Silenced

by Allison Brennan

  “Had to make sure it was the right one.”

  Paxton fumbled with the delicate clasp. The locket popped open. He pressed firmly on the clasp, and the false back popped off.

  “It’s gone!”

  Sean pulled out the small microchip from his pocket. “You’re looking for this?”

  “Give it to me.”

  “No. This is now my security chip. When the statute of limitations runs out, I might give it to you. But if anyone mentions Massachusetts to me before March? I’ll either destroy it, or turn it over to whichever law enforcement agency can nail your ass to the wall.”

  “You don’t know what you have!”

  “I’ll find out.”

  “You’re making an enemy here, Rogan!”

  “Funny, I thought I already had one.”

  Sean quickly exited Paxton’s house. He wasn’t a hundred percent certain the senator wouldn’t shoot him. Driving toward DC, he called Lucy. He needed to see her. Just … to see her.

  No answer.

  Lucy was probably still working on finding Ivy Harris and the other girls. He was worried, but only because it was a dangerous job. He had complete confidence that she’d find them.

  He called Kate, just to check in and make sure everything was okay. When Kate’s phone went to voice mail, that’s when he became concerned.

  He called Noah.

  “Armstrong.”

  “It’s Sean. I can’t reach Lucy or Kate. What’s going on?”

  “There’s a hostage situation. There’s been a shooting. I don’t have the status, but I’m on my way now.”

  Sean sped up. “Where?”

  “St. Anne’s.”

  Sean hung up and added more speed.

  * * *

  Sean had to park down the street from St. Anne’s because of all the cop cars, ambulances, and FBI vehicles.

  He strode purposefully to the police barrier, flashed his P.I. identification hoping the cop wouldn’t notice, but he did.

  “Hold it.”

  “I’m expected.”

  The doors of the church were open and a gurney with a body bag was wheeled out. His stomach heaved. He looked around for Lucy, but didn’t see her.

  He continued forward and the cop got in his face. “Stand back or I’ll have you arrested.”

  He wanted to hit the cop. And maybe he would have, if Kate hadn’t see him.

  She ran over. “Officer, he’s with me.”

  Sean brushed past the cop. “Where is she?”

  Kate followed his eyes to the body bag.

  “Lucy is fine. That’s Kirk Edmonds.”

  He glanced at her belt. Her gun was gone.

  She said, “They always take the weapon pending official investigation into any discharge of a firearm in the line of duty.”

  “You okay?”

  She nodded. “Dillon’s coming home tonight. I’ll be better when I see him. Lucy’s in the courtyard of the church—it’s private, quiet, and she needed to talk to Ivy and Sara about what’s going to happen next. Ivy has a lot of talking to do, but if she cooperates fully, I think she’ll avoid prison time.”

  Kate added, “Lucy was a hero today.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “No, truly, a hero. We faced two serious situations and she was calm and quick thinking. She’s really grown up.”

  Sean said, “She’s been grown up for quite a while.”

  Kate walked with him to the church and cleared him through the security. Sean found the courtyard. Ivy and Sara were sitting on a bench holding each other. Lucy was sitting on the bricks being treated by a paramedic. He didn’t see any blood.

  She saw him and smiled so brightly all anxiety fell away.

  He sat next to her. “Hey, Princess. I heard you had an adventure.”

  “Did Kate tell you?”

  “Some of it. I hear you’re a hero.”

  “Sara’s the hero. She stood up to her father. She’s going to be okay. I’m more worried about Ivy, but with time…” She breathed deeply, then winced.

  “What happened?”

  The paramedic handed Sean a bulletproof vest, then finished cleaning up his supplies. “Those things are amazing,” the paramedic said. “Need anything else, Ms. Kincaid?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.”

  Sean held the vest in his hands. The bullet was still embedded in the vest.

  “Don’t touch it, it’s evidence,” Lucy said.

  “This is the back. He shot you in the back?” He lifted Lucy’s shirt up from the back. A large round bruise had already formed. He kissed it, though containing his anger was becoming difficult. Between Paxton and no sleep and what happened to Lucy—he needed to decompress.

