Paul fixed him with a hard look. “According to records, my name is PJ Landis and I’m a famous author.”
“You are a famous author.”
“That’s not my real name, though. No one can tie Paul Gray to PJ Landis. I hired a very talented man to hide my identity. The thing is, I knew he could do it because he’d done it before.”
And here it was, the missing piece of the puzzle. “You hired someone to change your wife’s identity.” Quinn felt like an idiot when he said it out loud. “Of course you did. You were in hiding from the Phoenix Society.”
“Only kind of,” Paul hedged. “We were in hiding after the experiments. I told you how we met at college, how she was part of the experiments. The thing is — and I didn’t find this out until after the fact — her family insisted she be involved in the experiments.”
Quinn practically exploded. “Why didn’t you tell me that? This could’ve changed everything.”
“Because I had no idea that Henry Gibson Fletcher had anything to do with the Phoenix Society. I always thought he wanted Caroline to participate because of the money. Although, to be fair, she never mentioned that he was the one who pressured her. She just said it was a family member. Maybe it was someone else … like a brother.”
“The father is loaded, right?”
“Yeah, but he didn’t believe in subsidizing his children’s living arrangements once they were adults. He was a self-made man and he expected his children to take care of themselves. Caroline was struggling for money at the time and either him or the brother are the ones who told her she could find the money if she looked hard enough ... and then pointed her toward the experiment.”
Quinn needed to expend some building energy so he got up and started pacing. “So ... Henry Gibson Fletcher — one of the richest men in the country — is the father of Alexander Fletcher and the grandfather of Rowan.”
“He’s never met Rowan,” Paul countered. “He cut Caroline out of his life when he found out we were getting married. He didn’t think I was good enough for her. We didn’t want Rowan to have that sort of negativity in her life. We were afraid she would spend all her time trying to please him and there was no pleasing that man.”
Quinn nodded as he paced, things coming together. “Caroline participated in an experiment being run by her brother. She didn’t know he was in charge. Then Caroline fell ill and died when Rowan was a child. Now her brother — I’m guessing she didn’t see him regularly just like her father — is trying to take Rowan. This all ties back to family, not the experiment. Although I’m sure that plays into it. How come you didn’t tell me he was your brother-in-law?”
“Because I didn’t know. Caroline never talked about her brother. The few times she mentioned him, she never brought up a name. She had no love for him. She said he was a horrible person. She even called him a sociopath once or twice. She called him ‘Bucky.’ I guess it was some sort of family nickname. I never even knew his name was Alexander.”
“You still should’ve recognized the name Fletcher.”
“You said it yourself. Fletcher is a common name. It didn’t even occur to me. Once Caroline changed her name, I never thought of her as anything other than Caroline Gray. We built a life together. I loved her more than anything. It just didn’t occur to me that her father could possibly be involved. I mean ... why would he? He cut us off. Why would he care?”
That was a good question. Quinn had another one. “Is he still alive?”
“As far as I know.”
“Then we need to get him on the phone.” Quinn strode toward the door. “We need to talk to him and I need to get the truth out of Michael. This is all starting to make sense ... except Michael’s part in all of it. I want to know if he’s working with them.”
“And if he is?”
“I’ll kill him for touching Sally.”
“And if he isn’t?”
“He’s our best shot of having a number — or at least a contact — who can get us through to Henry Fletcher. That’s the guy we need on our side right now.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a feeling he’s the only one who can control his son.”
“And what if he’s an enemy, too?”
“Then we’ll deal with it another way. I don’t know what else to do.”
Paul nodded without reservation. “We should check on Rowan first. I just want to see her.”
“That makes two of us. We’ll take the roundabout way to Michael’s office. She’ll want to be part of this.”
18
Eighteen
Rowan was their first stop by mutual agreement. Neither one of them wanted to be separated from her for too long. It turned out to be a good decision.
“Baby, I’ve got big news.”
Quinn felt more hopeful than he had in weeks when he strolled into Rowan’s room, Paul following in his wake. He pulled up short when he realized the room was empty.
“Not much room here, huh?” Paul muttered, glancing around. “How do you guys manage this?”
“Technically this is her room. We just spend our nights here. I have my own room, but I’m virtually never in it. My contract is due to be renewed soon and I’m negotiating a suite for us in the package,” Quinn answered automatically. “Where is she?”
Paul slid his eyes to Quinn, noticing for the first time that Rowan wasn’t present. “Maybe she ran out to get something.”
“I told her to stay right here.” The fury that had been threatening to overflow earlier returned with a vengeance as Quinn eyed the camera on the bed. “I don’t know why she would leave.” He was frustrated when he scooped up the camera and looked at the digital window on the back. Rowan had taken another photo of herself and the omen was still there.
Paul looked over his shoulder and frowned. “I don’t like this,” he muttered. “Why is the omen there?”
Quinn forgot that Paul could identify the symbol. He was the first one, other than Rowan of course, who had ever seen it. “It’s been there for days. We told you.”
“Yeah, but I thought it would’ve disappeared by now.” Paul was beside himself. “She’s still in danger.”
