

  Blum rose, left, and came back a minute later with a pair of hoop earrings with turquoise stones set in them. “These will look great and will accentuate your long neck.”

  Pine thanked her, and when she struggled to get them on properly, Blum assisted her.

  Pine said embarrassedly, “My…my mom never really did…stuff like this with me.”

  “Maybe after her modeling days she had grown weary of playing dress-up,” said Blum. “Besides, weren’t you the tomboy?”

  “Yeah, but, well, it would have been nice…sometimes.”

  Blum ran her fingers through Pine’s thick hair, smoothing out some areas. “I’m sure it would have, Agent Pine. I’m sure it would have.”

  Pine started applying her makeup and lipstick. She said abruptly, “Jack Lineberry was in love with my mother.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “It doesn’t take a genius. I guess lots of men were in love with her.”

  “Like mother like daughter.”

  Pine shot her a glance. “Carol, where is this coming from? I am nothing like my mother. She never picked up a weight in her life. And she would have no idea what MMA even was. And if you told her I was an FBI agent…”

  “What, what would she say?”

  Pine finished with her makeup and put her compact and lipstick in her small clutch purse. “I don’t know,” she said offhandedly. “What does it matter?”

  “It clearly matters to you, as it should.”

  “I really don’t want to get into this.”

  “You may get into it tonight.”

  Pine glanced sharply at her. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Lineberry was in l
ove with your mother. Now he’s asked you out to dinner.”

  “So?”

  “So as great an investigator as you are, you’re obviously a bit underwhelming in your instincts when it comes to men.”

  As Pine brushed her hair she said, “I’m not getting this.”

  “Exactly my point. You’re not getting it.”

  “You think Jack Lineberry is infatuated with me?”

  “And you don’t?”

  Pine put the brush down and looked over at Blum. “There was an awkward moment at his house when…”

  “When what?”

  “When maybe it seemed like he was seeing my mother sitting there instead of me. You know, like that time before.”

  Blum silently clapped her hands together. “And there you are.”

  “It was a little odd.”

  “Which means you have to tread cautiously.”

  “Carol, you of all people should know I can handle myself.”

  “If it involves subduing men much larger than you, or finding a clue from pretty much nothing, or taking a tense situation and deescalating it, you have my full confidence. But this is not that.”

  Pine sat on the bed to put on her heels and looked at her friend. “So, what then? What do I do if it seems clear that—?”

  “—that he’s attracted to you? You do nothing. He’s a grown man. Whatever his feelings are, don’t feel like you’re obligated in any way to be responsible for placating him or playing along. When I mentioned using all the tools in your arsenal, I never meant for you to string him along or anything like that to get what you want. Just be yourself. And if he does or says something to make you uncomfortable, let him know it. If he doesn’t get the message, then leave.” She paused and smiled. “Just please don’t beat him up.”

  Pine snorted.

  Blum continued. “I know you know all of that, but sometimes a refresher course doesn’t hurt. So you need to draw clear lines. Let him know your interest is only professional. But don’t come down too hard on him if he says something that annoys you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you still need him for information. We’re here to solve a mystery, Agent Pine. Don’t forget that.”

  Pine smiled and reached over and patted Blum’s hand. “What would I do without you?”

  “Well, let’s hope we don’t have to find out for a very long time.”