by Robin Caroll
Eva’s heart constricted as Darren grabbed her hand and squeezed. She didn’t even care that he was nearly crushing all the bones in her hand. “What’s her name?”
The clerk chewed her bottom lip. “I don’t know—”
Eva flashed her badge again. “Just a name. That’s all I need. I’m not asking for her address, her financial information, or surveillance video—we’ll get a warrant for all that, but right now, since time is so critical, I really need that name.” She held her breath and waited. Would the girl hand over the information?
“Every minute that my daughter is out there, she’s away from her medication.”
“Margaret Brewster.”
“Are you sure the name doesn’t ring a bell?” Eva asked for the third time in the fifteen minute drive back to his house.
Darren gave her the same answer as the previous two times. “Nothing.”
“There has to be something.”
“I know.” But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out a connection. He’d been mentally scrolling through cases: names of perps, witnesses, even victims. Nothing. He’d gone through people he’d met through his church’s outreach programs. Nothing. The name Margaret Brewster had no recognition for him.
“We need to run a check on her.”
“We will.” But would Wilson? Darren had called Agent Lacey to let her know their hunch had paid off. She’d given him the heads up that Special Agent in Charge Leo Wilson had returned from questioning Barbor and was furious that he and Eva had snuck off.
On one hand, there was good news in that Barbor and his sister were cleared as suspects. On the other, Wilson was so furious that, according to Agent Lacey, the man had been tempted to have them both picked up and hauled in for interfering in an investigation. Of course, he couldn’t do that to Darren, but Eva… This was the main reason he hadn’t told Eva what Agent Lacey had said.
But Eva was smart. Too smart. “Will Leo Wilson do that? I mean, I’m sure he’s noticed we’re gone by now and I can’t imagine he’d be too happy. Especially with me involved.”
“He’s quite angry, from what Agent Lacey said.”
“I figured.” Eva turned off the main road. “So, do you think he’ll actually run the name immediately?”
“I think he’s doing everything by the book.”
“And that would be what in this case?”
“He’ll run the name and see if anything pops up.” Yet, he very well could shut Darren out of the investigation because of his and Eva going out on their own.
“You don’t sound confident in that.” Eva shot him a quick look before focusing back on the road.
“I just don’t know if he’ll keep me in the loop. We usually don’t tell parents every little detail of the investigation.”
“But you’re an agent.”
“And the father. Who the SAC is upset with.” He could respect Wilson’s going by the book, but so far, that hadn’t yielded them results like his and Eva going off book. “But Agent Lacey will follow up and make sure every resource is utilized.”
“I have an idea.” She jerked the car to a quick turn.
“Eva, what are you doing?” He held the door armrest a little tighter as she picked up speed.
“I’m going to go to the lab. I can put her name in our database and see if we have any hits. Then, if any of the evidence we collected matches, we’ll already have the information.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” All he could see was the trouble she’d get into.
“It’ll be fine. And you can use Maddie’s system to run a check on her with your sources, too.”
Oh, she was going to get them both into big trouble.
But she was determined to find his daughter, and that, above all else, warmed him to the tips of his toes.
“Okay. Let’s do it. We’ll probably get in huge trouble for this, though. Are you sure?” He stared at Eva’s profile illuminated by the car’s dashboard lights.
She smiled. “Go big or go home, I always say. To the lab.”
Lord, please keep Savy safe just a little longer. Thank you for this lead. Now, he just needed to find out who Margaret Brewster was and why she wanted his daughter.
Nine
“You aren’t supposed to be here.” Sarah Newton met Eva at the door.
Eva pushed into the lab and set her badge on her desk. “I’m not touching any of the evidence tied to the case.” Which, wasn’t exactly a lie.
“Peter said you weren’t going to be working in the lab while the case—”
She cut off the obnoxious woman and sat at her desk. “I just have to finish up a few things.” She quickly brought her computer to life and signed in. “What are you doing here this time of night?” Setting the samples to run shouldn’t have taken more than an hour. Then again, to be fair, not being familiar with the setup might make it take longer.
