“Have you told Alexia the news about Samuel yet?” Hearing Chase’s voice was just another jab, another vicious reminder that if I’d followed my instincts all those years ago, perhaps Alexia wouldn’t be going through another crisis.
At least she’d shared with me that she’d lost a significant portion of time while being held captive. No doubt to keep her mind from fracturing. No one should ever be forced to endure the horrors Wells had inflicted on her.
Or Wells’ brother. Goddamn it. The pieces needed to fit.
I continually tried to mentally compare Samuel’s voice after arresting him at his house to the one on the phone from a day before. What I needed was an actual comparison. If the fucker called again, I’d be ready to hit record. Only I had a feeling Samuel had made his point and had no intention of pushing boundaries where he could be captured.
Even if I had access to the hours of interrogations that had been recorded, as I’d told Alexia, time and memories could seriously alter things.
“Not yet. Not until we are one hundred and fifty percent certain of the match.” Which we weren’t. What little had been discovered wouldn’t stand up in a court of law. Not the way it was. And it certainly wouldn’t stop the execution.
According to the email, the hospital was widely known as caring for low-income families in Germany. However, there was one possibility that could provide answers. It was near a US Army base. At this point, what the hell did that matter? So what if the kid was born in Germany? His life was in the United States.
“What are you thinking about doing?” he asked in what I liked to call his DEA tone. All business.
“Contacting my old partner. She’s moved up in ranks within the FBI. Maybe she can provide some information.”
Chase laughed. “Didn’t you two have a falling out?”
“She’ll talk to me.” Although I wondered if she would. “Plus, I’m going to pay a visit to Samuel Wells. Perhaps his upcoming execution will rattle his chains. I’m about to head out in a little while.”
“I had a feeling that’s what you were planning. Not a bad idea.”
“Do me a favor. I think it’s a good idea to find out how he’s been treated during his incarceration.”
Chase chuckled. “You’re thinking a wealthy benefactor.”
“You bet. Have our hackers spend whatever funds necessary to find out everything about Samuel’s family including where they are today.”
“Way ahead of you. They’re already on it. Anything else?”
I thought about the event I was attending with my lovely guest. “Check into the background of Betty Landers.”
“The woman Alexia works for. Right?”
“Yeah. Just a hunch. Find out what cases she’s worked on. That kind of thing.”
“Will do, boss,” he snarked. “About heading to the penitentiary.”
When I felt a presence behind me, I clicked off the file link. I’d managed to convince Alexia to stay the night. We’d talked, but she’d been unwilling to discuss many details that had returned. Not that I could blame her. “What?”
“Are you prepared for the memories that will resurface?”
His concern was notable and I was thankful to call him a friend. “I have no choice. This chapter needs to end one way or another.”
“I understand. The others are aware of what my buddy discovered. They’ll be on high alert.”
“Good. I need to go.”
“Listen,” Chase pushed. “If you’re right and Samuel is being used as a willing scapegoat, that means as soon as you make contact to the prison, whoever the real killer is will be placed on notice. That will likely increase the threats.”
“Yeah, I know.” I turned around to face her. She was standing in bare feet, wearing jeans and a cute tee shirt with a picture of her favorite sports team, the Miami Heat. You had to adore a girl who loved basketball. “That’s exactly what I hope will happen.”
“Since your buddy Tony was made, I’m going to send a couple friends of mine to keep an eye on her in your absence. They’ve been undercover and know how to avoid law enforcement, even a bright, beautiful, and precocious attorney.”
She was leaning against the doorjamb with a mug of coffee in her hand, studying me as if by doing so, she’d learn vital details about my personality. “Not a bad idea. But don’t mind me if at some point I say I told you so. She’s a lean, mean, fighting machine.” I walked closer, enjoying the way the shadowed light reflected off her dark hair.
“Code for she’s in the room. Got it.” Chase laughed. “When are you leaving?”
