She blinked away tears and nodded.
“Lucy,” Ivy said as Lucy was getting out of the car. “Take my necklace. Sara gave it to me so that when I sent someone for her, she would know that she could trust them. It was our mother’s.”
Lucy unclasped the necklace. The pendant was a sapphire drop with three tiny rubies at the top. Small, but exquisite. She understood how hard it was for Ivy to trust anyone. The guilt when someone else got hurt because of the unintended consequences of your own choices. But without trust, without hope that grievous wrongs could be made right, there was only darkness and despair. Lucy had been there. Sometimes it was easier to let the regret and hopelessness take over, than it was to trust a stranger, or a friend, or a lover.
She put the pendant around her own neck. “I’ll take care of it.”
Lucy got out with Kate and Slater. Slater motioned for Kate to open the doors while he guarded them. She pulled. They were locked.
Kate motioned toward the stone wall that blocked the courtyard from the street. There was a gate in the wall, but it too was locked. Slater stood on a low ledge and peered over the top with a spyglass. He jumped down.
“No one’s in the courtyard. Donovan, you go first.”
Kate stepped into Slater’s cupped hands and then pulled herself up to the top of the fence and quickly scaled down the other side.
“Clear,” she called quietly.
Lucy and Slater followed. The courtyard was clear. Lucy found an abandoned book on the bricks.
The side door was ajar, and the tall, gothic structure made voices in the church softly echo.
“I’m sorry, Reverend, I can’t let you leave with Sara. She has sanctuary here,” a man said.
“She is my daughter. I am taking her home.” The minister’s voice was calm and even.
Kate opened the door and Slater stepped in, Lucy behind him. Kate took the rear, gun out, trained on Kirk Edmonds, who appeared unarmed. Father Harris was standing by the front doors, preventing Edmonds from leaving. Sara sat alone in a pew, a few feet from her father, not looking at anyone.
Slater said, “Reverend Edmonds, correct?”
Edmonds was fifty with dark blond hair shot with silver, a tall, lean body, and cool, intelligent blue eyes.
“You bring a weapon into the Lord’s house?” Edmonds said.
Kate didn’t budge. Slater said, “Let’s defuse the situation and talk about this, all right? Sara, are you okay?”
She didn’t answer. She stared at her hands, unmoving.
“She doesn’t talk to strangers,” Edmonds said. “I raised her right. Hasn’t she suffered enough? Have you found that devil who kidnapped her?”
Lucy kept her eyes on Sara. She was shaking, but would not make eye contact with anyone. She jumped when Edmonds called Ivy a devil.
“I agree, she has suffered more than enough. That’s why we’re going to take her to a doctor, have her checked out, get her a clean bill of health. You want that for her? Make sure she’s healthy.”
“She has a doctor at home.”
“I’m sure he’s great, but that’s a long drive. We have some of the finest hospitals on the East Coast, right here in DC,” Slater said.
“Tell that man he needs to let us out,” Edmonds said, his voice still calm and reasonable. “He’s held my daughter, and me, against our will.”
“And my office will definitely discuss the situation with Father Harris and explain he can’t lock people in the church.” Slater looked pointedly at Harris. At first Lucy didn’t understand, then she saw that Father Harris stepped to the side, blocking the lock. Slater wanted him to unlock the doors, but quietly.
“I’m curious, Reverend, how did you find Sara? We’ve had our best people on it for nearly forty-eight hours, ever since we identified her, and we just figured it out this morning.”
“She called me. She wants to come home.” Edmonds looked at his daughter, almost beaming. “She missed me like I missed her.”
Slater looked at Sara. “Sara, I’m Matt Slater,” he said with a lighter voice. I’m with the FBI. Did you call your father? Do you want to go home with him?”
She nodded rapidly, but still didn’t make eye contact.
“I told you,” Edmonds said. “Please tell the priest to move aside.”
Lucy understood what Ivy meant about her father. His voice was wonderfully soothing, almost a pleasure just to listen to. She’d said five minutes alone with Kirk Edmonds and Sara would go with him. Even though there were four adults in the church, all willing to protect Sara, Lucy had no doubt if they didn’t make a move to stop Edmonds, Sara would walk out with him on her own accord.