“Yeah.” Quinn turned his attention to the laptop and the photos she’d pulled up. “She was checking us, wanted to make sure we would be okay. I don’t understand ... .” He trailed off when he saw the sheet of paper on the table. A sense of dread threatened to overwhelm him as he snagged it, his heart skipping three beats when he read the message. “Son of a ... .”
Paul grabbed the note from Quinn before he could shred it, all the color draining from his face. “What do we do?”
“She obviously left the note behind so we would find it and follow.” Quinn stared at the wall for a long beat before moving to the safe in the closet. He kept a gun there just in case. “We’re going after her.”
“Well, of course we’re going after her. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. How are we going to do it?”
“You’re going to call Nick and tell him what’s going on. Get Dave and his men over there. You and I are making a stop before we head out.”
“Where are we stopping?”
“I already told you. We have to talk to Michael.”
Paul was incredulous. “You want to scream at your buddy for betraying you before we find my daughter? What are you thinking?”
“That Michael might have inside information,” Quinn replied simply, tucking his weapon in the waistband of his pants and pulling his shirt out to cover it. He was unnaturally calm, something that only served to make Paul more nervous. “At the very least, he can tell me what Spencer is thinking.”
“What does that matter?” Paul challenged. “You’re going to kill him anyway.”
Instead of being upset about the statement, Quinn accepted it with a mixture of grace and grim determination. “I am going to kill him.” He was matter-of-fact. “If he’s touched one hair on her head, I’m going to rip his throat out and serve it to him o
n a platter. I’m going to make it hurt, too.”
Paul’s look was appraising. “I think you’re going to be an awesome son-in-law.”
“Oh, I am.” Quinn couldn’t muster a smile. He didn’t have it in him. He would smile for the rest of his life once he had Rowan with him. Until then, he was in attack mode. “We have to go. We need to track down Michael and then get to her. We have to hurry, too. I don’t think we’re going to have a lot of time.”
“Then let’s go. I’ll call Nick on the way. He’ll probably be there ahead of us.”
That’s exactly what Quinn was counting on.
IT WAS IDIOTIC TO LEAVE THE SHIP without backup. Rowan understood that. On any other day, she wouldn’t have considered it. Since Sally’s life was on the line, she had no choice.
She left the note behind because she figured Quinn would find it sooner rather than later and follow. She wouldn’t be completely alone. She rationalized that it was better for her to arrive on her own because they would be less likely to hurt Sally if they thought she could follow instructions. Of course, that could all be bunk. They could kill both of them the minute she walked through the door.
Still, she had to take the risk. Sally was her best friend. There were some things that mattered, and Sally was one of them.
The neighborhood the note directed her toward was grim and sad. The buildings were rundown, abandoned warehouses on every corner, and the poor people littering the street because they had nowhere else to go were a vicious rip to the heart. On an intellectual level, Rowan understood the island authorities kept the homeless off the docks so as not to dishearten the tourists. There’s nothing more that dissuades shopping and commerce than stepping over the poor to do it. Well, at least normal people. That didn’t make it easier to accept in her heart.
It took Rowan two trips around the block to realize she was in the correct place. The numbers above the door were faded. A quick glance in either direction told her the street was littered with people, and none of them were watching her. This was the sort of neighborhood where people minded their own business. That was probably for the best.
She didn’t knock. What was the point? Instead she merely twisted the handle and pushed. It took multiple tries because it was metal and heavy. Finally it gave way.
The inside of the building was as depressing as the outside. There were lights, though. Oddly enough, that made her feel better. At least she would see the danger swooping in. It wouldn’t happen in the gloomy darkness.
She cocked her head to the side, listening to the telltale noises that would direct her which way to go. At first, she heard nothing. Then, after a few seconds, she made out the low murmur of chatter and turned west.
The room she found herself in was long and rectangular. It was largely devoid of furniture, other than a chair placed at the center of the room under a stark, naked lightbulb. Sally was in the chair, her arms tied behind her. She didn’t look afraid, though. Her expression was defiant ... and her voice was razor sharp.
“You guys are idiots,” she sputtered. “I mean ... complete and total idiots. Do you really think this is going to work? Rowan isn’t going to leave the ship and wander to some random abandoned ghetto on an island she doesn’t know. She’s not an idiot.”
Rowan hated to disappoint her but ... well ... apparently she was. She cleared her throat to draw attention away from her friend. Spencer and Julia, who were sitting on wooden chairs on the other side of the room, jerked their heads in her direction. They seemed surprised at the interruption.
“What are you doing here?” Spencer climbed to shaky feet. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
That wasn’t the greeting Rowan was expecting. “Really? You didn’t send me a note to draw me out? Oh, well, my bad. I’ll just be going.” She turned on her heel to leave. It was all for show. She expected him to call out and stop her. She wasn’t disappointed.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He sounded frustrated more than anything else. “You can’t just leave.”
“No?” She arched an eyebrow and turned again. This time she focused on Sally, who didn’t look remotely happy to see her friend. “Are you okay?” She managed to keep her voice even, but just barely.
