Page 86 of Deception

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Clayton hesitated outside Dani’s door. He’d given them a good thirty minutes to break the ice with each other. He rapped softly, and when someone said come in, he pushed the door open, looking to see how Madison was. He wasn’t sure how she’d react if Dani brought up what she’d learned about their birth mother.

Madison’s body language told him nothing except she was tense. “So ... everything good?”

She tilted her head. “Did Dani tell you she had a lead on our birth mother?”

“She did.”

“And you didn’t tell me.”

“It wasn’t my place. Did you tell her the good news?”

A frown creased Madison’s forehead, and she gave a small gasp. “I cannot believe I forgot.”

“What good news?” Dani asked.

“There’s no contract on the dark web for you.”

Her eyes widened. “You checked? How?”

He grinned. “I know people who know people. Nothing about Bri, either.”

Relief swept across her face, instantly replaced with fear. “But that means...” She looked from Clayton to Madison. Her handwent to her mouth. “If no one is after me, the shooter at Coles Creek thought they were shooting you.”

Madison nodded slowly. “And the sniper here at the hospital yesterday was probably shooting at me.”

“Do you have any idea who it could be?” Dani asked.

“With my line of work, it could be any number of people.”

“But which of them would have known you were in Natchez?”

“The bad guys can usually find you. Or it could be someone already here in Natchez. How did you discover I was here?”

“After I learned who you were, I googled you, and your name came up in a news report in Texas about the FBI agent who tried to kill you.”

That story would follow Madison for the rest of her life, and Clayton hated that for her.

“The article said you were an ISB agent with the National Park Service and linked to another article that listed you as now working at the national park in Hot Springs. I called there to see if I could get an appointment with you, and the volunteer who answered told me that you were either in Jackson or Natchez.”

That volunteer should have checked with Madison first before giving out that sort of information. What if she’d told the wrong person and that person was here in Natchez? “You need to access your files as soon as possible,” Clayton said. “How long will it take to get them?”

“I’ll request them as soon as I get back to my computer.”

“Then, it’s time for you to leave,” Dani said.

Madison stood and hesitated, then squeezed her twin’s hand. “I’ll try to get back later this afternoon.”

“Just figure out who’s trying to kill her,” Dani whispered as Clayton bent over to pat her hand.

“We will,” he promised, wishing he felt as confident as he sounded.

Clayton had just picked Madison up at the entrance when hiscell phone rang. He glanced at the ID. “It’s Hugh Cortland,” he said and quickly answered. “What’s going on?”

“I’ve been trying to call Madison. Is she with you, by any chance?”

“Right here.” He handed her the phone and pulled the SUV into a parking slot. “He’s been trying to reach you.”

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