  Lucy sensed his tension and hugged him. “I really am fine.”

  Sean held on to Lucy as tightly as he could. He feared he would lose her. To her job, to violence, to his own mistakes. He’d told her before that he needed her more than she needed him, and she’d never truly believed it. He didn’t care, because he knew the truth. Lucy gave him hope. Lucy made him realize he needed love in his life—love, trust, commitment. That there were things greater than him worth fighting for.

  His past was a danger zone. He had to protect Lucy from it. While he knew that she could handle anything life threw at her, deep down he feared she’d turn her back on him when he needed her the most.

  “I love you, Luce.”

  “Sean—” She kissed him warmly, with a deep passion he craved from her. Needed from her. She pulled back and smiled. “I love you, too.”

  They sat like that for a long minute, then Sean asked, “How did he find her? Did he have someone in the FBI on payroll?”

  Lucy shook her head. “He told Sara he put a GPS chip under her skin. At the base of her neck. Like she was a pet. After Ivy ran away, he didn’t want to lose her. But proximity mattered—it didn’t work beyond five miles. So when he learned she was in DC, he came here and just drove around.”

  Sean smiled, then burst into laughter.

  “It’s not funny. It’s rather scary.”

  He hugged her. “I’m sorry. But I just came up with the name for your new cat. Chip.” He grinned. “I know exactly what Wendy James did with her data.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Saturday

  Lucy and Kate were dressed in scrubs and stood sentry in the operating room. Chain of custody was critical, especially in a complex case like this. Kate had even set up a video camera in the corner in case the court had any questions about the procedure.

  It wasn’t every day that key evidence in a homicide investigation was hidden in a pet.

  The veterinarian had put Chip under general anesthesia and the cat lay motionless on the table. Lucy frowned.

  “What’s your problem?” Kate said. “You worked at a morgue.”

  “Dead people don’t bother me,” Lucy said. “I really like this cat.”

  “He should be fine,” the vet said. “Though whoever did this to him should have his license pulled. It’s dangerous. The chips they put in pets for tracking are the size of a grain of rice. This one is much bigger.”

  He gestured to the X-ray that showed a square of metal on the back of Chip’s neck.

  “He’s doing well,” the vet purred. “Good kitty.”

  “I wish Mina’s surgery had been this easy,” Lucy said.

  “She’s healthy and the doctor is optimistic,” Kate reminded her. “It’s just a long road to recover.”

  “Are you doing okay with the shooting and everything?”

  “It was justified. If I think too much about it, I remind myself that it was him or innocents.” Kate glanced at her. “Him, or you. Thank God you didn’t take off that vest.”

  Lucy rolled her sore shoulder and winced. It still hurt, probably would for days. “Sean said I was lucky not to have cracked a rib.”

  “Bingo,” the vet said. He held up the chip with his tweezers. “It’s coated in silicone.”

 
; “Plop it right in here.” Kate held up an evidence bag. The vet dropped the chip in. Kate sealed the bag and signed the front. “Now to take this to the lab. This will be fun.”

  “When can we take Chip home?” Lucy asked the vet.

  “Give him a couple hours. I want to make sure there are no side effects from the surgery or anesthesia. Come by after three.”

  Lucy and Kate left the vet hospital. “I’m going straight to the lab—do you want me to drop you home?”

  “Can you take me to the hospital? I want to make sure Ivy’s okay. Check on Mina and Genie.”

  Kate and Noah had worked a miracle to get Ivy on a tracking bracelet and into a halfway house in one day. She couldn’t leave DC until the FBI was satisfied she’d shared all information she had.

  “What’s the word on Brian Abernathy?” Lucy asked. “I don’t think he’s just going to give up.”

  “Everyone is looking for him. His testimony could seal the indictment on his mother. But either he or his brother killed six people. We have plenty of evidence, so as soon as we get him in custody, we’ll know for certain. He was smart on one level, but trace evidence is aplenty.”

