Chasing Secrets

by Lynette Eason

  “So what are the rest of them doing here? I mean, I can see one or two coming, but all of them? Especially Kane . . . that’s his father. Ian is his uncle.”

  “Who knows, when it comes to family dynamics,” Steven said.

  Haley blew out a breath and rose to pace. “I leave tomorrow.” She shook her head and dropped her chin to her chest. “I can’t leave tomorrow. I’m going to have to break my promise, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve never broken a promise.”

  “They’ll understand, Haley,” Steven said.

  Maddy nodded her agreement.

  “They’ll understand, but they’ll be disappointed.” She pursed her lips. “I’ll see them off on their trip. It’s probably better that way. Whoever tried to kill me has been awfully quiet. I don’t want to risk him taking a shot at me with a bunch of kids on the bus.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I could drive separately. Or fly in and meet them.”

  “What day is the performance?” Steven asked.

  “Sunday afternoon.”

  “Then that’s what you should do. Fly in, watch the performance, then fly back.”

  Her forehead cleared. “Exactly. I can do that.” She grabbed her phone. “Let me tell Michelle and Donnalynn about the change in plans.”

  She stepped into a quiet corner and made her call. Steven watched her, wishing he could do something to ease her worry, make things easier for her.

  “Are you going to ask her out?”

  Steven lifted a brow at Maddy. “Is it that obvious?”

  “To me.”

  He turned his eyes back to Haley. “Think she’d go out with me?”

  “Probably. Especially if you have a bag of M&Ms with you.”

  “I can arrange that.”

  The minutes ticked past. Steven heard Haley on the phone with Michelle, and Hugh sat talking to Ian’s family on the other end of the waiting room. The older man’s face looked strained, and Steven wondered if he was telling them about his son’s part in the deaths of their family members. He hoped not. Now probably wasn’t the time to mention it.

  Maddy looked back at her computer and let out a low whistle. “Well, that’s interesting.”

  “What?”

  “Lachlan and Maeve Burke have been in the States for the past two weeks.”

  “Really?” Haley stepped to look over Maddy’s shoulder.

  Steven crowded in as well.

  “Got a hit when I checked their passports. They went through security in Atlanta.”

  “What are they doing here in the States?” Steven asked.

  “Probably something work related,” Haley said. “I guess that explains why he and his wife would come on to South Carolina when he got word about his uncle.”

  “True,” Steven said. “I’d like to ask him, though.”

  Haley stood. “Come on. I’ll introduce you and you can ask some questions.”

  She crossed the floor to where the family sat.

  Steven followed so he could listen in.

  Lachlan stopped talking midsentence and looked up her. “What is it? Is there more news?”

  “No, nothing,” Haley said. “I just had a question for you.” She introduced Steven as law enforcement.

  “All right.”

  Steven cleared his throat. “We found out that you and Maeve have been in the States for the past two weeks. What were you doing here?”

  He frowned. “You’re spying on us?”

  “It’s all part of the investigation,” Steven said.

  “What investigation?”

  He gave them the short version, watching their faces. They all appeared genuinely stunned. “So, when this information turned up, we thought we’d ask. That’s all.”

  The man’s forehead cleared slightly. “I’ve been here on business,” he said, confirming Haley’s guess. “Maeve decided to come with me. When Hugh called and told me about Ian, we came right away and picked up the others at the airport.”

  Easy enough to confirm.

  “What kind of business?” Steven asked.

  Lachlan cleared his throat. “I’m sure you know we’re in shipping. We have a lot of business with companies here in the States. I was closing a deal with a company that deals in airplane parts. Some of the parts are too big to fly in, so they ship them. I wanted them to use Burke’s Shipping and they agreed to do so. I was walking out of the meeting when I got Hugh’s call.”

  Haley seemed satisfied with the answers. Steven wasn’t so sure. All this time, Lachlan was in the US. He made a mental note to send a text to Quinn and ask him to check the man’s story. As well as his phone records. “So, you know Ian was looking for Haley?”

  Lachlan stilled, glanced at Haley, then back to Steven. “Yes. He said so in the letter. And I knew he’d hired someone to find her. I . . . saw the invoice from someone named Gerald Forsythe for car rental reimbursement and for ‘investigative services’ into Aileen Burke.” He used air quotes as he said the words. “I asked Hugh about it and he told me while swearing me to secrecy.”

  “And did you share that information with anyone else?” Haley asked.

  “Of course not. I mean, just my father. He said he didn’t know anything either but told me not to worry about it, that it was just—”

  “Just what?”

  “Just Uncle Ian being delusional, that he’d never gotten over—or rather accepted—his family’s death. I kind of forgot about it after that. Until I got the call to come to the hospital.”

  Steven noticed the rest of the family members remained silent and allowed Lachlan to be the spokesperson. His wife, Maeve, sat beside him, her perfume wafting his way every time she shifted. She was a very pretty woman, he decided, but she held herself aloof. He didn’t know if that was because she was just stuck up or because she was an introvert. Only time would tell. Kane and Janet held hands and she rested her head against his arm, listening.

