The Christmas Clue (6 page)

That was good. But it didn’t mean it would stay that way.

“Who’s with you?” Libby asked.

“It’s a long story. I’m more concerned about a leak in the department communications and the fact that someone tried to murder me.”

Libby didn’t answer right away. “We’re looking into that. For now I have the parking lot fully monitored.”

“Well, it can’t be that secure because I got in,” Matt pointed out.

“Through the greenbelt. Yes. I missed that at first, but it’s covered now.”

Matt didn’t know what to make of that. “Considering there’s almost certainly a leak in communications, I’m not relieved about that. The person responsible for that leak could already be here.”

“I’m monitoring the area with equipment, not agents.” She glanced down at the screen of the infrared device. “I’m coming up.”

And that’s exactly what she proceeded to do.

“It’s late,” Matt said. “I’m with someone.” He caught on to Cass and pulled her closer to him. She gave him a puzzling glance and even a nudge in the ribs with her elbow. “Play along,” he mouthed. “She’s monitoring us with infrared.”

Cass quit struggling and stared at Matt.

Because he figured there was nothing he could say to stop Libby from walking up the stairs, he had a decision to make. If he didn’t answer the door, she’d probably knock. That might alert neighbors. It might also make Libby more concerned than she apparently already was. Heck, maybe she thought he was being held hostage or something. Either way, he didn’t want her there. She’d have too many questions, and besides, Ronald was on the way with the equipment. Matt definitely didn’t want to have to answer anything about
that.

Matt clicked the end call button, caught on to Cass’s arm and pulled her toward the door. “Keep your weapon out of sight,” he instructed.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Cass asked.

There was a soft knock at the door. “Keep your face hidden, and pretend you’re my lover.”

Cass’s mouth dropped open. “Huh?”

He didn’t really have time for a further explanation, but Cass caught on, anyway. If Libby thought they were on the verge of having hot sex, she might leave right away.

Cass stuffed her gun into the back slide holster of her jeans, and Matt waited until she stepped behind him before he opened the door to face his fellow agent.

Not that she looked much like an agent.

Libby looked more like a model. Tall, attractive. She also had a brooding intensity and was married to the badge. In the two years that Matt had known her, she’d never spoken of her personal life. It was one of the reasons Matt enjoyed working with her. There was nothing wrong with being all business.

Except he no longer felt that way.

Molly had changed the way he felt about a lot of things.

Libby’s curious blue eyes landed on him first. Then, what she could see of Cass’s arm.

“Libby, I’m with a friend,” Matt offered. And that was the only introduction he intended to make.

“You don’t want me here,” Libby said. “Yes, I got that from your tone. But you need help, Matt. Were you hurt in the attack?”

“Not a scratch,” he lied. Matt didn’t want to answer questions about that, either.

Libby’s mouth tightened. “Do you really think I believe you’re about to haul this woman off to bed?”

“Adrenaline lust.” Matt dragged Cass even closer. She did her part. Cass snuggled close to his back while keeping her face hidden.

Libby made a sound to indicate she didn’t believe any of this. “Are you planning to stay here tonight?”

“Yes,” Matt lied again.

He didn’t have to add to the lie, either, because Cass’s phone buzzed softly. She grabbed it from her pocket and glanced at the screen. “I need to take this call,” she whispered. She headed for the bathroom and even shut the door.

That grabbed Matt’s interest. Who would be calling Cass, and was it related to Dominic and his daughter?

But Matt didn’t have time to ponder that.

“This could be trouble,” Libby announced, looking at the infrared screen. “A car just stopped at the far end of the parking lot.”

Matt pulled her inside, kicked the door shut and went to the window. His body automatically went into combat mode. Until he spotted the car and the person inside.

It was Ronald.

Matt turned to Libby. “Do you trust me?”

She blinked. “Of course.”

“Then leave now.”

“I can’t. Someone tried to kill you tonight.”

“And there’s nothing you can do about that here. What would help is for you to go back to headquarters and find out about that leak.”

Matt didn’t wait for her to agree. He caught on to her and practically dragged her toward the door. Just as his phone vibrated. It was Ronald, no doubt, calling to see if it was safe to come up.

“I’ll contact you soon,” Matt promised Libby. He pushed her out the door and locked it. Matt waited until he heard her walk away before he answered the call.

“Libby is here at the apartment building,” Matt immediately told Ronald. “She should be on her way to her SUV now. Do you see her?”

“Yes. What’d she want?”

“To check on me. She knows nothing about the equipment. I want to keep it that way.”

