Jan Burke - Nine

“Kit-” Meghan said.

“It’s no use, Meghan. He doesn’t believe us. We’re wasting time we could be using to look for them.”

“Mr. Logan, I’m sorry if I’ve given you the wrong impression,” Alex said. “But you must realize why I’m feeling a little wary.”

“Nine of the ten people on the FBI’s Most Wanted list are dead,” Kit said. “Perhaps you realize why we’re feeling a little wary, too.”

“Why trust me in the first place?”

“Your uncle. And the dog.”

“The dog?”

“You let your nephew keep a smelly, underfed Labrador retriever that you obviously didn’t want.”

“So it was you. You were there.”

“Yes. I heard the call on the scanner. I was just trying to watch people, to figure out who could be trusted. I was hoping you could be. I remembered you from-” He clutched the rabbit’s foot harder. “I remembered you,” he said softly.

Alex turned to Meghan. “You were willing to go along with this? Risk your brother’s life because I let my nephew keep a dog?”

“I can understand why it seems like an omen to him. And yes, I think he could learn a lot about you just by watching you in that situation.”

Alex looked between them.

“You think we’re both crazy,” Kit said.

“Detective Brandon,” she said, “I was willing to give you a chance because I trust Kit’s ability to read people. He’s better at it than anyone I know. Is he wrong this time?”

“Let’s just say I’m not as used to the idea of retrievers as omens as you are. Did your brother leave here on foot or in a car?”

“Don’t answer, Meghan,” Kit said. “I’m sorry, Detective Brandon, but-”

“I’m sorry, too,” Ciara’s voice said. They turned to see her standing in the doorway. “Mr. Logan, I’m afraid we’ll have to ask you and Ms. Taggert to come in for questioning.”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to make it another time,” Kit said.

“Ciara-”

“You’ve lost your objectivity, Alex. I know you felt sorry for Mr. Logan and his grandmother all those years ago, but the fact is, these two have knowingly harbored a fugitive wanted for murder. They themselves can be considered accessories to murder. If they aren’t going to reveal information regarding Gabe Taggert’s whereabouts, they should be placed under arrest.”

“Damn it, Ciara-I gave John my word.”

“You also took an oath when you were sworn in. You tell me, Alex-are you playing by the rules? Should we have come out here without backup, entered an armed camp-”

“You won’t be harmed by my security staff,” Kit said.

She ignored him. “Let’s call the captain and see what he has to say about what we’re doing here, Alex.”

She was right, Alex knew. Only John’s faith in an army buddy’s loyalties and his own belief that someone in law enforcement was helping the killers had made him agree to this in the first place. But even if he had come out here with the whole department at his back, he wouldn’t have handled it the way she was. Now, they’d probably never hear a word out of either of these two.

“Is this some kind of good cop, bad cop script?” Meghan asked.

“No,” Kit answered, before Alex or Ciara could.

Kit Logan had been true to his word. The guards, though clearly unhappy with this turn of events, had allowed both Kit Logan and Meghan Taggert to be handcuffed and placed in the backseat of the car. “I’ll call your lawyer,” one of them had said to Kit. “And I’ll call Moriarty to tell him what a great pal his friend turned out to be.”

“Don’t upset Moriarty,” Kit had told him. “Spend your time trying to locate Everett Corey. He’ll know where Spooky is.”

Alex had managed to talk Ciara out of making the young man empty his pockets. Alex had patted him down and told her that if that wasn’t good enough, she could drive off without either one of them. While Ciara was busy patting down Meghan Taggert, Alex slipped the rabbit’s foot back into Kit Logan’s hand. Logan shot him a quick look of gratitude and then withdrew into a world of his own. The childish token of luck, and all the other talismans Logan carried, obviously meant more to him than Alex had originally guessed. Alex told himself he allowed Kit to keep anything that was not a weapon because he was still hoping for cooperation.

Ciara repaid him for his resistance to her tactics by refusing to give him his keys back. “I’m driving. You can count yourself lucky if I make it sound as if arresting them was your idea.”

“You can have all the credit,” he said as he opened the passenger door. “In fact, I insist on it.”

She seemed about to say something to this, but her cell phone rang, and he used the opportunity of her distraction to get into the car and talk to their detainees.

“Listen, I’m sure this can be straightened out quickly, but in the meantime, if there’s anything you can tell me that will help me out here, let me know now.”

Meghan Taggert said angrily, “If any harm comes to either Gabe or Spooky, it’s because you came here with that bitch.”

Logan was looking out the window but said, “No, Meghan. I’m sorry I didn’t put a better watch on Gabe. I should have known…”

“Stop it!” she said. “Not everything bad that happens is your fault! Not now, and not when you were younger, either. Gabe does stupid things all the time. This is just one more. You think I don’t know he’s a loser?”

“That’s not true.”

“Look,” Alex interrupted, “you two can fight all this out later. Kit, you told your guards to find Corey. Where do you think he might be?”

“He could be anywhere,” Kit said. “He was in Germany on Monday. We’ve just received a report he was in Mexico on Tuesday.”

“Mexico?” Alex thought of the grasshoppers. “Where in Mexico?”

“Oaxaca.”

“Jesus Christ.” Any small doubt he had of Everett Corey’s involvement came to an end.

Kit was watching him closely now. “He’s probably here-if not in L.A. or Malibu, then not far away. I know it was reported as suicide, but I think Cameron or Everett killed Freddy and Morgan. I think they took Spooky and tried to kill Moriarty. Gabe is probably safe-he’s good at hiding-he always has been.”

“That’s true,” Meghan said, looking at Kit in a way that made Alex wonder if the guy was blind. “That’s so true. You really think he’s safe, Kit?”

“I hope he is. I think Everett wants to punish you and me more than Gabe or Spooky.”

“Why?” Alex asked, but Ciara was getting into the car, and neither of them spoke.

Alex saw that Ciara was looking even more tense. “About your sister?” he asked.

He saw her struggle to keep her composure and felt alarm. He was sorry he had asked the question.

“Yes,” she managed to say. “I’m supposed to call back when I get home.” She glanced toward the backseat, then said, “I’ll tell you more later.”

They had reached the bottom of the road when his own cell phone rang. “Brandon.”

“Alex?”

“Clarissa? Did you find Chase?”

“Alex…” She was crying. “You have to help him, Alex…”

“Clarissa, what’s happened?”

“I…I’ve had a call from…from someone I was seeing. He has Chase, Alex.”

He said sharply to Ciara, “Stop the car!”

She pulled over.

“Take a deep breath,” he said into the phone. “I know it’s hard under the circumstances, but you’ve got to tell me this as calmly as you can. Who has Chase? What’s his name?”

“Everett Corey.”

“Corey!”

“He says…he says no police…no one else. Just you. Not even Miles. I’m sorry, Alex! I’m so damned sorry. But please, Alex-Chase!” He heard her sobbing.