Saving Faith (38 page)

Buchanan nodded his head toward the tinted window. “I’m going to the office. The FBI will expect me to take my briefcase. Unless you assume they haven’t tapped my phone line by now.”

Thornhill nodded. “You have the makings of a good field operative in you, Danny.”

“Where is the painting?”

“In a very safe place, which is far more than you deserve under the circumstances.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

“That exactly means Lee Adams, private investigator. Hired by you to follow Faith Lockhart.”

Buchanan feigned being taken aback for a minute. As a young man he’d had notions of being an actor. Not in the movies, but on the stage. For him, lobbying was the next best thing. “I didn’t know she had gone to the FBI when I did that. I was only concerned for her safety.”

“And why was that?”

“I think you know the answer.”

Thornhill looked offended. “Why in the world would I want to harm Faith Lockhart? I don’t even know the woman.”

“Do you have to know someone before you destroy her?”

Thornhill’s tone was mocking. “You were wrong to have done it, Danny. The painting will probably be returned to you. But for now, learn to live without it.”

“How did you get into my house, Thornhill? I have a security system.”

Thornhill looked as though he might burst out laughing. “A
home
security system? Oh, dear.”

It was all Buchanan could do not to fling himself on the man.

“You amuse me, Danny, you really do. Running around trying to save the have-nots. Don’t you understand? That’s what makes the world go ’round. The rich and the poor. The powerful and the powerless. We’ll always have them, until the world ends. And nothing you do will change that. Just as people will always hate each other, will betray each other. If it weren’t for the evil qualities in humanity, I wouldn’t have a job.”

“I was just thinking that you missed your calling as a psychiatrist,” said Buchanan. “For the criminally insane. You’d have so much in common with your patients.”

Thornhill smiled. “That’s how I got on to you, you know. Someone you tried to help ended up betraying you. Jealous of your success, your wanting to do good, I suppose. He didn’t know about your little scheme, but he aroused my curiosity. And when I focus on someone’s life, well, kept secrets are not an option. I tapped your home, your office, even your clothing, and found myself a treasure trove. We so enjoyed listening to you.”

“Fascinating. Now tell me where Faith is.”

“I was hoping you could tell me that.”

“What do you want with her?”

“I want her to come and work for me. There is a friendly competition between the two agencies, but between the FBI and my agency, I would have to say that we play much fairer with our people. I’ve been working on this project longer than the Bureau. I don’t want all my efforts to be in vain.”

Buchanan chose his words carefully. He knew he was in great personal danger here. “What can Faith possibly give you that I already haven’t?”

“In my line of work, two is always better than one.”

“Would your math include the FBI agent you had killed, Bob?”

Thornhill took out his pipe and fiddled with it.

“You know, Danny, you would be well advised to keep yourself focused on your part of this puzzle only.”

“I consider
every
part my part. I read the newspapers. You told me Faith had gone to the FBI. An FBI agent is killed working on an undisclosed case. Faith disappears at the same time. You’re right, I hired Lee Adams to find out what was going on. I haven’t heard from him. Did you have him killed too?”

“I’m a public servant. I don’t have people killed.”

“The FBI got on to Faith somehow, and you couldn’t allow that, because your whole plan goes down the tubes if they find out the truth. And did you really think I believed you’d let me walk away with a slap on the back for a job well done? I didn’t survive this long in the business by being a damned idiot.”

Thornhill put his pipe away. “Survival, interesting concept. You consider yourself a survivor, and yet you come to me and make all these sorts of unfounded accusations—”

Buchanan leaned forward and placed his face right next to Thornhill’s. “I’ve forgotten more about the subject of survival than you ever knew. I don’t have armies of people with guns running around doing my bidding while I sit safely behind the walls of Langley analyzing the field of battle like it was a chess game. The minute you came into my life, I made contingency plans that will absolutely
destroy
you if anything happens to me. Didn’t you ever consider the possibility that someone might be half as agile as yourself? Or have all your successes really gone to your head?”

