A Minute to Midnight

by David Baldacci

  “It’s just that when this was all happening you were not a trained investigator. And people want to believe in and trust their loved ones, particularly kids with their parents.”

  “Well, now I have to see the truth when it’s staring me in the face.”

  “Let’s go back to the money she left you. Any idea where it came from?”

  “No. It was a lot, though, but the bank said it was okay. It was her money.”

  “Well, she obviously wanted to take care of you when she left.”

  “But why did she leave? I’d much rather have had my mother than a bank account!”

  Neither spoke for a bit until Blum said, “Your mother was very beautiful. When Britta showed me that photo of her. I mean, wow.”

  “She has a photo of my mother?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry, I guess there’s no way you could have known that.”

  “She turned all the men’s heads down here. Even as a kid I could see that.”

  “Do you think any of this might have a bearing on what happened to your sister?”

  Pine took a sip of beer. “Meaning did my parents’ secretive past play some role in my being attacked and Mercy’s disappearing?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve started to think about that possibility. But we’re here now and we have to keep plugging. What we learn here may have a bearing on where my mom might have gone.”

  “Hey, y’all.”

  They looked up to see Cy Tanner and Agnes Ridley heading to their table.

  Tanner had on the same pair of jeans but a freshly laundered denim shirt. His old Stetson was in his hands. His huge belt buckle was engraved with the image of a Budweiser beer can.

  Ridley’s cotton dress was yellow and long-sleeved, and she had canvas tennis shoes on, showing red, swollen ankles. Her gray hair hung limply around her shoulders.

  “Hey back,” replied Blum.

  “Mind if we join you?” asked Tanner.

  “Come on,” replied Pine, eyeing Ridley.

  The pair sat down at their table. Tanner hooked his hat on a chair back, raised his hand, and ordered a beer.

  “Another body,” said Ridley. “My Lord.”

  “Do they know who it is?” asked Tanner.

  “Not yet.”

  “I heard he was dressed up fancy,” said Ridley.

  “Who told you that?” said Pine sharply.

  “You can’t keep nothing secret in this place,” commented Tanner.

  “So are you investigating that too, Lee?” asked Ridley.

  “I’m helping out the detective on the case. But with the second murder, they’re going to call in reinforcements.”

  “Like who?” asked Tanner. The waitress delivered his beer, and he took a long drink before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

  They all looked over as the door to the restaurant opened.

  “Like him,” said Blum.

  Standing there was a six-foot-tall, broad-shouldered man in his late thirties dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, and a striped tie. Over his suit jacket was a dark blue FBI windbreaker.

  When Pine’s gaze fell on him her jaw went slack and she muttered, “Son of a bitch.”

  “Do you know him?” asked Blum, who had heard what Pine had said.

  “FBI Special Agent Eddie Laredo,” said Pine.

  “Is he a friend, or what?”

  “Or what,” replied Pine.

  Chapter 30

  EDDIE LAREDO’S PAIR of sharp light green eyes alighted on Pine and held there like a magnet on metal. The man had a square jaw and a long, slender nose cleaving his face precisely in two. His thick eyebrows were as dark as his hair. His neck was long and descended into a pair of broad shoulders that nicely filled out his jacket. His torso tapered to a narrow waist, and his muscled thighs rode tight against his dress slacks.

  But it was the eyes that held one’s attention. Calm, but perhaps a bit threatening in their intensity.

  He walked across the room and came to stand next to Pine.

  “Hello, Eddie,” she said, not looking up at him.

  “Heard you were in town, Atlee,” he said quietly.

  Now she did glance at him. “And who did you hear that from?”

  “Just around.”

  “Phoenix?”

  “Just around.”

  He drew an empty chair from another table and slid it next to her and sat down.

  He glanced at the others and nodded. “Agent Laredo, FBI.”

  Blum ran her gaze over him and flicked a glance at Pine, who still sat stonily in her chair, then said, “I’m Agent Pine’s assistant at the Bureau, Carol Blum. Did you get called in to work the two murders? I assume so.”

  Laredo nodded. “Flew into Atlanta, just drove in from there.”

  “You alone?” asked Pine.

  “For now. That could change depending.”

  “Right.”

  Ridley said, “So, do you know each other?”

  Laredo glanced at Pine before answering. “Long time ago. We worked at the same place. BAU Four. Behavioral Analysis Unit,” he added when Ridley gave him a puzzled look.

  “It was for a short time,” said Pine.

  “Short but intense,” retorted Laredo.

  “Have you spoken with Max Wallis?” asked Pine, ignoring his comment.

  “He’s supposed to meet me here, in fact.” He looked at his watch. “Any minute now.”

  Pine rose. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

  Laredo glanced up in surprise. “I thought you were working the case. Was my info wrong?”

  “No. I was working the case. But with you here, my help’s probably not needed anymore.”

  She walked across the room and out the door.

  Blum watched her go before looking over at Laredo, who was studying his hands.

  “I guess you two have a history,” she said.

  “I take it you work with Pine out in Shattered Rock?”

  “So you know that, do you?”