  Haley stood. “Thanks for the information.”

  Steven took his cue from her and they headed back to rejoin Maddy at the table. “Did you get your trip worked out with the kids?” he asked Haley.

  “Yes, I think so. This is better. If whoever is after me decides to strike again, then the kids won’t be in danger.” She rubbed her temples. “I guess if I have to break a promise to protect someone’s life, then I can live with it.”

  “That’s a good perspective.” He looked across the room again at the family and frowned. Were they concerned about the sick man in the hospital bed? Or the fortune that would be doled out upon his death?

  [25]

  Early Friday morning, Haley and Christina stayed a good distance back from the idling bus and watched the students load onto it one by one. Haley’s heart lay heavy with the fact that she wasn’t going with them, but pride swelled. They were great kids, talented kids, and they’d do well. And she’d be there on Sunday to watch them perform. She waited until the bus pulled away and then climbed back into her Hummer.

  Christina slipped into the passenger seat. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Haley nodded. “I’m okay as long as the kids are okay.”

  She patted Haley’s shoulder. “I think they’re okay. Are we headed back to the hospital?”

  “We are.” Haley cranked the car and turned in the direction that would take them there. “I probably should start paying rent, I’m there so much.”

  “How’s Micah doing?”

  “I saw him last night. He’s doing great.”

  “Does he know about his mom?”

  “No,” Haley said. “Not yet. Zeke didn’t want to tell him until he was a little stronger.”

  Christina picked at nonexistent lint on her khakis. “So . . . uh . . . I mean I know it’s none of my business, but are you going to keep them? The boys?”

  Haley shot her new friend and coworker a glance before checking the mirrors and the road in front of her. “I don’t know,” she said softly. “I haven’t had time to think or process a lot of things going on
in my life right now.”

  “No one would blame you if you didn’t.”

  “I know. And for what it’s worth, I don’t really care what other people think. I’ll make the decision based on what’s best for them. And me.”

  “Of course.”

  Haley drove in silence for the next few minutes. Then cleared her throat. “What would you do if it was you?”

  Christina let out a low laugh. “My situation is totally different from yours.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. My parents were fostering kids from the time I was ten. They still take in some occasionally. I’m single with no real attachments to anyone or any place.” She sighed. “It’s easy for me to say I’d take them in, but if I was really faced with your decision?” She shrugged. “Truthfully, I don’t know that I’d want to be tied down like that. Then again, it would be nice to have someone else in the house besides just me.” She rolled her eyes. “That sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?”

  Haley laughed. “No, I understand, to be sure.” She turned into the hospital parking lot and made her way to the area reserved for the police. She placed the card on her dash, glanced around the area, then climbed out when nothing set off her internal alarms. There’d been no attempts on her life over the last two days. In her opinion, that was good news and bad news. Good news that she wasn’t dodging bullets. Bad news in the sense that she knew the person who wanted her dead hadn’t gone away.

  So what was he up to and when would he strike again?

  The killer noted that Haley had not gotten on the bus like she was supposed to do. He was only slightly frustrated, as he’d planned for the possibility that she might choose not to ride with the teens. However, he had thought she might follow in her car and had planned accordingly. Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to do that either. He grunted. She was scared that her presence would put her precious teenagers in jeopardy.

  His phone rang and he grimaced when he saw the number. “What?”

  “Is it done?”

  “It will be by the end of the day.”

  “I need her alive.”

  The killer stopped. “What?”

  “Circumstances have changed. I need her alive. Don’t kill her yet.”

  “My price is still the same.”

  The person on the other end swore. “That’s fine. You can kill her eventually. I just need something from her before you do it.”

  The bus rolled away. “What did you have in mind?”

  The killer listened to the plan and rolled his eyes. Unbelievable. It was a horrible plan. But the money was amazing. He’d make it work. He hung up.

  “So, we’ll go with plan B,” he murmured. He thought about it and decided he could work with what he already had in motion. Just a few slight tweaks and all would be well. Haley would be dead, and he’d have his money and a nice cottage in the Caribbean. Finally. Never in his career as an assassin had he had so much trouble eliminating a target. Well, his strategy was about to change. Instead of going to his target, he was going to convince the target to come to him.

  Steven sat in his office and stared at the screen of the laptop. He’d just come back from the hospital after attempting to talk to Carter James. The man had gotten so upset they’d had to sedate him, so Steven had texted Haley that he’d be in his office.

  He wanted to sit down and really do some digging into her family. Steven didn’t want to believe they were bloodthirsty gold diggers, but he had to check. He’d requested the case file from the Gardaí and it had finally landed in his inbox. He opened the pictures of the crime scene and started going through them.

  A paper airplane landed on his keyboard. He looked up to find Quinn staring at him with one raised brow. “Earth to Steven.”

  He blinked at his partner. “What?”

  “I’ve been saying your name for the last ten minutes.”

  “Oh. Sorry. I’ve been reading.”

  “No kidding.”

  Steven steepled his fingers in front of him and rested his chin on his thumbs. “What do you need?”

