In Harm's Way (Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 3) (37 page)

She answered on the first ring.

"Rebecca, it's Nick. We have some good news. Thanks to a
tip after the news program, we're pretty certain that a woman
named Debra Kraus has Megan. We're en route to her place
now, and we'd like you and Colin close by."

He heard her gasp, then her voice grew muffled as she turned
away from the phone to inform Colin. "Tell us where you want
us, she said to Nick, her voice quavering.

"An agent is on the way to pick you up. Another one will stay
with Bridget. Can you be ready in ten minutes?"

"We're ready now. Nick ... what about Rachel?"

"No news. I'm hoping Debra Kraus is the key to that too"

"Do you think she'll admit to the abduction? And tell you
where Rachel is?"

"I hope so. Are you still cold?"

"Yes. And sleepy. Which is odd, considering how keyed up
I am"

A muscle in Nick's jaw twitched, and he swallowed past a
sudden surge of fear. Sleepy wasn't good. It could mean Rachel
was slipping. But he didn't intend to share that with Rebecca.
She was stressed enough. "I think we're all tired, Rebecca. I'm
planning on twelve uninterrupted hours of sleep myself once
this is over. I'll see you in a little while:"

As the line went dead, Nick stared out the window into the
dark countryside. He'd glossed over Rebecca's questions about
Rachel, but she'd homed in on the same ones that had been
plaguing him for the past couple of hours.

He knew how to conduct an effective interrogation of a normal subject. But from all indications, Debra didn't fall into that
category. Not even close. And he had no idea how to persuade
a woman tottering on the edge of sanity to cooperate.

But he knew someone who might.

He shifted in the seat toward Mark. "Our suspect sounds
like a loose cannon. I don't have the expertise to get the kind of
information we need from her quickly if she balks. Do you?"

"No"

"Do you think Emily might be willing to offer some suggestions if we run into a brick wall?"

"She's already standing by for a possible phone consultation.
I called her before we left the New Melle police station"

He should have known Mark would be one step ahead of
him on this. Mark lived with Emily. Saw firsthand how she dealt with troubled people every day. Knew tonight's situation was
desperate. "Thanks"

As they sped through the night, Nick hoped they wouldn't
need Emily's expertise. Hoped Debra would cooperate and,
without much prodding, tell them where she'd left Rachel.

But he had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy.

Or fast.

And at this point, every minute mattered.

By eleven o'clock, everyone was in place.

From his crouched position behind a bushy yew at the back
corner of Debra's dark house, Nick could see the New Melle
fire chief working in the shadow of the small woodshed. Mark
was stationed behind a matching yew at the opposite corner of
the frame structure. A half dozen other agents had been spaced
around the house. Everyone was linked with earpieces to Steve,
who was situated beside a small toolshed with a good view of
the back of the house and woodpile.

As Nick watched, his earpiece crackled to life.

"I'm set" The fire chief's voice.

"Okay. Proceed, Steve replied.

Five seconds passed. Mark pulled out his Glock. The fire
chief scooted for cover. Five seconds later, a small but noisy
explosion behind the wood shed sent flames licking up the
sides.

A light in the room above Nick's hiding place flicked on. One
of the bedrooms, according to the police chief's sketch. A shade
was cracked, and Nick melted back into the shadows.

As Steve kept the rest of the team apprised of Debra's movements, the porch light came on. Nick crouched lower behind
the bush. He heard her slide the latch on the back door, but he couldn't see her movements and relied on Steve's play-by-play
narrative.

"She's at the back door. She's got a coat thrown over the sweat
suit she's wearing. She doesn't appear to be armed ... She's on
the back porch ... Looking at the fire ... Coming down the
steps ... Heading to the wood pile to investigate ... Wait for
my signal ... Now!"

Moving with quiet stealth, Nick and Mark closed in on her
from behind as Steve stepped out of the shed, his gun pointed
at her chest.

"FBI. Raise your arms straight out from your sides, palms
back"

At the command, Debra jerked as if she'd been struck. She
whirled around. Spotted Nick and Mark. Her gaze darted beyond
them, where other agents were emerging from the shadows. It
was too dark to see much, but Nick detected the wild look in
her eyes before she turned back to Steve.

"Raise your arms straight out from your sides, palms back,
Steve repeated.

After a brief hesitation, she followed his instructions.

"Now slowly move both hands behind your back"

As she started to comply, Nick closed in, cuffs ready. But all at
once she whipped around and swung her arm. He saw it coming
as the coat slipped off her shoulders and fell to the ground, but
didn't have a chance to react before she clipped him with her
fist above his right eye. His head snapped back. Grunting, he
staggered from the power of the unexpected blow.

By the time he regained his footing, Mark had Debra prone
on the ground, her hands cuffed behind her back.

"You okay?" Mark shot him a glance.

"Yeah" Not quite true. He could feel his eyelid swelling already.

Holstering his gun, he glared at the frenzy-eyed woman. She couldn't be more than five-four or five-five, and she'd almost
decked him. He'd never live this down.

One more reason to dislike her.

But there were plenty of others.

And Rachel's abduction was top of the list.

The sudden, muffled cry of a baby came through the halfopen back door, and Debra reacted at once. Though her hands
were cuffed behind her, she thrashed on the ground and tried
to stand. It took two agents to restrain her.

