Convicted (38 page)

His tone was more inquisitive. “...do you have any more specifics?” “Has this aide worked with Claire in the past?”

Emily tapped his arm and raised her eyebrows in question. When he didn’t respond, Emily whispered, “Does she know if Claire ate anything yesterday?”

John nodded as he continued, “All right, thank you, Dr. Brown, but we still need to hear from Dr. Fairfield. I have questions about yesterday’s DTI—questions which apparently only he can answer.” “I will, thank you.” “Goodbye.”

Emily sat her coffee cup down, as sleep deprivation overtook her tone. “Why didn’t you ask her about eating?”

For the first time since he came home last night, John smiled. “I didn’t ask, because she volunteered. Claire not only ate last night—compliantly—she went outside. According to the aide who works with her”—John’s eyes widened—“Claire
wanted
to go outside.”

“Really”—sarcasm prevailed—“and how did this aide know that? Did she say that Claire spoke?”

Shrugging his shoulders, John replied, “I didn’t ask. I’m just happy she ate and moved from that chair where she always sits. Maybe you should be too?”

Emily stood to leave John’s home office. “You know that if I believed them—I would be, but come on—she was incoherent all day—couldn’t sit—much less stand—for hours after the last dose of sedative. Now they want me to believe she ate and
wanted
to go outside. Fine—I’ll play their game; however, if she’s not greeting me with a
Hi, Em
today, I’ll know they’re lying to pacify us.”

As she reached the doorway, Emily turned around. “Are you going into Rawlings today?”

“No, I’m waiting for Dr. Fairfield’s call. If it doesn’t come, then you and I are going to Everwood. Be sure Becca isn’t planning on going home anytime soon.”

“Thanks, John. I know things have been difficult at work since Patricia
left.
”

Shifting in his chair, John replied, “It was at first. Her knowledge was invaluable; however, the new assistant is catching on fast.”

“You never told me,
why
was she let go?”

Smiling, he said, “You know the old saying—I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you—and well, I like having you around”—smiling wider, he added—“most of the time.”

Emily shook her head. “Yes, sorry. Sometimes I forget that Rawlings Industries is as top secret as the government.”

“Even more so...” she heard John say as she walked away.

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.

—Arnold Schwarzenegger

Harry’s head throbbed, his face ached, and breathing was more comfortable with shallow breaths. Pushing through the dark veil of unconsciousness, he tried to make sense of his condition. Momentarily, the memories wouldn’t come. There were sounds that Harry didn’t recognize as he tried to focus on his surroundings. Through blurred vision, he realized he was in a hospital room, and for some reason, his left eye refused to open. An IV ran from his left arm to someplace behind him. Looking beyond his bed, Harry saw SAC Williams in a chair near the window. Fighting to find his voice, Harry whispered, “What happened?”

As if propelled by an electric shock, Williams was instantly at Harry’s bedside. “Baldwin, nice of you to finally join the party.”

Harry winced as he reached for the controls to raise the bed, so Williams pushed the button for him. As the bed began to move, Harry held his breath—the pain in his side was excruciating.

“Hey, son,” Williams said. “You have a few broken ribs—you might want to take it easy for a while.”

At that moment, Harry’s last memories returned with a vengeance. Suddenly, the pain was forgotten—panic flooded his system, causing his heart to accelerate and his voice to come too loud. “Jillian! SAC? Jillian, someone needs to make sure she’s all right.”

SAC placed his hand on Harry’s arm. “She is, son. Your daughter and ex-wife have been moved to a safe house.”

Relief replaced the panic as the pain from his ribs came back. Exhaling, Harry winced and said, “Good—but I bet Ilona’s pissed!”

“Her daughter is safe, but you’re right, Ilona isn’t happy about the situation, but she understands the threat. We need to know what happened.”

Before he could respond, SAC William’s phone rang. He held up a finger and walked toward the window to talk.

