Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
Amanda received a call from Officer Wyatt on the way back to Central.
The landlord hadn’t seen Peggy in days, but said it wasn’t unusual for her to disappear for stretches at a time.
That did little to soothe Amanda’s suspicions.
Bill and his wife clearly had big enough problems to break up their marriage, but money concerns could have brought them together for a common cause.
And if they were on the right track with their theory, it was possible killing Paul had backfired.
Instead of making Valerie compliant, it could have made her more resistant.
Then what? Would they be too late putting the pieces together?
Would this all end with the discovery of two more bodies?
And what, if anything, did this have to do with a US marshal wanting to speak with her and Trent?
They were winding through the hallways at Central when she turned to Trent. “I’d like to talk with Malone when we’re finished with our visitor about getting a trace on the Johnsons’ phones, and a BOLO out for them too.”
“We have enough to justify all of that if you ask me.”
She hoped Malone saw it the same way. When they reached Malone’s office, his door was closed and the blinds were shut.
Since when…? For a sergeant who preferred both were left open to encourage open communication between him and his staff, it was a rare sight.
An unfamiliar man’s voice came from inside.
Likely the US marshal. She knocked, hoping whatever the marshal wanted wouldn’t take long.
Without this detour, she already felt like she was spinning trying to get to Valerie and Brooke.
“Come in,” Malone called out.
“Here goes,” Trent said while she led the way inside.
A man was seated across from Malone, but he looked over his shoulder and stood to greet them. He was of solid build, easily six-foot-two. Dirty-blond hair with some grays around the temples. Probably in his early fifties. He shook hands with Amanda and Trent. “Deputy Marshal Russell Holden.”
“This is Detective Amanda Steele and Detective Trent Stenson,” Malone said, providing their names. “They are in the middle of a time-sensitive investigation, so if we could get down to what you’re here to discuss…”
Malone doesn’t know what the man wants yet?
“Yes, by all means.” Russell gestured to the chair he’d vacated, offering it up to Amanda.
“I’m good to stand,” she told him.
“Me too.” Trent offered the man a pleasant smile.
“Suit yourselves.” Russell turned the chair so he could see them without straining his neck, as well as Malone. “Why are you interested in Abigail McGee?”
The question confounded her for a moment, but her mind assembled a probable scenario. It could explain a lot. “I’d ask you the same, but I’m going to guess she must be in witness protection. Am I warm?”
“If you could just answer my question, Detective.” The marshal flashed a tight smile toward Malone, as if making a silent petition for the sergeant to step in and command his detectives to talk.
Malone didn’t say a word, but he met her gaze.
“What makes you think we’re interested in her?
” The read she was getting off the man didn’t put her in a cooperative mood.
One scathing look from Malone, and she added, “Though I can wager one guess. When someone brings up her background, it notifies you?” She was running on the assumption Abigail was in the program.
“Why the interest in Abigail McGee?” he repeated.
She didn’t care for the fact he was stonewalling them.
And all they did was pull one brief report on Abigail.
To say they had an interest in her was pushing things.
Amanda glanced at Malone, who begged her with his eyes to just answer the man.
“She’s related to the victim in our investigation.
Nothing more, nothing less. We came across her name when looking at the deceased’s relatives. ”
“That victim being Paul Archer, her brother, found murdered yesterday morning in a cornfield northwest of Woodbridge. A place called Haymarket.” Russell listed all that off easily. He must have gotten a hold of the file somehow.
Amanda stiffened. “That’s right. But I’m lost as to what brings you here. Do you think Abigail is connected to her brother’s murder?”
“Oh, I never said that.”
“But Abigail is in WITSEC, isn’t she?” Amanda put it more bluntly this time.
“I’m not at liberty to confirm or deny.”
“Which means she is, just as your presence here says as much.” Rage flooded her veins for a couple of reasons.
The deputy’s dismissiveness and her empathy for Detective Lloyd McGee.
He’d lived the last eight years in hell not knowing what became of his wife.
“Why was she admitted to the program?” Amanda pushed ahead, despite getting a read her efforts wouldn’t pay off.
Russell smiled tightly as he clasped his hands. “Who said she is?”
“Listen, Deputy Holden, what you know could be crucial to our investigation,” Trent wedged in, beating Amanda to saying something similarly forceful.
“Obviously, Abigail saw something or knows something she shouldn’t.
Regardless, she’s pissed someone off. And right now, those people could have come for her family.
Your showing up here also suggests you think that’s possible. ”
“I can’t say.”
Amanda shared looks with Malone and Trent, shaking her head.
The marshal straightened his tie. “All I can say is we have no reason to believe that Abigail’s past is, in any way, connected to her brother’s murder.”
“Or her sister-in-law’s and niece’s abductions?” Amanda volleyed back.
“Excuse me.”
The confusion in his eyes told her he didn’t know about that. “They were taken this past Saturday, and they are still missing. We’re presuming they’re still alive. If there is anything you can tell us to help us find them, then please—”
“I’m not up on the investigation you’ve been working, Detective. All I was interested in is why you had looked at Abigail’s file.”
