Page 113

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

A ddie eased the door open and looked in. She’d been staying in this room but brought Jacob in as soon as they got here. He wasn’t going to sleep in their home office, and neither was Russ. Addie on the other hand fit fine on Russ’s thinking couch.

She watched for a second and tracked the rise and fall of his chest under the blankets. The guy had been wiped out by the time they got a few things from his apartment, dealt with the cops, and drove here from downtown.

“He good?”

She eased the door closed. Russ stood in the hallway. She followed him back to the kitchen where Mona made coffee. “He’s resting at least.”

The teen glanced over her shoulder at them but didn’t interrupt.

Russ pulled out a chair and eased into it. One day, it would hit her that he was getting old, but there was something timeless about his age for now. He didn’t look or act much different than he had before she left town the last time.

“What did the cops say?”

Addie dropped Russ and Jake at the house, turned around, and went straight back to the apartment. “Signs that the lock was picked or whoever had a key missed the slot and scratched up the chrome. Security says Jake’s key card was used to access the floor from the elevator, but they also told me there are a couple of copies of the card floating around. One spare, and at least one that Jake lost at some point.”

“Anything stolen?”

“Nothing obvious.” Addie paused while Mona sat at the table. “But he’ll have to go through everything and see what’s missing.”

“Good call getting his things for him, not wheeling him through there. He didn’t need to see that.”

Addie nodded.

“Who do you think did it?” Mona’s question was soft, and for once without that tone of adolescence that crept into her words.

Addie shrugged. “That’s an excellent question, and I hope the police figure it out.”

Mona shifted. All of Addie’s cop instincts flared. She had to go about this gently, or the teen would shut down.

Carefully, Addie said, “Is there anything you want to talk about, Sis?”

Mona stared at the table. Ran her thumb nail back and forth across a grain in the wood.

“You can tell us anything. I want you to know that.” Addie paused. “I’m not a cop at this table. I’m more like your lawyer or your therapist. There’s a confidentiality clause.”

It might be a privilege that she needed Mona not to abuse, but that was a bridge they’d cross if they had to. All depended on what her little sister wanted to tell her.

Addie fought the temptation to keep talking. To apologize for being absent so much, try to convince Mona that things would change. Since Addie didn’t know how long she would be here, she couldn’t promise much. And she wasn’t about to spout a bunch of stuff that sounded nice but would amount to lies. When their mother was an expert, the teen didn’t need more of that.

Addie wondered when the last time was that their mom had visited.

“I do need to tell you something.” Mona focused on Addie.

This was about her? “What is it?”

More thumb across the table. Addie was just about to prompt her when Mona spoke quietly. “It’s about Austin.”

Russ made a noise in his throat. He didn’t like the boyfriend.

Considering that guy was eight years older than the high schooler at the table, Addie was inclined to agree. She’d already planned to have a talk with Austin when the case was done.

Maybe it couldn’t wait.

Mona chewed on the words for a second. “He knows all about what happened. To you and Jake. Back in high school.” She stiffened in the chair.

“It’s okay.” Addie wasn’t going to jump on the girl. That would only cause Mona to shut down, and Addie didn’t need her sister to be gun-shy about talking to them.

Russ kept his mouth shut, thankfully. Addie knew well how he felt about the boyfriend. He was a little more trigger-happy with getting mad. But he’d cut his teeth on raising Addie.

As far as she was concerned, he’d done the best job he knew how. Raising Mona was something he’d done since early in her life, unlike having teenage Addie dropped on his doorstep for weeks or months at a time while her mom traveled around with her latest boyfriend.

Mona winced. “He’s kind of obsessed with what happened to you. He has newspaper clippings and photos. Stuff I don’t think he’s supposed to have. Like pictures of Becca, you know…after she was dead.”

Addie glanced at Russ. That wasn’t right. “Any idea where he got them from?”

Russ just lifted an eyebrow. He hadn’t gotten anywhere with the girl and was leaving this to Addie. Something she was grateful for.

“He wouldn’t say.” Mona shrugged one shoulder.

The coffee pot beeped now the carafe was full, but no one got up.

Mona shifted in her seat. “He’s weird about it. I don’t know why, but it’s like that’s all he thinks about. He’s supposed to be taking classes to finish his degree and he calls in sick to work all the time. He doesn’t even care he’ll probably get fired.”

Addie figured that was why Mona had so many days of missed school. The lure of a relationship was powerful, especially when you were seventeen and controlled by hormones. She knew that as well as anyone. She’d made those same mistakes.

Maybe it was in the blood they got from their mother.

Rather than assuming she’d learned from them, Addie was only willing to admit she’d pushed all that aside when she left for college. When she joined the FBI. The fling with Zimmerman had been the closest thing to a real relationship since Jake. And she’d hardly allowed her emotions to get involved.

