Page 195 of The Archer Brothers

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When we get home, I scan the apartment for bugs. I trust absolutely no one, not even all the members on my SEAL team. It’s sad to say, but after what my brother went through and the bogus training mission my team had when Evan returned, someone in my circle is knee-deep in shit and trying to protect themselves.

Once Cara and I clear our space, she turns some music on and turns the volume up high. We meet in the kitchen, where I pour myself a drink, but she declines and says she’ll have water. She hasn’t drunk all day, which I find odd. She’s off work and is usually a social drinker.

“Are you feeling okay?” I ask as I hand her a glass of water.

“Fine,” she says before taking a drink. “I’m having trouble adjusting to the heat in Las Vegas. Dry and over a hundred every day versus the humidity. It’s wiping me out.”

I drink down my two-finger shot of whiskey and pour myself another. “So, what’s going on?”

“The car was a rental. I contacted the agency, hoping they’d give me the information without a warrant. No success. I asked one of my contacts in Vegas to hack into the site. The name came back as Roger Duvry.”

“Doesn’t sound familiar. Are we worried for nothing?”

Cara shakes her head and refills her glass from our filtered pitcher. “Not necessarily. I can’t find him on a flight manifest or even in the DMV, so it’s definitely an alias. I have an RD in my list of child porn viewers, though, so this could be related to Las Vegas.”

“But?”

“But… I don’t know. How does this Roger Duvry get a car rental in San Diego, from an airport location, without having an originating or returning flight, and isn’t on the manifest anywhere?”

“Insider at the rental agency?”

“That’s what I’m thinking,” she says, nodding. “But also,” she pauses. “I don’t know. I overthink a lot lately because I’m trying to take down this sex ring and keep my eye on Lawson’s ring.”

“Are there more players?”

Cara looks at me, “What if Lawson was small potatoes? What if he wasn’t the mastermind behind Evan’s deployment to cover up the Chelsey girl?”

“We can play the what-if game all day long when it comes to this shit.”

“I know, and I hate it. Just when I think I have it all figured out, someone throws a monkey wrench into my theory or timeline, and nothing matches anymore. Lawson is still my number one suspect for anything that has to do with Evan’s case, but my gut says he’s just a puppet.”

“Frannie was his puppet.”

“Her medical file is as thick as New York City’s yellow pages. I was shocked when her psychiatrist sent that in. Most doctors won’t, but he said she was one of the worst cases he’s had in his career and thought BAU could learn something from it. The stuff Lawson made her do—the way he brainwashed her—I don’t know how she managed to stay sane enough to marry River.”

“I don’t either. River didn’t deserve what she did to him.”

“Is he out of the Navy?” Cara asks.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I think Command is afraid to discharge any of the team because of all of this, but I can’t imagine River has any sort of access to the base. He’s the worst AWOL case out there. He shows up out of nowhere and disappears in the blink of an eye. He showed up at Magoo’s after we went to the gun range. Didn’t say much, just sat there, had a beer, and left.”

“Do you think he knows more than he’s letting on?”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so, but ask Evan. River was his team leader, and he knows him better. I only know him through Evan and what I read in that file you gave me before River blew the house up. I’d like to think he’s not involved, and he did kill Frannie.”

“Maybe to keep her quiet?”

Cara’s question gives me pause. “I don’t buy it. I think he killed her because of what she did to him and his team.”

She sets her glass in the sink and turns to me. “We need to talk to Evan. He needs to know what I found. It may be nothing, but I’d rather him know than be surprised later.”

“McCoy too,” I add. “Claire is... young.”

Cara nods. “Carter?”

“We can give him a heads up. So far, Grace hasn’t been on anyone’s radar.”

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