And her brother’s murder… Amanda would have loved to obliterate the wall of ambiguity he chose to hide behind.
“A phone call would have accomplished that much. You wanted to come here for yourself because you must suspect on a level that Abigail—or the people who she’s hiding from—are wrapped up in all of this. ”
“You’re putting words in my mouth.”
Amanda didn’t think she was taking that liberty.
And his response confirmed the marshal had concerns.
Did something after all these years prompt the people she was hiding from to go after her family?
Did one of them know her whereabouts, or had Abigail passed something over to them?
But if he wasn’t going to talk to them, how could they know where to start looking?
Somehow she had to get the marshal to open up, and she had one idea.
She’d set the example by being transparent herself.
“The Archer home was ransacked like someone was looking for something.” She watched that wash over the marshal, and continued.
“Also the wife, Valerie Archer, was in contact with someone on the other end of several burner phones. All of them are out of service now. Could it be that she was in touch with Abigail?”
“I don’t see how. Her communications are monitored.”
The deputy’s response came fast and wasn’t reassuring. People found ways around the system all the time. “Then she’s never disappeared, ditched her detail?”
“She’s accounted for.”
Amanda looked at Trent, not buying much coming from the marshal’s mouth.
Was her partner? But what was she supposed to do—accuse the man of lying?
She was at a loss for words. “Then, I guess this meeting is over. You’re not telling us anything that helps our case, and as Sergeant Malone told you, the investigation we’re working is time sensitive. ” She headed for the door.
“Detective, here’s my card. Call me if anything in your investigation leads you to Abigail McGee being involved on any level.”
She plucked the card from his fingers. His office was in Houston, Texas. “It’s kind of hard to do that when you haven’t told me anything.” With that she left, ducking into the hall. She turned and waited for Trent before starting toward their desks.
“What was with that guy?”
“Ask me, and I’d say the US Marshals Service has lost Abigail and they’re trying to get us to do their job.”
“I got the same feeling. So what are you thinking? Clearly, Abigail is in WITSEC, but do you think whatever Abigail witnessed is behind what happened to the Archers?”
“How could we possibly know that without knowing what got Abigail McGee entered into witness protection?”
“I hear ya. But if this involves the people tied up with Abigail, it will eliminate the Johnsons as suspects. Neither of them has a record or any pending charges,” Trent pointed out.
“There could be something else we’re not seeing yet. All we can do is follow the leads in front of us. I say we stay the course.”
“Me too. But…”
Just the way he hooked that but made her cringe. “But?”
“Let me say upfront, I think the Johnsons look good for this. But you brought up the burner phones, and it got me thinking, what if Abigail was on the other end? Then these people somehow found out they were in contact, decided to use her family to get to her…”
Amanda played it out in her head and hated how feasible it sounded.
But surely, if the marshal thought there was a connection, he would have given them something to go on.
He stated at least twice that he didn’t suspect Abigail was tied up in what happened to the Archers.
“The case has led us to the Johnsons. We track them down and see that through. If it’s not them, we revisit this conversation. ”
“Works for me.”
“Good. Along those lines, as soon as the marshal leaves, let’s go back and talk with Malone on moving forward with the traces and BOLOs.” Her phone rang, and she caught the caller’s ID and slowed her stride. “I’ve got to take this.”
Trent nodded at her and continued walking down the hall.
She accepted the call, answering informally. “Hello, this is Amanda Steele.”
“This is Anna Ward, and I’m calling on behalf of Zoe’s teacher, Ms. Sparks.”
Her entire body stiffened. “Is Zoe okay?”
“She’s not herself, and that’s why Ms. Sparks has asked that you come in. She’d like to speak with you about Zoe before sending her home.”
Amanda glanced at the clock. It was nearing three in the afternoon. “Yes, of course, but can you give me any idea what’s going on with her?”
“All I know is Ms. Sparks is concerned.”
So nothing… Amanda’s heart sped up. “I’ll head over there right now. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Anna hung up and was gone.
Not herself… Amanda knew Zoe wasn’t okay from the moment she told her about Paul Archer. She walked to her cubicle, and Trent lifted his head to look at her over the partition.
“Everything all right?”
“Not by a long shot. I never should have dropped Zoe off for school today. I should have taken a personal day and stayed with her.”
“Whoa. Hold up.” Trent sprung to his feet and joined her in her cubicle. “What’s happened?”
Her entire body was quaking, and she couldn’t get herself to speak. Whatever struggles Zoe was going through was on her. If she was such a good mother, she would have kept Zoe out of school and with her.
Trent squeezed Amanda’s shoulder. If they were in an alternate universe, she’d fall into his embrace for solace. In this one, she had to maintain a professional distance.
“I’ve gotta go. Can you let Malone know and take care of everything with the Johnsons?”
“You bet. Go. Take as long as you need. Even if you don’t come back today, that’s okay, Amanda. I’ll keep working.”
“Thank you. Oh, and Trent, there’s one thing you could try to find Bill Johnson.”
“Pay a visit to America Bowls?”
“That’s it.” She smiled at him and rushed out of Central. Right now all that was on her mind was her little girl and doing whatever was within her power to help her.