Page 13 of Reckoning (FBI Thriller 26)

Pepper said, “It sounds to me like you know Kirra well.”

“Yes, both her and her uncle Leo. We’ve been in close contact since she left the US at age twelve. Emails, phone calls at first, then much closer after she moved back to the States for law school. I’ve come to know her so well she’s almost like my own kid sister. Are you asking if Kirra was upset about Josh Atwood’s murder because she’d almost been killed at the same age herself? And there’d been no justice for her parents and no justice yet for Josh Atwood? Wouldn’t you expect that attitude? She was only a kid then, and, yes, Kirra is keenly aware of what crime victims go through. But wait, you’re implying more than that, aren’t you?”

Savich said, “Yes, we are, Jeter. Kirra Mandarian trusts you, wants you to be involved. She’s a prosecutor here in Porte Franklyn, which means she knows all the players—you, Grissom, Hailstock the commonwealth attorney. You told us Kirra was here with you that evening and then she left, only to return again to be on the spot when you got the call about the man tied to the railing. Did it occur to you how perfect the timing was? A lawyer happening to be here to act as affiant? I think it’s quite possible Kirra Mandarian is Eliot Ness, or at least working with him.”

Jeter wanted to belt him, but he calmed himself. He drew a deep breath. “Kirra Mandarian the vigilante? No, it’s simply not possible. We’re good friends, why wouldn’t she tell me she was investigating Grissom, ask for my help?”

Savich said, his voice gentle, “You’re too close, Jeter. You care a lot about her. We don’t know her, haven’t even met her yet. We only see what actually happened that night, and it makes a great deal of sense.”

Jeter said, his voice stiff, “All right, I’ll go over it in my mind again, but I’ll tell you, it’s really hard to get my head around. I know she’s strong, well-trained—street fighting, martial arts—because her uncle Leo never wanted her to be helpless again. Taking down Grissom wouldn’t be hard for her. And yes, I’ve seen her staring off into space and I wonder if she’s thinking about her parents and who murdered them and why she was lucky enough to escape, maybe thinking revenge and how to get it. Leo told me the same thing. He said he never disturbed her when she looked like that, let her work her way through her grief.

“But listen, since she’s been back here, I haven’t had any reason to worry about her. She’s normal, no thoughtful lapses, no talking about vengeance for her parents’ murder. If anything, she seems stronger than most. I was thinking maybe Eliot Ness is a disillusioned cop, maybe here in my own shop... but you’re right, a cop wouldn’t know that quickly how Hailstock responded—only a prosecutor or someone from the office passing him information. But Kirra? That scares me to death. If it is Kirra, she’s taking a huge risk—kidnapping Grissom is a felony. If she were caught, her career would be over, and she could go to prison. And she knows that as well as we do.” He cursed, swiped his hand through his hair. “You and Griffin, you’re FBI, and you, Pepper, you’re a federal prosecutor. What are you going to do?”