“Obviously I’m running tests on the samples brought in tonight.” Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll need to call Peter to make sure it’s okay for you to even be here.”
“Do what you’ve got to do.” Eva typed fast. As soon as Peter knew she was in the lab, all bets were off. “Darren?”
He moved silently to Eva’s desk and sat on the edge. They’d debated having him wait in the car, but decided if there were any hits, he might see something that would trigger something, anything, of a connection to Margaret Brewster. Besides, Eva hadn’t realized Sarah would be working in the lab. If she had, she certainly wouldn’t have brought Darren inside.
“Darren Timmons?” Sarah moved into Eva’s work area. “The father on the case?”
He looked at Eva.
Eva sighed. “Yes, he’s the father of the abducted little girl, but he’s not here in that capacity.”
“Then what capacity?” Sarah asked Eva, but her eyes never left Darren. It was as if she were drinking him in.
Eva ground her teeth. “He’s here as my friend. I just needed to do something right quick. We’ll be out of your hair in no time.” And maybe that would distract her enough to not call Peter immediately.
“Oh, I don’t mind.” Sarah moved closer to Darren. “I’m Sarah. Sarah Newton.” She took his hand. “I’m so sorry about your little girl, but don’t you worry…I’m going to run all the tests and get all the identifying information I can.”
Eva wanted to vomit. She rolled her eyes at Darren, then opened the search options. She typed in Margaret Brewster’s name, set it to search, then reduced the screen down so Sarah’s prying eyes couldn’t see.
“Thank you.” Darren’s voice announced his hesitation at Sarah’s forwardness.
The woman never gave up. Eva shook her head. “Sarah, his focus is on finding his daughter, and he doesn’t need your flirting right now.”
“I’m not flirting. I’m just reassuring him that I’ll be doing all that I can to help find his daughter.”
“Sure.”
“I need to call Peter.” Sarah moved to step around Eva.
“I appreciate it.” Darren shut up as Sarah stopped and turned back to him. “Everything you’re doing. I thank you.”
Sarah smiled. “You are most welcome.”
The computer dinged—the search concluded.
Eva pulled up the screen. She knew it’d been a longshot, but she’d hoped there would be something with the name. No such luck, apparently.
“What are you doing?” Sarah turned away from Darren and tried to look over Eva’s shoulder.
Closing the program, Eva then shut down her station. “Nothing. Just finishing up something.” She stood, grabbed her badge, and looked at Darren. “Ready?”
He nodded as he straightened.
Sarah laid a hand on his arm. “Remember, I’m doing everything to find your little girl.”
“Thank you.”
Eva shuddered, then grabbed Darren’s hand. The woman was vile, plain and simple. Hitting on a man during a time of severe grief. Typical Sarah. “Come on,
Darren. Let’s get out of here.”
She waited until they were in the car to tell him. “There were no matches to Margaret Brewster in the system. I’m sorry.”
“It was worth a shot. Thanks.”
“There’s always the chance something more will come back with the DNA.” Eva couldn’t stand the defeat sitting in the crevices of his face. “Maybe an alias or something.”
His cell phone rang. He pulled it off his hip. “Timmons.”
Eva started the car, turning the defroster on high.
“I see. I appreciate that.” Darren’s face grew as stiff as granite. “Thanks, Agent Lacey.” He ended the call and let out a heavy sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
“Wilson’s furious. Very furious. Has called the Director to complain about my actions.” He ran a hand over his face.
Eva gripped the steering wheel. “Seriously? Your daughter is missing and you went to follow a lead.”
“I broke protocol.” Eva didn’t think she’d ever heard Darren sound so dejected.
“You’re doing what you can do to find your daughter. This is ridiculous.” She slammed the car in reverse, backed out of the parking space, then jammed it into drive and spun out of the parking lot.
