“I’ll be in after a little while.”
Hannah exchanged a quick greeting with Max on her way out. Jake looked at his foreman, who still looked unsettled.
“Are you okay, Max?” Jake asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Max heaved out a breath. “I thought I had.”
“What?”
“The two of you, just now. You looked just like your parents.” Max’s gaze followed Hannah across the yard. “Do you think she knows that’s your mother’s favorite shirt?”
“No. She doesn’t have a clue.”
* * *
“I don’t have a clue where she went. I’ve tried everything.” Cheng dropped his keys on the long desk beside the seized guardian equipment.
“She couldn’t have just disappeared,” Owen insisted.
“Actually, that’s exactly what she did. Her cell phone hasn’t been used since the day you eliminated Martin and Dorsey, she hasn’t used her ID since she got off the train in Baltimore, and the only hotel we know she stayed in, she paid cash.”
Owen’s frustration mounted. “What about the surveillance videos from local buses, trains, and cabs?”
“That’s what I’m working on,” Cheng said. “The girl backtracked so many times it’s hard to figure out where exactly she was heading. Right now I’m concentrating on the security data for the Fredericksburg transit system. I found her on a local train there, but it looks like she might have been using trains as a place to sleep rather than as transportation.”
“Keep at it. Everyone leaves a trail whether they realize it or not.”
“You may be forgetting one thing.”
“What’s that?” Owen asked.
“If we’re right about her, she’s a ghost.”
* * *
“Anything?” Nelson asked Larry when he walked into his office at the station.
“Not a thing. It’s like Charlie disappeared off the face of the earth,” Larry answered heavily. “Other than knowing she got on a train heading for Baltimore, we haven’t seen a trace of her.”
“The feds haven’t been much help either,” Nelson muttered. He lifted a stack of photos and handed them to Larry. “Come help me look through these traffic photos.”
“You finally got them?”
“Yeah. It took county long enough.” Nelson divided the stack in two and handed Larry one of them. “We’ll start by separating them between the locals and the folks we don’t know.”
“Then what?” Absently, Larry began shuffling through the photos.
“We’ll have to interview everyone we know and see if they noticed anything. For the ones we don’t recognize, run the license plate numbers and make a list of the registered owners so we can track them down.”
“Okay.” Larry carried his stack to his desk. Both men found more familiar faces than unfamiliar ones, each making his own list. Not twenty minutes after they started, Larry held one up and passed it to Nelson. “Take a look at this one.”
Nelson looked down at a photo of an Asian man driving a beige SUV. “I don’t think I’ve seen that guy around before. I take it you don’t know him either?”
“Never seen him before.” Larry pointed to the passenger seat. “And look at this.”
Nelson took the photo again and looked closer. Sure enough, there was a speck of color just above the dashboard. “That looks like someone is ducking down.”
“Which means whoever it is might have something to hide.”
Nelson nodded. “Run the license plate on this one and see if you can find any other photos of him.”
“I’ll put the call in. Hopefully it won’t take so long to get the results this time,” Larry said. “Are you going to let the guy at the NSA know what we’ve found?”
“I don’t have much of a choice. It’s strange that I haven’t heard from the first guy since last week, but the one I met with at Fort Meade calls every couple of days looking for an update.”
“At least it’s nice to know someone else wants to find Dwight’s killer too.”
“I just hope we come up with something soon. I’m afraid this trail is already growing cold.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Larry said with confidence. “You won’t rest until you do.”
“You’ve got that right.”
Chapter 20
Charlotte sat at the simple cherry desk and tapped on the computer keys. She felt a little guilty for using the computer without asking first, but she had to know. After helping Abigail do some research on her family history, Charlotte decided it was time to find some answers of her own. For three days now, she had used Abigail’s naptime to set up the emergency firewalls necessary to keep her signal from being traced back to Virginia. Hong Kong, Taiwan, Niger, Paris, even South Dakota—her IP address would lead to any number of random locations but not here.
With the added security, she searched the Internet for any new messages from the guardians or updates on the investigation into Dwight and Kurt’s murders. She was careful to keep her search phrases generic so they didn’t raise suspicions in case anyone was looking for her, but there was one search she wouldn’t be able to hide.
Beginning a new session, she typed in the names of the car accident victims, deliberately leaving the daughter’s name out. One of the top results was a follow-up article to the one she had discovered in her mom’s things.
Ten years after a car accident claimed four lives, the identity of the other driver still remains a mystery.
Charlotte read through the rest of the article to find that authorities believed the car accident hadn’t been an accident at all. Evidence indicated a second car had caused them to crash through a barrier and into the Potomac River, killing all four passengers. As she continued reading, she discovered the child’s body had never been recovered.
Disconcerted by this thought, Charlotte looked at the other search results. The obituaries revealed only the most basic details, and she was both taken aback and annoyed by the lack of information. They reminded her of ones she had seen over the years for intelligence personnel who had died, most of them thankfully from natural causes. Had this family been friends with Dwight and Belinda? Or maybe even been family members?
