Page 89 of Fatal Betrayal

"I know everything about him. He was born into a wealthy family. Father was a plastic surgeon in Hollywood, so you know that brought in the bucks. His mother came from money, too. Her father was the CEO of an energy company, and she was heavily involved in fundraisers and charity events. Agent Burnett went to USC where he studied finance. After graduation, he got a job with a venture capital firm where he worked for about six years. When he first joined the FBI, he handled mostly financial crimes. Because of his connections in that world, he did very well. He was six years into his career as an agent when Hannah went missing. Her case was the first kidnapping case he worked. The other agent on the case, Agent Ralston, told me that Burnett asked to join the investigation because he wanted to get out of financial crime."

"You do know a lot about him," she said in surprise. "I looked at the investigation he conducted but not at his background. I didn't know it was his first kidnapping case. What about his personal life?"

"He's been married and divorced twice. He has no children. He likes to gamble and spends a lot of weekends in Las Vegas. He also has a financial stake in a couple of racehorses. One of them was supposed to make it to the Derby this year but came up lame and is now out to pasture somewhere. That happened recently." Cooper paused. "What else do you want to know?"

"I'm not sure. Gambling habits can make an agent vulnerable to bribes and blackmail. But he has worked for the Bureau for more than twenty years, so it's hard to believe he could keep that kind of bad behavior a secret for so long." She paused. "I'm also still thinking about the fact that Hannah was the first kidnapping victim he'd ever dealt with and that he asked to be on the case. From what I read, Agent Ralston took a backseat almost immediately. I wonder why. She would have had more experience than Burnett."

"I asked Agent Ralston that. She said she was pregnant at the time and had to take a step back. They were shorthanded, so Burnett ran with it. Apparently, his superiors had a lot of respect for him, and she told me she has never had any reason to believe he didn't do everything by the book. She said she supported him a hundred percent. That's where our conversation ended." He took a breath. "That's where every conversation that I had with anyone connected to the FBI ended. The ranks closed around Burnett."

"But this time when a child disappeared, Damon took the case away from Burnett, and that made him very angry."

"His text implied that he wants to help you."

"Or he wants to set me up in some way."

"Aren't we playing into a setup by going to his house?"

"I don't think he'd expect me to show up at his home. There's probably a small window of time where I can take him by surprise. If he was behind the attack on the safe house, he'll think I'm laying low. And I don't believe he would go after us himself. He has the resources to hire people to do his dirty work. He wouldn't want to take us down at his own house. In fact, I'm sure he'll feign outrage and threaten to report me and tell me I'm out of my mind. That's more likely to be in his playbook."

"If he thinks you're lying low, then he doesn't know you at all. I would never assume that."

"Well, he doesn't know me. But we're about to get better acquainted."

* * *

When they got to Burnett's Brentwood neighborhood, she had Cooper do a pass down the street and then back before they parked a few houses down from Burnett's home. They didn't leave the vehicle immediately, instead watching the property for several minutes. There was no movement visible in the house. The blinds were open on the second floor but closed on the first floor.

It was after ten now on a Thursday, so there wasn't much activity on the street, save for a gardener blowing leaves off a driveway three doors down.

It was an upscale neighborhood with mostly two-story homes set back from the street with lots of fences and high shrubs providing privacy. It was probably a good thing Burnett came from money, because she doubted that he could afford a house like this on his salary alone.

"I'm going to check the house," she said.

"We're going to do that," Cooper corrected.

"I think it's better if I go alone. If I run into trouble, call Flynn."

She tried to hand him her phone, but he refused to take it. "I'm going with you. We're not splitting up, Andi."

"I don't know that I can protect you," she said honestly. "And I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I can take care of myself. And I trust you to do your best for both of us. But I'm not sitting in the car while you do this alone."

Seeing the stubborn light in his eyes, she knew she was fighting a losing battle. "Okay. But try to stay behind me."

They got out of the car and walked down the street. When they reached the porch, Andi pulled out her weapon. She was about to ring the bell when she saw that the door was slightly ajar. That was disturbing. She knocked on the door. She didn't hear anyone inside. Knocking again, she pushed the door open. Moving into the house, she called out. "Agent Burnett? Are you here?"

There was no sound except the loud tick of a grandfather clock in the entryway. Cooper stayed close to her back as they moved into the house, making their way into the living room, dining room, and finally the kitchen where the smells of bacon and coffee were thick in the air.

Her gaze was drawn to a seeping pool of red coming from around the island, and her heart stopped. She moved around the counter, staring in horror at the man lying face-down on the floor, a pool of blood pouring from a bullet hole in the back of his head.

CHAPTERTWENTY

"Oh, my God,"she muttered as she dropped to her knees to check for a pulse.

"Is he dead?" Cooper asked, a grim expression on his face.

She gave a quick nod. "Yes. It couldn't have been that long ago."

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