George shuffled his feet. “Well, Beth has been on the phone a lot lately. And Orchid has disappeared several times while we’ve done outreach in the last few months. We’ve kind of joked about it. Like, ‘where’s Orchid off to now?’”
Isaac’s nostrils flared. “Beth has been talking to her sister in Toledo, asking for funding. I okayed it. Get Orchid for me, please.”
Malcolm moved so George could open the door. Fuck. The last thing he needed was Orchid losing it and giving him up. “What’s your plan?”
“To get the truth,” Isaac said shortly.
George returned with Orchid in record time. The woman’s eyes were huge, and she shook visibly. She looked at Isaac, glanced at Mal, and then halted.
George shoved her into a seat.
Mal tensed. If he intervened, he’d blow his cover and lose any chance of finding out if and when the attack was going to happen.
Isaac stood and walked around the desk, gun in hand. He crouched by Orchid’s chair. “You know the family means everything to me, right? That God has charged me with the protection and love of these people?”
Orchid slowly nodded. Her hair was in long braids down her back, and they seemed to jump to panicked attention.
“It has come to my attention that a member of my family, someone I love and trust, has betrayed me. Betrayed these wonderful souls who are just trying to do my work. To do God’s work. What do you think I should do about that?” Isaac crooned, his gaze intense as he stared her in the eyes.
She gulped. “I-I don’t know.”
“I think you do.” He set the gun on her leg, his hand over it.
She jerked, her breath panting. “I don’t, Prophet. I really don’t.”
“Don’t lie,” he snapped, the sound harsh after his soft tone. “Give me the truth.”
She looked frantically over her shoulder at Mal, who could only stare her down. If she gave him up, they were both dead. Maybe he could get her to play along. He lowered his chin. “Have you been talking to somebody outside the family?”
“No,” she whispered.
He hardened his expression. “Maybe accidentally? Just someone you thought was nice?” First rule of any interrogation was to get the person to say something. Anything. Then one could take them down the path.
She slowly nodded. “Yes.”
“What?” Isaac asked, falling into an interrogation style that was pretty damn good. “What did you say?”
Her voice shook. “I just told him about the family and what we do. That we love each other.”
Malcolm moved in, standing at Isaac’s side while he knelt. He hoped to God she followed his lead. “Who? Who is this guy?”
She visibly shrank back. “His name is Angus. I don’t know his last name.”
“But you know what he does, don’t you?” Malcolm asked, keeping his tone congenial. If they were going to play at an interrogation, he might as well do it right. If he could just get to that bug . . . but Isaac was in the way. “It’s okay, Orchid. Time to tell the truth.”
She gulped down a swallow, the freckles standing out over her dark skin. “He’s a cop,” she whispered, the sound barely audible.
Excellent. She was following Mal’s lead and playing along.
Isaac stood. “A cop. You’ve been talking to a cop about your family.” He shook his head. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him about Stacy,” Orchid burst out with surprising spirit. “She was just eighteen, and you made her sleep with your lieutenants. She wasn’t ready for that. You can’t just use women like that, Prophet.”
Isaac’s gaze hardened. “It is not your place to make that decision.”
“She overdosed because of the pain and shame.” Orchid lifted her face. “You were wrong.”
George audibly gasped.