She continued reading, her hands gripping the edge of the desk when she saw the child’s birth date. October 21. Charlotte’s birthday was three months and ten days after this girl’s.
Ten days. The two words repeated in her mind. More than once she had helped Dwight create a new guardian’s identity. Typically, to simplify the transition to their new life, the birth date on their new birth certificate was altered by plus or minus ten days.
Could this missing child, a child presumed to be dead, really be her? She knew she was adopted after her parents died in a car accident, but the parents who had raised her had claimed they didn’t know any further details. Had they been lying to her all this time? And if so, why would anyone find it necessary to hide the identity of a three-year-old?
A sense of betrayal warred with the memories of the parents who had raised her. She couldn’t fathom how the people who had taught her such virtues as integrity, honesty, and loyalty could have spent the past twenty years lying to her, but she also couldn’t explain the newspaper article, unless it was simply a coincidence and she was reading too much into it.
She searched for a few minutes more but didn’t find anything beyond the same details she had already uncovered. Shutting down the computer, she suspected there was only one place she would find the information she was searching for: the same database her father had been killed protecting.
* * *
Jake watched the chestnut stallion run the length of the field at a full gallop. He truly was a magnificent creature, with the power and grace necessary for a jumper. When the horse approached the fence, for a moment, Jake thought he might sail over it, just as he had the night Jake had met Hannah. The horse seemed to consider the idea, but instead, he turned and raced back the way he had come.<
br />
It was hard to believe an animal such as this had caused so much turmoil in his life. A restless Friday night, one careless comment, and far too much pride had changed so much for so many. He hadn’t heard the name Toby Howell in years. Though he and his father hadn’t agreed on much over the past few years, they had both chosen to avoid any conversation about Toby or the events that had followed that fateful night.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Max approaching beneath the fading sunlight. “Hey, Max. How are you doing?”
“Can’t complain.” He stepped beside Jake and put a booted foot on the bottom plank of the fence. “If you’re standing out here watching Shadow, I’m guessing you heard Toby Howell is back.”
“Yeah. Desiree stopped by and told me.”
“I was wondering whose car that was in the drive.”
Jake leaned his elbows on the rail. “I thought you knew everything about everyone around here.”
“That girl goes through new cars almost as fast as new boyfriends. Can’t blame me if I don’t try to keep up with your ex.” They stood in companionable silence for several minutes, both men’s eyes drawn to the horse frolicking in the pasture. “It’s not your fault, you know. Toby was bound to find trouble eventually. You were just a convenient excuse.”
“I was just stupid,” Jake countered. “Dad always told me never to bet anything I couldn’t afford to lose.”
“But you didn’t lose.”
“Didn’t I?” Jake asked, his voice taking on an edge. “It started out so simple. A single race to find out whose horse was faster. I never thought it would go beyond bragging rights when I agreed to race.”
“Half the town was there when you two raced. And we all know Toby’s the one who insisted on betting your horses.”
“A lot of people seemed to forget that fact the minute Shadow was living at Jackson Hills instead of Twin Oaks,” Jake said.
“Everyone knew Toby was developing a gambling problem, including his father.”
He remembered Toby’s accusations that he’d cheated, causing many in the area to choose sides. Toby’s own father had finally settled the matter by sending Toby to Kentucky to work off his latest debt on an uncle’s farm. Ultimately, Jake had left too, not only to follow his dreams but also to escape the blame for causing Toby’s departure. “I knew Toby couldn’t afford to lose. I never should have accepted the bet or the challenge.”
“It’s water under the bridge, kid,” Max said gruffly. “Don’t let old grudges chase you away from home again.”
“Max, I’m not staying. My being here is temporary.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but it doesn’t change the facts. Toby lost; you won. I always figured that race put things back the way they were supposed to be.”
“What do you mean?” Jake straightened and shifted to face him, noting the surprise on the older man’s face.
“Old man Bellingsworth agreed to sell Shadow to your father a few months before you raced Toby. If he’d followed through, Toby would never have owned Shadow.”
Curiosity bloomed, along with a sense of annoyance that his dad had never shared this fact with him. “What happened?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but when your dad showed up to pick up the horse, he found out it had already been sold to Twin Oaks.”
“Toby’s family bought Shadow out from under us?” Jake asked, surprised. “How did I not know about this?”
“I thought you did. You would have been in college at the time, so it’s possible your dad never thought to tell you about it.”
“Changing his mind about selling a horse doesn’t sound like something Bellingsworth would do. He’s always been an up-front kind of guy.”
“I can’t explain it,” Max said. “I only know what your dad told me and the rumors I heard around town.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“Nothing worth repeating. You know how people get when something happens they don’t expect.”
“Yeah,” Jake said, remembering the buzz that had followed his decision to move to New York. “I’ve had some experience with that.”
“I know you have.” Max reached up and adjusted the ball cap on his head, a hint of a smile on his weathered face. “How are things working out with Hannah?”
