Page 13 of Shattered Truth (Off The Grid: FBI #15)

"What about Landon's girlfriend, Brooke Mercer? Did you know her?" she asked.

"I met her once. I didn't think they were boyfriend-girlfriend until I saw the news articles calling her his grieving girlfriend.

That seemed strange to me. I didn't think they'd gone out more than a few times.

She was a sorority girl, and she really liked the frat parties.

They seemed very different to me, but she was hot. "

"It doesn't sound like you cared for her that much," Matt commented.

"She didn't care much for me. She thought I was just some lab rat computer nerd. Not that Landon wasn't the same thing, but he was better looking."

She hadn't known what to make of Brooke, either.

She'd certainly acted like she was heartbroken, often breaking down in tears.

They'd spent some time together that first week until Brooke's mom had shown up and suggested Brooke take a few days away from it all.

Which reminded her that AJ had left school a few weeks later.

"Why did you drop out of school, AJ? Alanna told us Sabrina tried to find you, and you were gone.

You had left school and disconnected your phone just a few months before graduation. Why?"

"I was scared. I was one of the few people outside the frat who was close to Landon.

When I realized the university would not do anything that would jeopardize the reputation of the institution and the endowments of their alumni, I thought I might be in danger.

I didn't know anything, but maybe someone would think I did.

A couple of times, walking home from the lab late at night, I had the feeling someone was following me.

That's why I left. I finished my degree at another university, and I never looked back…

until now." He paused. "Why are you digging into all this? What changed?"

"Sabrina Lin reached out to me yesterday morning," she answered. "She said she had information about Landon's death and asked me to meet her, which I did. Before I could talk to her, someone killed her."

His jaw dropped as he gasped. "What? Sabrina is dead? I can't believe she was even looking into Landon's death. It's been six years. What about the other woman I talked to at the legal aid center? You said you spoke to her. What does she know?"

"Nothing. She said Sabrina was short on details."

"But she told you about me," AJ said with alarm. "Now I need to be worried. Damn! Why did you come here? Why did you bring me into this?"

The fear in his eyes was very real, but she hoped it wouldn't stop him from helping her. "I think you cared about my brother, and I need your help, AJ."

"If I had proof of something, I would have laid that out six years ago."

"You could have told me about Landon's project before. You could have talked to me."

He gave her a guilty look. "I did think about it, but I didn't know what to say.

You were so devastated, and in the beginning, I wasn't sure if I was just making up an excuse for him to be dead because I didn't want to believe he was a guy who would drink himself into oblivion.

" He ran a hand through his hair. "I thought you might come looking for me back then, but I guess Landon didn't mention me. "

"He might have mentioned you, but I was spinning with grief. Names were a blur to me. I didn't know who to trust. The kids I spoke to painted a picture of my brother that felt completely false."

"Because a dead drunk kid was a better explanation than anything else," AJ said harshly. "I wish I'd been braver, talked louder, but I didn't know what to do. The police turned me away. No one wanted to hear what I had to say."

She couldn't really blame AJ. It wasn't like he had a smoking gun, either, just a theory that, like other theories could be wrong. But it was something to look into.

"Do you have any idea where Landon might have kept his research files?" Matt asked. "I understand that his computer and phone were missing."

"That was another reason I didn't believe it was an accident," she said, looking to AJ for his answer to Matt's question.

"I didn't know they were missing, but he was always writing stuff in black notebooks. He had at least six of them. He kept all the information on his algorithm there," AJ replied. "You cleaned out his apartment. You probably have them."

She shook her head. "I don't remember any black notebooks."

"Do you still have his things?" Matt asked.

"Yes. I have his boxes in a storage unit in my building. But there weren't any black notebooks." She frowned. "This is why you should have talked to me back then, AJ. No one else mentioned notebooks to me."

"Like I said, I went to the police, and they weren't interested in what I had to say. And Sabrina told me the same thing when I went to the legal aid center. I started to think I was the crazy one."

She couldn't really blame AJ, but she still wished they'd had this conversation six years ago.

"Look, I'm sorry," AJ continued. "I really am. I liked Landon. I respected him. But I don't want to get dragged into this. Does anyone know about me?"

"As far as I know, just Alanna. But Alanna said she didn't know where you were. I don't think you need to be worried."

"Except you're both here now, and I'm going to be in an FBI file." He turned to Matt. "Can you keep me out of this? I don't want to end up like Landon and Sabrina, especially when I don't know anything."

"I understand," Matt said. "I'll do my best to keep your name out of it."

"How good is your best?" AJ challenged.

