Page 80 of Facing the Enemy

“I don’t remember. I’d hoped whatever had been going on had ended.”

Gage pulled out his phone and scrolled to a photo of Norman Peilman, the man who attempted to run Risa and Carson off the road. “Have you seen this man before?” Clyde responded negatively, and Gage displayed the one of Peter Florakis.

Clyde studied Florakis’s pic longer. “No, sir. Never seen him before either.”

I pulled up the photos of Emily Lock and her three disguises on my phone. I handed my device to Clyde and asked him to scroll through the photos. “Have you seen any of these women?”

“Are they wanted?”

“Yes, sir.”

Clyde pointed to the disguise of dark-brown, shoulder-length hair and huge glasses. “This woman was at the center about three years ago. She arrived shortly before the doctor scandal.”

“Do you recall her name?” I said.

He appeared to think for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m sorry. Nothing stands out, so she must have delivered her baby, then left. Ms. Wright could tell you.”

“Thanks. You’re a big help.” I sent the one pic to Ms. Wright and asked her to call me.

“I remember the other agent’s name who worked with Agent Bradford. Luke Reardon. He showed up a couple of times alone. Have you talked to him?”

I faced Gage for him to answer.

“We can’t,” Gage said. “Agent Reardon is dead.”

Clyde leaned back in his chair, his face a wash of white. “Sick? Accident?”

“Murdered.”

“How?” Clyde whispered.

“It’s too gruesome for me to explain. I’m sure the media will have a report today. We believe it’s linked to a crime ring that buys and sells babies.”

“At the second visit, he lost his temper when Ms. Wright told him she didn’t have time to talk to him.”

“What were Agent Reardon’s words?”

“That he’d be back and ignoring a crime didn’t make it disappear.” Clyde slowly stood. “I ... I need to get to work. Appreciate y’all meeting me here.” He left the bakery, the bell above the door ringing in his wake.

Turn around and come back. Tell us what we need to make an arrest.

42

GAGE

“Do you think Clyde recognized Peter Florakis?” I said. “He might have posed as a doctor. Or been at the center under the guise of a Good Samaritan.”

Risa eyed the bakery door as though Clyde might walk back through. When she faced me, her pale face showed the stress. “I think he shared more than he intended. I also think he witnessed more than he admitted. My guess is he’s seen too much and chose to end the meeting after hearing about Jack and Luke on the heels of Hai’s murder.”

I sighed. “Yes, he’s afraid. Did you hear what he said when he dropped his napkin?”

“Something about the napkin was his cue to leave.”

The noise in the bakery played havoc with what Risa and I needed to discuss. We grabbed our coffee and headed to the parking lot. I inspected my SUV for anything suspicious attached to my car—wouldn’t be the first time a triggered bomb destroyed investigators. Risa explored the usual places right along with me. We silently completed our search and slid into my SUV.

“Do you believe Clyde?” I said.

“Enough to follow up on what he said but not enough to discountan inflection of truth. I’ve read the backgrounds on every employee and volunteer at Houston Healing and Hope, and no one raised any doubts.” She held up a finger. “But I plan to review them all again. Do you think Luke could have been involved?”