“What are you doing?”
“This is unfair, Darren. We’re going to Maddie’s.”
“Why?”
“Because everyone is there. Well, Remington had to head back to Eternal Springs, Louisiana, but Rafe and Riley and Nick are all there, and you need to tell Nick what’s going on.” She merged onto the main road.
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be told. Insubordination is taken very seriously in the bureau.”
“Which is why you need to tell Nick your side. And I’ll tell him.”
Darren let out a long breath. “It’s after eleven, Eva. We can’t bother them this late.”
“Yes, we can. Trust me, they’re all up. I talked with Maddie earlier, and they’re worried for you and Savannah. They’re being kept out of the loop, too. This way, we can at least let them know what’s going on.”
“I guess.”
Eva drove a little faster. She couldn’t stand the loss of hope in Darren’s voice.
“This wasn’t the smartest thing you’ve ever done.” Nick straightened as he stared at Darren from over Maddie’s kitchen table.
Darren knew. He dropped his gaze to the floor. It was hard to hear, but it was the truth.
“But totally understandable.”
He jerked his gaze back to Nick’s face.
Nick smiled. “I would do the same thing.”
“Thanks, Boss.”
“So, Margaret Brewster. You have no memory of her?” Maddie set a cup of coffee in front of him.
Darren’s best friend and Maddie’s brother, Rafe Baxter, was the last to join them at the table. Remington and Riley held hot chocolates in their hands. Rafe clapped Darren’s shoulder as he dropped into an empty chair.
Darren shook his head and leaned back in the chair. “I’ve wracked my brain and still nothing.”
“Have you gone through your case notes?” Maddie passed a cup of coffee to Eva sitting beside him, then sat next to Nick.
“Everything. The name means nothing to me.”
“There has to be something.” Maddie glanced at Rafe. “I know that look. What?”
Rafe grabbed Maddie’s cup of coffee and took a sip before he looked at Darren. “Didn’t you go out with a girl whose last name was Brewster?”
“When?” Darren cocked his head. Maybe Rafe had lost his mind because Darren couldn’t remember dating anyone with the last name of Brewster.
“Back before you met Georgia.” Rafe straightened in his chair. “Remember, she had that reddish brown, long hair?”
Darren couldn’t recall. He shook his head.
“I think somebody set you up. But she didn’t go by Margaret.” Rafe closed his eyes and rubbed his fingers together. “She had those blue eyes. She was pretty and all, but remember how she confronted you at that coffee shop?”
And suddenly, Darren remembered. With clarity.
“Were you just not going to call me?” Her eyes seemed to jump out from her red and splotchy face. “Just throw me away like yesterday’s trash? After all we meant to each other?”
Darren stared, not sure whether to be shocked or appalled. “I-I—”
“Save it. I saw you. With her.” Her blue eyes widened even more, if that was possible. “What, am I not good enough for you?” She stood over his table, her hands on her hips.
Everyone in the coffee shop seemed to have fallen silent.
Darren cleared his throat. “Why don’t you sit down and we can talk?”
“I don’t want to sit down and I don’t want to talk. I just wanted you to know that I know. I know you, Darren Timmons. I thought you were better than this. More than a use-and-dump type. Guess I was wrong.”
“That’s not fair. It’s not like that.” He shook his head, aware of the people around them staring. “We’ve only gone on three dates, hardly a relationship. We weren’t a couple. Not by a long shot. You’re freaking out over nothing.”
Her eyes seemed to glaze over. “Freaking out? Freaking out over nothing?” Her voice rose several levels, drawing even more attention. “I’ll show you freaking out.” She pushed his cup of coffee into his lap.
He shot to his feet, grabbing napkins and dabbing at the java on his pants. At least the coffee wasn’t scalding. “Are you insane?”
She smiled—she actually smiled. “Did that hurt? Good. I hope it did. Because you hurt me. Tossing me aside for another woman. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“You’re crazy.” He grabbed his book from the table.
