But…Paige glanced at Al, the thought of that light blue box in Al’s purse making her hesitate for just a moment. She took the hand drawn map when Sonny held it out. “Thanks, Sonny.”
Chapter 11
AL didn’t like it but sometimes it was just easier to give in to Paige than continue arguing. And when her partner got that particular expression in her eyes there was nothing anyone—except possibly Mick—could do about it.
Sometimes it was just the only option left.
Paige had insisted on a return to the precinct to get the rest of the team first. And then she’d insisted Al stay behind with the victim.
Said the woman had bonded with Al, which they’d both known was stretching the truth. The woman was too darned scared to have connected with either of them.
But Al knew what Paige was thinking and she did appreciate the concern. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t slightly irritating.
She and Jaz stayed with Gillian, making notes about what to be everyone in the town. Gillian was sweet, in so many ways. It did anger Al just to think about someone hurting her.
Where were the people who were supposed to be protecting her? Where was the family that loved her?
Why did she seem so darned alone?
Hernandez was outside, watching the place and ready to defend all of them inside.
And the man took the duty seriously, especially after what had happened to him and Jaz a few months ago. Sometimes she worried about his intensity these days.
He was a friend, and her friends mattered to her.
Gillian Birch didn’t have very many friends at all.
After only an hour Gillian had given them the names of everyone she routinely associated with.
It was a short list.
If it didn’t pan out they’d start on the associates of those associates. Somewhere someway, the person after Gillian had connected with her somehow.
It was their job to find that way.
Chapter 12
PAIGE looked at the two men in the car with her. Ken’ big blond good looks had drawn her attention at first. Until she’d realized she’d make mincemeat out of a guy like Ken.
But Sebastian…Sebastian was awesome. And head-over-heals for her sister Carrie.
And they were both damned good agents.
All of the Complex Crimes Unit’s Team Three was pretty kick-ass in Paige’s opinion.
“So how are we going to do this?”
“It’s an initial interview of the victim’s family. No real reason to view it as hostile.” But Sebastian was tense; and Paige knew when he got that way that his instincts were riled. “But we’ll go in cautious.”
“All we have is this kid’s word to go on that Gillian Birch’s brother is violent,” Ken pointed out. “The guy could be the nicest man in the world.”
“Yeah, the kid wasn’t exactly the most reliable of witnesses. He was distracted by FBI Barbie like so many before him.” It was a standing joke—purely at Al’s expense—that she had that effect on men, even while on the job. And the team had used it to their advantage many a times.
“Way I heard it, it was your blouse he was most interested in,” Ken looked over his shoulder at where she rode in the back seat.
“Well, I was closer. And he was nineteen. I think. He’d have looked at any female chest he could find.”
“Can we get back on track here?” Sebastian, always the stickler. But he was right.
“I think we let Paige do the talking. She looks so sweet,” Ken said. “We just go in as the muscle.”
That was Ken’s favorite role on the team. He was big and bulky and could scowl with the best of them.
Not quite as good as Paige’s husband, nor was he quite as big, but Ken could frighten many a suspect into cooperating.
“I think that may work. Did Gillian say anything about her brothers or family knowing about the threats?”
Paige thought of how she’d trembled and explained that she’d chosen to face the threat alone to protect her family. To keep her brother—and she’d said brother, not brothers—from going off the deep end.
Was she hiding something from them? Was she more afraid of one brother than the other?
All questions Paige was itching to answer.
There were three houses on Garrity Hollow Road. One was the home where Gillian had grown up, with her parents still in residence.
She’d explained how they were failing in health lately.
The family ranch was bordered on either sides by properties owned by Carolyn Birch Robertson and her brothers Geoff and Clayton.
Gillian was the only sibling who’d chosen to live in town and not on the family homesteads. Paige wondered why.
And how well that had gone over with Gillian’s family.
Why had a young woman with close ties to her family chosen to live more than thirty-five miles away?
The deeper they got into things the more questions there were.
But wasn’t it like that always?
Chapter 13
THE longer Al spoke with Gillian Birch the more convinced she grew that the woman was hiding something.
But she couldn’t tell if it was just natural reticence keeping the woman quiet about something, or if it was something else.
What could she be hiding?
Al’s phone beeped, signaling a text from Paige. She read it quickly, then looked at Jaz. With a quick shake of her head she doubted Gillian noticed, she sent the younger agent out of the kitchen.
“Gillian, can you tell me a bit about your family? Your brothers?”
“I have two. Why?”
“We’re trying to figure out who the initial connection was through. Could your brothers have angered someone in town enough for them to do this?”
I’m going to fuck you while everyone watches.--That had been one of the predominate themes of the threatening letters. Could it be possible one of her brother’s had angered someone enough to threaten their sister?
Al had seen far stranger things. The only reason Mick had been shot a while back had been because of his connection to Mal.