Just every other part of her.

She had begun to realize wasn’t the most constructive thing if she wanted peace or hope for the future. It was far too easy to let her life self-destruct for a few moments of happiness. She knew that.

The most challenging part was figuring out how to do things differently next time.

Russ would tell her to go to church. If she was honest, he wasn’t often wrong. Probably she should give it a try at least. It seemed like going back to service was a good start.

As soon as she had the time to attend. Maybe Jake would go with her, or she could go with him—since he attended.

Mona glanced at Russ. “I didn’t know how to break it off. Austin was getting kind of…smothering. Spending a lot of time with his ex. I wanted to end it, so thanks for forcing me to get out.”

Russ squeezed her hand. “It’s what I’m here for.”

Addie didn’t need them to get off track. “Any idea where he is?”

“I knew you were going to do this.” Mona’s eyes flashed.

Addie figured there was no way to sugarcoat it. “I was nearly burned alive. By someone with knowledge of what happened to Jake and me. If he didn’t do anything, then he has nothing to hide with me asking a few questions.”

Russ lifted his chin. “Want some backup?”

Addie shook her head. “I need someone here to make sure nothing happens to Jake.”

And Mona, but the girl would bristle if she thought Addie was purposely “taking care of her.” Which, of course, she was, whether Mona knew it or not.

“Take backup with you.” His tone didn’t invite any argument.

Mona leaned back in her chair. “And if I don’t tell you where he is?”

“It’ll take me only slightly longer to find him.”

The teen pressed her lips together.

“Where is he?”

“Fine.” Mona blew out a breath. “He stays at that cabin sometimes.” She winced. “The one where you were held.”

Addie tried not to react, but this guy was a real winner. Mona had fallen for it. Not that Addie could blame her, since poor choices about men happened to every woman at some point in their life. Especially the women in their family.

“That’s where he is now?” Addie asked.

Mona shrugged. Nodded.

Addie pulled out her phone and opened her email. She asked Mona a few more questions and got his last name, date of birth, and phone number. She sent all of it to the two agents who’d shown up from Seattle—Kyle and Stella.

Addie pushed back her chair. “Got any to-go cups for that coffee?”

Russ stood as well. “I’ll get you one.”

They met at the front door, and Russ handed her a thermos. “Thanks.” Addie slipped on her coat.

“I was serious about that backup.”

Addie kissed his cheek. “I’ll make some calls on the way.”

He watched her drive away. Addie used her dash screen to call Hank. It rang for a while, then went to voicemail. She left him a message to call her but didn’t tell him where she was going. Maybe Hank didn’t care. He was busy looking for Celia’s father.

Both were missing, along with Celia’s mother as far as she was concerned.

“What are you doing, Hank?” Addie sighed, then called Captain McCauley.

He picked up before the second ring.

“Busy?”

“Too busy to talk to the FBI? No, ma’am.” For a second, she wondered if he’d been drinking. “Especially not when every time I turn around, something has happened to you. It’s definitely been an interesting couple of weeks.”

“Nice change from the normal pace?” she asked.

“Sure, as long as things go back after.”

Addie wasn’t sure that would happen. She told him where she was headed and why, and McCauley said, “I’ll be there in fifteen. I don’t live far.”

“Sure?”

“You gonna go in alone if I don’t show up?”

Addie wasn’t going to answer that.

McCauley got the idea. “Exactly. So it’s good you called.”

“Russ made me.”

McCauley snorted. “I’ll be there.”

“Copy that.”

The gate was open when she pulled in two top 40 songs later, making her wonder if Lyric ever closed it. Did she leave it that way so customers could come and go as they pleased? Addie didn’t spot the captain’s car.

Addie turned the volume down on her music. She flipped off her headlights so there would be no glare on the cabin windows to wake anyone and eased toward the structure.

Close enough to see that the door was ajar.

Addie parked and sent a text to McCauley. He still had a couple of minutes before he would get here. If someone were inside and hurt, they might not have time for her to wait. Addie needed to at least look.

She pulled on a vest from her trunk and fastened the straps, then slid her gun from the holster on her hip. A badge on display. Just in case anyone had a question about who she was—or her reason for being there.

First was to listen.

No sound came from inside.

Addie used a free hand to ease the door open. The creak cut through the dark, quiet night. Inside, the cabin looked normal but like it needed cleaning. Not the destruction that had been evident at Jake’s apartment. This place hadn’t been ransacked like that.

Still at the door, she looked everywhere within eyeshot without going in, which she would do with McCauley when he got here. She didn’t see anyone, and there was still no sound. No one cried out for help.

Addie had to hold back for now and wait.

She started to turn and look for McCauley’s car when someone rushed from the house and slammed into her.

Addie fell back, stumbled off the porch steps, and hit the ground.

A dark figure jumped over her and ran.