And patience.
He snorted. Not his strong suit.
Sure, he could sit surveillance or stand guard for endless hours, but that wasn’t the same as wanting something more than you’d ever wanted anything in your life and having to wait for it. He’d always been the first one up on Christmas morning, banging on his mom’s and brothers’ doors and yelling, “Present time!” Yeah, he’d been an impatient little shit.
Probably still was, just taller.
Restless, but also ready to sleep for a week, he snagged a pad of notepaper and a pen from the center of the table and began doodling. Without thought, an image of Lindsey began to emerge. The curve of her chin, the curl of her hair, her warm expressive eyes.
Something in his chest pinched, and he flipped to a blank sheet. The last thing he needed was for her to see him sketching her like some kind of obsessed stalker.
After lunch brought in from a local deli, and another hour of scanning through old issues ofForeign Affairsthat one of the agents had scrounged from somewhere, Wendy walked through the door.
“Okay, y’all, I have some news.”
Todd’s heart skipped. “Good news?”
“Mostly.” She almost smiled. “We managed to round up the sheriff and some of his collaborators, including the guy whose truck you stowed away in. A couple of them are willing to flip on Sheriff Decker, and they’ve corroborated much of your story. You’re both in the clear for Harris, and based on the salvageable evidence where Pete’s body was found, the DA isn’t planning to charge you for his death either.”
All the air rushed from Todd’s lungs and he started to shake. He hadn’t realized how tightly he’d been holding it together.
Lindsey sighed, her shoulders dropping. Yesterday, circling the table to hug her would have been a no-brainer.
“What’s the not-good news?” he asked, trying to get his heart rate under control.
Wendy grimaced. “Megan Lassiter fled shortly after your escape yesterday. Passport control has a record of her driving through the Blaine-Surrey border crossing near Vancouver early this morning.”
“She’s in Canada?” Lindsey frowned and rubbed her forehead. “I guess that’s good. I thought if she got away she might come after us.”
“She still could,” Todd said.
Wendy sent him a what-the-hell look. “The money laundering scheme is already blown. You’re no longer a threat to her.”
“Maybe.” The tightness of Lindsey’s mouth told Todd she wasn’t convinced.
“Well, she’s a fugitive now,” Wendy said. “We’ll be monitoring for any activity. If she resurfaces, law enforcement will grab her. But, obviously, be careful until we have her in custody.”
“Be careful?” Todd repeated. “Does that mean you’re letting us go?”
“Soon. Give me another hour or two, and if you need anything, don’t go back to the corridor with the interrogation rooms, all right?”
He nodded.
Wendy’s phone buzzed and she pulled it from her pocket and then frowned at it. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
Todd ran a hand through his hair and turned to Lindsey. “Holy shit. I’m not sure I believe it yet.”
“I know.” She braced her hands on her knees and took a shaky breath. “Thank God, though. I was so worried you were going to prison.” A tear streaked down her face.
“Hey.” Todd stood and rounded the table.
She held out her hand and shook her head. “Please, don’t.”
He stopped in his tracks.
The door opened and Wendy barged in, oblivious to the tension, her expression dark. “Lindsey, I need you to look at something for me.” She slapped a photo on the table. “Do you recognize this woman?”
“Yeah, that’s—” Lindsey frowned and peered closer. “Actually, no. At first glance she looks like Megan, but it’s not her.”
