Stalked (29 page)

Stockton wasn't being completely honest with him, but Sean let it slide for the moment. “I'm stunned you'd think I wouldn't check out my clients,” he said.

“Point taken.” He sipped. “Why does Lucy think Laughlin is harassing her?”

“I said, she wants to handle it.”

“I'm not getting involved. Just curious.”

Sean didn't believe that, but it couldn't hurt for Stockton to know that one of his agents held grudges. He told him what he knew about Laughlin's and Kate's shared work history.

Sean put his beer down. “Now my question to you is, how does Laughlin know Lucy didn't pass her FBI panel, and why would he tell her Hans got her into the Academy?”

Stockton kept a poker face, but his eyes told Sean the information came as a surprise.

“I'll answer that,” Sean continued. “To demoralize her. To make her doubt herself. He doesn't know her; he doesn't have any connection to Lucy
except
through Kate. So I think Laughlin was buddies with Standler and he blames Kate for Standler's death.”

“That's weak.”

“Maybe it is, but unless you have other information, that's what I'm going with.”

Stockton drained his Scotch and put the glass down. “Thank you for the Scotch, and the truth,” Stockton said.

“Anytime. You're practically family.” Sean trusted few people in law enforcement; Rick Stockton was an exception. In addition to being close to RCK, Stockton had proven to be both discreet and smart.

“Learn anything in New York?”

“Already gave the intel to Noah.”

Stockton nodded. “You're still searching for Peter McMahon?”

Sean walked Stockton to the door. “That's the last thing Hans asked me to do, as I explained to Noah. He never legally changed his name to Peter Gray, but he was using it for years. Peter Gray disappeared six years ago. My guess is he either went completely off the grid or changed his name, this time legally. I'm working on a couple angles from his time at SU.” Sean had a buddy in Syracuse who would be pulling files at the police station first thing in the morning.

“Kate's also working on tracking down McMahon. A little competition never hurt.” Stockton smiled and left.

Sean ran up the stairs and logged in to his computer. Lucy was online. He called her.

“Rick Stockton just paid me a visit. I think he's looking at Laughlin for something completely different than we are.” He told her about the case in Detroit and the “protection” by being put at Quantico. “There's something fishy about the whole thing.”

“It's Stockton's job to protect his agents. It makes sense to me. Laughlin may be a great agent and a jerk at the same time.”

“It was the way he asked, the way he assessed my answers.”

“Did he have an update on Hans?”

“He's the same. How are you holding up?”

“I'm okay. Better now, anyway. All I have to think about is Hans lying unconscious after someone hit him over the head—if these people are really my friends, they'll understand.”

“Did you get the photo I sent?”

“The guy in the subway station? I didn't recognize him, but it's not a lot to go on. I don't know if I saw him that I'd recognize him.”

“And the articles?”

“I'm reading them now.”

“I sent Noah a message about a notebook of Rosemary Weber's that Tony took before leaving New York.”

“We went through his overnight bag—it was in his car—and the notebook wasn't there. Are you sure he took it?”

“He could have brought it into his office. Maybe it went the same way as his file.”

“Meaning, someone stole it. What year was it?”

“The anniversary week of Rachel McMahon's disappearance. That's why I sent you the articles from that week. You read Tony's file—maybe you'll notice something.”

“I'll try.”

“It's all we have for now. Watch yourself, Lucy.”

“I love you, Sean.”

Sean hung up, wishing he could just pop in and see her. But he had his own tasks, and if they were going to get to the bottom of what was going on in New York and at Quantico finding Peter McMahon was one major step.

The guy might be innocent in all this and just trying to disappear from his past.

Or he could have a vendetta he was in the middle of enacting.

Sean sent Lucy an encouraging e-mail, then went back to his notes on McMahon. He itched to find the guy. Kate was good—one of the best—but Sean was better.

Especially since Stockton didn't say anything about Sean having to find McMahon legally.

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Three Years Ago

I walked out of the courthouse expecting freedom, but only fear followed me.

How long until that crazy woman found me again?
Cami.
I had loved her, but I'd loved a lie.

I'd always thought whoever was harassing me was a bully. Some jock who liked to pick on the little kids who couldn't, or wouldn't, defend themselves. But I'm six foot two now, I work out at the gym every morning, and I can defend myself.

But only if I see them coming.

I changed my name for a second time. The first had been to protect me from the media, and I'd taken Grams's last name. But this time, I needed to do more than fill out a form. I needed to be a new person. Someone the woman who wanted me dead couldn't find.

I was getting in my new car, the one registered under “Gray Manning,” and saw Detective Charlie Mead striding toward me. He'd made detective fast, but I wasn't surprised. He was a smart man and the only person on earth I trusted.

No bad news. I can't take any more bad news.
“Gray Manning,” he said.

It would take a bit of getting used to, I realized.

“Charlie.”

He stopped just short of my car and scratched the back of his neck. I was going to miss him. He was like Rachel, only a big brother rather than a big sister. We'd become friends. I went to his wedding last year. I liked his wife, and she liked me. It was normal. The only normal I'd ever had.

“I'm sorry I couldn't find her.”

“You tried.”

Trying didn't satisfy him.

“I'll keep on it.”

I shook my head. “No prints, no photos, no name. She found me when I transferred from SU. The sketch gave us nothing. This is the only way.”

“I'm not giving up,” he stated. “You deserve to have your life back.”

“No. I don't want that life. I'm going to make a new one. But I'm going to miss you and Tina.”

“We'll keep in touch—through that account I set up for you, okay?”

I nodded. “You're the only one who knows where I'm going.”

“As far as I'm concerned, you're in witness protection, of sorts.”

Some people might think that a twenty-one-year-old man going into hiding—legally changing his name, burying his past, teaching at a poor public elementary school in Brooklyn to avoid seeing anyone who might know him—was a weak man.

