Page 108 of Ground Truth

Hedinger’s London mansion was within easy reach, and he’d arrived with Bauer several hours ago. They were now in place.

When Jarsdel rounded the last curve in the road before the farmhouse, he saw headlights on an SUV approach from the opposite direction and turn into the driveway. The SUV parked near the front of the house.

Bauer and Hedinger would also be watching from two observation points nearby.

After a couple of minutes, a man and a woman stepped out of the SUV’s front doors. Jarsdel could barely make out their shapes in the fog. Which meant he couldn’t confirm their identity.

But he knew who they were.

Michael Flint and Hanna Campbell had been observed from the moment they arrived at the airport in Houston until they deplaned in Inverness and acquired the SUV.

Hedinger’s hacker was a genius. He’d accessed the rental SUV’s dashcam, which enabled him to monitor not only their travel but also their conversations inside the vehicle.

Only after they left the SUV did Hedinger’s crew no longer have access to their conversations.

Flint and Campbell walked together to the front door, not bothering to hurry through the rain. Flint raised the brass knocker and let it fall.

A few seconds later, Gretchen Tumbler opened the front door. After a brief conversation, she invited Flint and Campbell inside and closed the door.

Three people were together in the small farmhouse now, Flint and the Campbell sisters. Four if the child was present. Which Jarsdel hoped he wasn’t.

Hedinger wouldn’t spare the boy’s life, even though he was the only reason they’d found Greta Campbell. Had the boy only managed to hold onto his balloon, Hedinger might never have known Greta Campbell survived his attempt to murder her.

Hedinger wasn’t the least bit grateful. He’d kill the boy without a moment’s hesitation.

Jarsdel shook his head. Just like shooting fish in a barrel.

He veered off the road behind the next stand of trees. Crouched low, weapon in hand, he dashed from one bit of cover to the next, toward the back of the farmhouse.

Although he couldn’t see Bauer, Jarsdel knew he was approaching the house from the opposite direction at the same time. That was the plan and Bauer wouldn’t dare deviate from it.

-

Chapter 52

“Looks like we’re here.” Flint parked the SUV in the front driveway, killed the engine, and turned off the windshield wipers.

The steady rain they’d battled all the way from Inverness continued to fall in the thick fog, like a miles-wide cloud had settled down on the road and refused to move.

“Are you ready?” He glanced across the cabin.

Hanna’s thin body was held taut against the bucket seat by the shoulder harness. She was dressed in dark jeans and a white T-shirt, camel blazer, and sneakers. She looked like a frail, undernourished teenager.

She cleared her throat. “As ready as I’m going to get, I guess.”

Flint placed a calming hand on her bony arm. “We talked about this. She knows you’re coming. She’s excited to see you. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“She’s not worried about being found?”

“Not after I told her Phillip Reed was dead.”

“She believed you?”

“We’ve been over this, Hanna. I talked to her myself. I sent her photos to prove everything,” Flint said, trying to reassure the nervous young woman. “You can wait in the car if you want. But we’ve come such a long way.”

Hanna clasped her hands in her lap, looking down, eyes closed.

“I have to go in. I need her DNA. And I want to tell her about Brand in person. She deserves to have all her questions answered.”

---