Page 20 of Facing the Enemy

“He loves words. Always been a huge reader. His dream is to one day teach high school English and write.”

“We’re extremely proud of our son,” Ethan said. “He’s part of our church’s college class. Has gone on several mission trips. He’s never given us an ounce of trouble.”

I saw no deceit in the man.

“You have every right to be proud. He’s one of my favorite students.”

Lynn lifted Caleb to her shoulder and patted his back. “I really want to know why you need to see our son. Your visit is highly irregular, which tells me there’s a serious problem.”

“Mrs. Mercury,” Risa began, “I need to be assured that his short story, which is 50percent of his grade, is actually his work. I’ve never had a reason to doubt the validity of Carson’s writing assignments or his integrity. That’s why I want to verify the project before the semester ends.”

Lynn paled. “He could fail the class?”

“Neither you nor I want him to face the consequences of a misunderstanding.”

“We assure you he’ll be in contact,” Ethan said. “Carson is a responsible young man.”

“Thank you.” Risa glanced at me. “I think we’ve taken up enough of this family’s time.”

Moments later we were on the road.

“What am I missing?” She rubbed her temples. “It’s late and I need to process what this could mean. For all practical purposes, the Mercurys are the perfect family.” She inhaled deeply. “Can I call you tomorrow?”

I tapped the steering wheel. “I’m booked solid and have a possible trip on Saturday.”If you hadn’t resigned, we’d be taking the flight together.

“I understand. Thanks for coming tonight.”

“Why have you ignored me ... and your parents?”

“Gage, I must do this my way. Grieving isn’t easy.”

“Someone’s playing with you. I know it like I know my name. Walking away from the FBI, from me, when we could resolve the crime ... will make solving his death happen far into the future.”

“You have this know-it-all attitude when you don’t have the details. I’m grieving the loss of my brother. I’ve sacrificed my career to protect you from me losing focus in a dangerous situation. How about a ‘thank you, you’re doing the right thing’?”

“If you’d been concerned about my safety, you could have changed divisions.”

“A fogged brain puts everyone in danger.”

“Sounds like an excuse to me.”

A wall of ice formed between us. “Have you written off Trenton’s death since I’m not around?”

“Seriously? Nearly five years of working together, and you ask me if I’ve swept a case off my desk?”

“Exactly. Have you stamped my brother’s case with ‘lack of evidence’ and moved on to build your résumé?”

Anger hit me hard. “If you want to believe I’ve neglected my commitments, go right ahead, Professor Jacobs.”

We sat side by side, light-years apart, until I dropped her off in front of her apartment building. Not the warm conversation I’d wanted from the woman I loved. Nope. I’d been dumped.

11

RISA

Predators of the heart destroyed more lives than bullets, and Gage had pierced mine with his words.

Anger rushed through my body and left me trembling. I paced the floor of my apartment’s living area. Gage had tossed accusations at me like poison darts. How dare he think I didn’t have the skills to find Trenton’s killer? I’d made sacrifices to protect others ... and he wasn’t aware of the note or the demands.