“So do I,” Ronald agreed. “If anyone in the department learns why I really checked out this stuff, then both of us will be in hot water.”

Definitely. “I take it that you got what I need?” Matt asked.

“I got it. I signed it out of the equipment room with an explanation that I planned to use it to assist in tracking the assassins who came after you.”

“Good thinking.” Matt watched through the window as Libby got in her vehicle and drove away. “Duck down in the seat. Libby’s about to drive by, and even though she’s using an infrared scanner, I’d rather she not see your face.”

“You and me both,” Ronald mumbled.

Matt waited, dividing his attention between Libby’s exit and the muffled phone conversation that Cass was having in the bathroom. He couldn’t hear enough of what she was saying to know if this was good or bad news.

“Libby’s gone,” Matt relayed to Ronald.

Ronald didn’t waste any time. He drove closer, got out and hurried toward the apartment. Matt had the door open and ready for him.

Unlike Libby, this particular co-worker was a welcome sight, because Ronald wasn’t just a co-worker, he was as close to a friend as Matt had. He was wiry with black hair that lay flat and slick, and eyes that were too big for his face. The only thing that saved him from looking downright spooky was his easy smile.

“Here’s the infrared monitor, a jammer, laptop and binoculars with a long-range viewer,” Ronald explained, handing Matt a bulging leather equipment bag.

Matt lifted a pair of handcuffs from the bag. “You’re optimistic—I don’t think I’ll be able to make an arrest this time around. Nor will I have time for kinky sex.” Though he would no doubt be thinking about kinky sex with Cass around.

Ronald shrugged. “They came standard issue with the bag. Ditto for the stun gun and plenty of other stuff. What’s missing is the thermal body armor device. It wasn’t there. Guess somebody screwed up and forgot to include it.”

Matt didn’t mind not having the thermal body armor. It was a tiny device, and it basically blocked an agent from being detected with an infrared monitor. But since Matt was the one who’d be using the monitor on Dominic and his guards, he likely wouldn’t need it.

“I don’t suppose it’d do me any good to try to talk you out of whatever it is you’re about to do?” Ronald asked.

“No good whatsoever.” Matt turned on the infrared to test it. It worked. He could see Cass’s “hot” image in the bathroom.

“This is about the baby that Dominic adopted,” Ronald continued. He cocked his head to the side. “Yours and Vanessa’s baby.”

Because Ronald had risked a lot by coming here, Matt felt he owed him an explanation, even if it was a partial one. “I have to get my daughter out. And please save your breath about going through official channels.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” There was more than a touch of sarcasm in Ronald’s voice. “Nor will I dwell on the fact that this could cost you everything.”

Matt met his gaze head-on. “My daughter is everything now.”

Ronald flashed one of his infamous smiles. “I wouldn’t respect you if you’d said otherwise.” The smile was short-lived. “Gideon is already suspicious. He called me on the way over here.”

Their boss. Gideon Tate. And, yeah, Gideon would be suspicious. He was no dummy. Gideon would probably be on Matt’s side in this issue, too, if he learned the whole story, but Matt didn’t want to drag him into this. The fewer people who knew, the better. That might prevent Dominic from learning what Matt planned to do.

“If you’re going to Dominic’s estate,” Ronald continued, “and if you get in a tight spot, there’s a local sheriff nearby that you can trust. Only one. His name is Mike Medina, and he’s over in a little town called Rim Rock.”

“The department knows this guy is clean and not working for Dominic?”

Ronald nodded. “He’s a straight arrow.” He glanced around. “What about transportation—how do you plan to get to West Texas?”

“I came here in the truck,” Matt volunteered.

Ronald groaned, extracted his keys from his pocket and shoved them into the equipment bag. “You won’t get far in that truck. Take my car—the plates are clean. I switched them before I came over. Do you need me to go with you?”

“No. You’ve already risked enough.”

And speaking of risks, the infrared monitor detected some motion. A vehicle moving in the parking lot. Matt went to the window, looked out and saw Libby. She parked, got out and was headed straight for the apartment.

“Libby,” Matt relayed to Ronald. “You need to leave so she doesn’t see you.”

“I have a better idea.” Ronald returned to the door. “Since I no longer have the equipment on me, I’ll run interference for you and talk Libby into going home. Good luck finding your daughter.”

Matt thanked him, locked the door again and hoped like the devil that he wouldn’t have to go another round with Libby or the assassins tonight. But he did have to find out what was going on with Cass. She’d been on that phone a long time.

