The Traitor's Pawn

by Lisa Harris

  “I’d come into my living room to get my book”—she sneezed again—“when I heard a noise outside. I’m not even sure why I bothered to come look, but two men were carrying a woman to my neighbor’s car parked in her driveway across the street. I was trying to see if it was my neighbor, thinking she must be sick, but then they dumped the woman into the trunk.”

  “Could you see the woman?”

  “I didn’t get a good look, but she seemed smaller than my neighbor and her hair was darker. Which is what confused me. I don’t know who else it would be. My neighbor lives alone.”

  “But you recognized the car?”

  “It was definitely my neighbor’s car—her name’s Bridget—and she has a blue Honda CR-V.”

  “And did they come from your neighbor Bridget’s house?”

  The woman paused at the question. “That’s what I assumed, but to be honest, I can’t be sure.”

  “Did you see them get into the car with the woman before they drove away?”

  She shook her head, sneezing again. “As soon as I saw them pop the trunk and put her inside, I ran to get my phone. I got 911 on the line, and by the time I got back to the window, Bridget’s car was driving away. I was able to catch the license plate, which I gave to the officer I spoke with earlier.”

  “Were there any other cars in the area? Maybe a car you didn’t recognize?”

  The woman paused to think. “The house next door to Bridget has been empty for a while, but now that you mention it, there was another car there I’d never seen before. A dark sedan that was parked along the curb in front of the house. When I came back, it was gone.”

  Aubrey glanced up at Jack. “So there’s a woman in the trunk of a car, and two cars that drove away about the same time.”

  It didn’t make sense.

  “Have you seen your neighbor?” Jack asked.

  Jacqueline shook her head. “No, and I’m worried. The officer was going to check. She’s seventy-two years old and lives alone in that house. I’ve tried calling several times, but she isn’t answering.”

  “Thank you, Jacqueline,” Aubrey said. “We’ll be back if we have any other questions.”

  She started across the street with Jack, who signaled to two officers standing in front of the safe house to join them.

  “The neighbor has to fit into this scenario somehow,” she said, still trying to put the pieces together. “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m calling Agent Brewster for an update.”

  “The license plate is registered to a Bridget Sanders,” Brewster said once he’d answered. “But she has no online security, so there’s no way we can track the car except through an old-fashioned BOLO.”

  “Our witness told us she was worried about her neighbor, who’s also the owner of the car. She’s not answering her phone,” Aubrey said.

  “From what I heard, officers knocked but didn’t go inside,” Brewster said. “If we’re looking at a possible second abduction, you need to go inside.”

  “Are we thinking they took both of them?” Aubrey asked as Jack hung up the call. “It doesn’t make sense. If they had their own car, why use the neighbor’s?”

  “I can’t answer that,” Jack said.

  Officer Fernandez and a second officer, Lawrence, joined them in front of Bridget Sanders’s home.

  “Did you search the house?” Aubrey asked.

  “We just knocked on the door. No one answered,” Officer Lawrence said.

  “The owner’s car was stolen, a woman was kidnapped, and then no one answers the door. You don’t think that’s suspicious?” Aubrey asked.

  “We were responding to a 911 kidnapping,” Fernandez said, “then we were told there were two FBI agents down next door.” She looked distressed. “We didn’t know anything about an elderly woman who might be in trouble.”

  Jack held up his hand. “Let’s just make sure no one is inside.”

  It took them thirty seconds to breach the front door after their persistent knocks went unanswered.

  “Bridget Sanders . . . this is the FBI,” Jack called, stepping into the house first with his gun raised. “We’re checking to make sure you’re okay.”

  They spread out and started clearing the house, room by room, looking for any clue that could explain where the woman was. Aubrey started down the hallway toward the master bedroom, checking each room as she went.

  “Clear.”

  “Clear.”

  “Clear.”