People did horrible things like that to each other every single day.
Sometimes it was extremely hard for Al to deal with that idea. And all she could do was push on, remind herself that for every monster like that out there, a good person also existed.
And she reminded herself of her brothers, who would die to protect the ones they loved.
And who almost had.
Were Gillian and her siblings just as close?
“Geoff is quiet, I guess. They work hard. My father sold them the spread that had been our grandfather’s, and Geoff doubled it with a neighbor’s property a few years ago. Clayton usually just does what Geoff tells him to do.”
“And your sister?”
“Carolyn is older. There’s ten years between the two of us. We’ve never been close. She divorced a few years ago. She and my niece live in the small house that used to be my grandmother’s. I see them every Sunday after church.” Gillian looked at Al. “Do you have to tell them?”
Al felt for her, she truly did. “Gillian, they’re your family. They want you safe.”
“They warned me something like this would happen. They wanted me to stay at our parents’ home. But I needed to prove to myself that I could do it. On my own. Pretty stupid, isn’t it?”
“No. Not at all. I have two big brothers, too. Protective, annoying, cranky at times, but they love me. And I’ve lived with them for the last four years or so. I’ve only married recently, and my husband and I are house hunting now. There’s nothing wrong with living at home—just like there’s nothing wrong with making it on your own. I lived on my own for several years while going through the FBI academy. It’s whatever works for you that matters. Not what other people think.”
“Thank you. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done moving out. And now this happened.” Gillian’s eyes filled with tears. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Al went with instinct. The woman needed it; Al wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “We find this jerk, you get through, and then you triumph. Come out so much stronger after this. I know you can do it.”
“How? I’m not even sure that I know that.”
“Look at what you’ve done so far. This is a beautiful home. Paid for by your work. Your artistry. You’re talented and apparently able to take the initiative when it’s needed. Don’t second guess or short-change yourself. You’ll get through this. And you are not alone.”
Chapter 14
THE man glowering at them from the porch was as big as her husband and glared mean enough to rival Mick.
Paige was used to cranky men; this guy didn’t intimidate her at all.
“What do you all want? I’m not buying a damned thing.”
“And we’re not selling. We’re here about your sister. May we step inside?” She really wanted to get inside. See what kind of man this Geoff Birch was. See what kind of people helped shape their victim into who she was.
Connections. Everything was connections. And those connections led them to where they were now.
He stared at her from gray eyes. Paige knew he was taking her measure. She didn’t look away, but as the silence dragged on she had to wonder how long it would take him to give in.
Most people did when they realized Paige wasn’t going away. “Mr. Birch, this is about your sister’s safety. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.”
“Carolyn having some sort of issues with that girl of hers?”
“It’s not Carolyn, sir. It’s about Gillian.” She made a mental note to look into the niece. He’d gone there just a little too quickly. His expression changed for just a moment. Had she seen a touch of concern? Anger? What was it? “May we come in.”
It wasn’t a question. And they all knew it.
Sebastian remained quiet, letting Paige take the lead like they’d agreed on.
She was an old hat at family interviews, even belligerent.
Heck, Paige often sat across the breakfast table from belligerent.
And the one way she got Mick to do whatever she needed was…
She flashed her best smile at Geoff Mash. “We’re here to protect your sister, Mr. Birch. Isn’t that what you want, as well?”
Worked every time. Now.
Chapter 15
THE house looked like a bachelor’s house. Not that it was messy or smelly or anything like that. But there was nothing feminine in the place at all. There weren’t even any family photos. She thought that was a bit odd, considering that two brothers lived there, less than half a mile from the rest of their family.
Birch led them through small living room and toward the kitchen. “I don’t have any coffee.”
“This won’t take long. Mr. Birch, the reason we’re here is because Gillian’s been receiving letters. Threatening letters. For quite some time.”
He glared again. But she saw the way he balled up his hands. “Why didn’t she tell me? Or move back in here? Hell, she had to know I’d kill any sonofabitch who tried to hurt her.”
“That might be why. She wants to protect you as much as you want to protect her.” Paige knew in that instant exactly how to handle Geoff Birch. She put her badge away and deliberately loosened her posture. Forced herself to relax. “We were contacted to find this guy and stop him. But we will need to ask you a few questions.”
“Why me?” He pulled open the refrigerator and yanked out a pack of bottled water. He reluctantly offered one to Paige and the other two men.
She took one. They needed him to relax and open up a little. “We’ve spoken to Gillian and to be honest, she doesn’t have any high risk behaviors to point us in a direction. And from the wording of the letters we’re not convinced he’s a romantic type of stalker at all. We think he may be trying to scare her to perhaps get revenge on someone she’s close to. And frankly, that’s not very many people.”
