“Yes. I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.” Abigail brushed a strand of hair away from her face, her hand shaking. She went from assertive with Laurel to looking fragile and lost in an instant. How did she do that? “All right, Doctor.” Abigail turned with a flourish, following the physician toward the double doors at the end of the hallway. At the threshold, she paused and looked back. “I hope you find the girl, Laurel. I can’t imagine what Kate is going through right now.”
Neither could Laurel. “We’ll find her.”
Abigail disappeared around the corner with the doctor.
Rachel moved in with her microphone. “Agent Snow? While we wait for Dr. Caine to return, please give us an update on the kidnapping of Vivienne Vuittron.”
“No comment.” Laurel turned and strode back into the storm. She had to find Viv and soon. Would there be a biochemical attack? If so, where?
Chapter 35
It had been a long and useless day.After dark, alone in her office, Laurel sat on her conference table and stared at the boards. Huck was downstairs in his, arranging for another helicopter search first thing in the morning. The storm was making surveillance difficult, and they’d had to stop for the day. What if the lab was nowhere to be found?
What if Viv wasn’t even in some hidden lab?
Laurel reached for her phone and called Huck. “We have to get Dr. Yannish back in here but I’m coming up short. So far, the evidence teams haven’t found anything from the lab that will give me probable cause. No records of another lab.” Her mind spun confusion around. “I forgot to tell you that Tim Kohnex was here earlier saying the wind is whispering about Viv. It’s a long shot, but if we don’t find anything else, I guess we should interview him.” He lived in the far opposite direction of the yew trees, but he had mentioned tires in the wind.
Unless Laurel was wrong. What if Tyler had been warning Walter about something else? Why wasn’t this case coming together?
“Okay. We haven’t searched that direction yet,” Huck said. “I’m still on the phone with aviation and will be up in a few. You haven’t eaten all day. Ena picked up sandwiches from the deli and I’ll bring one up to you.”
“Thanks.” Laurel clicked off absently. She cocked her head. Then she swung her legs onto the table and stood, looking down at all the pictures from a different angle. She’d placed one of Agent Norrs on the sniper case board where he looked tall and formidable. Abigail had kept her updated all day, and he was no longer in critical condition and would make a full recovery.
The board morphed in front of Laurel’s eyes.
Wait a minute. Fascinating. She jumped down and approached the boards, taking Abigail’s photo off her board and putting it on the sniper board next to the one of Norrs. The sniper had hit Abigail the first time. Could Abigail have been the actual target?
Then Laurel took Dr. Matteo Sandoval’s picture off the lab board and taped it onto the sniper’s board.
What if the sniper had hit who he wanted? What if he hadn’t actually missed? What if Laurel wasn’t even the target?
Abigail and Sandoval. Plus, Abigail had been in Laurel’s office during the third shooting. Why would somebody want both Abigail and Dr. Sandoval dead?
“Hello there,” Abigail said smoothly from behind her.
Laurel jumped and spun around, her heart racing. “How did you get up here?”
Abigail snorted. “Please. I secured a badge the first week you installed it. Did you really think you could keep me out?”
Laurel glanced to her right to see Henry Vexler, his gaze on the boards. “You brought your attorney.”
“I did.” Abigail smiled, moving her painted red lips. “I thought we might reach an agreement.”
Laurel glanced back at the sniper board. “You have degrees in biochemistry and neuroscience,” she said slowly.
“I do.” Abigail read the board. “I see what you’re doing here.”
Vexler frowned. “I don’t. Also, if you don’t have access to this floor, we shouldn’t be here. It’s a federal building, Abigail.”
Abigail barely looked at him. “Don’t be a dumbass, Henry. You’re here to make me a deal. Well, the beginning of one. We need to meet with the county prosecutor about my case after we secure my sister’s assistance. Time truly is of the essence.”
Heat flushed down Laurel’s torso. “The sniper meant to hit you at the courthouse that first day.”
“Yep,” Abigail chirped. “Chalk one up for Wayne. That vest saved my life.”
Laurel breathed out. She couldn’t believe she’d missed this. “You work for Oakridge Solutions.”
Abigail sighed. “Really, Laurel? You’re slow sometimes. I merely consulted with the offshoot of the labs. For a nice sum of money, actually.”
