He nodded. “I should speak to a few more people, and then we can take off.”
“Why do you need to talk to the detective? Does he have new information about the case? You’d think he would have notified all of us.”
Eli spun around to face Vanna. While he decided how to respond to her question, Stephen and Katherine strolled up to join them.
“What’s going on?” his uncle asked.
“Nothing important. O’Leary has a few more questions for me. I spoke to Maureen the day before she was killed, and he wants a full account of the conversation. I said I’d stop by later.”
“What did you call Maureen about?” Vanna’s tone was sharp.
“I was simply checking in to see how she was doing. I don’t know why O’Leary wants a face to face meeting with me again, but he does.” Eli shrugged. “As I said, no big deal.”
“He didn’t strike me as the trusting type.” Stephen’s voice held a hint of amusement. “Maybe he wants to look you in the eye to make sure you aren’t lying.”
“Why would I lie?” Eli studied each of them for a moment. “None of us has anything to lie about, right?”
“Of course not.” Katherine let out a quick breath. “Our boys disappeared a while ago. I’d better go find them.”
Eli’s temples began to throb. “If you don’t mind, I think Mom and I will leave.” He touched his still wet pantleg. I need to change before I meet O’Leary since I reek of alcohol. I can help with the cleanup later.”
“No need. The catering staff will handle it,” Vanna answered. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow morning.” She gave his mother a brief smile. “It was nice seeing you again, Maisie.”
“I just wish it was under different circumstances.” With a nod to Stephen, she took Eli’s arm, and they headed inside through the open French doors. She remained quiet until they left the house out the front entrance and crossed the portico. “Do you think they believed you?”
“I don’t know why they wouldn’t. I actually did call Maureen the Monday before she died, so that part wasn’t a lie.”
“You really think either your aunt or uncle paid to have Maureen killed?” His mother’s voice shook with emotion. “It’s hard to believe either of them could be filled with so much hate.”
“I can’t wrap my mind around it, either. But one of them, or possibly one of my cousins, is responsible.”
“I thought I’d know who was guilty by talking to each of them, but none of the family acted like they had a dark secret. Most of them just seemed tired or bored.”
“You have to have a conscience to feel guilt.” Eli aimed the remote at his car and stabbed the button. “Whoever ordered the hit on Maureen is remorseless. That’s what I find most difficult to swallow. I’m related to a psychopath with no heart and no soul.”
Chapter Seventeen
Vanna stood at an upstairs bedroom window and stared down at the thinning memorial crowd eating and drinking in the yard below. She tightened her grip on her phone. “Eli has an appointment to talk to O’Leary again this afternoon, and I think he knows something damaging.”
Her associate uttered what was surely a French curse before switching to English. “Did he mention anything specific?”
“No, but I got an uneasy feeling when we were talking. I’m telling you, he dug up something incriminating—on you, not me. He never would have been able to look me squarely in the eye if he thought I was behind Maureen’s death.”
“I don’t see how—” He broke off and muttered something. “Unless he—” A rash of curse words followed. “Merde!”
“Are you sure there was no sign of Jaimee Fleming at his house? Actually, I don’t care how he got suspicious. Just do something about it before this comes back to bite us both in the ass.”
“Is he still at the estate?”
Vanna leaned her forehead on the window and let out a breath that fogged the glass. “He left less than five minutes ago. I called as soon as I could.”
“Is your nephew going straight to the cops?”
“He planned to go home to change first. You have time to get to him before he blurts out whatever he knows to the police if you stop swearing and leave now.”
“I’m on my way.”
Her finger hovered over the disconnect button before she spoke again in a rush. “Did you see a dog when you searched Eli’s house? Watson, the shaggy little mutt that belonged to Maureen?”
“No.” A car door slammed. “Come to think of it, there were food and water bowls on the mudroom floor.”
“I bet the damn dog walker took Watson with her, after all. And that means she was definitely at Eli’s house.”