  “Noah told me Devon Sullivan is not cooperating.”

  “She doesn’t need to say a word—that’s her right. But Josh Stein has her solid on major financial irregularities. And because of her wealth we were able to freeze her assets. She’s sitting in jail all weekend.”

  “She doesn’t deserve to walk free.”

  “We’re working double-time to get hard evidence that she ordered the murder of Wendy James.”

  “What about the others?”

  “If we can prove Wendy, it’ll be much easier to connect the others. Without Wendy’s case being solid, the others fall apart. At least to nail Sullivan with. Conspiracy is extremely difficult to prove. The search warrants were a huge bonus, but she has the entire Acuna and Bigelow law firm fighting every warrant, every piece of evidence. Now,” Kate said, gesturing toward the chip in the evidence bag, “if that has anything of substance, we won’t have to worry. The AUSA said the warrant on this extraction is air-tight.”

  Kate dropped Lucy off at the emergency room entrance. She went directly to ICU, where Mina was recovering from surgery. Ivy was there at her bedside; a DC uniformed officer was at her door. Lucy showed her identification to enter.

  Lucy whispered, “How is she?”

  “She woke up. That’s good, the doctors say.” Ivy glanced at Lucy. “I let her down. The night of the fire, I picked Sara over her and I can’t forgive myself.”

  “You have to. It’s hard, but you have to.” Lucy paused, then said, “Seven years ago I was kidnapped and raped by a guy I met online. Long story—I thought he was someone else. But it was still stupid on my part. My brothers went looking for me, and one of them was nearly killed in an explosion. After surgery, he slipped into a coma and stayed that way for nearly two years. I’ve tried to forgive myself—and some days, I don’t think about it. But other times, I feel hot and cold at the same time, and I picture Patrick lying in a hospital bed unresponsive. His brain working, but not working. And the guilt just washes over me. But, it’s not every day. It’s sometimes not every week.”

  Lucy knew remnants of that time would continue to haunt her. But she would survive and grow stronger because of her job, her family, and Sean. “The decision you made Tuesday morning, you made out of love. Love for your sister, love for the girls at Hawthorne Street. Mina knows that, in her heart.”

  The nurse came in. “Your ten minutes are up.”

  Ivy nodded and she and Lucy left.

  “How’s Sara?”

  Ivy smiled. “I don’t know what happened in the church, but she’s doing amazing. Come see her.”

  Lucy pulled a box from her pocket. “This really helped. I know you want it back.”

  Ivy squeezed the box. “Thank you.”

  Sara was in the pediatric wing. She, too, had a guard on her door. Lucy was more concerned about Ivy—Brian Abernathy wanted to kill her more than anyone else. But no guard had been assigned to her. No one knew where Abernathy was—half the team thought he’d left DC. Lucy didn’t believe it.

  Sean walked down the hall toward them. He was carrying a large bouquet of daisies. Lucy smiled.

  Sean shook his head. “These are for Sara. But I got you your own daisies, plus…” He took his hand out from behind his back. “A white mocha.”

  Lucy took the coffee drink from Sean happily and kissed him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  They showed ID to the guard and went into Sara’s room. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed and playing games on an iPad.

  “Where’d you get that?” Ivy asked.

  “The hospital delivered it. Look at the card.”

  Lucy read over Ivy’s shoulder. The card was generic. Inside, there was no message, just initials.

  S.R.

  Lucy looked at Sean. “That’s sweet.”

  “What is?”

  “The gift.”

  Sean shook his head and took the card. He stared for a long time, so long that Lucy was worried. Then he grinned. “Hey, kid, can I see your toy? Can you believe I don’t have one of these?”

  Sara handed it to him and he handed her the flowers.

  Lucy watched Sean check all the settings and apps. Then he downloaded an app. It took Lucy a minute to realize it was an anti-tracking app; it blocked GPS signals.

  “What?” she mouthed.

  “You can never be too safe.”

  “I agree,” Ivy said. “I like your boyfriend, Lucy.”