“We need to talk to Sara about a crime she witnessed,” Slater said. “It won’t take long. Then she’s free to go home, if that’s what she wants.”
“She just said it was!” Edmonds raised his voice for the first time. She then noticed sweat under his arms and beads forming on his forehead. Lucy recognized the signs of extreme stress. He’d thought he could come in here and walk out with Sara and no one would stop him. He wasn’t used to anyone contradicting him.
Edmonds continued. “Did you find Hannah? I’m pressing charges. She terrorized my family. Faking her death. Kidnapping Sara. Lying to my little girl about me. I want that girl in a psychiatric ward. She’s crazy, just like her mother.”
A small squeak came from Sara.
Edmonds didn’t seem to notice.
Lucy started moving slowly to the left, away from Slater, while Slater kept the attention focused on him. She willed Sara to look up, but the girl didn’t move.
“Sara,” Lucy said quietly, “it’s okay. I promise. My name is Lucy, I can help you.”
Edmonds suddenly raged. “Do not talk to my daughter!”
Sara jumped. Lucy continued. “Ivy is safe. She gave me something that belongs to you. She wants to give it back before you leave.”
Edmonds wrestled with his anger, tried to keep his voice calm, but his words came out as an order he expected to be promptly obeyed. “Agent Slater, take control over your staff. Order her to remain silent.”
Lucy forced herself to ignore Edmonds. She had her hand on the sapphire pendant. Sara was trying to look at her without letting her father see, by hanging her hair down to shield her eyes. Lucy continued moving closer, slowly, to draw Sara’s attention.
Sara is eyes widened as soon as she saw the necklace, and she met Lucy’s gaze. Lucy nodded.
“I’ve had enough!” Edmonds bellowed and Edmonds started to move toward Sara.
“Stop!” Slater commanded. “Do not approach the girl.”
“She’s my daughter!” Edmonds took two long strides and stood at one end of the pew Sara was sitting in. Lucy was on the opposite side.
“We’re leaving. We’re going home. Everything Hannah told you is a lie. She let you think she was dead for six years.”
“I—I want to see her before we go,” Sara whispered.
Edmonds looked at his daughter. Mixed emotions clouded his expression. In a soft, loving voice, he said, “Sweetheart, you are the princess of my castle. I have been so scared for you while you were gone. The world out here is dangerous. It’s not safe for a sweet, beautiful girl like you. I’ve always protected you, I always will.”
Tears rolled down her face. “You did,” she said. Sara stood up and faced him. Lucy held her breath. Slater was about to intervene, but Lucy signalled him to stop.
Some things had to be stated in order for a person to begin healing.
“Daddy,” Sara said, “I loved you so much. I remember when I was eight we went to the field behind the barn. You told me about God’s creation. How a tiny seed planted in dirt, with sun and rain and God’s love, grows into the food we eat or into a beautiful flower. You said I was a flower, a little bud that would grow into a beautiful rose. I laughed, because my middle name was Rose, and I loved the idea. I’d think of me as a flower. Do you remember when I drew roses all the time? I’d put faces on them.”
Edmonds nodded. His face was frozen, as if seeing his daughter for the first time.
“That was because you called me your rosebud.
“Then on my fourteenth birthday, you destroyed the image I loved when you told me that I had grown into the beautiful rose you knew I’d be. And you raped me.”
No one spoke. Even Lucy, who had suspected Sara needed to accuse her father or be forever troubled by pain and doubt, was surprised at the speech.
“That’s. Not. True.”
Sara turned away from her father and toward Lucy. “Please take me to my sister.”
Lucy held out her hand. Sara took it.
Edmonds screamed in pain and rage. He fell to his knees.
Slater sprinted around the front of the church, toward Edmonds. Edmonds’s hand came up with a gun. He aimed it at Sara’s back.
Lucy pulled Sara into her, spun her around and out of the line of fire. She heard a gunshot, followed by three more in rapid succession. She fell on top of Sara, a sharp pain in her back. She couldn’t catch her breath.
I can’t breathe.
CHAPTER FORTY
Sean’s phone vibrated. He ignored it, because he was at the most sensitive part of cracking this particular safe. If he screwed up, the digital password would reset and he would have to start all over again. He didn’t have the time.