"My baby needs me!" Debra's plea came out in a keening wail
that echoed through the night.

"She's not your baby, Debra" Steve said the words in a calm,
matter-of-fact tone.

"Yes, she is." Debra's chest was heaving. "I'm her mother. I have
her birth certificate. It's in the house. In Danielle's room"

The squad supervisor flicked a look at Nick and Mark.

"She's a paralegal, Nick reminded him. "She'd know how to
fake legal documents"

Steve motioned Mark and Nick toward the house and addressed the two agents restraining Debra. "Wait here while we
retrieve the baby."

As they jogged across the lawn, Steve spoke. "Clair is on her
way. She can't wait to get her hands on the car. The O'Neil couple
should be at the police station in ten minutes, and a doctor's
on-site as well to evaluate the baby. I'll head there with Megan.
Another K-9 team is on the way out. You want to talk to Ms.
Kraus here about Rachel Sutton's disappearance?"

"Yes. I'd prefer not to waste time on transport, Nick said.

"Agreed"

Pulling on latex gloves, the three men pushed through the
back door and followed the sound of the cries to the nursery.
Nick flicked on the light.

Froze.

It was every baby's fantasy room. Painted pale pink, the walls
were topped with a colorful nursery-rhyme border. A mobile of
garden fairies was suspended over the white crib, and framed
pictures of Debra with the baby were arrayed around the room.
A lamp base in the form of a Cinderella statue was topped with
a swagged shade, and a toy box in one corner was overflowing. Gauzy curtains patterned like butterfly wings hung at the
windows.

"Wow" Mark summed up the reaction as the three men
crowded into the small room.

But they didn't have a chance to focus on the decor. At the appearance of the three large strangers, the baby gripped the edge
of the crib where she stood and let out an ear-piercing wail.

Dressed in a warm fleece sleeper with feet, she stared at them
with large blue eyes as tears rolled down her chubby cheeks. She
didn't look much like the smiling cherub with a rosebud mouth
Nick had seen in the file photos in Chicago, perhaps because the
hair was a huge disconnect. Megan O'Neil had striking coppercolored hair. This child's was a dingy brown.

"Who wants to check for the birthmark?" he asked.

They studied the howling baby. When neither of the other
two men volunteered, he moved forward.

"Okay, we need to get this done" Slowly he reached out a
hand to stroke the baby's hair. "Hey, it's okay," he crooned. "We're
not going to hurt you" As he talked he eased the zipper down
the front of the sleeper. "Mark, check it out while I talk to this
little lady, okay?"

He felt Mark move beside him as he continued to murmur to
the baby. Heard the sound of the diaper tape being pulled off.

"That daycare worker was right. The birthmark's where it's
supposed to be" Mark refastened the diaper and stood.

"I checked out the bathroom," Steve told them. "There's hair
dye on the counter. Brown"

"Somebody find a coat for the baby. And an extra blanket"
Nick lifted her from the crib and bounced her gently in his arms.
"And hurry before I lose my hearing" He raised his voice to be
audible above the baby's cries.

A few minutes later, as he watched the squad supervisor disappear out the front door with the bundled baby, Nick thought
of the joyous reunion about to take place.

It was a happy day for the O'Neil family.

But they were only halfway home, and he didn't plan to settle
for less than two reunions tonight. His jaw hardened.

Debra would tell them where Rachel was.

Whatever it took.

"All right, Ms. Kraus. Let's talk about Rachel Sutton:" He'd read
Debra her rights, and now Nick moved in close, his face inches
from hers as they stood behind the house. The other two agents
backed off a few steps. Mark took a position on the other side
of Debra, arms folded across his chest. The fire chief was extinguishing the embers of the blaze in the woodshed.

"I want my baby."

"We're talking about Rachel Sutton"

"I don't know her'

Nick jangled the cars keys he'd grabbed off the kitchen counter. "No? We're about to find out:"

Clair moved out of the shadows and he tossed them her way.
She took off at a trot for the garage, and a few seconds later they
heard the door slide up.

Pinning Debra with a grim look, Nick stripped off his latex
gloves and stuffed them in the pocket of his coat. "Where did
you take Rachel, Debra?"

"I don't know a Rachel. I want my baby' She looked everywhere but at him, her gaze darting frantically around the shadowy backyard.

"Debra"

No response.

"Debra, look at me" Nick leaned close to her face, his breath
a frosty cloud against her skin. Her gaze skittered toward him,
not quite focused, but he decided it was the best he was going to get. "Did you kill Rachel?" The harsh words tasted bitter in
his mouth.

She blinked, and shock rippled across her face. "No!" Her
tone was adamant. "I would never kill anybody."

"Then where is she?"

"I don't know"

Clair approached, stopping a few feet away.

Frustrated, Nick turned to the technician. "What have you
got?"

"I found these wedged into a corner of the trunk, under the
mat" Still wearing her latex gloves, she held up a pair of glasses.
One ear piece was bent at an awkward angle.

Nick recognized the copper hue of the metallic frames. He
swallowed. "Those are Rachel's:"

"There are some specks of blood in the trunk too. My guess
is it will match the blood on the tarp"

'Anything else?" The question was directed at Clair, but Nick's
attention had returned to Debra.

"Nothing obvious. We'll give it a thorough workup once we
have a warrant:"

"Thanks." He folded his arms across his chest and waited until
Clair reentered the garage.