Harry closed his eyes, laid his head against his pillow, and remembered the whole terrible episode. Behind his closed lids, he saw the driver of the SUV, the one who picked him up at the airport. When he’d first entered the dark vehicle, Harry hadn’t paid the man much attention. He was a driver—the FBI had plenty. It wasn’t until he’d saved Claire’s message and was listening to Rawlings’ that he began to notice the driver’s eyes in the rear-view mirror, periodically watching him; then Harry heard the voicemail from the bureau. Before he asked the driver why they were no longer headed toward the field office, Harry casually removed his gun from his holster.

“Give that to me.” The man’s voice held the slightest of a Lebanese accent. Harry couldn’t remember if he hadn’t noticed the accent before, or if the man hadn’t spoken until that moment.

Harry pointed the gun to the side of the driver’s head and calmly commanded, “Pull the car over, asshole.”

Laughter filled the otherwise silent vehicle. Seemingly undeterred by the threat, the driver tilted his head to the right. Harry glanced toward the passenger seat, half expecting to see someone materialize. No one did. Instead, the driver reached over and pulled down the sun visor. Taped, where the mirror should’ve been, was a picture. Staring at Harry, with big, beautiful, blue eyes and light, blonde hair was Jillian. The picture could’ve come from Facebook or been taken in person. Either way, it didn’t matter—Harry was living his worst nightmare—his Achilles heel—his vulnerability. This asshole was threatening Harry’s four-year-old daughter. Panic erupted in his gut as adrenaline flooded his system.

“Where is she?” Harry growled.

“She’s still with that pretty little ex-wife of yours.”

“How do I know she’s safe?”

“You don’t.” The driver lifted a well-worn stuffed bunny—pink and thread bore. Harry had only seen the bunny once—in person—when he purchased it. At the time, he wasn’t even sure Ilona would give it to their daughter; however, through the years it’d been a reoccurring item in many of Jillian’s pictures. Harry knew, without a doubt, it belonged to her.

Turning the barrel around, Harry willingly handed his gun to the driver. Through the windows, Harry saw that the neighborhood was becoming seedier by the second. He pushed his fear inward and summoned his negotiating voice. “There, you’ve got my gun. Now, tell me what the hell you want?”

The driver didn’t answer. Instead, he spoke into his phone, “Yes, we’re almost there.” “No idea.” “Fuck’n FBI and clueless!”

While the driver was talking, Harry eased his own phone out of his pocket and began to text the bureau while simultaneously turning on his GPS finder.

“No way, asshole! Give me your phone—now!”

When Harry hesitated, the driver tilted his head toward Jillian’s picture. Harry had the training, and he knew the protocol; none of it mattered. He’d activated the GPS but hadn’t had time to complete the text. His life no longer counted; protecting his daughter was Harry’s only thought.

Jillian’s safety and well-being was why Harry had signed away his parental rights, and why he’d only corresponded with Ilona in secret. Jillian had a father—in reality, he was her step-father, but she considered him her
dad
. One evening, about three years ago, Harry had flown East and met with Ilona and her fiancé. It wasn’t an easy meeting, but Harry knew, without a doubt, the man across the table from him would add more to Jillian’s life than he could. Seeing the gleam in Ilona’s eyes and feeling the ache in the pit of his stomach, Harry knew the man had already done more for his ex-wife than Harry ever had.

The legal arrangement didn’t stop Harry’s interest. He watched his daughter’s childhood from a distance. Each birthday and Christmas, each recital and soccer game—social media was a wonderful thing, and thankfully, Ilona allowed Harry’s voyeurism. After Harry signed the documents surrendering his rights, Jillian’s last name changed. Today it was George, the same as her mother and father’s.

Harry believed his own happiness was inconsequential to Jillian’s safety. Now, the man slowing the SUV near a seemingly abandoned building made all of Harry’s sacrifices worthless. For some reason—Jillian was in danger. In Harry’s opinion, during their short conversation, the driver had even made veiled threats against Ilona.