  “Me, too.” Lucy took Sean’s hand. “I’ll keep him around.”

  “How’s Chip doing?” Sean asked.

  “He’s recovering. We can pick him up in a few hours.”

  “Good, I don’t want him spending the night in the hospital. If he’s anything like me, he’ll hate it.”

  Lucy rolled her eyes, then laughed. “He’s going to be a spoiled cat.”

  “I have to spoil someone while you’re at Quantico.” He kissed her forehead.

  Ivy said, “Can I ask a favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “I’d like to meet Detective Reid.”

  “We’d better do it now. I hear she’s going home today.”

  “I’ll keep Sara company,” Sean said. “Any racing games on that thing?”

  Sara giggled. Lucy and Ivy walked out. Lucy said, “She’s amazing.”

  “I know.”

  “And you get the credit.”

  Ivy didn’t say anything.

  “You okay?”

  “I’m getting there.” She paused. “Is it wrong to not feel anything about him being dead?”

  Lucy didn’t have to ask who she was talking about.

  “No.”

  She whispered, “Is it wrong to be glad?”

  Lucy sighed. She shook her head. “You’re going to feel a lot of different emotions over the next few weeks. None of them are wrong. Just don’t linger in any one place, if you know what I mean.”

  “I do. Thank you.”

  Genie was in another building. They crossed the courtyard when Lucy saw a familiar figure walking briskly to catch up with them.

  “Senator,” Lucy said, stunned.

  “It took me forever to track you down, but Noah thought you might be here.” He smiled at Ivy. “Senator Jonathon Paxton.”

  Ivy shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you.” She was skeptical, and looked to Lucy for direction.

  “I interned for Senator Paxton years ago. He gave me a recommendation to get into the Bureau.”

  “I just came from meeting with AD Rick Stockton and he filled me in on the case. I also talked to Cathy Hummel at MARC. I wanted you to know, Ivy, that Cathy and I are establishing a foundation in the name of Chris and Jocelyn Taylor. And the first thing we’re doing is rebuilding the house on Hawthorne Street. I’ve already talked to the owner, we’re going to arrange a
financially beneficial agreement for her, and I’ll rebuild. It’ll be a place for young women in transition. Cathy said the hardest age group to work with are eighteen to twenty-five—most programs are for minors.”

  “Why?” Ivy said. “Why do you want to help?” She sounded not only skeptical, but threatened. As if he were going to start making demands.

  “Because I can. I’ve given a lot of money to MARC and similar groups over the years, and I think this cause is worthwhile.”

  He looked at Lucy, expecting her to vouch for him.

  And on this, she could. Because even though she had some deep-seated problems with the senator, he did want to help others. He needed to help others. Maybe as penance for crimes he’d never admitted to.

  She said, “I think it’s a good thing. Is MARC running the house?”

  “Yes, they’re already set up, why create additional bureaucracy?”

  “Thank you, Jonathon,” Lucy said.

  He smiled and took her hand. “It’s always good to see you, Lucy. Please, don’t be a stranger.”

  He turned to Ivy, shook her hand, then walked off.

  “I have a hard time trusting people who give without wanting something in return,” Ivy said.

  “He’s not doing this for you,” Lucy muttered.

  “What?”

  She shook her head. “The senator is running from his own demons, I think. Philanthropy makes him feel better about himself.”

  Ivy said, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!… For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

  “Appropriate,” Lucy said.

  “I don’t even believe anymore.”

  “It’s okay,” Lucy said. “I have a hard time when bad things happen to kids like Sara. But then I remember that the doctors never thought Patrick would wake from his coma.”

  They went up to Genie’s room, which was filled with her family, including her grandson Isaiah. Genie seemed pleased to see Lucy, and relieved that the case was resolved.

  “They’re making me take two weeks off,” Genie grumbled.

  “I’ll come visit.”

  “You’d better.”

  Lucy stepped aside so Ivy could talk to Genie. At first, Ivy didn’t say anything. She looked around at the roomful of people, then stared at her feet, nervous.