Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files Book 6) (19 page)

“It’s through here.” Jessie didn’t waste time as she flung open the double white-framed doors. He didn’t follow her inside but instead took his time walking through the house and securing the premises. She’d convinced him that they needed to come to her parents’ house first. Her mind wouldn’t be where he wanted it to be had they continued on to their destination. After having made his rounds, there were two windows that had been left unlocked and although latching them didn’t offer that much more protection, it was better than leaving the house open to the local neighborhood juvenile delinquents. The older home didn’t have a security system and once word got out that the Millers were incarcerated, their home would be a target for the kids initially and then the less desirable element. He made a mental note to have someone come by to install a high-grade system until Jessie or Sarah took care of the belongings. “Gavin?”

Crest had just stepped onto the hardwood floor of the entryway from the staircase when Jessie had called for him. He came to an abrupt stop before he entered the office, in disbelief of what he was seeing. He couldn’t have been gone for more than five minutes and she’d somehow pulled down every book off of every shelf in Donald Miller’s office. His desk drawers had been removed and turned upside down, the contents somehow ending up in the middle of the room. The only thing left standing was the furniture itself and the sheer white curtains hanging from the rods that were attached to the wall.

“Jesus Christ.” Crest rubbed his chin as he tried to formulate the correct words. He was coming up blank, which wasn’t unusual when Jessie was around. It frustrated the hell out of him and he let her know it. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Looking for anything that might lead us to Uncle John.” Jessie placed both hands on her hips and cocked her head as if he’d missed a memo. It made him want to start their next few days together right this moment, but that wasn’t going to happen. “I told you about my theory in the car and you thought it was a good idea.”

“I never said it was a good idea,” Crest corrected, knowing they would have to put everything back the way they’d found it. At this rate they would have to order in some food because he wasn’t going to let her go without eating until they reached their destination. “If I remember correctly I stated that it was something worth looking into. Contacting a handler that broke contact and may or may not have absconded with any and all funds is not technically a sound idea.”

“Well, I can’t find anything,” Jessie said, throwing her hands up and sitting in the leather office chair hard enough that it rolled backward. She grabbed the hair that was over her shoulder and started to play with it as she focused on something that wasn’t even in the room. “I remember playing in here on the rug when I was a little girl. He used to keep important files in the desk, but there was nothing in the drawers except old bills and insurance papers.”

“I can pretty much guarantee that your father didn’t keep anything in this house that would glaringly give away that he worked for some foreign intelligence agency.” Crest reached for the button of his cuff, releasing the restrictive material and then taking his time to roll the fabric up a few inches. He did the same to the other as he surveyed the room. “As for your Uncle John, you need to be looking for a birthday card, a Christmas card…something that would be included with many others of its kind. Your parents would have integrated the information into their lives so it didn’t come across as peculiar. An address book that your mother always kept on the counter would have blended in nicely. Was your mother a good cook? Did she keep a recipe box where one might be coded with a number?”

“You aren’t some sort of spy, are you?” Jessie asked, her frustration elevated slightly as she tilted her head with an amused smile. It faded as the reality of what her parents were facing invaded once more. “You’re basically saying it could be anywhere and that most likely it’s coded so that it makes it hard to discover its true meaning. Well, that really sucks.”

“You take the kitchen and I’ll start cleaning up this mess.” Crest also wanted time alone in here. He wanted to sit in the chair Jessie was occupying and try to put himself in her father’s place. Crest needed to feel what her father felt and be taken back in time. “If you locate anything that you think could be coded with a number or an address, set it aside. We’ll go over everything we find and worst case, we’ll get the information into Taryn’s hands and let one of her computer programs decipher whatever number groupings or keypads we might find.”

Jessie finally let go of her hair and pushed herself into a standing position. Her movements were graceful and if they had been anywhere other than here, in her childhood home, he would have continued what they’d started at the cabin. Her full lips could be more swollen and the pallor of her cheeks could have additional color, as well as her unblemished ass. This wasn’t the time or place, so he remained still as she walked past him and into the foyer, leaving behind the fragrance of her perfume.

Crest looked around at the cluttered mess Jessie had left in her hurricane wake and he shook his head at her youthful impatience. That would definitely be something they would work on during their initial sessions together and he would take great pleasure in showing her what patience could get a person if that person was properly motivated. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind, accepting the fact that they were going to be here for quite a while. He didn’t make a move to pick up what was on the floor, but instead he stepped over the small piles of books and papers until he was directly in front of one of the bookshelves.

Taking his time, Crest ran his fingers over the smooth wood until there wasn’t an inch uncovered. He continued to search the office until there was nothing left to uncover and then he finally allowed himself to sit down in Donald Miller’s office chair. He surveyed the walls, the ceiling, the vents, and finally the hardwood floor that the earth toned rug didn’t cover. Nothing stood out that didn’t belong. That was the problem with searching the house of a self-aware couple that would have taken precautions not to leave tell tale signs of subterfuge. The artwork was standard for any American home office, as was the medium grade hardwood two pedestal desk. The drawers were out of the wooden structure and nothing seemed out of place as far as depth and length in comparison to outside dimensions. Taking his time over the next two hours, Crest eventually put everything back into place that Jessie had so insolently wrecked in her passion to find what eluded her.

“Nothing?”

Crest had just sat back down in Miller’s chair when Jessie appeared in the double doorway. She looked disappointed and he couldn’t blame her. She plopped down in the guest chair with exhaustion, reminding him they either needed to order food in or it was time for them to go find something edible. There were only so many places to search without tearing apart the foundation. It wasn’t that Crest didn’t want justice served, but if her parents were sent back to Russia and had to live their lives in exile from the children they loved…that would be a harsh penance to serve.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if your parents destroyed any evidence of their past.” Crest rubbed his chin as he thought of a way to let her down easy. “When the Soviet Union fell apart into its former satellite states, so did everything associated with the central government. Closest to the intellectual center of that government was the KBG, the former states’ most secret agency that had been attacked by the revolutionary right for its sins in aiding the old guard by enforcing its will on the people. The very people that would have known of their existence were now hunted people themselves and they weren’t ready to lie down and die because the old guard had. It wasn’t as if they had hope of ever being reactivated.”