The lights flashed green and the door
swooshed
open. He grinned and glanced at his watch. Twelve minutes, thirty-two seconds. His safecracking skills had gone out of use and he wasn’t as connected with the latest technologies. He’d have to rectify that, or how could he convince future clients that they should trust him to find the flaws in their security?
His phone vibrated again and he pulled it out of his pocket.
He’d missed three calls from Sergio. A message read urgent.
THREE FBI SUVs plus SWAT. Get out.
Sean looked in the safe and flipped through the documents, not taking the time to read anything. In the far back there was a small box.
The Pomeranians’ yapping echoed through the house. Sean grabbed the box, put it in his pocket, closed the safe. It locked automatically, and he put the picture back up. It hung crooked, but he didn’t have time to fix it.
He heard the SUVs on the driveway, but he also knew that the FBI would come around back to cover any exits.
He glanced out Jager’s window. The first SUV pulled to a stop. Out jumped Noah Armstrong.
By-the-book. That bought Sean a minute.
He grabbed his satchel and quietly left the office. The master bedroom had French doors that led to the backyard. He could see the horse stalls of the neighbors a hundred yards away, up against the Jagers’ back fence.
Between that and him was open space.
To the right was a line of trees, but that was also visible from the driveway. To the left was the patio and he’d have to cross in front of a wall full of windows. If the FBI entered they would see him run. But once he passed the house, a gentleman’s vineyard had been planted. The leaves were full and green, he could easily disappear down the rows.
He took the risk.
Sean sprinted across the patio. He heard voices in the front, but he didn’t stop to listen. He focused on getting to the grapevines.
He made it. He still didn’t stop, but slowed down so he wouldn’t trip over the rough ground.
At the edge of the vineyard, he turned left again into a grove of trees. By the time he got to the fence, his adrenaline was pumping so fast he could hear his blood rush in his ears.
He hopped the fence and slipped into the first horse stall. The old mare looked at him with disinterest.
Sean reached into his pocket and removed the box. He breathed deeply to slow his heart rate and opened the lid.
Inside was a locket. Simple. On the back the initials
MEP.
There was also a note. He opened it and his stomach clenched.
It was Lucy’s handwriting.
This belongs to you.
That was it. Paxton had lied to him, embellished what Lucy had written to force him to help.
Sean looked carefully at the locket. There was nothing remarkable about it. Pretty, for a teenage girl.
He opened it. Inside was a picture of Monique and the senator.
All this cloak-and-dagger crap for
this?
He spied a narrow crack on the inside of the locket. He pulled his lock-pick set from his satchel and used the narrowest metal pick to pop off the false back.
Behind the thin backing was a microchip.
* * *
Sergio expected to take the locket to the senator, but Sean told him he wanted to deliver it personally. At first, Sean expected Sergio to fight him for it, and Sean was primed to go a round. He was sick and tired of being jerked around by Paxton and his games. But then Sergio nodded, and got into his car.
“Watch your back,” Sergio told him.
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m not a threat.” He gave Sean a half-smile. “You’re good, I have to admire that.” Then he became serious. “I don’t think Senator Paxton is who you really need to be concerned about. You Rogans seem to have loyal friends, but vicious enemies.”
“What are you talking about?” Sean demanded. But Sergio rolled up his window and sped off.
Sean put the conversation aside and drove to Alexandria, where the senator was waiting.
Without preamble, Paxton said, “Can I see it?”
He handed Paxton the box. He pulled out the locket. Relief flooded his face. Then he noticed the note was gone. “The note?”
“I’m keeping it.”
“I guess I understand. Thank you, Rogan. Truly, thank you.”
“Your daughter was beautiful. I’m sorry about what happened to her.”
Paxton froze. “You opened my locket?”
“Had to make sure it was the right one.”
Paxton fumbled with the delicate clasp. The locket popped open. He pressed firmly on the clasp, and the false back popped off.
“It’s gone!”
Sean pulled out the small microchip from his pocket. “You’re looking for this?”
“Give it to me.”
“No. This is now my security chip. When the statute of limitations runs out, I might give it to you. But if anyone mentions Massachusetts to me before March? I’ll either destroy it, or turn it over to whichever law enforcement agency can nail your ass to the wall.”