“Am I okay?” Sally’s voice was shrill. “Of course I’m not okay. Why did you come here? Are you a complete and total idiot? Why didn’t you call the police and let them handle things?”
That was a fair question, Rowan silently conceded. “Because the police can’t handle this situation. This is above their scope. Besides, I’m guessing Spencer picked this neighborhood because he knows the cops are less likely to respond to calls here. Am I right?”
“Pretty much.” Now that he’d adjusted to the fact that Rowan had invaded his space, Spencer was ready to get to business. “We expect you to come with us. If you put up a fight, we will kill your friend.”
To Rowan, that was an absolutely absurd statement. “You expect me just to leave with you, huh? Why would I do that?”
“Because I have some things to discuss with you, some tests I want to run. You will acquiesce to all of them.”
Rowan couldn’t help being confused by the set-up. She took a moment to search the room and then shook her head. “Wait ... is it just the two of you?”
“Of course not,” Julia scoffed. “We have men surrounding the building. Trust me, you don’t have a play here.”
She sounded sure of herself ... and yet Rowan was naturally suspicious. “If you have men surrounding the building, how come they didn’t alert you to the fact that I was walking through the door?” Rowan’s mind was going a mile a minute. “I mean ... shouldn’t they have been waiting at the door to make sure I was really alone? Shouldn’t you guys have been prepared to run in case I brought an army with me?”
Spencer snorted. “What army could you possibly muster?”
He might be surprised, Rowan internally mused. Still, if he was operating in the dark, things could still work out. This clearly wasn’t the scenario he had planned. So ... what went wrong? “Where is Darcy?”
Julia rolled her eyes at the question. “Will you listen to her? I knew that would work. People assume Darcy is sweet and innocent because of all that blond hair. This idiot certainly fell for it.” She turned to Rowan and graced her with a condescending smile. “You don’t have to worry about Darcy. She’s perfectly fine. She’s the one who drew you here. Granted, it was three hours early, but she followed through.”
Ah, well, that explained it. Rowan ran her tongue over her teeth, working things out as she tried to fit the pieces of a complicated puzzle into place. “So, Darcy is the one who slipped the note under my door ... and she did it early.” That couldn’t have been a mistake, Rowan surmised. For some reason, Darcy jumped the gun. There was only one explanation. However, it wasn’t something she could give voice to in mixed company. “Your men aren’t here yet,” she surmised, a sense of glee settling over her. “You hired thugs — or whatever you call them here — and they’re not here yet because this wasn’t supposed to go down for three hours. Oh, well, that’s just priceless.”
Julia turned haughty. “They’re called mercenaries and don’t you worry. They’ll be along shortly.”
Even though she remained terrified, Rowan’s mind was working fast enough to do the math. It was two against two. Quinn wouldn’t be far behind. He would call Nick and get his men to the warehouse in record time. It was an interesting turn of events.
Of course, Rowan did her best to keep from thinking about the fact that if she’d simply called Quinn from the start and had him go with her rather than follow, they’d probably already have freed Sally and have the answers they needed. She didn’t want to dwell on that. It made her feel stupid.
Still, as long as she remained calm, she had a feeling things would work out. She had hope, which meant she had everything. She forced a smile for Sally’s benefit — hoping the woman would relax while she pressed for information — and then focused on Spe
ncer. “I think we should talk.”
He appeared tickled at the suggestion. “Oh, really? What is it you think we should talk about? Oh, wait. I know what I want to talk about. Let’s talk about your abilities. Don’t bother denying you have them. I thought you were a dud — and I was devastated by that for a long time — but the realization that your father only faked his death was the catalyst for a new investigation. This one was much more ... fruitful.”
Rowan hated the way the man talked. Everything that came out of his mouth was manipulative. “I have no intention of denying it. There’s really no reason. I’m sick of the games.”
“That makes two of us.”
“So ... what is it that you want to know? I mean, why are you so obsessed with me and my family?”
“Because you’re my family, too.”
Rowan wasn’t expecting that answer and she was flabbergasted. “What?”
“Oh, you didn’t know that?” Spencer’s eyes twinkled with evil intent. “Well, it’s true. You’re my niece. You should sit down.” He gestured toward a chair about ten feet from Sally. “We have numerous things to discuss. Since you’re early, it seems we have plenty of time to discuss them.”
Rowan felt as if all the oxygen had been stolen from her body. How was this even possible?
QUINN WAS TAKING NO PRISONERS WHEN he kicked in Michael’s office door and strode into the room. For his part, the normally unflappable captain was absolutely flabbergasted.
“What are you thinking?” He hopped to his feet, his eyes wide as saucers when he saw the ruined door. “Do you have any idea how difficult that’s going to be to explain on an expense report? Geez. You’re going to get in trouble unless we think of an acceptable lie.”
Even though he was being fueled by fury, Quinn took a moment to consider the statement. Michael was acting as if it was a normal day, as if Fred hadn’t been stabbed and Rowan wasn’t missing. If Michael was in the know, wouldn’t he at least pretend to have a different reaction?
Raging Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 9) Page 17