“I don’t understand it though.” Jessie was frustrated and once again latched onto the long strands that had fallen over her shoulder. “Would you have gone and destroyed everything?”

“Not necessarily.” Crest looked at the family photo that was hanging on the wall behind Jessie. “Even if your father had annihilated anything to do with his handler, he would have memorized a number or an address. In which case we wouldn’t have access to any of that intelligence if he doesn’t want us to.”

Crest thought over carefully of what was said at the visitation this morning. Jessie had brought up her Uncle John, but neither Donald nor Julia had given much of a reaction with the exception of recognition of whom she was talking about. Lou had followed up with his thoughts and after goodbyes were exchanged, they’d run into Sarah. Crest immediately discounted that she would have any information that would assist them in this matter. The family was close, but Donald and Julia would never put their children in danger. The love between them…and that had to be it.

Crest didn’t waste time as he stood and walked around the desk, past Jessie, and to where the family portrait was displayed on the wall. He pulled the picture down and knowing what he was about to do to the frame, didn’t bother to handle it gently as he knelt down and placed it on the rug.

“What are you doing?”

“Love is the framework of your family,” Crest reiterated, basically quoting Donald Miller. “After he said that he loved you and your sister, he tagged on that last little sentiment.”

Crest didn’t waste any time as he dismantled the frame one piece at a time. He didn’t find what he was looking for, so he then grabbed one of the pieces of wood with both hands and snapped it in two. Nothing. He chose a second one and did the same thing. Again, no hidden compartments. It was solid. The third finally resulted in what he anticipated to find. There was a small hollow in the split wooden structure with a curled piece of paper just out of reach in the joint. His fingers were too wide and even Jessie’s manicured nails wouldn’t be able to fit into the opening. He used his knee as reinforcement to break the smaller piece into two. Finally the piece of coiled paper fell from its confines and floated gently to the ground.

“What does it say?” Jessie had remained silent while he went about destroying the frame, although she was watching his actions intently. She immediately dropped to her knees in front of him and scooped up the fragment of the fragile rice paper. She flipped it over, as if whatever she read wasn’t enough. “A number. It’s not even a phone number. There aren’t enough digits.”

Crest held out his hand and waited for Jessie to hand it over. Sure enough, there were several digits listed. He instantly thought it might belong to a locker combination or a safe, but the only person who knew where it was located was currently sitting behind bars and not likely to give up that information—not if it meant his youngest daughter could be placed in danger by being armed with that knowledge. Thinking back, Miller had made eye contact with him when he’d said those words. He’d known that Crest would handle whatever Jessie might find and protect her in the interim. In all fairness, it was most likely a code that would take more than the average American intellect to figure out.

“I’ll relay this information to Taryn and see if any of her code-breaking software can come up with something that will lead us to this Uncle John you keep referring to.” Crest stood and then held out his hand, waiting for Jessie to slide her fingers into his. Her disheartened green eyes were gazing up at him and his thoughts strayed to what lie ahead for them. “In the meantime, you need to eat. Let’s do one more walk-through to ensure that everything is locked up.”

“That’s it?” Jessie’s cherry stained bottom lip poked out slightly at his suggestion. “What about the attic? I didn’t check there.”

Crest honed in his impatience, but Jessie had a point in as far as old family photo albums might be stored up there that would give Taryn more to go on. They always said a picture was worth a thousand words. Maybe they could dig up an old photograph of John. His facial features were something that could easily be run through the system with today’s facial recognition software, in which case they might locate the man quicker than trying to figure out what the numbers meant on a piece of paper totally without context.

“Fine.” Crest didn’t release his hold on her though. He turned on his heel and walked through the small entryway and up the stairs until they were standing underneath the small square that gave them access to the attic. He looked to his left, seeing Jessie’s old bedroom. It was easily recognizable from the white lettering of her name that was hung on the wall. He gently pulled her toward the room, wanting to look a little more. He hadn’t taken the time before, but he would now. “Your parents didn’t really change anything, did they? Do you stay in this room when you come to visit?”

Jessie looked a little shocked at the question, but she still took a few steps forward on the carpet and she looked around as if she were seeing it through his eyes. Her hand stroked the pink comforter and a fond smile lit up her face.

“Yes, I do.” Jessie seemed to need a few moments as well before venturing into the attic and revealing more secrets. Crest leaned against the doorframe, studying her as she thought back to her childhood. “I guess I never really thought about them changing the furniture around. They could have made Sarah’s and my room guest bedrooms but they didn’t. I liked the fact that I could come home and still be the baby of the family. Sounds a little odd, huh?”

“No.” Crest suddenly felt hungry to know more of her. He’d fought what she said she wanted for so long that it had become automatic. He needed to retrain himself to think of Jessie differently, but that didn’t mean he would open up his life to her quite yet. The chance of Jessie hating him for opening up her eyes to who he really was and what she assumed she wanted happened to be relatively high. He only ever bet on a sure thing. Now that he’d conceded to take their relationship to another level there was no turning back. As he said back at the cabin…she would wind up either hating him or loving him. He wasn’t sure what would be worse. Her green eyes were waiting for him to continue. “I don’t think it’s odd. Childhood memories aren’t jaded by our life experiences. Coming back here gives you that innocent feeling once more, before the complications of day to day life tore your dreams apart.”