  She stopped inside what must be the woman’s bedroom. She had seen no signs of struggle anywhere in the house. Here the bed had been made, the closet and dresser drawers were neatly shut, and perfume bottles and jewelry still sat neatly aligned on the dresser.

  Aubrey checked the bathroom, then headed to the front of the house.

  “Her cell phone is here in the kitchen,” Jack said, picking it up.

  “So she left in a hurry and forgot it,” Officer Fernandez said.

  “Or she was taken by force,” Aubrey said. “But I didn’t see any signs of a struggle.”

  “I didn’t either,” Jack said.

  “We have officers canvassing the rest of the neighborhood in case someone else saw something,” Fernandez said. “We might get lucky.”

  Jack nodded. “Good.”

  But they were back to square one.

  Two agents down.

  And now two women were missing.

  Aubrey started for the front door of the house. A car was pulling into the driveway. A blue CR-V.

  “Jack . . .”

  A woman matching the description of Bridget Sanders got out of the car with a package in her hand, stopping in the driveway when she saw the officers exiting her house.

  “Ma’am—”

  “What’s going on?”

  Aubrey held up her badge. “I’m Detective Aubrey Grayson. I need you to stay where you are.”

  The older woman took a step backward, clearly panicked. “I don’t understand!”

  Aubrey signaled for Officer Fernandez to stand with her while Jack opened the trunk. “Just stay where you are, ma’am.”

  Aubrey headed toward the back of the car, heart racing at what they might find. Their witness could have made a mistake. Identified the wrong car or misinterpreted what she saw. But until they looked inside that trunk, there was no way to know.

  She heard the click of the trunk release as Jack pulled the latch and stopped for a few seconds before lifting it open. Her lungs gasped for air.

  “Jack . . .” Mei’s body lay in front of her, blood running down her head into a pool beneath her cheek. Nausea swept through Aubrey. Cheng had ordered her killed, and now they were too late.

  Jack stepped beside her.

  Mei’s hands had been bound in front of her and a gag placed in her mouth. Aubrey pulled out the gag, then stopped. There was something else inside her mouth. Aubrey forced herself to pull out the crumpled-up piece of paper and felt a wave of terror slice through her as she read the note.

  GAME ON, AGENT SHANNON

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  AUBREY TOOK A STEP back from the trunk. “Wait a minute . . . she’s still breathing.”

  Mei gasped for air and tried to sit up.

  “Mei.” Aubrey grabbed the young woman’s shoulders. “Mei. You’re safe now. Take a deep breath.”

  “We need to get her out of here, now,” Jack said.

  “There’s a chair on the front porch.”

  Jack lifted the young woman out of the trunk and headed for the house with Aubrey right behind him.

  “Fernandez,” she shouted. “Call 911. We need to see where this blood is coming from.”

  “Already on it.”

  “I’ll grab the first-aid kit and a blanket,” Lawrence said, running toward their patrol car.

  “What’s going on?” Bridget Sanders stood at the edge of the driveway with a dazed look in her eyes. “I had no idea there was anyone in my car. I don’t understand.”

&
nbsp; Aubrey brushed past the woman. “Ma’am . . . I need you to stay out of the way for the moment.”

  On the porch, Jack sat Mei gently in the wicker chair, then pulled out his knife and cut the cord around her wrists. Aubrey stepped forward with the blanket from Officer Lawrence and wrapped it around Mei’s shoulders.

  “See what you can find out from her,” Jack said. “I’m going to talk to Bridget Sanders.”

  Aubrey nodded and knelt down in front of the young woman.

  “Mei . . . Mei, you’re safe now. Can you tell me where you’re hurt?”

  She pressed her hand against the side of her head. It came back covered in blood. “My head. My head hurts.”

  “You’re going to be okay. We’re going to find out why.”

  Aubrey grabbed some hand sanitizer from the first-aid kit Officer Lawrence set down beside her, pulled on a pair of latex gloves, then started gently parting Mei’s hair, searching for the source of the blood.

