Allison Brennan - Stalked

“We have a lot to discuss,” Noah said. “But I don’t like this exposure.”

“I have a safe hotel,” Sean said.

“We’re going to the Bureau,” Noah countered. He glanced at Peter, assessing, then looked at Lucy.

Lucy knew what Noah wanted. What kind of state of mind was Peter in?

“Peter,” she said softly, “we need to talk about what’s been happening. You may have information that’s vital to finding Kip Todd and Alexis Sanchez. Are you up for it? We wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t crucial.”

“Okay,” he said, still in a daze.

She nodded at Noah, and Noah said, “Just for a debrief. Then you can secure him, Rogan.” He looked at Sean’s leg. “I can get a protective detail.”

“I’m fine.”

“Hardly,” Lucy muttered.

“I heard that.”

Noah drove and Lucy sat in the back with Sean. She turned on the lights and took off the shirt he had wrapped around his leg. “This isn’t a graze,” she said.

“Do we need a hospital?” Noah asked.

“Yes,” Lucy said at the same time Sean said, “No.”

Sean said, “I’m not going to the hospital. The bleeding has stopped. It was a twenty-two. The hole isn’t much bigger than a bee sting, and that’s what it feels like.”

“You need stitches.”

“Maybe one stitch. You can handle that, princess.”

She glared at him. He smiled.

“Bureau,” Sean said. Lucy decided to let it go. There’d been a lot of blood, but Sean was right-the damage was minimal.

She cleaned and taped the entry and exit wounds, then bandaged the leg. “You should still get checked out.”

“Time enough when we catch the Todds,” Sean said.

“Were you followed?” Noah asked.

“No. Sanchez was following Peter. Where were you coming from?” Sean asked Peter.

“I had a staff meeting this afternoon; stopped at a place I often eat dinner. I didn’t want to go home after talking to Charlie.”

“They could have followed him from school,” Sean said.

“How did they know where I teach? How’d they know my name?”

“I don’t think they did, not at first,” Lucy said. “I haven’t seen the evidence from Kip Todd’s apartment, but going on what Suzanne said, he spotted you in the city back in March. He knew you were here.”

“It’s a big city,” Noah said. “Peter was a needle.”

“Not really. Alexis, when she was Cami, knew Peter was studying early childhood education. It was reasonable to think that Peter had become a teacher. If they troll the Internet for staff, they might get a hit, but seeing Peter in the city narrowed them to this region.”

Sean said, “Never underestimate someone determined to find you. It’s extremely difficult to go completely off the grid, even with a name change and new Social Security number.”

Noah added, “They may have hired someone to do it.”

“She could have had anything on me,” Peter said. “We were together for over year.”

Sean said, “Peter, you said you thought you were being watched. When did it start?”

“It’s been on and off. I always felt safe at home, but after I read about Rosemary Weber’s murder I had a feeling my life was going to be turned upside down. Anytime there’s another article in the paper, I wait for reporters to track me down. After I changed my name and moved to Brooklyn, I thought it would end.”

“How did Sanchez get to New York so fast?” Sean asked.

Noah said, “She left Quantico at three in the afternoon and told the gate she was going to a drugstore. She never returned. Her car was found at Dulles long-term parking, and she boarded a four thirty-two flight to JFK, no luggage.”

“Do you know what tipped her off?” Sean asked.

Lucy had worried she’d said or done something, but she couldn’t think what. “No. She was gone before I pulled her personnel records and discovered the connection with New Jersey.”

“If I had to bet,” Sean said, “it came from that lowlife street thief who pawned the ring.”

“How so?”

“NYPD released him; what if he went back to Todd and told him about the interview? Maybe Todd got antsy and called his sister.”

“We’re pulling her cell phone records and all Todd’s records, but so far we’ve found nothing,” Noah said.

“They could have burner phones,” Sean said.

Noah turned into the federal building parking lot and showed his ID. “We’re running down leads. The brother hasn’t returned to his apartment or his office at the library. NYPD has staked out both places, and we have a patrol covering Weber’s sister.”

“They’ve had this plan in the works for years,” Lucy said. “He has another place.”

“How can you know that?” Peter asked.

“Alexis befriended you six years ago. They could have killed you then, if they wanted you dead. They had something else planned, but wanted to keep you in sight.”

“Let’s brief everyone together,” Noah said. He parked and they got out. Sean had to surrender his gun at the security desk.

They went up to the Violent Crimes squad and Suzanne greeted them at the elevator. “So you’re the famous Noah Armstrong,” she said, shaking his hand. “Good to finally meet you.”

“Suzanne, likewise,” Noah said. “This is Peter McMahon. He had his name legally changed to Gray Manning and has been a teacher in East Brooklyn for the past three years.”

“Dangerous schools,” Suzanne said.

“I teach third grade,” he said quietly.

“Shelley.” Suzanne motioned to an analyst. “Would you please escort Mr. Manning to an interview room? Get him whatever he would like; keep him company. You’re not under arrest, Peter. But we need to talk.”

He glanced at Sean as if for permission.

“Go ahead, Peter. I’m not leaving without you.”

Shelley walked off with Peter. Lucy, Noah, and Sean followed Suzanne to an interview room. She introduced Noah to Detective DeLucca, who was reviewing digital security tapes.

Noah asked, “Is that the footage from the subway?”

“Yep,” Joe said. “We also checked out all survelliance cameras in the area and I’ve pieced it together.”

He pressed a button. “McMahon-”

“Manning,” Sean said.

“Manning, McMahon, whatever he’s going by-”

“Let’s call him Peter,” Suzanne said. “For simplicity.”

“ Peter, ” Joe said, “was on the subway and got off at Fourth and Eighty-sixth at seven oh five pm.”

“We were meeting at eight on Third and Ninety-third,” Sean said. “Why wouldn’t he take the subway down to Ninety-fifth? It’s the closest.”

“Because I caught him on a traffic cam going into a mom-and-pop restaurant at Third and Eighty-seventh. He stayed for thirty-nine minutes and left. No cameras until the subway.”

Sean said, “I spotted him just before eight. I planned on waiting until he slipped into the bar we were meeting at, but I spotted Sanchez trailing him.”

“Sanchez,” Joe said. “I caught her, too, coming out of the subway behind Peter. He didn’t see her. I don’t know why she didn’t confront him at the restaurant. She passed it and must have been waiting until he left.”

“Maybe she hadn’t found out where he lived yet, but they knew where he taught.” Suzanne pressed a few keys. “Two weeks ago, this popped up on the school’s Web site.”

Lucy leaned over. It was a photo of Peter with his class. Suzanne said, “This was last year’s third-grade class. They were recognized at the beginning of this year for achieving the greatest increase in test scores from beginning of school to end of school. The mayor presented the award.”

The caption read: “Gray Manning says all children are capable of learning if given the right support and motivation.”