She opened the bathroom door the moment he reached for the knob. “You have the equipment?” Cass asked, glancing at the large black leather bag.

Matt nodded and was about to ask about the call, but the knock at the door stopped him.

“It’s Libby,” she called out. “I don’t care what Ronald says, I can help you.”

“We don’t have time for another conversation,” Cass informed him.

Matt agreed. He opened the bathroom window and tossed out the chain fire escape ladder. It was well past time they got out of there, and leaving the back way was not only safe, it would prevent another encounter with Libby.

“That call was from Hollis Becker, my insider at Dominic’s estate,” Cass continued. “There’s a problem.”

He cursed, not just with Cass’s news, but the fact that Libby was still pounding his door.

Matt slipped the equipment bag over his shoulder so he could climb down. “What’s wrong?” he asked, dreading what he was about to hear.

“Hollis overheard Dominic’s sister, Annette, talking to someone on the phone.”

Matt’s heart dropped to his knees. “Did something happen to Molly?”

“Not like you think. But according to what Hollis overheard, Annette is worried about Dominic. He’s involved in some kind of new deal, and she’s afraid it might put them all in danger. Annette is making plans to take Molly out of the country.”

He mentally filled in the blanks. If Annette managed to get out of the country with Molly, then Matt might never find his daughter. But if Annette and Molly stayed, their lives were at risk.

Matt didn’t care for either scenario.

“Let’s go,” Matt ordered. “We’re leaving for Dominic’s estate.
Now.
”

Four hundred and seventy-three miles.

That was the distance between Matt’s apartment in San Antonio and Dominic’s isolated Texas estate that was practically on the border with New Mexico. Cass knew the exact mileage because Matt and she had taken turns driving through the night to get there. But they’d finally arrived after a few stops for gasoline, clothes and fast food.

Cass checked her watch. It was 9:00 a.m. Cold, gray and drizzling. It was hardly the hour or the ideal weather to attempt a break-in.

Still, they might not have a choice.

If Annette was leaving with Molly, they’d have to stop her.

When the estate came into view, Matt slowed the car to a crawl on the narrow two-lane private road. Centered among acres of fenced flat land, it was the second time Cass had seen the place. Not a home, exactly. More like a fortress.

Or the gateway to hell.

The three-story Romanesque-style house was constructed of rough-faced squared gray stones that blended into the wintry landscape and gunmetal skies.

Matt and she, however, wouldn’t blend.

“Too bad we don’t have one of those cloaks like Harry Potter,” she mumbled. She took out her phone and pressed in the number for her contact, Hollis Becker. “Then we could make ourselves invisible and walk right onto the grounds and into the house.”

Matt eased over onto the shoulder of the road and pointed to the trio of semis that were parked just inside the black wrought iron entry gates. He took some binoculars from his equipment bag and looked around.

“They’re putting up Christmas decorations,” he relayed to her.

“That’s for Dominic’s big Christmas Eve party. Thankfully, there’ll be so many temporary workers and guests, we won’t be noticed.”

She hoped.

“Hollis,” Cass greeted when the man answered the phone. “It’s me. We made it. How soon can you get us onto the estate?”

“Now. Drive through the service entrance. I’ll meet you there and tell the guards that you’re part of today’s work crew. Keep your guns out of sight.”

“Will do.” She tucked her gun in her back waist holster and stuffed the equipment bag under the seat. “Go straight ahead, then turn right at the service entrance.”

Matt proceeded to do just that, and he slipped his own gun inside the brown bomber-style jacket they’d bought at a 24/7 discount store. Cass had gotten stuck with a blue wool coat that was at least two sizes too big, but it’d been the first one she’d grabbed off the rack.

“How much do you trust Becker?” Matt asked.

“Enough. I’ve paid him well.”

He groaned softly and cursed, indicating that he didn’t approve of this arrangement. Neither did she, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t use Hollis’s assistance to get them onto the estate.

“Correction—I’ve paid him
very
well. To the tune of a quarter of million dollars,” she added.

Matt’s left eyebrow rose. “How did you get your hands on that kind of money? Your assets are frozen.”

“The feds missed a safety deposit box that contained most of the family jewels. No pun intended. I sold or pawned nearly everything inside it.”

His eyebrow stayed high.

“We knew this would be risky coming in,” Cass said in defense of her plan. “Hollis might be in this for the money, but that doesn’t mean he’ll betray us. If you ask me, we’ve got more to worry about from your fellow co-agents, Libby and Rodney, than we do from Hollis.”

