Page 50 of Facing the Enemy
“Right. We have a murderer on the streets and a frightened kid who may or may not be telling the truth.”
“Don’t forget your and Jack’s case.”
I moved back to a chair.Distance, Gage. Keep your distance.I paused to change the atmosphere, pretending to increase my attention on Risa’s phone screen that still showed Carson asleep. She needed a clear head to digest the seriousness of what we faced, and I needed a moment to process her words. “In the morning, I plan to leave an hour earlier than you and Carson. If the wrongpeople have me in their sights, I’d rather deal with them alone in Carson’s Jeep.”
Risa gestured for me to sit onto a blue upholstered chair with an ottoman, and she curled up on a matching sofa. “I don’t have a firearm unless it’s okay to keep Carson’s Sig.”
“Keep it.”
“Before we dissect this case, how’s Jack?” she said.
I told her what SAC Dunkin had reported as well as the entire conversation. “Once we’re back in Houston, I’ll pay Jack a visit.”
She rubbed her palms together. “I didn’t want to have this discussion in front of Carson, but what are your initial thoughts about his story? What links me and Ethan Mercury plus the killer who drove the stolen SUV? What’s the common denominator?” She leaned her head back on the sofa. “Here’s what I think. Since you haven’t been harmed, I’d say Jack and I have worked the same case or suspect.” She stared at the wall beyond me. “He and I never worked together, so it’s something else. Something woven into the fabric of a colossal crime. I question the wisdom of the killers trying to eliminate us because the deaths of two federal agents would attract more attention than the subject wants or needs. The intensity of a mass investigation to find out who’s killing agents could lead to the crime ring and expose other illegal activities.”
“True. Or they’re devising a way to eliminate all three of us. And any others on their list.”
She closed her eyes. “We’ve got to sort this out. You wanted to talk, and I haven’t closed my mouth since you walked in. What else have you learned?”
“What’s your impression of Ethan Mercury?”
“Hmm. Am I being interrogated? Answering a question with a question?” She paused. “Initially, he appears to be a caring man, worried about Carson, devoted to his family. Yet Carson painted another picture. He had to recognize me when you and I visited them that night, but I didn’t see anything to indicate it. What if Ethan Mercury expressed concern over Carson’s noncommunication because he feared Carson might inform law enforcement what he sawthat night? That ups the reality of Mercury’s so-called threat to his wife and child. Why target them instead of his stepson? I’d think he’d be quicker to eliminate his stepson than his wife and baby. The bottom line? If Carson is the one person who can testify against Mercury, why isn’t he dead?”
“That brings me to another bit of info I just learned. The kidnapping cases link back to Mercury Alarms and their subsidiaries. Each victim was a client, including the Wades.”
She pinned her gaze on me. “Trenton’s death and the Addingtons’ abducted baby are connected?”
27
RISA
Sleep evaded me with the memory of Gage’s kiss and his words, our words. I wanted a solid relationship, but how?
The unveiling of Ethan Mercury’s connection to Trenton’s death, intended for me, and the kidnappings told me the crime had many players. My pondering seemed redundant, but my mind refused to offer new data. Why had Jack and I been targeted? What did someone fear we knew that could expose them? The answer to Jack’s or my information threatening Ethan Mercury dwelled in a past or open investigation, but which one? Targeting me and Jack but not Gage should narrow the possibilities. If only I could find a case or an interview I’d conducted without Gage. I searched through FBI files for an indication of crossover cases involving only Jack and me with zero chance of Gage’s or even Luke Reardon’s involvement.
Then what about the buying and selling of babies for profit in which a mother or couple willingly made the exchange? How wide and deep did that scenario stretch? Was it even a factor in this case? If so, the ring had already proved they’d take whatever measures necessary to protect their investment.
I forced the whirling thoughts in my mind to stop and rebootedmy focus. Breathe in. Breathe out. Empty my brain of nonsense and inapplicable info.
Nearing one in the morning, I contemplated the perfectly made bed, where I should be sleeping. The notion dissipated while my mind whirled with confusion. When Gage and I worked a case and a suspect proved hostile, the other took over. Sometimes the passive agent stayed quiet during the QandA, and sometimes that agent left the room to observe the interview through a one-way mirror, though the whole proceedings were captured on video.
I recalled the last case before I took my leave ... Typical, and the transcript didn’t provide anything unusual. I did the same with three other cases. When nothing jumped out at me, I chose to wait until Gage and I talked through them in detail.
Was he awake? If I tapped on his door, would he think I wanted another kiss? I tiptoed to the adjoining door and slowly turned the knob. It made a slight click, and I peeked inside. The sound of a soft snoring duet met my ears. The room smelled manly—not bad—a mix of leftover fragrances and soap. No more brainstorming tonight. I’d spend my awake hours thinking what I might have done to offend Ethan Mercury and whoever he worked with.
I slid into the comfy chair that Gage had taken earlier and closed my eyes. A prayer for guidance soared upward. Most of Gage’s and my cases were the noncustodial-parent type, but the few hideous ones had resulted in arrests. Those violent deaths and human trafficking weren’t as prevalent. Many of our tragic cases resulted in a prison sentence that kept the criminal behind bars. Were any of those cases open-ended?
Those who kidnapped children were motivated by different scenarios, but too many were driven to buying and selling children to lace their pockets.
Gage discovered Mercury Alarms as potentially the way of gaining access into a home, but how were the babies chosen? Did the adoptive parents complete a profile and the crime ring matched them up? Perhaps that made sense in some cases, but not all. They merely wanted a healthy child. In the case of the Addingtons’ baby, werethe abductors aware of the child’s health problems and didn’t care? I shuddered at the thought.
I glanced again at the FBI secure reports. Gage and Jack had talked to maternity homes, which was how they stumbled on to the abducted Vietnamese baby and the subsequent murders. Jack’s attack wasn’t a coincidence or a random assault.
Where did I fit?
I heard a knock on the adjoining door and answered it.
“Professor Jacobs?” A sleepy-eyed Carson stood in the doorway. “You haven’t been to bed?”
