Page 88 of Security Breach

“You can’t show them to the director. Please.”

“Your career is on the line, Wells.” David almost felt sorry for the special agent. Almost. “Why are you so sure you’re the only one who can protect Emma?”

Wells sighed. “I should have known this would come back to bite me.”

“Explain,” David snapped, his sharp tone making the agent’s spine straighten. He’d used the same tone to obtain a response from the men under his command in the Navy.

“It was a stupid childhood game we invented.”

David stilled. “You stalked people as a kid?” Wells couldn’t be serious.

“With a camera, not a weapon. Marty and I made a game out of catching people off guard with a camera. It was supposed to be innocent fun.”

“Until it wasn’t. Let me guess. Your cousin took it too far and started using the photos to blackmail people.” Moving from voyeurism to blackmail was a logical step. When had good old Marty gone a step further into murder?

Wells winced. “When I found out what he was doing with the pictures, I refused to play the game anymore. Marty continued the challenge without me. He not only blackmailed people, he turned into a Peeping Tom, taking pictures of sleeping women through their windows.”

“How long before you discovered the new game?”

Wells looked ill. “When Marty became obsessed with one of the women he was stalking and broke into her house.”

Jon’s eyes narrowed. “Was she there at the time?”

A short nod. “He beat her when she tried to call the police.”

“Was he arrested?”

Wells shook his head. “His family is wealthy. The vic refused to file charges. Couldn’t prove it, but I know Marty’s family bought the woman’s silence.”

“Did the pattern of assaults continue?” David asked.

“Of course. Unfortunately, Marty developed a taste for violence and blood. None of the women or their families would call his hand on it.” Bitterness filled his voice. “Marty Grisham and his family move in high-powered, wealthy circles. People were either too afraid to stand up to him or they were willing to be bought off with money or favors.

“Marty is charming. Women fall all over him until he shows the real man behind the charm and smooth moves. At first, everyone loves him. Once they see the real Martin Grisham, they don’t want anything to do with him personally. He’s also a shrewd and ruthless businessman. The family continues to cover for him because he’s feeding the family coffers.”

Jon grimaced. “He must have practiced his craft often enough to perfect the attacks.”

“No forensic evidence to tie him to the crimes.” Wells jammed his hands through his hair. “When Jordan showed me the security cam photo, I hoped this time evidence would put him behind bars. Didn’t work out that way. What we have is circumstantial. All we can prove is that Marty and his buddy followed Emma and Anne around the festival in Seagull. There’s no law against following pretty women.”

And there was the confirmation he’d needed. All he needed was a picture of Marty Grisham to show Emma. Maybe the full-on view of Grisham would jog her memory. “Fast forward to the night of the Tucker murders.” David tapped the photo of Grisham and his partner that Jon or Jackson had unearthed. Now that he knew about relationship between Grisham and Wells, he saw the difference in the jawline and the nose. “Where were you the night the Tuckers were attacked?”

The agent swallowed hard. “On Seagull Island. Another agent and I were investigating a different case. I heard about the murders the next morning, along with the whole island. I didn’t know Marty was on the island until Jordan brought me into the case later.”

“Jordan believed you when you told him you didn’t know about Marty’s presence?” Jon asked.

Wells sent Jon a dark look. “Why wouldn’t he? My partner and I were in a hotel across town. We never left the room.”

“Neither of you went out to purchase drinks or food?”

“We ordered room service. We worked the whole night on the case. We were searching for a missing child. The first 48 hours are the most crucial.”

“Did you find the kid?” David asked.

A faint smile curved his mouth. “Yeah, we did.”

“Good. Let’s try this again. What do you know about the Hunt Club?”

The smile faded. “Not enough. If I did, don’t you think I would have found a way to shut it down by now?”

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