"Very good," Matt returned. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt, especially not someone who's trying to help. We appreciate your candor, Mr. Patel."

"I wish you'd never come here. Someone might have followed you."

"No one followed us," Matt said firmly.

"You need to go," AJ said. "Do whatever you need to do, just keep me out of it."

"Thank you for sharing," she said. "Thank you for being my brother's friend. It's nice to know someone cared about him."

"I wish I could go back in time and do things differently."

"So do I," she said heavily. "We'll go. We don't have to escape again, do we? Because that was a little harrowing."

He smiled. "No. There's an exit next to the bar. I'm surprised you didn't enjoy the entrance. Landon loved escape rooms. We'd travel miles to try out a new one. He liked the challenge. Not that any of them were much of a challenge for his big brain, but they were always fun."

Something else she hadn't known about her brother.

"Stay safe," AJ added as he opened the door. "Landon wouldn't want you to die looking into his death."

"I need to get justice."

"Justice won't bring him back. Maybe you should let this go."

"I can't let it go until I know what happened to my brother, until I make whoever took his life pay for what they did."

"Then I'll just say good luck."

When they left the club, the cool night air was instantly refreshing, and she sucked in several welcome breaths before turning to Matt. "AJ gave us a few things to think about."

"He did," Matt agreed. "I'd like to take a look at Landon's boxes."

"We can do that, but I really don't remember packing up a half-dozen black notebooks. However, my mind was in a fog then, so it's possible I just thought they were class notes and no longer important. I haven't looked in those boxes in probably five years."

"Let's do it now. Are you hungry?" he asked. "We could pick up a pizza on the way to your place."

"Okay," she said, a little surprised he wanted to do it now. But that was probably because he didn't want her looking into Landon's boxes without him. "What do you think about what we just heard?"

"That we have more to figure out."

"Because I found AJ. I told you I could be a valuable asset."

"You did," he acknowledged. "AJ was helpful. But you still need to stay in your lane, Haley."

"I'm not very good at that," she said candidly. "And I hate to make a promise I know I can't keep, because I'll do whatever it takes to find Landon's killer."

"That's what I'm worried about. Because whatever it takes could put you in danger."

"I'm willing to take that risk. Why don't you get the pizza? I'll eat anything, and I'll meet you at my apartment in an hour or whenever you get there."

"All right. But if you get into those boxes before me, don't hide what you find. I'm on your side, Haley."

She gave him a long look. "I hope so, Matt. I really need law enforcement to step it up this time. I'll see you in a while."

As Haley got into her car, Matt headed toward his vehicle, already having second thoughts about suggesting dinner together.

He wanted to see what was in her brother's boxes, but spending more time with Haley felt like a bad idea.

They were getting too close to each other, too involved.

She was a witness, and he was an FBI agent.

They weren't friends. They shouldn't even be calling each other by their first names.

But that wasn't what was bothering him the most; it was just—her.

She was pretty and smart…fierce at times, vulnerable at others.

And he found that both attractive and a little too dangerous.

He never mixed business with pleasure, not unless he was undercover, playing a role.

But that wasn't happening here. He was himself.

She was herself. And there was an unexpected attraction between them.

He'd seen the recognition in her gaze when they'd bumped into each other in the escape room.

But he wasn't going to act on it. And neither was she.

They were investigating two murders: one old, one new. There was no time for anything else.

He needed to get his head together before they met up again, and the best way to stop thinking about her was to focus on the case.

He believed that Landon's death and Sabrina's were tied together.

But he didn't have the piece that connected them.

What he did have was more information about Landon.

Maybe he had to start in the past in order to figure out the present.

AJ had raised some interesting possibilities: Landon's passion project that might have been of interest to someone, and the cheating operation that had been part of the fraternity culture could have contributed to his death.

A lot of fraternities seemed to be able to get their hands on prior tests and worked together to keep their GPAs high enough to avoid probation.

But Landon's fraternity had had an even better option: a TA who was one of them, who could actually change grades.

Landon had balked at that request. That provided at least one motive for murder but seemed like an extreme resolution for a problem with a grade.

He pulled out of the lot and headed back to Santa Monica. About a mile away from the club, he saw Haley's car stopped at the nearest light, a black SUV behind her.

The light changed, and both cars proceeded through the intersection, as did he.

For the next ten minutes, despite several turns, the SUV stayed right on Haley's tail, and as Haley entered the Hollywood Hills, his gut tightened.

His phone rang, and he took the call on speaker.

"Matt?" Haley's voice was tight with tension. "I think someone's following me."

"So do I," he said grimly.