“So far, so good.” His heart warmed when he thought of the many times he had gone to check on his grandma and found the two women engaged in animated conversation. “My grandmother loves her, and now I don’t have to worry about Grandma burning the house down every time I turn around.”
“You know, if the two of you ever need to get away from the farm, I’m sure Stella would come over and sit with Abigail for a while.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I can hang out with Grandma if Hannah wants a break.”
“Did it ever occur to you that Hannah doesn’t know anyone here in town?” At Jake’s blank look, Max added, “Your folks’ country club membership is still active. It wouldn’t hurt you to get away, take a pretty girl out to dinner.”
Jake considered the idea and smiled. “That would definitely get the rumor mill spinning. Desiree already thinks Hannah and I are a couple.”
“Yet another reason to go out with her. Unless you want Desiree to start coming around again.”
“No.” Jake instantly shook his head. “No, I don’t want that.”
“You like Hannah, don’t you?”
“It would be hard not to,” Jake admitted, thinking of her gentle manner and gorgeous brown eyes and the way she seemed to understand when he needed to grieve and when he needed company.
Max lowered his foot to the ground and stepped back. “I’d better get back to work.”
“Yeah, me too. I’ll see you later.”
“That you will.”
Jake watched him leave and looked up toward the house. Hannah would be inside fixing dinner with Grandma. She had been here nearly a week now, and he had to admit that this had been one of the most productive weeks he’d had in a long time. He often found himself tapping into his emotions and pouring them onto the page. He certainly had a deep well of emotions right now.
His heroine now looked very much like Hannah, a beautiful young woman with dark hair and dark eyes, along with a quiet dignity and an unwavering work ethic. Hannah’s use of his mother’s clothes brought her into this century, but it was easy enough to use her previous outfit to help visualize his character living in the 1800s.
He thought about his few interactions with Hannah so far. Admittedly, he normally only saw her at mealtime, and more often than not, his mind was still in his story. Maybe that was why he still knew so little about her. Not to mention she tended to avoid giving any personal details even when he did ask her about herself.
The way she spoke, referring to his grandmother as Miss Abigail, was consistent with life in the South, yet the cadence of her voice was more indicative of states farther north.
The idea of taking Hannah out socially hadn’t occurred to him, not because she wasn’t someone he would enjoy getting to know better but because he found it easier to bury himself in his work than to deal with anything in the real world.
He could also admit to himself that he dreaded being out in public, where he was bound to run into old friends and have to deal with the condolences that would surely follow. Knowing Toby was back in town was yet another reason to avoid the social scene.
He headed up the path to the house and entered through the back door. The scent of eggs and biscuits wasn’t what he expected to find at dinnertime, but still, his mouth watered. After wiping his feet on the mat inside the door, he walked into the kitchen, where Hannah was standing at the stove, making omelets. His grandmother had apparently already set the table and was currently flipping through a quilting magazine.
Before he could question the odd choice of menu, Hannah looked up and said, “I hope you don’t mind breakfast for dinner. I’m afraid we’re running low on a few things.”
He chuckled.
“Is that your way of telling me we need to go to the store?”
“I can make do with what I can find here on the farm, but if you want some variety in your meals, then, yes, we need to go to the store.”
“The local market doesn’t close until eight. If you want, we can head over there after dinner.”
“That sounds great.” Hannah sprinkled some grated cheese on the omelet in the pan and flipped it in half, adding more cheese to the top. “What would you like on your omelet?”
“I’ll take some ham if we have any. Otherwise, cheese is fine.”
“I think there’s a little left over from breakfast.” Hannah turned toward the refrigerator and bumped into Jake as he simultaneously went to reach for the refrigerator door. Her hands automatically came up to press against his chest as she tried to keep her balance, and Jake grabbed her elbow to keep her from stumbling.
“Sorry,” Jake said hastily, noticing the rush of color into her cheeks. “I’ll get it.”
“Thanks.” Hannah retreated to the stove, but the blush didn’t diminish.
Jake retrieved a slice of ham from the refrigerator and moved to the counter where Hannah had left a cutting board and knife. Realizing he had done little to help in preparing his own meals over the past week, he chopped up the remaining ham.
When Hannah slid the first omelet onto a plate, Jake picked it up and took it to the table, setting it in front of his grandma.
“Thank you, dear.” She looked up at him hopefully and said, “Did you say we’re going to the store after dinner?”
In the image Jake had painted in his mind, he had seen Hannah and him making their way through the grocery aisles together. Knowing how much his grandma loved going for drives, he adjusted the image. “Yeah. Is that okay?”
“Oh, yes. I’m ready for a chance to get out of the house for a bit.”
“Good. It’s not often I get to go out with two beautiful women.”
His grandma’s cheeks flushed pink, and she chuckled before picking up her fork. Jake glanced over his shoulder at Hannah and found himself mirroring his grandmother’s sentiments about getting out of the house, only he didn’t just want a trip to the grocery store. He discovered he rather liked Max’s suggestion of spending some time away from the farm so he could get to know Hannah in a social setting.
Failsafe Page 12