“I couldn’t give a fuck about your meeting, get to a computer. Now.”
He heard K cover the phone, his response muffled to whoever he was in a meeting with and then a door shutting. “This better be life or death, you have no idea who I just walked out on.”
“Yeah, I think I might have just made a crack in the case on our friend Jack Mankel.”
“Okay, at my computer. Tell me.”
“Look up a woman by the name of Jacqueline Smith. She died either at the end of March or beginning of April 1989.”
Merc heard keys clacking in the background. “Got it. What am I looking for?”
“Are there any records of her being married or engaged? Boyfriends?” Merc held his breath, almost positive he’d drawn the right conclusion.
“Nothing.” Agent K's answer knocked the wind from his lungs. “What is it?”
“I thought for sure she was in some way connected to Mr. J.”
“Hold on, let me run an extended family check.” Merc heard keys clacking and then agent K sucked in a breath.
Merc slapped his palm down on the table next to the laptop. “What?”
“His second cousin... she's related to Jack Mankel.”
Merc's blood turned to ice. “She worked at the hospital when Caroline was born. The same one her twin sister was kidnapped from, and a week later Jacqueline's body was found floating in the river.”
“Mother of God.”
“Keep this to yourself for now. We need to follow a couple more leads before we make any moves, you got it?” Merc ground out.
“If it's possible Senator Cotter's other daughter is still alive, he has a right to know Merc,” Agent K snapped.
“And I'll be the one to tell him, but not until we have more proof than this.”
“What the hell is going on over there?” K asked.
“I don't know, not yet anyway, but I will. I'll be in touch.”
“I'll give you forty-eight hours. But after that, if you’re lead doesn't pan out, I have to investigate.”
“Roger.” Merc disconnected the call, staring at the computer screen but not seeing it.
The thoughts running through his mind were so insane, so remote he wanted to laugh at himself. What if they were true? What if Mr. J had arranged the kidnapping in the first place and this whole time he’d been secretly raising Marissa as his own daughter?
“That son-of-a-bitch kidnapped Marissa from the hospital,” Hunter muttered, echoing Merc’s thoughts.
“So who do we have now? Marissa or Caroline?” Riser asked.
Merc felt like his insides were being ripped apart and burned. “Marissa.”
She’d lied to him the whole fucking time. Everything. Every action. Every word. Every kiss.
His lips tingled, taunting him. She planned to betray him.And I told her I loved her.
Merc threw back his head and roared. He’d given her his heart and she’d taken it and laughed behind his back. The first time in his life he’d opened himself up and she’d betrayed him.
“Merc, hold on a minute. You’re forgetting a few details,” Hunter held up his hands.
“Like what? Like she lied to us all? She’s planning to steal Cotter’s classified files and hand them over to Jack Mankel?” They’d made love, he’d taken her virginity for Christ’s sake – had that all been part of her plan, too?