“I’ll contact you once I’ve taken care of the problem.” He spoke abruptly and disconnected.
Vanna closed her eyes as her stomach rolled. Breathing quickly through her nose, she fought back a surge of nausea. She’d always liked Eli. It was too bad he’d been the one to interfere. Now he’d pay the price.
* * * *
Eli pulled up before the gates of the cemetery and put the car in park. “I don’t like leaving you here alone.”
His mom pushed open the car door before turning his way. “Why the heck not?” She lifted the assortment of flowers she’d cut in his yard while he’d changed clothes and held them in the crook of her arm. “I’ll just put these on your father’s grave, spend a few minutes with him, and then walk over to Frieda’s house. You can see her home on the other side of the graveyard. I’ll be perfectly fine.”
“I suppose so.” There was no reason for him to be concerned. He hadn’t seen any sign of the killer’s truck during their quick stop at the house, but uneasiness prickled the back of his neck. “Maybe I’ll wait and drive you over there.”
“No, you won’t. You’re worrying for no reason.” She stepped out of the car. “Go.”
He let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. I’ll pick you up once I finish talking to O’Leary. Hopefully it won’t take long.”
His mom leaned in to smile at him. “See you shortly.”
Eli had nearly reached town and was thinking about what he’d tell O’Leary when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and frowned before answering. “What’s up, Mom? Did you leave your purse in the car or something?”
“Eli.” His mother’s voice broke. “Eli, a man—”
“Mom! What’s wrong?” He slammed on the brakes and swerved over to the edge of the road.
“If you want to see your mother alive again, you’ll do exactly what I tell you.”
The cold male voice with the faintest hint of an accent sent a rush of fear through him that chilled his blood. He struggled to respond. “Don’t touch her! Do you hear me? I swear to God—” Pulling out onto the road with a squeal of tires, he sped back toward the cemetery.
“Follow my instructions, and no one will have to die. If you don’t, this will get ugly very quickly.”
Eli’s temples throbbed, and his hand shook so badly he nearly dropped his phone as he pressed harder on the accelerator. “What do you want?”
“I want you to feed the detective you’re headed to see a line of crap. I don’t care what you make up, but it had better be believable. You write books. It shouldn’t be much of a challenge. As long as you don’t give him any reason to come after me, your mother may live to see another day.”
Eli’s heart hammered so hard he could barely think. “Then you’ll let her go?”
Two more minutes until I reach the cemetery.
“Actually, that’s just the first step. When you’re finished with O’Leary, we’ll discuss the rest of my demands. Call your mother’s cell once you leave the sheriff’s office. And if you even think about doing something asinine like spilling your guts to the cops, this pretty woman will pay for your stupidity.”
When the phone went dead, Eli dropped it and gripped the steering wheel with both hands as he roared up to the graveyard and threw the car into park. No gray truck. No sign of his mother. Jumping ou
t of the car, he ran toward his father’s grave, checking behind tombstones, hoping he wouldn’t find his mom’s crumpled body—
Just the flowers, scattered across the grass near his father’s headstone. The killer must have taken his mother with him.
Taking harsh breaths, Eli tried to focus. Follow instructions. Follow instructions. The words reverberated through his head. Pulling himself together, he ran back to his car and grabbed his phone, found Jaimee’s number, and dialed.
“Eli? I’m glad you called. Is the memorial over?”
He slumped against the seat and fought tears. “Maureen’s killer has my mom.”
She was quiet for the space of several heartbeats. “What happened?”
“O’Leary contacted me earlier, and we planned to meet after the memorial. I dropped Mom off at the cemetery near her friend’s house before heading back into town. Legrand must have seen my car. He grabbed her there and called me a few minutes ago, using her phone.”
“What does he want?” Her voice was calm, without a hint of panic.
“For me to spin something innocuous for the detective and then call him afterward to get further instructions.”
“Did you speak to your mother?”