  “The Bureau’s not that big.”

  “It’s pretty big. We can give you a debrief of what we’ve uncovered, along with Detective Wallis.”

  “I’m sure.” His gaze traveled over Ridley and Tanner. “And your friends are?”

  “Cy Tanner and Agnes Ridley. Cy lives in the house where Agent Pine grew up.”

  Laredo shot Blum a glance.

  “Yes, Agent Laredo, that’s why we’re here. At least it was the original reason. Then these murders started.”

  “Okay. You made any progress on…the other thing?”

  “Some. But still a long road ahead. And right now I better catch up with my boss.”

  She rose, said good night to Tanner and Ridley, and left.

  Blum didn’t have far to travel because Pine was sitting on a bench just outside. She rose when Blum came out.

  “You all done in there?” said Pine.

  “I am. You didn’t have to wait for me.”

  “No problem. I could use the company.”

  They started to walk back to the Cottage.

  “So, Eddie Laredo,” began Blum. “You have any desire to get into that?”

  “Not really and there’s not much to tell.”

  “You have a tendency to understate things.”

  “We worked together and then I transferred out.”

  “He knew you were in Shattered Rock.”

  Pine didn’t comment on that. “He’s a good agent. We just didn’t see eye to eye on everything.” She glanced at her companion. “Anything else I need to know?”

  “I introduced Cy and Agnes. Told him that Cy is living in your old house.”

  “And?”

  “And I threw out a line designed to show how much he knew about…you.”

  “And?”

  “And it seems to me that he knows why you came here.”

  Pine nodded slowly.

  “Did you confide in him way back when?”

  “No, but my personal hi
story isn’t a secret, Carol. You just have to Google me.”

  “So he would just put two and two together.”

  “That’s what he’s trained to do.”

  “Did you know he might be coming down when you suggested that Wallis call in the Bureau?”

  Pine shook her head. “Unlike Laredo with my career, I didn’t keep up with his. I didn’t know he was still at Unit Four.”

  “So he’s been there awhile?”

  “Unless he transferred out and then back at some point. That happens. I left BAU because it took me out of the trenches. I’ll use their expertise, but then I want to nail the bad guys myself.”

  “Well, now he’s here. Are you really going to just turn it all over to him and take a step back? That’s not like you.”

  “I have no say in the matter, Carol. I’m here technically on vacation. And no matter what Detective Wallis says or wants, I haven’t been assigned to work this case. And you know the Bureau is a stickler for the rules and agents staying in their lanes.”

  “But if Laredo asked you to keep working it?”

  She shot Blum a glance. “Why? Did he say he was going to?”

  “He didn’t really say anything about it. I just meant if he does.”

  Pine shrugged. “I’ll cross that bridge if I have to. We’ve got other things to occupy us.”

  “Okay, what’s next on your sister’s case?” asked Blum.

  “We have lots of material and leads. The biggest thing for me is I don’t think people are being straight with us. Lineberry, the Pringles. Even Lauren Graham seems to be keeping stuff back.”

  “Then you’re maybe talking a conspiracy. If they’re all involved in it. Whatever it is.”

  “I just have the belief that people are not being forthcoming with us. And one of the main reasons to do that is to hide something. But what would they be hiding? Something to do with my sister’s disappearance? What would be their motive? They all seemed to genuinely like and care for my parents.”

  “It doesn’t make sense. But then we’re back to a stranger’s having done it. And that person could be long gone now. Or even dead.” She looked at Pine. “What if you can’t get closure?”

  “I always set the bar high for a purpose, Carol. I don’t like underperforming.”

  “But this might not be in your control. In fact, much of it is not.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  They reached the Cottage and went inside.

  “I noticed Agent Laredo had no wedding band on,” said Blum.

  “Why did you notice that particularly?”

  “I just do. And I think a lot of other women do, too.”

  Pine shrugged. “He was married when I knew him. Maybe he got divorced.”

  “That happens a lot with the Bureau.”

  “It’s an unforgiving occupation. And a lonely one for spouses.”

  “Is that why you never took the plunge?” asked Blum.

  “No, I never found the right guy.”

  “There are some out there.”

  “Sure there are. They just never came my way.”

  Pine headed up to her room.

  Blum did not follow. She stood there at the bottom of the steps and made an executive decision.

  She made a phone call, asked her questions, and set her phone down. Five minutes later it rang. She answered, listened, thanked the woman on the other end, and headed back out.

  Score one for the legendary FBI admin staff.

  Chapter 31

  WALLIS AND LAREDO were sitting at the same table as Pine and Blum had been. Tanner and Ridley had left.

  Blum came in, spotted the pair, and hurried across, taking a seat next to Wallis.

  “Carol,” said Wallis. “I hear Agent Pine didn’t stick around.”

  “She had some other things to attend to. But she sent me back to stay in the loop.”

  Laredo shot her a curious look at this remark but didn’t comment.

  “Well, that’s good to hear. As I was telling Agent Laredo and already told your boss, we’ve run into a brick wall with Hanna Rebane. Nothing after she left her apartment building that day. No phone activity. No credit card purchases or debit card withdrawals. No one saw her or anyone with her. It’s like she fell off the face of the earth.”

