Page 104 of The Devoted Game

A rhetorical question, obviously, since no one in the room had a frigging idea.

Ryan squinted in an effort to make out the guy’s face as he came nearer the camera. The way he looked around, it was fairly clear that he didn’t have a clue the camera was there.

No eyebrows. Weird. The letters written across his forehead snagged Ryan’s attention, but the man moved too quickly for him to read the word.

“Can you switch to your recorded version and run that back?” Pierce asked before Ryan could.

“Yeah.” Talley shifted screens and did a back search on the recording.

“Right there,” Ryan said.

The image froze on the screen. N . . . A . . . M . . . E . . . L . . . E . . . S . . . S

Ryan’s gut plummeted to the floor. “Jesus ... Christ.”

“That can’t be right,” Pierce argued. “No way. Nameless is dead. Grace killed him.”

Fury coalesced with the fear. Ryan pushed away from the screen, got in Pierce’s face. “She tried to tell you there were two of them.”

Pierce shook his head in denial. “Forensics said—”

“To hell with forensics.” Ryan jabbed a finger at the screen. “The victim said there were two, goddammit! And nobody listened.”

“She was seventeen. She was traumatized—”

“And she was right,” Ryan said grimly. “Goodman’s exposé must have brought him out from under whatever rock he’s been hiding under.”

The silence lasted until Schaffer cleared her throat and said, “Are we going to do something about this, fellas?”

Without breaking the stare-down, Pierce said, “Davis, Talley, find out where this is coming from. Also, find out if Grace’s SUV drove past any cameras in the city when it left this location. See if we can track it via the nav system. Check with every patrol unit cruising the streets. Maybe somebody saw something.”

Doubt surfaced in Pierce’s expression and he visibly swallowed hard, his pride probably. “Pratt, I still want you to go to Fincher’s house to see what you can find. Arnold, you dig into the Nameless investigation. Call Kyle Cummings at Quantico. Tell him I want him to look at the forensics evidence in that case again. If there’s any chance this accomplice is for real, I want to know it.”

Pierce stared at Ryan as if he expected him to have something to add. But he didn’t. They would know where Grace was when Fincher was ready to tell them.

Unless Ryan could bargain with him.

Inspiration fueling his stride, he rushed to another of the computers and opened a link to the internet. He typed quickly, anticipation building with the possibility of making a deal with the bastard.

Fincher,

The fact is, if you hadn’t used a faulty pulley, then Worth wouldn’t be dead. So, let’s not pretend you’re innocent in all this.

“That could be a mistake, McBride.” Pierce stood next to him now. “The last thing we want to do is piss him off.”

Ryan ignored him, kept typing.

Release Grace and I’ll deliver Deirdre back to you. I’ll sweeten the deal by making it a two for one, you can have me to boot.

If you don’t want the world to believe you’re a murderer, then release Grace. She hasn’t hurt you. It was me, and only me.

McBride

He hit send.

More of that choking silence hovered in the room.

By the time the signal that he had mail sounded, the others, one by one, had gathered around him and Pierce. Ryan opened the email and read the response.