“Rodney helped us by getting us this car and the equipment. And in all the time I’ve worked with both of them, I haven’t seen anything to indicate they’re criminals.”

“But we don’t know for sure what their motives are. Either of them could have been responsible for that leak in communications. Either of them could be on Dominic’s payroll.”

Judging from the throaty grunt Matt tossed her way, he wanted to argue that, but he couldn’t. They approached the gate of the service entrance, where four armed guards were waiting for them.

“They’re carrying AK-47s,” Matt relayed to her in a mumble. “These aren’t amateurs.”

No. And there wouldn’t be amateurs inside the estate, either. As she’d already briefed Matt, Dominic had approximately a dozen guards on duty at all times, and every inch of the house was wired for surveillance.

Just ahead, she spotted Hollis, the wind slapping against his combed over flame-red head of hair. He said something to one of the guards, and the man waved them through the security gate. Hollis pulled his hand from his thick parka so he could open the back door and climb in on the seat behind Cass.

“Take a left up there,” Hollis said.

His austere, almost gruffly barked order caused Matt to eyeball the man in his rearview mirror. “This had better not be a trap,” Matt warned.

“As long as I get paid, no traps.”

Matt glared at Hollis before exchanging glances with her. Obviously, Hollis’s comment did nothing to ease the distrust in Matt’s eyes.

They used a road that ran along the perimeter of the estate and stopped at a trio of small gray stone cottages. “Stay in the one on the right,” Hollis informed them.

“And the other two?” Matt asked.

“Empty this time of year.” Hollis got out and started walking back toward the main house. Matt parked the car behind the cottage, so that it wouldn’t be in the direct line of sight of the main house. After he made sure that Hollis was indeed leaving, he grabbed the equipment bag, and they went inside.

“Home sweet home,” Cass mumbled.

It wasn’t the Ritz. Not that she’d expected it to be since these sleeping quarters were obviously for Dominic’s workers. Gray linoleum floors ruptured with thin cracks. A rust-scabbed fridge. A hotplate crusted with heaven knows what. A radio so old that it could be considered vintage. A closet-size bathroom that’d seen much better days.

And a bed.

Just one.

A twin size at that.

Either Matt or she was going to end up sleeping on that cold linoleum floor.

But Matt didn’t pay any attention to the decor or sleeping arrangements. He also didn’t waste any time. He took a handheld device from the equipment bag and turned it on. He angled the device in all corners of the cottage, studied the screen and then went to her.

And that wasn’t all.

He put his mouth right against her ear.

“No listening devices,” he whispered. His breath was warm, and it sent a shiver of heat through her.

Cass quickly pushed that away and made sure she kept at least a few inches between them when she asked, “Then why are you whispering?”

Once more, he closed the gap between them. His mouth went to her ear again. “There could be some long-range external monitors to detect the sound waves bouncing off the glass.”

Oh. Well, this wasn’t going to be fun. One bed and they’d practically have to touch to speak, but at least they were on the estate and closer to getting what they both wanted.

Matt turned on the radio, setting it on low volume. It was a country music station, and Keith Urban began to serenade them. “It’ll diffuse the sound waves if anyone is trying to listen,” he whispered.

Matt then got to work setting up yet more equipment he took from the bag. One piece she recognized as an infrared monitor. Just as he’d done with the “bug” detector, he aimed it in all directions before pointing it at the house.

“There’s no one in the immediate area around us,” he explained in a whisper. “But there are lots of people inside the estate.”

Cass moved closer so she could see the splotches of colors. Matt was methodical, slowly moving the monitor so he could study each room.

And then he stopped.

Cass knew why. One of those people splotches was much smaller than the rest. He stared at it for several moments and then reached for his long-range binoculars.

“Binoculars can’t see through walls,” she mumbled.

“But they can see through glass,” he countered. Matt kneeled down on the floor and aimed the binoculars to the east side of the estate. “I think Molly’s in the garden room with three other—”

He froze again.

Alarmed, Cass tried to see what had rendered him speechless and visibly shaken. “Please don’t tell me something is wrong.”

Still not saying anything, Matt passed the binoculars to her. Dreading what she might see, Cass looked through them and saw what had no doubt alarmed him.

She spotted the guard first. He was by the exterior doors. But then she saw Molly, sitting in a stroller in the lush plant-filled garden room. The little girl looked precious, dressed in pink overalls and a white eyelet lace top.

Annette was there, too, in her wheelchair. Looking rather upset. She had a death grip on one handle of Molly’s stroller.

So, did Dominic. He was gripping just as tightly to the other handle.