“Gillian’s a good girl. I wasn’t happy when she moved out. She’s young, pretty, and naïve. Some damned idiot—excuse my language—could take real advantage of her. But I understood the need to go her own way. Parents didn’t. Sister and brother didn’t. But I did. And she’s done well for herself. No one has the right to screw that up for her.”
“No, they don’t. I’ve seen your sister’s work. She is remarkably talented.” The children’s illustrations were absolutely beautiful. Some of the best Paige had ever seen. “She’s very frightened right now.”
“I’ll head over there in a minute. She doesn’t need to be going through this alone.”
“I think she’d definitely appreciate having someone there with her. Can you tell me of anyone who may hold a grudge against your family or your sister?”
“No. Not a one. We don’t have many enemies. Hell, we don’t have many friends, either. Why would someone focus on my sister?”
“Once we find the answer to that question, we’ll find the person responsible.”
“And then what? A slap on the wrist?”
Paige understood his frustration. “We’ll let the court system take it to the next level. Stalking laws are getting better, I can promise you that.” She wasn’t entirely certain what they were for Texas, but she’d be finding out. “Right now our main goal is to identify the threat, and then stop him in his tracks.”
“You’d best find him before I do, then. Or the rest of the people in this town. We protect our own. No matter what.”
Chapter 16
AL was the one to pull the next letter from the mailbox when it arrived. The postman delivered it directly to the old fashioned metal bin pinned next to Gillian’s door.
He was actually whistling as he did his job. Did her mailman ever whistle?
She wasn’t entirely certain it was a man. She was usually long gone by the time her mail was delivered.
There was something to be said about the simpler life of small town USA. If she and Seth weren’t so enmeshed in PAVAD, finding something outside the city limits wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
Someplace slower and safer for the baby to grow up was definitely appealing.
They could always commute, couldn’t they?
She took the letter from the box and her eyes caught on the envelope. It was the same kind as all the other threats.
The handwriting on the front was the same.
Only this letter was a day early according to the pattern.
The escalation had finally reached its pinnacle.
If the UNSUB—unknown subject—was going to act. It would be soon.
Chapter 17
A dead end. Geoff Birch was either exceptionally good at hiding things, or he truly had no idea why someone would target him or his family. To hear him speak of it, they were quiet, simple people who kept their heads down and their hands busy.
Paige had to admire that in so many ways.
But someone in the town had targeted Gillian, and they needed to find out who and quickly. Al had texted her about the arrival of another letter, and it had her worried.
Why had the UNSUB escalated again?
She looked at her team leader. “We need to timeline everyone’s activities for the last few days. Weeks, if possible. At least about the time the major escalations started.”
“There may have been an inciting incident we’re not aware of.” Sebastian looked at her. They’d left Ken behind to speak with the younger brother. Hernandez was on his way to meet up with Ken, while Paige and Sebastian would be rendezvousing with Al and Jaz.
Someone would sit on the victim until the UNSUB was apprehended.
But where they went next, Paige wasn’t entirely certain.
They’d need to speak with the rest of Gillian’s family. That wasn’t standard procedure in these types of cases, but with Gillian being isolated and introverted, chances were good that the perpetrator was someone relatively close to her.
So that meant starting with the relatives closest to her.
“He reminded me of someone.”
“No kidding.”
“Looks like a dick on the outside, soft as marshmallow on the inside. Reminds of my brother. And my brother-in-law, too. Geoff Birch and Mick would probably get along just fine.”
“Possibly.” Big, grumpy, soft at heart. That was her husband, all right.
“I think he meant it when he said he’d kill someone trying to hurt her.”
“He would. But her brother wasn’t really a suspect, was he? But I can see someone being angry with Geoff and going after Gillian. Did you see his face when he spoke of the older sister and her daughter? No real concern—or affection. And there was more exasperation when he spoke of the other brother. But Gillian…” Mick was gruff, no doubt. But when it came to his family or those he cared about, he was all heart. But that wasn’t the case with Geoff Birch. It really did make her wonder about the relationships between the Birch family.
“He was worried. And he cared. A great deal.”
“Makes me wonder about the family dynamics, that’s for sure.” Paige would be the last one to ever say she understood how families worked. Yes, she’d found her own family recently, but they were learning how to be a family together.
It would be different for those who’d grown up together.
“We’ll observe, while we wait for a list of associates to be generated. That might take a day or two.”
“In the meantime we keep Gillian under constant guard.”
“She’s connecting well with Al. We’ll let that stand.”
Paige thought about the secret Al had shared. If Sebastian knew, there would be no way he’d leave Al as the main line of defense.
The baby would be his brother’s child, too.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. She’s too stubborn to say anything, but I don’t think FBI Barbie has been feeling well this week. I’ll do it. Jaz and I will stay with her. You should keep Al with you. Don’t need her puking in the middle of something important.”
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