  After a few moments, she said, “Looks like you’ve got a cut just above your hairline on the side of your head.”

  “I . . . I remember hitting it on something.”

  “It’s not near as bad as it looks. The gauze will help stop the bleeding. You’re going to be fine.”

  Mei nodded, but she was still shaking.

  “Mei . . . I know you’re scared, but do you think you can answer a few questions for me?”

  “I think so.”

  “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “I don’t know. It all happened so fast. Two men broke into the house. They took out the agents, then dragged me outside and put me into the trunk.”

  “Did you see the men who took you?” Aubrey asked.

  “No . . . I don’t know . . . I was so scared.”

  “It’s okay. Right now, I just want you to take some deep breaths and try to relax.”

  Aubrey finished cleaning up Mei’s wound, then attached a sterile gauze over the cut. A siren whirred in the distance as the ambulance grew closer. A couple neighbors were standing in their yards now, including their witness, who’d been held back by an officer from coming to check on her neighbor. Cheng might have won this round, but at least both Mei and Bridget Sanders were going to be okay.

  “Peter was behind this, wasn’t he?” Mei asked.

  Aubrey hesitated.

  Mei moaned. “I know he was, but I didn’t tell him you were coming. I promise.”

  “We’re not sure how he found out, but he used you as leverage to get away.”

  “What about my father? If that’s who he’s really after, and he finds him . . .”

  “Agents are already at his house to make sure he’s okay. They’re going to bring your father to the hospital so he can see you.”

  Mei shook her head as Aubrey closed the first-aid kit and stood up.

  “I should have seen it,” Mei said. “He was after my father all this time. He never cared about me.”

  “I don’t want you to think about that right now. Right now, I just want to make sure we do everything we need to ensure you’re okay.”

  “But he’s still out there?”

  Aubrey nodded.

  “And if this happens again?”

  “I promise we’re going to do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  Mei closed her eyes and swayed forward.

  “Mei . . .” Aubrey caught her, placing both hands on her shoulders.

  She opened her eyes. “I’m okay. Just . . . dizzy.”

  The ambulance arrived and two uniformed paramedics stepped onto the porch. “What have we got?”

  “There’s a large cut on the side of her head. Plus, possible shock or even a concussion. She’s dizzy.” Aubrey started to move out of the way. “We’re going to follow you to the hospital, Mei.”

  The young woman grabbed Aubrey’s arm. “Please . . . please don’t leave me. He got to me once, and he can get to me again.”

  One of the paramedics nodded at Aubrey. “You’re free to ride with her if you’d like.”

  “Thank you.”

  Aubrey found Jack while she waited for the paramedics to get Mei into the ambulance, unable to shake the guilt and anger that had taken hold of her.

  “Her purse was in the trunk,” Jack said, handing it to her. “If he wanted to kill her, he could have. Instead, he let her go.”

  “I know, but I want to know why. I want to know what his endgame is, because to him, this is clearly not over.”

  “Maybe, but I have a feeling that he’s long gone by now. His job is securing government secrets, and unfortunately, there are plenty of people out there who are willing to sell him what he wants.”

  “I hope you’re right,” she said. “And Mei won’t have to worry about him anymore.”

  He brushed his hand down her arm and squeezed her hand. “I’m going to talk to Bridget Sanders and see if we can figure out how Mei ended up in her trunk, then I’ll be right behind you.”

  Aubrey climbed into the ambulance as soon as they had Mei’s gurney loaded inside. Fifteen minutes later, they were ushering her into an exam room and waiting for a doctor to see her. There had been no sign of Cheng or his men, but Jack had arranged for two officers to stand outside Mei’s room, just in case they did show up.

  She sat next to Mei, who’d fallen asleep on the bed, while they waited for the doctor. Memories of the last time she’d been in the hospital rushed through her. It had only been a few days since she’d driven here, excited about a time of rest with Papps and his family. It seemed like forever ago.