Cass didn’t have to hear them to know that Annette and Dominic were in the throes of a fierce argument.

And Molly was literally right in the middle.

M
ATT WAITED A MOMENT
, until he could hammer down some of the rage that was churning inside him. Mixed with all that rage were fatherly emotions brought on by seeing his daughter for the first time. And Matt had no doubt that this child was his. He could feel it in every part of his soul.

“Are you okay?” Cass whispered.

Matt didn’t even try to lie. “No.”

He was a powder keg of raw nerves, and that wasn’t good. Because that meant he wasn’t focused on the mission, and this mission was too damn important for him not to concentrate on what had to be done.

“Call Hollis,” Matt said under his breath. He snatched the binoculars from her. “Ask him the best way to approach the house.”

Thankfully, Cass didn’t remind him that they couldn’t go in during broad daylight. She simply made the call, while Matt watched the scene unfold in front of him.

Dominic and Annette were still arguing, or at least having a spirited discussion, but Molly was asleep and therefore oblivious to what was going on around her. Thank God.

She was so little.

So helpless.

Matt studied that tiny face and saw pieces of himself. The way her eyes were set. Her mouth, that was his, too. As was her coloring. Part of him was furious that Vanessa hadn’t told him about their baby, and the other part of him just wanted to run into the house and get her out of there.

How would Molly react to him?

He’d be a stranger, of course, but Matt intended to do something about that. He wasn’t sure of the logistics yet, but he would be a major part of his daughter’s life. He’d be a father in every sense of the word, but it made him a little squeamish to think of holding that tiny girl in his rough hands.

Behind him, he could hear Cass’s softly spoken conversation. He could also hear the disappointment in her voice. So it was no surprise when she ended the call and gave him a summary of what Hollis had told her.

“He says it’s too risky to go in now,” Cass mouthed.

Yeah. Matt knew that.

She moved closer to him, leaned down and whispered the rest in his ear. “It’s a long shot, but Hollis says he’ll check and see if he can
coax
one of the guards into leaving his post. If he can, he’ll give us a call.”

Her breath was warm. Mint-scented. She smelled soft and feminine.

Matt kept watch on the garden room. “Hollis means he’ll
coax
the guard for a price,” he mumbled.

And Cass’s silence indicated he was dead on.

Matt made a mental note to repay Cass for all of this.

She stared at him. “Are you thinking about storming the place?” she mouthed.

Matt had dodged her similar questions on the drive over—mainly because he was still trying to work out everything. But he hadn’t ruled out extreme measures.

“What would you do if I said yes?”

Cass shrugged. “Gather the gear, check my weapon.” She put her palms together. “Pray. Maybe whine just a little.”

A smile tugged at his mouth. Why, he didn’t know. There was nothing humorous about this. But it did seem strange that the one person he could trust most in all of this was Cass. In fact, with that possible leak in communication at the Justice Department, she might be the
only
one he could trust.

That was a sobering thought.

“We’re screwed if Hollis betrays us,” he mumbled.

Cass made a sound to indicate that was true, and she sank down on the floor next to him. Right next to him, so that her arm was against his body. “What’s going on in the garden room?”

Matt watched for the latest. “The argument seems to be winding down,” he whispered. “And Dominic seems to be winning.”

“Not exactly a surprise.”

No, it wasn’t. From what he knew about him, Dominic would win this argument and all others with his sister. Matt had to get his baby out of there fast, especially since this new business deal that Hollis had learned about could mean extra danger for Molly.

Dominic walked away from his sister and Molly. The image was so clear that Matt could see Annette catch her bottom lip between her teeth and wipe tears from her cheeks. The woman waited there a moment before she got her wheelchair moving, and pushed the stroller out of the garden room.

And out of view.

Whatever that argument had been about, it’d obviously upset Annette.

Matt grabbed the thermal infrared monitor and scanned the house so that he could keep track of Molly. Cass adjusted her position, getting even closer, and she watched the screen, as well. The thermal images were blurry, but Matt guessed that Annette took the baby into the nursery. It was practically in the center of the house, which meant it had no exterior windows or doors.

No easy access.

Still, the nursery was probably their best bet to orchestrate an extraction since it was likely the only time his daughter would be alone.

“That’s Dominic,” Cass whispered eagerly tapping the screen. “Well, that’s his office, anyway. He doesn’t let many people in there so that must be him.”

Matt hoped that was true because that room was far away from the nursery.

“Look.” Cass pointed to the nursery area on the screen. “I think Annette’s rocking Molly.”