“Only for a moment. Not surprisingly, she sounded upset.”
“Listen to me, Eli. I want you to do exactly what Legrand asked. Go down to the sheriff’s office and tell O’Leary whatever you choose, as long as it has nothing to do with the assassin. You’ll think of something. Keep in mind whatever you say will go into a database, and Legrand’s law enforcement contact will likely be able to access the report.”
“All right. Then what? I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to simply turn my mom loose.”
“Of course, he won’t. Since she’s undoubtedly seen him, he plans to kill her.” Jaimee kept talking over his indrawn breath. “My guess is he’ll demand you bring me with you to the exchange, and his intention will be to take out all three of us. Except that isn’t going to happen.”
“How do I know he won’t put a bullet in my mom’s head the second I tell him O’Leary is still in the dark?”
“Because you’re going to make it clear your cooperation hinges on speaking to your mother at regular intervals. He’ll expect that. If necessary, I’ll need you to stall to give me time to get back up there.”
He pressed a hand to the ache in his chest. “What, so you can be a martyr and trade your life for my mother’s?”
“No.” Her voice was flat and hard. “I intend to kill the bastard.”
The simple statement didn’t sound the least bit dramatic, and that fact bothered him. He pushed aside his uneasiness to focus on what was important. “How are you going to do that? You left the shotgun in my bedroom. Legrand told me not to talk to the cops, and you could make the situation even more dangerous for my mom.”
“No, I won’t. I’ll call my team, and we’ll get your mother back. That’s what we do.”
He stared straight ahead at the rows of headstones. “What do you mean, that’s what you do?”
“Counterstrike rescues victims who’ve been kidnapped. We have an extremely high success rate.” Her voice softened. “I know you’re angry and scared, but let me handle this. Your part is to keep me informed and let me know in advance where Legrand wants to meet.”
Processing what she’d just said was more than he could manage at the moment. “I’m trusting you with my mother’s life. You, not the police.”
“I know that, and she’s going to be fine. I promise.” Her words rang with sincerity.
“Since I don’t have a whole lot of options at this point, I’ll go talk to O’Leary. I’ll call you after I’m finished.”
“While you’re with the detective, I’ll get things started on my end. I should reach Hawthorne by early evening.” Her voice came softly in his ear. “We’ve got this, Eli. Just hang in there.”
He disconnected and sat without moving. Finally, he started the car and put it in gear. He had a story to make up, and it damn well better be a good one.
* * * *
Jaimee passed a big rig going eighty and forced herself to slow down a fraction, despite the sense of urgency driving her. Getting pulled over by a cop in a rental car not registered in her name, with an assault rifle in the trunk and a handgun in the glovebox, wasn’t going to get her to New Hampshire any faster.
“Are you still there?”
“Sorry, Wolf. I was thinking about our best course of action. Until I know where Legrand is holding Eli’s mother, I’m not sure what backup I’ll need. I should hear from Eli shortly, but I wanted to let you know about the situation in advance.”
“I’m glad you called. The team will be ready to leave the minute you notify me with specifics. Where are you now?”
“I just passed Plymouth. Traffic isn’t too horrible for a Sunday afternoon. I’m hoping Legrand will want to meet Eli later this evening when darkness will give him an advantage. Of course, it’ll also work in our favor, but he won’t know that.”
“I’ll wait to hear from you, then.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in touch.” She disconnected and stared at the road, trying to ignore the anxiety knotting her gut. She’d done her best to stay positive during her conversation with Eli, trying to ease his fears. Now, worry that she wouldn’t be able to deliver on her promise ate at her.
Jaimee brooded as she drove through the congestion surrounding Boston, second guessing her decisions. By the time she reached the New Hampshire border, she was beginning to panic, wondering why Eli hadn’t called her back. When her cell finally rang, she punched the button to put it on speaker.
“What happened?”