  Jack stepped into the doorway, noticed Mei was sleeping, then signaled Bree to join him in the hallway.

  “This is Mei’s father, Samuel Lien,” Jack said, introducing the two of them. “And this is Detective Aubrey Grayson.”

  “How is she?” her father asked.

  “They’ve done an initial assessment,” Aubrey said, “but we’re still waiting for the doctor.”

  “I know you have a lot of questions,” Jack said. “And I promise you can see her in a minute, but first I need to ask you a couple of questions.”

  “Okay, but I need to know what’s going on. All I was told is that her life is in danger because of Peter Cheng, the man she’s been dating.”

  “That is true,” Aubrey said. “We understand you work in intelligence?”

  “Yes.”

  “We have evidence that Cheng was using your daughter in order to get to you.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Did you ever meet him?” Jack asked.

  The older man shook his head. “No. Mei was planning to bring him over this weekend so we could go out to brunch together. She seemed nervous about introducing me, but apparently he wanted to meet me. From everything she told me he was a nice young man. I just can’t believe he’d do this to her.”

  Aubrey frowned. “Unfortunately, Peter Cheng is anything but nice.”

  “We believe that the two of you were targeted in connection to your job and the classified information you work with,” Jack said. “Have you ever had anyone approach you and offer you money or goods? Either in person or through social media?”

  “Once I was contacted through a professional site, but I realized what was going on and ended up deleting my entire account. But this . . . I never imagined them going through my daughter.” Mr. Lien let out a heavy sigh. “Can I see her now?”

  Aubrey nodded, then opened the door and let him in.

  “What did Mrs. Sanders say?” she asked Jack when they were alone in the hallway again.

  “Apparently, she’s been having some memory issues. She was getting ready to leave for the store when she realized she’d forgotten her purse in the house. She left her car running and went to get it.”

  “So she didn’t see anything,” Aubrey said.

  “No, and while I’m not sure of Cheng’s motivation, he must have told his men to keep Mei alive, but dump her somewhere. They noticed an empty car runnin
g and decided to pop the trunk and leave her there. I looked inside the trunk again. There was blood on a metal toolbox where I believe she hit her head.”

  Aubrey frowned. There were still so many things that simply didn’t add up. “Why go to all the trouble of getting her out of the safe house, only to let her go?”

  Jack shook his head. “I think it’s Cheng’s way of letting us know he’s in control.”

  Mr. Lien stepped back out into the hallway. “I’ll double-check with the nurse, but she asked me to get her some Sprite for her stomach. And Detective Grayson . . . Mei wants to know if she could talk with you for a moment.”

  Aubrey glanced at Jack, then nodded. “Of course.”

  Mei was sitting up in bed when Aubrey went back into the room. She kept her head down, avoiding Aubrey’s gaze. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

  Aubrey sat down on the bed beside her. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  “Yes, I do. I was so stupid. I planned to introduce Peter to my father this weekend. We were going to drive out to the beach and have brunch at this little restaurant along the coast. I was so excited.” She drew in a ragged breath. “I can’t believe it now, but I actually thought he was the one I was going to marry. I trusted him, and instead, now I’ve put not just my life in danger, but yours, that nice old lady’s, and more than likely my father’s. I just . . . I should have seen that he wasn’t the man I thought he was.”

  Aubrey shook her head, searching for the right words. “You’re not the first person to believe someone’s lies. He knows how to manipulate people. It’s his job, and he’s good at getting them to do what he wants. What you can’t do is let this situation stop you from trusting other people in the future. Not everyone is like him.”

  Aubrey hesitated. She knew what it was like to feel betrayed. It made it hard to trust the next person. She knew the road back to trusting people wasn’t easy.

  “Is he your boyfriend? The FBI agent. He’s super cute.”

  “Jack?” Mei’s question took her off guard. “No.”

  “I’m sorry if it’s too personal. There was just something—this spark—between the two of you. He seemed worried about you. Protective. Like he really cares.”