  “Your help in the sting tonight.”

  “Of course. What time?”

  “Five o’clock. As near as we can calculate, these guys disappear around eight, but I’m willing to bet that they’re watched first.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “How’s your dad?”

  “He seems to be doing okay right now. He goes back to the doctor in about a week.”

  “Good.” Quinn shook his head. “No luck with Carter James, huh?”

  “Nope. We’ll have to try again later.”

  “What’s up with Haley’s family?” His partner leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk. “Are they her family?”

  “Looks like it.”

  “So, she’s an heiress, huh?”

  “Um. I guess.”

  Quinn smirked. “So, you think she’ll go back to Ireland and don her tiara?”

  “Why don’t you suggest that she do that?” Steven couldn’t believe he actually got that question out with a straight face.

  Quinn looked horrified at the thought. “No way. She’s got a mean right hook.”

  “I bet she does.” Steven fell quiet. “Hey, you mind if I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  He’d already asked Maddy her opinion, now he’d see what Quinn had to say. “You’ve known Haley a while now. What kind of guy does she go for?”

  Quinn raised a brow. “Why? You interested?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Let’s put it this way. If she were to go out with you, then I’d know what kind of guy she’d go for.”

  Steven stared at him.

  Quinn shrugged. “I’ve never heard of her going out on a date for as long as I’ve known her. She doesn’t trust men when it comes to the romance department.”

  “Or she doesn’t trust herself,” Steven murmured.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What is it that you like about her? Besides her looks and sunny disposition?”

  Steven recognized sarcasm when he heard it. He let it roll over him. “She’s smart. She cares about others more than she does herself. She has a good heart.”

  “No. She has a new one.”

  He’d posed as a road construction crew member and flagged the bus down barely fifteen minutes into the trip. When the driver had stopped, he’d approached the bus, his yellow hard hat pulled low. The driver had opened the door and the guy had shot him, pulled him out of the seat, and thrown him onto the floor. “That’s to show you I’m serious. Sit down and shut up.”

  Screams echoed through the bus, only to fall silent when he stood at the front of the bus and waved the gun. “You move, you die, understand?” He knocked the hard hat from his head and handed it to Donnalynn. “Collect the phones. All of them.”

  Donnalynn rose to do as he demanded. Michelle took a chance and slipped hers into the pocket of the seat in front of her. As Donnalynn moved from seat to seat, Michelle felt a slight pull on her seat back and Madison whispered in her ear. “What are we going to do, Cupcake?”

  “We’re going to sit and wait. When he gets what he wants, he’ll let us go.” Michelle spoke but couldn’t stop the slight tremble in her voice.

  After Donnalynn handed him the hat and he set it on the floor without counting the phones, Michelle let out a small breath of thanks.

  “Now, I’m going to drive a little ways and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay seated. Anyone stands up, I’ll shoot. Nod if you understand.”

  Nods all around.

  “Now place your hands on the seat in front of you and don’t move them. And do not try to talk to me. I’m not interested in hearing what you have to say.”

  No one had argued. Or talked.

  When they stopped, they all waited in tomb-like silence. He allowed them to eat and to drink and to take turns using the restroom at the back of the bus, but as soon as they finished, they were ordered to place the
ir hands on the headrest of the seat in front of them. And there they sat. He didn’t talk, he didn’t move.

  When the sun began its slide down past the trees, he started the bus. From the dirt road where he’d parked them hours earlier, he drove, taking them past mounds of stone, dirt, and mulch. Michelle looked into the rearview mirror, and his eyes met hers with cold indifference. Chills pebbled into goose bumps. She glanced out the window, her mind spinning prayer after prayer to the only One who could help them now. The bus turned and hit an old gate, pushing it open. Metal scraped against metal as they went through.

  Michelle didn’t know what his plans were or why he was attacking them, but she knew they needed help. It was time to take a chance, because she had a feeling time was running out for them. The last person she’d talked to had been Haley. Without taking her eyes from the man, she slid her hand into the pocket of the seat in front of her and pulled out her phone. With a trembling thumb, she swiped across the bottom of the screen, then held it to the home button. She flicked a glance down, then back up.

  The bus jerked to a stop and he stood.

  “The bus is running. You will be comfortable. You don’t have to worry about suffocating. The exhaust will be pumped out. Now it’s time to take a short nap.”

  Their attacker pulled a can from his pocket.

  And it was leaking.

  Panic swirled in her chest.

  He was going to gas them. Oh Lord, help us!

  He pulled a gas mask over his face and looked at her. “When you wake up, do not try to escape. The doors are rigged with bombs. Do you understand? Nod if you do.” His voice sounded odd, but she could hear him.

  The gas filled the bus quickly and Michelle felt her arms growing weak, her eyes closing. She thought she managed to nod just before she leaned into the window. She let her eyes close and held her breath, desperate for a few more seconds of consciousness.

  She peeked at the screen and hit the green button.

  He left, shutting the doors behind him.

  She heard Haley’s voice. Her lungs strained. “Haley . . . we’ve been kidnapped. Help.” And then blackness.