Thornhill simply stared at him, so Buchanan kept going. “Now, I consider myself a partner of sorts with you, no matter how loathsome that thought is. And I want to know if you killed the FBI agent, because I want to know exactly what I have to do to get out of this nightmare. And I want to know if you killed Faith and Adams as well. And if you don’t tell me, the minute I leave this car, my next stop will be the FBI. And if you think yourself so invincible as to try and kill me while the Feds are back there, then go ahead. However, if I die, you go down too.”

Buchanan leaned back and allowed himself a smile. “You know the old story of the frog and the scorpion, don’t you? The scorpion needs a ride across the water and tells the frog he won’t sting it if the frog will provide that ride. And the frog knows that if the scorpion does sting it, that the scorpion will drown, so he gives it the ride. Halfway across the water, the scorpion, against all reason, does sting the frog. As it’s dying, the frog cries out, ‘Why did you do it? Now you’ll die too.’ And the scorpion simply tells him, ‘It’s my nature.’” Buchanan made a mock show of waving. “Hello, Mr. Frog.”

The two men sat staring at each other for the next mile, until Thornhill broke the silence.

“Lockhart needed to be eliminated. The FBI agent was with her. So he had to die too.”

“But you missed Faith?”

“With your private investigator’s help. But for your blunder, this crisis would never have happened.”

“It never
occurred
to me that you would be planning to kill anyone. So you have no idea where she is?”

“It’s only a matter of time. I have a number of irons in the fire. And where there’s bait, there’s always hope.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning I’m done talking with you.”

The next fifteen minutes passed in complete silence. The car drove into the underground parking garage of Buchanan’s building. A gray sedan waited on the lower level, its engine running. Before Thornhill got out, he gripped Buchanan’s arm.

“You claim to have the ability to destroy me if anything happens to you. Well, here’s my side. If your colleague and her new ‘friend’ bring all that I’ve worked for crashing down, you will all be eliminated. Immediately.” He removed his hand. “Just so we understand one another. Mr. Scorpion,” Thornhill added scornfully.

A minute later, the gray sedan pulled out of the parking garage. Thornhill was already on the phone.

“Buchanan is not to be out of sight for even one second.” He clicked off and began to think of how to attack this new development.

 

CHAPTER 42

“This is the last place,” Connie said as they pulled up to the motorcycle shop in his sedan.

They got out and Reynolds looked around. “His younger brother?”

Connie nodded as he checked his list. “Scott Adams. Manages the place.”

“Well, let’s hope he’s a little more helpful than the others.”

They had covered all of Lee’s relatives in the area. None had seen or heard from him in the last week. Or at least that’s what they said. Scott Adams might be their last chance. However, when they got inside they were told he was out of town for a friend’s wedding and wouldn’t be back for a couple of days.

Connie handed the young man behind the counter his card. “Tell him to call me when he gets in.”

Rick, the salesman who had obnoxiously flirted with Faith, looked down at the card. “Does this have to do with his brother?”

Connie and Reynolds eyed him. “Do you know Lee Adams?” Reynolds asked.

“Can’t say I know him. He don’t know my name or nothing. But he’s come by a few times. Just a couple days ago, in fact.”

The two agents looked Rick up and down, gauging his credibility.

“Was he alone?” Reynolds asked.

“No. He had some chick with him.”

Reynolds took out a photo of Lockhart and handed it over to him. “Think short hair, not long, black, not auburn.”

Rick nodded as he stared at the photograph. “Yep, that’s her. And Lee’s hair was different too. Short and blond. And he had a beard and mustache too. I’m real good at noticing things.”

Reynolds and Connie looked at each other, trying hard to hide their excitement.

“Any idea where they might have gone?” Connie asked.

“Maybe. But I sure know why they came here.”

“Really? Why’s that?”

“They needed wheels. Took a bike. One of the big Gold Wings.”

“Gold Wing?” Reynolds repeated.

“Yeah.” Rick rifled through a stack of color brochures on the counter and flipped one around so Reynolds could see. “This one here. The Honda Gold Wing SE. If you’re going long distance, nothing beats this baby. Trust me.”

