Page 58 of Facing the Enemy

“We were after a man who’d abducted his two young daughters from their mother. He didn’t have custody. The older of the two girls took her sister to a gas station’s bathroom and told a woman inside that the man outside the door had kidnapped them and hurt their mother. The woman went to get help, but the man overheard her tell the manager. The father took off, but Risa and I were able to pick up his plates from a security cam.”

“Like you did with me?”

“Yes. She took the driver’s seat and told me to buckle up. She raced west out of the city on I-10. Weaving in and around traffic like we were on the Indy 500. When we turned on a side road, I thought she’d slow down. No way. She kept up the craziness—doing a darn good job, and we caught up with him.” I chuckled. “She rode his bumper. Tapped it a few times, then pulled up alongside him on our right. I lowered the window and ordered him to pull over.”

“Wow. Miss Jacobs never came across like an FBI agent or anything close in class.”

Now curiosity bit me. “What’s she like as a professor?”

“Oh, one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. Firm. Clear. Not afraid to laugh. Oh, her desk always had to be in order, from smallest item to the largest.” Carson paused. “I wondered once how she knew what was going on in the back of the room when her back was turned. I mean, I knew about the FBI. But it seemed to give her superpowers.”

I envisioned Risa letting a class full of kids know who was in charge. “What did you like the least about her class?”

“She refused to curve the grades.”

I smiled. “No slack?”

“Right, and an odd thing is whatever assignment she gave us, she did it too.” Carson stretched his neck muscles. “Agent Patterson, who was the guy in the pickup?”

“No idea at this point.”

“I hate that my stepdad might be behind it ... to have her killed and me too. Seems like a different guy.”

He quieted and I let silence settle between us. “Tell me about the handgun. This will be a factor in your briefing, and I want to be on your side. How did you intend to use it?”

“What else? To protect myself.”

I didn’t care if I made Carson mad. I wanted the truth and catch any discrepancies that fell out of his mouth. “From the man you still call Dad? The man your mom loves?”

“What do you want me to say? Do ya think I’m all happy about this?”

“I’m saying if you need to change any part of your testimony, now is your chance to do it.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

Typical answer coming from a kid in trouble. “I’m the FBI agent and you’re an underage runaway. Here’s the first lesson in Gun Use 101. Never take ownership of a weapon and aim it unless you can take the responsibility of shooting someone. Not threatening them but using it. If you hesitate, the person will take the gun and unload it in you.”

“Big deal.” Carson shrugged. “Like does it matter? Who witnessed a murder and had his mom and baby brother threatened?”

We drove the rest of the way in silence. Before putting him up in an extended-stay hotel, I drove through Sonic and filled his gut with a cheeseburger and fries. Inside the hotel room, I closed the drapes.

“Take this burner phone.” I reached inside my pocket and handed him the extra device I carried for situations like this. “It’s activated. I need your word you won’t contact anyone except me.”

He ran his hands through his dark hair. “Yes, sir. I’m going to shower and go to bed. How will I get my Jeep back?”

“I want it checked for a tracker at the FBI office, then I’ll arrange for agents to return it.”

“Okay. You said you’d pick me up at 8a.m.?”

“On the dot. Keep the door locked. Stay inside, and if someone knocks, ignore it. If the knocking persists, call me. I’ll call you whenI pull into the hotel parking lot in the morning. Then again when I’m outside your door and convinced no one’s lurking.”

He eyed me. “Are you sure all that stuff is necessary?”

“It is if you’re telling the truth. Agents are in the parking lot 24-7 to ensure you stay put.”

“Guess I’m glad for the protection. I got weirded out back there. Sorry. I don’t know how to make you believe me, but I told the truth.”

I bid him good night and waited in the hallway until I heard the door lock click. Hard to tell if he was exhausted or scared or both.