Page 93 of To Die For

“I thought West Pointers made it their career?”

“Not always.”

“Then you went to work for DHS?”

“No, after that, I got my MBA and went to work on Wall Street for a while.”

“But I thought you said—”

Devine interrupted, “I hated Wall Street. It was just sort of me paying penance.”

“For what?” she asked curiously.

“Old news, not worth revisiting.”

“Okay, then tell me more about Betsy Odom.”

He did, including the girl’s past, the struggles of her parents, and her dilemma with her uncle’s wanting to adopt her.

“But you said she’s under the protection of the FBI. Why?”

“She’s Danny Glass’s only living relative. Her mom and dad might have told her stuff about him. He’s the defendant in a big RICO case. They’re probably hedging their bets.”

“Pretty rough for the kid.”

“Yeah. Someone murdered her parents, and the prime suspect wants to adopt her. And she’s been poor her whole life and now she can be rich.”

“I don’t think I’d be able to work that one out and I’m not twelve,” noted Walker.

“She’s mature beyond those years, at least in some ways. In other ways, she’s just a scared little kid.”

“So what do you think comes out of the meeting with Glass?” asked Walker.

“He’s obviously hell-bent on becoming her guardian. And he probably wants to make sure Betsy is on the same page so there are no surprises.”

“But if he is this global criminal, why does he want that sort of responsibility?”

Devine said, “Glass strikes me as a transactional guy. So what value does his niece have for him?”

“Does she know something about him, like you mentioned? Or is she some sort of savant who can predict the stock market or horse races? Is she a whiz at hacking?”

“She’s a smart kid. But I’ve seen no signs of anything like that.”

“If he killed her parents to get custody of her, therehasto be a reason.”

“I’ve been thinking of nothing else since I got to town. Although…” began Devine.

“Although what?”

“It’ll sound a little crazy, but I’ve seen him around her. He… well, he genuinely seems to love her, if a guy like that can love anyone. And I previously suggested to Braddock that maybe Glass knows who killed his sister and brother-in-law, and is trying to protect Betsy.”

“If he knows who murdered them, why not go to the police?”

“No clue,” replied Devine.

“So does he have a shot at becoming her guardian even with the RICO prosecution?”

“He hasn’t been proven guilty of anything. And three of the DOJ’s witnesses against him have been murdered.”

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