“And you say Adams took one. Got a color, license plate number?”

“I can look the plate up. The color’s the same as on the brochure. That was a demo. Scotty let him take it.”

“You said you might have an idea where they went,” Reynolds prompted.

“What do you want with Lee?”

“We want to talk with him. And the lady he’s with,” she said amiably.

“They do something wrong?”

“Won’t know until we talk to them,” Connie replied. He stepped forward a little. “It’s an ongoing FBI investigation. You a friend of theirs or something?”

Rick paled at the suggestion. “Hell, no, that chick is bad news. A real attitude. While Lee was inside, I went out to the sales lot and tried to help her. Real professional-like, and she jumped all over me. And Lee’s no better. When he came out, he gave me some lip. I came close to kicking his ass, in fact.”

As Connie looked at the beanpole Rick, he recalled the surveillance tape of the physically imposing Lee Adams. “Kick his ass? Is that right?”

Rick looked defensive. “He’s got some weight on me, but he’s an old guy. And I’m into tae kwon do.”

Reynolds studied Rick closely. “So you’re saying that Lee Adams was inside for a while, and the woman was out in the lot by herself?”

“That’s right.”

Reynolds and Connie traded a quick glance. “If you have information as to where they went, the Bureau would greatly appreciate it,” Reynolds said, growing impatient. “That and the plate number on the bike. Like right now, if you don’t mind. We’re sort of in a hurry.”

“Sure. Lee also got a map for North Carolina. We sell ’em here, but Scotty just gave it to him. That’s what Shirley, the girl who usually works the desk, said.”

“Is she in today?”

“Nope. Sick. I’m it.”

“Can I get one of those Carolina maps?” Reynolds asked. Rick pulled one out and handed it to her. “How much?”

He smiled. “Hey, it’s on the house. Just being a good citizen. You know, I’m thinking about joining the FBI.”

“Well, we could always use a good man,” Connie said with a blank expression, his gaze averted.

Rick looked up the plate number on the demo and gave it to Connie. “You guys let me know what happens,” Rick said as they started to leave.

“You’ll be the first,” Connie called back over his shoulder.

The two agents settled back in the car.

Reynolds looked at her partner. “Well, Lockhart isn’t being held by Adams against her will. He left her outside by herself. She could’ve taken off.”

“They sure look to be a team of sorts. At least right now.”

“North Carolina,” Reynolds said almost to herself.

“Big state,” Connie said back.

Reynolds looked at him with a wry expression. “Well, let’s see if we can cut it down some. At the airport, Lockhart bought two tickets for a flight to Norfolk International.”

“So why the map for North Carolina?”

“They couldn’t take the plane. We’d have been waiting for them in Norfolk. At least Adams seemed to know that. He was probably aware we have an arrangement with the airlines, and that’s how we scored Lockhart at the airport.”

“Lockhart screwed up by using her real name for the second ticket. But that was probably all she could do, unless she had a third fake ID,” Connie added.

“So no plane. Can’t use a credit card, so no rental car. Adams figures we have the bus and railroad terminals covered. So they get the Honda from his brother and a map for their true destination: North Carolina.”

“Meaning that when they got to Norfolk by plane they were either going to drive or hop another plane to someplace in Carolina.”

Reynolds shook her head. “But that doesn’t make sense. If they were going to North Carolina, why not just take a plane directly there? There are tons of flights to Raleigh and Charlotte out of National. Why go through Norfolk?”

“Well, maybe you’d go through Norfolk if you weren’t going to Charlotte or Raleigh or anyplace near them,” Connie ventured, “but still wanted to go to someplace in North Carolina.”

“But why not still go through one of those two major airports?”

“Well, what if Norfolk is a lot closer to where they wanted to go than Charlotte or Raleigh are?”

Reynolds thought a moment. “Raleigh’s roughly in the middle of the state. Charlotte is west.”

Connie snapped his fingers. “East! The coast. The Outer Banks?”