Damn, Harry wasn’t prepared. Usually, he wore an extra revolver in a leg holster; however, since part of his trip was on a commercial flight, the gun was packed away in a sealed container. Easing the shoestring from his boot, Harry gripped it firmly in each fist and quickly brought it down over the man’s head. With all his strength, he pulled it tight against his throat. As garbled sounds came from the driver, the SUV spun wildly. Gasping for air, the driver simultaneously slammed his feet against the brake and gas pedals and released the steering wheel. His hands fought Harry’s grip as he clawed backwards.

When the SUV finally came to a stop, the driver’s head fell to one side and his hands quit the fight. Harry’s relief was short-lived. The doors to the vehicle flew open, and he was pulled to the ground. The concrete was wet as he assessed his situation. Three large men were shouting things he couldn’t understand. Harry’s linguistics training told him the language was Middle-Eastern, but he didn’t recognize the dialect. His heart raced even faster when the sound of a woman’s crying came into range. Harry didn’t need to see the woman to recognize the voice calling out to him between sobs.

SAC Williams touched Agent Baldwin’s arm, bringing him back to present. “Agent, what can you tell us?”

Harry’s right eye opened wide with concern. “Liz”—his voice cracked—“is she—all right?”

“Yes, son, she wasn’t harmed. Apparently, Ms. Matherly’s presence was meant only as a witness. She’s filled us in on her story and is anxious to see you, but first, we need your version.”

Harry inhaled, taking the throbbing in his ribs as penitence for the pain he’d caused those he loved and cared about. After he explained the pick-up and ride, Harry went on, “I got up off the concrete and asked what they wanted, what
it
was all about. Instead of answering, they taunted, punched me, and yelled. I fought back, more than once, I connected.” Harry looked down at his hands. The right one was covered in bandages. “They said I needed to
stop
. I asked stop—
what?
They kept saying—
Leave the past alone. It won’t change anything now. Just stop digging around where you don’t belong.
When I asked who they were working for, they laughed and said I mustn’t be a very good FBI agent if I couldn’t figure that out.”

Harry’s voice lowered with determination. “SAC, I know it was Rawlings—I know it was! I saw his face in Geneva. When he left that pub, he was mad! He’s the one who’s responsible for this. I’m getting too close to something in my research.”

Williams pulled the chair beside Harry’s bed. “Did you tell Rawlings about your research?”

With his head and ribs throbbing, Harry reached up and touched his left cheekbone and confirmed his suspicions. The skin was tender and felt swollen.

Williams nodded. “You have quite a shiner. Ms. Matherly said you put up a good fight, but once the driver came to, you were outnumbered four to one.”

Harry remembered. He was thrown to the ground, and the driver started to kick him. Finally, one of the other guys pulled the driver off. Liz was crying. The men all got back into the SUV and left. “Did Liz get help?”

“Yes, the men took your phone, but Ms. Matherly still had hers. She called 911. Once the police arrived, she called the bureau. Son, do you remember any more details? Did you tell Rawlings about your research?”

Harry shook his head. “No, I didn’t have the chance to tell him, but somehow, he found out. It’s the only thing that makes sense”—he paused—“My phone—did you say they took my phone?”

“Yes, the bureau tracked it, and it was found with your other belongings in an ally dumpster about a half of a mile from where you were attacked. Your phone was destroyed.”

Harry exhaled. “Good.” He knew the saved information was backed up on the bureau’s servers. Suddenly, he had a thought. “Was the SD card still in the phone?”

“I don’t remember seeing it, but the phone was pretty mangled. Besides, everything should be on the server.”

Harry tried not to reveal too much emotion in his voice. “Not everything, sir. There’s a picture of Claire Nichols with me on that card.”

SAC Williams sat straighter. “With you?”

“No, not like that—just sitting together in a booth in Venice.”

“We received that picture.”

“There were two. The one I sent and another one.” He swallowed. “Now I’m concerned about her safety too.”