Page 11 of To Die For

“Should I be?”

“You don’t know them, or why they’re following us. So, yeah, you should be.”

Back at the hotel she went immediately to her room and closed the door.

Saxby pounced. “What happened? What did you learn?”

“Well, she told me shewantsto be adopted by her uncle because he’s rich.”

Saxby surprisingly said, “Well, why not go for the brass ring?”

“Even if the brass ring is a criminal kingpin?”

“She’s a kid, what does she know?”

“More than you probably think,” replied Devine.

He eyed the wrapper where the sub had been. Saxby had evidently had her dinner, too.

“So if Odomisvaluable to the feds, why only one agent assigned to protect her?”

“We don’t know if sheisvaluable.Yet.”

“How’s the RICO case going?”

“It was going great until three of DOJ’s witnesses were murdered.”

Devine gaped. “You think Glass is behind it?”

“Probably, but we have no proof.”

“Speaking of proof, contrary to what you told me, Betsy said that her parents were not drug addicts and she didn’t try to revive them with Narcan. She didn’t even know what it was.”

“Well, here’s a four-one-one, that little bitch is deceitful. And the local police report was quite clear.”

“Deceitful little bitch? Losing your objectivity, Agent Saxby?”

“You try spending days on end with her. She’s a piece of work.”

“She’s a kid who saw her parents die right in front of her,” barked a visibly angered Devine.

She said contritely, “I know. Look, can you hang around here for a bit? I need a smoke.”

“Sure. I think you need to clear your head, if not your lungs.”

She scowled at him, grabbed her purse, and left.

Devine sat on the couch. A few moments later the bedroom door opened and Odom stood there in gray sweats and bare feet.

“I thought you wanted to get your beauty sleep?”

“I won’t be beautiful when I wake up, no matter how long I sleep.”

“So, when exactly did the FBI knock on your door?”

Odom sat down on the other end of the couch and rubbed at her toes. “Some cops took me to the police station. No one would tell me anything. Then people in suits came and took me away. I ended up here with the Meatball.”

“That must have been really scary, Betsy. It would have been frightening for anyone.”

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