  “Well, she landed in Andersonville, Georgia,” pointed out Blum.

  “Did you dust the apartment for prints?” asked Laredo.

  “Yes. We’ve done elimination prints and there are none unaccounted for. The only set of male prints was from Clemmons’s current boyfriend. He was in Miami at all relevant times.”

  “What about the second victim? Anything on him yet?”

  “Yes. We did luck out there. Prints just came back with a hit. He’s Layne Gillespie. Thirty-two years old. Last known address was Savannah.”

  “What do we know about him?” asked Laredo.

  “He was in the Army for a few years. Left with a general discharge.”

  “Not an honorable discharge, but not a DD, either,” mused Laredo, referring to a dishonorable discharge.

  “And not a bad conduct discharge, either,” said Blum. “But was it a general discharge under honorable conditions or not?”

  They both looked at her quizzically.

  “My oldest son is an MP in the Army,” she explained. “So I know the lingo. A general discharge under honorable conditions means the person performed satisfactorily but didn’t reach the conduct level expected of a military member. By contrast, a general discharge not under honorable conditions means the person failed to achieve a satisfactory level of performance. It has to be listed in his exit papers. Which was Gillespie?”

  “General discharge but not under honorable conditions,” said Wallis, looking at his notes.

  “And the reasons?” asked Blum.

  “The only thing it said was that he failed to achieve the conduct levels expected of him, like you said.” He paused. “But part of his military record was redacted. At least the part I got was.”

  Blum and Laredo exchanged a glance. “I wonder why?” said Laredo.

  Wallis shrugged. “I made inquiries and got nowhere. After he left the Army Gillespie bounced around, did various jobs, nothing stuck for long.”

  “What was he doing in Savannah?” asked Laredo.

  “Not sure. Need to run that down. It’s only a little over a three-hour drive from here. Planned to go over there tomorrow.”

  “Anything he was involved in that might have gotten him killed here?” asked Laredo.

  “Not that we know so far. The post is tomorrow. Agent Pine wanted to be in attendance when they cut Gillespie up.” He glanced at Blum. “Does that still hold? Just because I officially called in the Bureau doesn’t mean I don’t welcome her continued participation.” He shot Laredo a look. “If you’re okay with that?”

  To this Laredo merely gave a curt nod that Blum took neither as an overwhelmingly supportive response nor as a totally dismissive one.

  Blum volunteered, “I think she still wants to be involved.”

  “Good, well, that’s it for now.” Wallis rose. “I need to be getting home. I think my wife is close to forgetting my name and what I look like.”

  He nodded to each of them and left.

  Blum immediately focused her full attention on Laredo.

  “You want to talk about it, Agent Laredo?”

  He fiddled with the paper from his straw as he looked at her from under hooded eyes. “I’m not sure what ‘it’ is, Ms. Blum.”

  She sat back. “How long have you been with the FBI?”

  “Sixteen years. Pretty much right out of college.”

  “Good for you. I’ve been at the Bureau for nearly four decades.”

  His eyes widened slightly at this. “In admin, you mean?”

  She sighed. “I hoped for a more informed response than that from you.”

  “What exactly does that mean?” he said, his tone hostile.

  “In my time at th
e Bureau I think I’ve personally trained nearly four hundred agents.”

  Laredo started to smile until her look told him she was being absolutely serious.

  She continued. “There are about eleven thousand male special agents and around 2,700 female special agents, or over a four-to-one male-to-female ratio. The professional staff, the admin you were referring to, number 9,500 male and well over thirteen thousand females.”

  “I didn’t know the exact breakdown, but thanks for sharing.”

  “The ratio of agents has really not been getting more equal,” she pointed out.

  “Tough being an agent. I’m not saying women can’t do it. Your boss proves that. But if you want to have kids and all, it’s hard. The Bureau isn’t great about accommodation in that regard.”

  “Maybe they should be better at it, since they’re obviously pushing a lot of qualified women out of the running.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, I’m just one grunt in the trenches.”

  “I’ve been working with Agent Pine for some time now. She’s terrific at her job.”

  “I have no doubt.”

  “And I checked you out, Agent Laredo.”

  He sat up straighter, his expression growing darker. “Excuse me?”

  “After I left Agent Pine and before I came back here I made a call to a friend. To an ‘admin’ friend. She talked to someone else. I got the 411 on you pretty fast. For admin folks.”

  The light green eyes seemed to dance with an electrical charge. “I’m not sure I like that. I’m not sure you had any right to do that,” he added with a spark of anger.

  “You never did a 411 call on somebody at the Bureau?”

  Laredo started to say something but then apparently thought better of it.

  “You’ll be glad to know that the results of my call were positive. You’re well thought of. No issues or problems in your record.”

  “I could have told you that if you’d just asked.”

  “Would you have told me?”

  “Doubtful, actually. I wouldn’t have thought it was any of your concern. The shield I carry should have been enough proof of my character.”