“We haven’t found him yet, if that’s what you’re asking,” Landon wished he didn’t have to say. But he tried to get past this obvious disappointment nonetheless—that would likely get worse—while meeting her eyes that were somehow unreadable. “There have been some developments… Why don’t we order lunch first?”
She was amenable to this. “Okay.”
He picked up the menu, just for effect, having already decided upon the baked whiting fillet, served with hush puppies and steamed vegetables. Raquelle went with the grilled chicken, baked potato, and house salad.
After tasting his coffee, Landon sat back. “It’s beenconfirmed that an improvised explosive device was detonated remotely on Eddie’s pontoon boat. Someone was determined to blow it up—with or without Eddie’s presence—and succeeded. Fortunately, no other boats caught fire. Nor were there any reported injuries.”
Raquelle frowned. “But Eddie’s still missing…?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.” Landon wished that weren’t the case, for more reasons than the most important one—his life. “His Audi was found abandoned on Piliford Lane. A man wearing a hoodie was seen leaving the scene. We’re still reviewing surveillance video in the area to try and identify him—but given the fact that Eddie has not surfaced, there’s a strong possibility that he wasn’t the one who ditched the car.”
“Hmm…” Raquelle gave him a thoughtful look. “My GTA told me that a hooded man wearing baggy clothing was seen prowling around my car in the lot at Braedon College—before disappearing on campus when spotted. I was thinking that it could have been Eddie—running scared and looking for somewhere to turn…”
“Possible,” Landon allowed musingly. If her brother was still alive, it would be natural that he would reach out to her, if desperate enough. But there was an alternative explanation on the unsub. “If it was Eddie, he made no attempt to hang around long enough to hitch a ride with you. Based on the description of the snooper, sounds a lot like the man you saw leaving Knotter Marina prior to the boat explosion.”
Raquelle sipped more coffee. “Yes, I thought about that too,” she conceded. “If so, why would he have been snooping around my car? How would he even know I worked at the college?”
As Landon watched the uneasiness sweep across her face like a shadow, he responded candidly, “If Eddie was indeed the intended target of the boat explosion—but survived—the perpetrator likely had enough intel to know about you and may simply have been fishing, in search of Eddie.”I hope it doesn’t go any deeper than that, he told himself while hoping that campus surveillance video could pinpoint the person and where he might have gone. What if the unsub feared being identified by her? Based on what Raquelle said she saw of the possible bomber, it didn’t appear as though she would be able to finger him. She would still need to watch her back and Landon told her so, to be on the safe side. “Be extra vigilant on campus and off. If you see this man again—or think you see him—let me know.”
Raquelle heeded this warning but said bluntly, “Right now, I’m more concerned about Eddie’s health and well-being. What exactly are you doing to find him? If he’s still alive, how do you plan to keep my brother safe?”
Two big questions that deserved responsible answers. Landon wanted to give them to her to the best of his ability but was glad that the food arrived. It bought him a little time to contemplate how best to respond, while hoping to temper her expectations.
* * *
RAQUELLESTARED ATLandon over her food, waiting for a response to her concerns about Eddie. If he was on the lam in fear of his life, she certainly wanted the authorities to find him before whoever it was that wanted Eddie dead did. She assumed Landon felt the same way—even if his motives may have differed from hers as an FBI agent, considering that Eddie was working for him as a CI before he went missing.
After slicing a fork into his whiting fillet, Landon looked at her and said coolly, “Right now, Eddie’s still considered a missing person. This includes a possible abduction. To that end, the Falona County Sheriff’s Office has been notified. They have personnel from the Special Victims Unit’s Missing Persons team searching for him. Same is true for the Gadwall Heights Police Department, after Eddie’s apartment was broken into in their jurisdiction, in relation to his disappearance.”
That’s something, Raquelle told herself, giving her hope that Eddie was hiding and not a kidnapping or, worse, homicide victim. She peered at Landon and forked a piece of lettuce from her house salad, then repeated her question intently, “And what is the FBI doing to locate and protect Eddie?”
Landon swallowed food before dabbing a napkin on his lips and insisting, “Everything we can. As a confidential human source for a federal investigation by the Art Crime Team, Eddie’s disappearance under suspicious circumstances has the Bureau’s attention. Apart from agents working with local law enforcement to try and find him—including dispatching a search and rescue team and K-9 unit to search in and around the wooded area near Eddie’s apartment complex—the info has been put into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center and Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. Both are repositories for major cases, which include info on missing persons in relation to acts of violence, such as the bombing of a boat.
“Similarly,” he pointed out while scooping up some hush puppies, “the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Missing Person Information Center has also been alerted, along with the Tribal Access Program—in casewe need to exchange info that could lead to finding or identifying Eddie.”
“All right,” Raquelle said, digging her fork into the baked potato while feeling reasonably comfortable that they were taking her brother’s disappearance seriously.
Landon seemed to read into her thoughts as he forked a steamed carrot. Meeting her gaze, he said, “Just so you know, I’m just as concerned for Eddie’s safety as you are, Raquelle. Aside from being a confidential human source, he’s still my brother-in-law—more or less—and I actually consider him to be a friend, strange as that may seem…”
It does sound weird in a way but believable in another, she told herself, knowing the character of both men. Even if they were so different and—as it turned out— apparently on opposite sides of the law.
She looked at her ex. “Thank you for saying that,” she said sincerely. “These days, especially since the breakup with his last girlfriend, Eddie hasn’t quite seemed himself.” If she was being honest about it, though, Raquelle realized now that he had more than one thing on his mind. “Having someone he looked up to as a confidant—even if it was for investigative purposes—was probably good for him.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Till it wasn’t.”
Landon acknowledged this while pinching the bridge his nose, musing. “About that…” He held her gaze unwaveringly. “I need to know if Eddie talked to you about his recent dealings in the art world…”
“Not really.” Raquelle’s eyes grew wide. She sensed that he was wondering if she knew that Eddie was selling counterfeit art. Or perhaps had some further insight into his activities, legal or not. Her gaze narrowed at Landon, and she said, “I knew, of course, that Eddie fancied himselfas a seller of Native American art when he could get his hands on it—but that’s about all. He never involved me in any of his dealings, as was Eddie’s nature. We pretty much kept our professional lives separate from our personal relationship as siblings.”
“Okay—just asking.” Landon tasted his coffee, making a face to indicate that it had turned cold. “I wasn’t in any way accusing you of anything,” he emphasized.
Her lashes fluttered skeptically. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah, positive.” He reached out and placed a strong hand atop hers. “You’re not under investigation, Raquelle, trust me. Neither is Eddie, as things now stand. In his current absence, I only wondered if he might have left you with anything for safe keeping—in case he ran into trouble.”
“He didn’t,” she stressed, sliding her hand from under his and taking a sip of water. “Whatever evidence Eddie might have collected on your behalf, it probably went up in flames on his boat. Or was stolen from his apartment.” If her brother was still alive, Raquelle considered that he might have taken evidence with him that could be used as an insurance policy against his life. Or had he reached a point where even if that were the case, Eddie didn’t know who he could trust? Did that include Landon?
“You’re probably right,” he told her, a catch to his voice. “Just know that however this turns out, I’m on your side. Never stopped.”
That was news to her, but Raquelle felt this wasn’t the time or place to delve into their failed marriage. Meanwhile, she was glad they were on the same team, as near as she could establish, where it concerned wanting Eddie back alive and well. Even if Landon’s motivations had tobe related to his investigation into art crime and the important role her brother played in solving the case.