“I told O’Leary someone broke into my home and took a wad of cash I’d left on my dresser. I suggested it might be the same person who killed Maureen, that maybe it really was a burglary gone wrong. He didn’t seem very impressed with my theory.”
“Did he question you more thoroughly?”
“Not really. He told me I should have reported the break-in to Bagley instead of waiting to talk to him. One of Sheriff Frank’s deputies accompanied me back to my house. He was pissed I’d covered the broken window with cardboard before going to the memorial, said I’d probably ruined any prints.”
“It sounds like O’Leary bought your story.”
“I think so. There was no sign the asshole had been to the house. Maybe he caught a glimpse of us leaving or out on the road. I should never have left my mom alone.”
The anguish in his voice tore at her heart. “This isn’t your fault, Eli. Nothing that’s happened is on you. Did you contact Legrand yet?”
“I left a message, but he didn’t pick up. Wait, I’m getting another call. It’s probably him.”
Her phone went dead. Jaimee’s nerves stretched as she counted down the minutes, wondering what the killer was planning. When her phone rang, she snatched it up. “Was it him?”
“Yes, and you were right. He said if I don’t bring you to the exchange, he’ll kill my mother. I tried to convince him we’re virtual strangers, that I didn’t know where you were, but he wasn’t falling for it. He said I had until ten this evening to figure it out.”
“Did he let you talk to your mom? Is she okay?”
“Only a few words, but she said she isn’t hurt.” His voice cracked. “She was crying. She’s worried about me.”
Jaimee bit her lip and struggled for composure. “Where does he want to meet us?”
“He wouldn’t tell me. He said he’d call at nine-forty with instructions. He said to have you with me by then and to be ready to leave the house immediately.”
“Damn it!” She smacked her hand down on the steering wheel. “He might plan to pick us off when we drive away from the house, or he may intend to wait until we get to wherever it is he’s holding Maisie.”
“I told him we wouldn’t be going anywhere unless I talked to my mom again tonight.”
“Good. You’re doing great. Not giving yo
u a precise location makes things more complicated, but I can handle it.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Where are you?”
“Not much more than an hour away. I’ll check in with the Counterstrike team to let Wolf know we’ll need backup at your house, and that we may have to scramble. This isn’t unusual, and we’ve had successful extractions under similar circumstances.”
“Except I don’t imagine you were ever a kidnapper’s target.”
“No, but that shouldn’t make this more difficult. Legrand has no idea who I am other than a dog walker. He won’t anticipate trouble from me.”
“You eluded him before. You don’t know what he’ll be expecting.”
“My team will cover every eventuality. That’s what we’re trained to do.” She let out a slow breath. “I need to make that call now, and once I get to Hawthorne, I’ll do some reconnaissance around your home.”
“Be careful, Jaimee. You’re injured and not at your best.”
“A cracked rib won’t hinder my performance.” Her jaw ached from clenching her teeth. “I won’t let him get the drop on me, not this time. You can count on it.”
“That’s not what I—never mind. I’ll see you when you get here.”
After he hung up, she called Wolf, explained the situation, and gave him Eli’s address. Once he’d assured her they’d be in position well before nine, she dropped her phone on the passenger seat and tried to focus on the road. Instead, her mind replayed the conversation with Eli over and over. His voice had held confusion and anger, which was understandable considering the situation. But she’d also sensed disappointment. After finally learning what she and her teammates—ex-teammates, she reminded herself—did, she was pretty certain the answer hadn’t been the one he’d expected . . . or wanted to hear. And he didn’t know everything yet, not by a long shot.
A hot lump lodged in her throat, and she swallowed back tears. She couldn’t worry about Eli’s reaction or anything else that would distract her from her mission. Rescuing Maisie unharmed was the top priority. Ensuring the safety of Eli and the team was also a primary objective. Taking out Legrand would happen only if absolutely necessary. They were on American soil, not in some third world country. She didn’t have a mandate to kill the bastard.
Fatal Encounter (A Counterstrike Novel Book 1) Page 19