“Only because you’ve made me crazy. You let me think we had a forever future, then just ignored me.”
“We only went on three dates. I never even mentioned the future.” He stayed on the opposite side of the table. This woman had gone off the deep end. Even people around them seemed to inch away.
“But I knew we were on the path to forever until she came along. Now you can’t even return my phone calls.” She paused, then softened her tone. “We’re meant to be together, Darren. Can’t you see that?”
“Stay away from me, Mags Brewster. You’re certifiable.”
“Mags Brewster. That was her name.”
Ten
“Someone that…psychotic, I’d think you’d remember their name.” Eva couldn’t believe Darren hadn’t immediately remembered the woman’s name. She remembered every potential stalker ex she’d ever dated. Maybe it was different for guys, though.
“I didn’t think she was psychotic, exactly.” Darren shrugged and looked across the table at Rafe. “I don’t think I saw or heard from her again.”
“She harassed Georgia for a month or so.”
“What? I didn’t know that.”
Rafe wore a sheepish look. “Georgia didn’t want you to know. She said she could understand Mags feeling desperate over losing you.”
“Mags never had me to lose. What kind of harassment?”
“Mostly just annoying stuff. Hang ups in the middle of the night. Silly you don’t deserve him type notes. That kind of stuff.”
But even Eva noticed Rafe’s discomfort.
“What else?”
Rafe stared at the table. “A couple of slit tires. Blood on her doorstep.”
“What?” Darren’s eyes bugged and his face reddened. He straightened in his chair. “How could you keep it from me? How could Georgia never tell me?”
“She made me promise.” Rafe’s voice was thick. “The first tire, she didn’t think was intentional. You were at the men’s revival, so she called me.”
“The first tire…what about the rest of them? I was only gone for a weekend.”
Eva took a sip of coffee. Everyone else at the table remained still and silent as the best friends batted back and forth.
“She found the first one the morning y
ou left. I came over and changed it, told her it looked sliced, and she waved me off. That night while she was at work, two more were slit.”
Darren’s face went slack. Eva wanted to grab his hand, but didn’t dare.
“I drove her home and that’s when we found the blood on the doorstep. I made her file a police report, even though she didn’t want to. That’s when I found out about the notes and the hang ups. She didn’t want to give the police Mags’ name, but she had no choice.”
“She never said a word to me.” Darren sounded not only hurt, but offended.
Eva couldn’t even imagine. She’d be freaking out and wouldn’t have been able to keep it from him.
Riley cleared her throat. “Hate to interrupt, but Rafe, how did Georgia know Mags’ name? I mean, I doubt she signed any notes.”
“And I certainly never told Georgia anything about her.” Darren opened his mouth again, then clamped it shut.
“Neither of you wanted to worry the other.” Rafe turned to face his sister. “Mags confronted her.”
A collective intake of breaths from most everyone at the table shocked the silence.
“What?” Again, Darren’s voice didn’t conceal the surprise.
“She went into the diner after you left.” Rafe turned away from Darren’s disapproving stare. “Georgia worked at the little diner that served the most amazing scattered hashbrowns.” He smiled, then frowned and looked back to his best friend. “She’d gotten to work a little late because of the sliced tire, so she stayed the extra hour until closing to make up for it. It was during that time that Mags went into the diner.”
Darren just shook his head.
“Georgia said Mags had ordered a cup of coffee. When Georgia poured it, Mags started in on her.”
“Started in on her?”
“Yeah. Asking her things like So you think you’re better than me, huh? and Bet he’s only seeing you because you’re easy and stuff like that. Georgia said it didn’t take her long to figure out she was the one who sent her the notes and called and hung up.”
“How did Georgia respond?” Eva surprised herself by asking the question aloud. She knew how she’d respond—she’d tell Mags to seek out professional help and to leave her alone. Then again, Eva carried a gun and had training on how to use it.