But I need peace. Anonymity that a big city can provide. I need to be someone else. I don't need to know why someone wants to hurt me just like I don't need to know why my parents are selfish or why my sister was murdered or why I'm here.

These things just
are.

I said, “Thank you.”

“Peter,” Charlie said softly. “If anything feels strange to you, if you think she's found you, call me, okay? Anytime, day or night.”

“I will.”

But I knew I wouldn't. If she found me again, she'd kill me.

Because even now, after everything she'd done to me, I don't think I could kill her.

How can I kill someone I don't even know?

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

FBI Academy

Sean had e-mailed Lucy nine articles that Rosemary Weber had written during the month that Tony seemed to have been interested in when he returned to the Weber house. Lucy read them multiple times, made a list of names, places, and facts, and nothing jumped out at her as being important. She put them aside in the wee hours of the morning to sleep for a couple hours, and she woke up tired.

“Great,” she muttered. It was defensive driving time, and Lucy was exhausted.

“Up late?” Reva asked as they walked the half mile to the car track.

“Catching up.”

“I'll bet. I wouldn't want to study if I had a boyfriend as hot as yours.”

Lucy shook her head but smiled. Reva was predictable, which made her comfortable.

Carter caught up with them. “How you doing?” he asked Lucy.

“Fine.” She eyed him suspiciously. “Shouldn't I be?”

“You've often said how much you were dreading the driving test.”

“This isn't a test,” Reva said.

“I don't like driving, but I got a pep talk from Sean.” Lucy didn't feel apprehensive like she thought she would. In the whole scheme of things, driving didn't feel as weighty as it had in the past. Though her rape and near death seven years ago had been traumatic and terrifying, the thought of losing her family was in many ways worse. Talking to Sean about the car accident when she was five had helped her come to terms with her fears.

“He's a good guy,” Carter said.

“Yes, he is,” Lucy agreed.

Her fellow new agents gathered around the driving instructor, Agent Chris Robinson, and listened to his instructions. The course seemed easy enough. They'd be practicing defensive driving, driving through obstacles, and accident avoidance. No high-speed chases or high-end tactical.

Driving would take all morning, but Robinson had it down to a well-oiled system. Two separate tracks were set up to expedite the lesson.

She looked at the others waiting for their turns behind the wheel. Could one of them have killed Tony? Attempted to kill Hans? Lucy had already ruled out a small group of agents who'd been in the lounge watching a movie until 1:30. Gordon, the gun expert, had been there as well, and she'd learned through him that the group of five had walked back to the dorm together. It would have been extremely unlikely for any of them to have rushed off to the construction site and attacked Hans. Oz was part of the group, and Lucy was relieved. One more of her inner circle cleared.

A van drove up to the edge of the driving track and two people got out. One of them was Rich Laughlin. He looked right at Lucy. She didn't turn away. She'd been upset Saturday after he told her about the hiring panel; now she was simply angry.

He may have planned to try to upset her, but she wouldn't allow herself to be intimidated.

When it was Lucy's turn behind the wheel, she felt Laughlin's eyes on her. She had a hard time controlling her physical tension—her hands clenched the wheel and her jaw tightened.

Robinson said, “Relax, Kincaid.”

“You should know that I was in a serious accident as a young child. I've been a nervous driver most of my life.”

He smiled. “No pressure. All I want you to do right now is get to know your vehicle. Drive around the track twice, keeping your speed at a steady thirty miles an hour. Then we'll run through the drill. The obstacle course is simple; it's all about control.”

“Okay.”

“You keep looking at your classmates.”

She hadn't been; she'd been glancing over to find out where Laughlin was. She didn't say anything.

“Don't worry about them—it's just you, me, and the vehicle. Good. Keep going, one more lap.”

By the time she was done with the second lap she wasn't focused on Laughlin. She listened to everything Robinson told her to do—speed up, stop, avoid, do a one-eighty—and by the time her session was done she felt good about it.

“Not bad for a nervous driver,” he told her. “You did very well on the obstacle course; you have a good eye. You're still hesitant to speed up quickly, and you need more confidence with higher speeds, but we have time to work on that. Would you object to two extra sessions over the next two weekends?”

“I'd like that.”

“You won't be the only one. There's a half dozen of your class I'll be working with.”

“Great.” She let out a long breath and got out of the car smiling.

“Not bad, Kincaid,” Carter said as he took her place in the driver's seat.

They had an hour break for lunch after the driving lessons, and Lucy needed to meet with Noah about the personnel files. She grabbed a sandwich to go and went into the main building.

“Looks like you need to go back to driver's education,” a voice behind her said.

She turned and saw Laughlin.

She glared at him but didn't say anything. An anger she was unfamiliar with bubbled up, and she worked on containing it.

He stepped close to her, his body only inches away, and said in a low voice, “You may have cut corners to get here, but there's no way I'll let you graduate if you don't perform.”

She clenched her jaw. He was deliberately goading her, just like he'd been silently doing since she'd arrived on campus.

“I don't know what your problem is with me, Agent Laughlin. I don't think it's fair that you're basing your opinion of me on your problems with my sister-in-law.”

“And what exactly did Kate tell you?”

“Nothing. I can read between the lines.”

He smiled, and that irritated Lucy more. “You think you know everything, don't you?”

She stared at him. “I know a lot more than you think.”

“Watch yourself, Kincaid.”

It was a threat, over and above what would be called for in this situation, and Lucy's stomach clenched as she realized maybe she didn't know what was happening, maybe there was something bigger going on.

Laughlin turned to go and thought he had the upper hand. Lucy said, “There's a time and place for everything, Agent Laughlin. I will figure out exactly why you hate me.”