A Murder in Time (63 page)

Cooper prodded Leeds when he fell silent. “Yes?”

“Agent Donovan would never shoot at an innocent bystander. She would not murder someone to—forgive me, but to put it crudely, to save her own ass.”

“She murdered Greene!”

Leeds looked at Thompson. “Greene was far from innocent.”

Cooper steepled his fingers, his expression thoughtful. “You mentioned several things. What are the others?”

“Ricin was discovered mixed into the wine in the room where Greene's body was discovered. It would've been poetic justice, had Greene died of ricin poisoning. But again, we have a puzzle, gentlemen. Why shoot Greene when she had every intention of eliminating him with the ricin-laced drink?”

“Plan A and Plan B,” Thompson suggested. “She planned to poison him, but he refused to drink it. She was forced into Plan B—shooting him instead.”

“Possibly,” murmured Leeds. But he didn't think so. He continued, “The third puzzle, if you will, is that Special Agent Donovan left her bag at the castle. It contained clothes, money, and a passport that identified her as French citizen Marie Boulanger. She also left the rental car. Why?”

“She had other transportation,” argued Thompson. “We already know she had other passports.”

“But why bother securing other transportation? And who would have brought it to the castle? That would require a partner she trusted. It would also mean questions. And even if she arranged for someone to pick her up, why leave her things behind?” Leeds shook his head. “What we have here is a mystery.”

“It's no mystery if she had an accomplice,” snapped Thompson. “Maybe she had a lover that you were unaware of.”

“In the eight months she was on the task force, Agent Donovan was not involved with anyone,” Carson said. “She devoted all her time to her work.”

“You can't know that.”

Cooper raised his hand to preempt any further argument. A deep frown etched itself on his face. “Despite these inconsistencies, two facts remain irrefutable—Sir Jeremy is dead and Special Agent Donovan was there, but has now vanished. As far as the United States government is concerned, she is a rogue agent and will be treated as such. Her photograph, with several computer variations, has been sent to our embassies and respective agency bureaus, since she will undoubtedly attempt to change her appearance.”

“She is not a threat to the United States,” Leeds said. He felt the need to protest, though he knew it would make no difference. Kendra was worse than a threat; she was an embarrassment.

Cooper gave him a stern look. “We cannot let our agents determine their own brand of justice.”

Whatever had happened in England, Kendra Donovan had most definitely gone rogue. Dammit, Leeds had
liked
her—he
still
liked her.

Wherever you are, Kendra, I hope you stay there
, he thought.

Cooper pushed himself to his feet, a signal that the meeting was over. He gave them each a hard look. “Make no mistake, gentlemen: Kendra Donovan will be found. She can't run forever. The United States government
will
find her. It's only a matter of time.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing a novel is an interesting adventure, filled with highs and lows. I have to thank my good friends Karre Jacobs, Bonnie McCarthy and Lori McAllister for always pulling me out of those lows (sometimes with a bottle of wine) and pushing me forward with their indefatigable encouragement. What would I have done without you? And I have to give a big shout-out to my agent, Jill Grosjean, whose professionalism is equally balanced with her wonderful sense of humor and decency. I consider myself lucky to have found you. And last, but by no means least, many thanks to the wonderful team at Pegasus, especially my editors, Maia Larson and Katie McGuire. Your deft touch and keen insights were invaluable, and very much appreciated.

A MURDER IN TIME

Pegasus Books LLC
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New York, NY 10004

Copyright © 2016 Julie McElwain

First Pegasus Books edition April 2016

Interior design by Maria Fernandez

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-60598-974-7

ISBN: 978-1-68177-115-1 (e-book)

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