David Baldacci - Daylight

“I’m going to watch every flank I have. And trust nobody.”

“Copy that.”

The phone went dead. Pine finished her coffee and sandwich and then had another cup.

When she saw Blum enter the restaurant, she waved her over.

“I’m sorry, Carol, I should have invited you to eat with me.”

“No, it’s fine. I already ate.” She sat down and looked at her boss.

Pine read everything in the woman’s eyes. “I know, Carol. I know. I have to be more careful.” She took a few minutes to fill Blum in on what had happened to Puller.

“My God! So I assume you’ve talked to him?”

“Just now. He said his cat saved him.”

“Good cats do, you know,” replied Blum matter-of-factly. Pine’s expression darkened. “A woman is dead because of me, Carol. And I have to make that right.”

“I had already anticipated that you would say that. But I’ll tell you what I told you back in Andersonville. You’re here to find out what happened to your sister. And while the two cases may have some tangential connections, you could spend all your time on one, solve it, and make no progress on your sister.”

“I had thought about that. But I can’t just let this go. A young kid with a great future is dead. I saw him die. A young woman who was out at a party had her head nearly cut off. And I think she was chosen as a victim so that I could be set up and found dead with the body. So that’s on me, too. I am not going to let these assholes get away with this. I’m an FBI agent. This is my wheelhouse. And it always will be.”

“Another thing I anticipated you saying. And I’m not disagreeing with you. I just want you to move forward fully informed. Including my two cents.”

Pine reached out and gripped Blum’s hand. “I appreciate your two cents. It always turns out to be far more valuable than that.”

“So what now?”

“I have two people to find. Tony Vincenzo and Lindsey Axilrod. And who knows, one might very well lead me to the other.”

CHAPTER

33

PULLER EMAILED LINDSEY AXILROD’s home address to Pine. In it he also verified that Axilrod had not shown up for work that morning. She and Blum drove over to the small bungalow situated in a quiet neighborhood about five miles from Fort Dix.

“No car in the driveway,” observed Blum.

“Front door closed. No lights on that I can see, though it is daylight. No one lurking in the bushes.”

They pulled to a stop at the curb, got out, and walked up to the front door. Pine rapped on the wood and waited. No answer. She rapped harder, with the same result.

Pine eyed the doorbell. “She has a doorbell with a camera, so she’s probably watching us right now from wherever she is.” They walked to the backyard, where there were two listing and rusted poles set in concrete and the remnants of a rotted clothesline, which was hanging down to the ground. A wooden and shingled utility shed sat back against the fence.

Pine walked over to it and peered in one of the windows. “No dead bodies hanging from the rafters. Just a lawn mower and some gardening tools.”

“What do we do now?” asked Blum.

“I’d really like to get into her house.”

“But without a search warrant we have no legal standing to do so. And if you’re thinking about breaking and entering again, I would advise against it.”

“Maybe I can do something that would allow us legal entry then.”

She made a call and said, “I’m FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine. I was supposed to meet with a woman named Lindsey Axilrod about a matter I’m investigating. She did not show up for work today and we’re at her home now. She is not responding to my knocks. I’d like you to do a welfare check on her because I’m worried that something might have happened to her.” Pine gave the address and put her phone away and looked at Blum.

Five minutes later a cruiser pulled up in front of the house and two uniforms climbed out. One was in his forties, overweight with a flushed face and a bored look. The other was about a decade younger, tall and thin with a runner’s build, who looked far more animated than his partner at having been called in by the Bureau.

“You the FBI agent?” said the older cop. His name tag read DONNELLY, and he looked like a man going through the motions until his pension kicked in.

Pine produced her badge and creds and introduced Blum.

The younger cop, who had excitedly identified himself as Officer Brent Tatum, said, “What were you investigating with the lady who lives here?”

“Not something I can disclose, really, but I can tell you that she was a potential witness for something critical to national security that was going on at her place of work.”

“Which was where, exactly?” asked Donnelly.

“Fort Dix.”

“But that’s military.”

“I’m working the case with Army CID.”

Donnelly rubbed his chin and shot a glance at the house. “Locked?”

“Yes. She has a doorbell camera, but she didn’t respond, which she could have even if she wasn’t here.”

“We better check this out, Dan,” said Tatum.

His partner didn’t seem inclined to do so, but he hitched up his gun belt and led the way up the walk. He knocked on the door and got no answer. Then he bent down to the doorbell and said, “Ms. Axilrod, are you here?”

“Hello, who is that?”

Donnelly straightened, shot a look at Pine, and said, “Officer Donnelly with the Trenton Police Department. Is this Ms. Axilrod?”

“Yes it is. What do you want?”

“We have an FBI agent here, Agent Pine, who said she was supposed to meet with you.”

“Oh, I think I remember that. But I was called out of town on a family emergency. I’ll have to get back to her when I return.”

Pine strode past Donnelly and said, “Axilrod, I need to know where you are, right now.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to go. I’m at the hospital with my mother. I’ll call you later.”

“Axilrod!” barked Pine, but the door camera remained silent.

“Well, that’s that, she’s got a family emergency,” said Donnelly. “She’ll call you when she gets back, like she said. You sure she didn’t say anything from the camera when you knocked earlier?”

Pine gave him an incredulous look and he said quickly, “Well, least she’s okay. Have a good day.”

They got back into their cruiser and pulled off, leaving Pine and Blum standing there.

Pine leaned down to the camera and said, “Hey, Lindsey, I’m really looking forward to seeing you again. And next time you send somebody to kill me, better make it a girl. The guys keep coming up short. And just so you know, however long it takes, one day I’m going to put my cuffs on you and read you your rights. And you’re going to get a lifetime supply of prison food.”

They walked back to the car and got in.

“Can we trace her from that door camera? It must be tied to her phone.”

“Yes. If I could get a warrant. But I’m not even officially working this case. Puller could try, but by the time he gets a warrant it’ll be too late.”

Her phone rang.

“Jack?” said Pine. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” said Lineberry. “There’s talk of letting me go home tomorrow or the next day. But I was calling because I came up with an old contact for you. His name is Douglas Bennett. He’s in his early seventies now and lives in Annapolis.”

“What was his involvement?” she asked.

“He was my handler.”

“So he was with the CIA then? As were you? You were never clear on that.”

“And I’m not admitting to anything now, Atlee. But Doug was intimately involved and knew both your parents, and he actually met you and your sister. You wouldn’t remember that, of course. He’s long since retired and spends his days sailing, taking long walks with his prized Labradoodles, Finnegan and Guinness, and puttering around his garden.”