Ring of Lies (67 page)

She’d been duped. There was no other explanation. For the first time in her life, she understood what it felt like to want to kill someone.

Her knuckles tightened on the wheel. While being angry felt good, it wouldn’t lead her to the money.
Think! Damn it, think!

She forced herself to sit up. Her body vibrated with tension as she stared out of the windscreen at the row of parked cars. Then the realization hit.

There was only one place she could go.

The place that only she and one other person knew about.

Some of the tension ebbed away from her body, but she remained physically tired. She fumbled in her purse and took out the bottle of pills. One would give her enough of a buzz to keep her alert for hours, but last time the drug had been slow to take effect. She shook two into the palm of her hand and popped them into her mouth, washing them down with the last of the
water
.

The sun was a
n ochre
crescent
hovering
on
the horizon as she
turned
onto the Interstate
,
heading west
. Euphoria bubbled in h
er laugh and shone in her eyes. No one double-cross
ed
Catherine Peterson
and g
o
t away with it.

Jack’s cell phone
rang just as he and Grace were getting up
. He grabbed it off the bedside table, checked the digital display, and then punched answer.

‘
Hi, Mike. What do you have?
’
He
rubbed a hand over his eyes and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

‘
The airlines finally came through.
Elliott sat next to a woman on
every flight he took
.
It
may
be a coincidence
, but
there’s a
strong
possibility
she
was
travelling with him. The name on the manifest is different
for
each trip,
but that doesn’t mean a
thing.
Chances are its
same woman and
she used a false passport like Elliott.
Homeland Security
is
looking into it
.
’

‘
Anything from the airport security cameras?
’

‘
I’ve got a team reviewing the tapes, but it will take time. We’re also trying to track down the
flight
attendants.
O
ne of them might remember Elliott and the woman, and
be able to give
us a
decent
description of her.
’

Jack
looked at Grace
. F
ully
awake now, she stretched and yawned. He
stood and carried his cell phone over to the window.

‘
How did they pay for t
he tickets?
’

‘
Elliott
always
paid
cash
.
’

‘
Smart. Obviously didn’t want
any record on his credit card
or bank
statement
s
in case Grace saw
them
.
’

‘
Yeah, that was my thinking too.
The woman used a credit card in the same name as her passport. We’re checking
to see if it was stolen
or a counterfeit
.
’

Grace
threw back the covers,
and walked naked to the bathroom. Jack waited until he heard
the taps running
then asked
,
‘
Any news from the British police
on the second autopsy
?
’

‘
It’s
underway.
T
he DNA
results
should be available within the next twenty-four hours. W
e’ll run them through CODIS
-
the Combined DNA Index System
,
although there’s no guarantee we’ll come up with a positive ID.
’

‘
What about his car?
’

‘
Diego’s been through the accident report. There was no sign of any mechanical failure.
The ty
res were
fully inflated
,
so the idea that someone tampered with them
doesn’t fly
. Likewise, the brakes
—
there’s
no sign they were interfered with
. It’s just as Grace
said
. Elliott lost control and slammed into a wall. The car burst into flames on impact. If it hadn’t been for
a
nother
driver
dragging Elliott
’s body
clear of the wreckage, he would have been burnt to a crisp.
’

Jack frowned. Every break they got turned up more questions than answers.
‘
Does the autopsy say anything about
toxicology
screening
?
’

‘
There’s no mention
of
it
in the report
. Why do you ask?
’

‘
Call it a hunch.
’

‘
You think
Elliott
was drugged?
’

‘
According to Grace,
he
was a careful driver. The road conditions were good at the time and
you’ve just said
there
’s no
evidence
to support the theory
another car was involved
or his car was tampered with. Something caused him to lose control
.
’

‘
I don’t know, Jack.
He could have had a momentary lapse of concentration. Besides, t
he body’s been embalmed,
so
a blood test is impossible,
but I guess a hair sample might tell us something.
’

The bathroom door opened, Grace emerged in her underwear, her hair damp from the shower. Jack watched her pull on her jeans and a clean sleeveless shirt, then
stand
in front of the mirror
to
comb her hair.

‘
What…
did you say, Mike,
’
he said into the phone.

‘
The computer lab techs got Elliott’s Mac
B
ook working,
and t
here’s still no
identity on
the
shooter
from last night
.
We’ve run the plates
on the pick
up he drove
. The
owner reported it stolen
from outside
a
Target
store
in North Miami Beach
late yesterday afternoon
.
’

Jack stifled a yawn.
‘
Right now, I’m more concerned about how he
found
us
, than
who he was
.
’

Mike didn’t take one second to get to the bottom line.
‘
You still think there’s a le
ak
within the Bureau
?
’

‘
It’s the only explanation
.
’

Mike’s voice was tight with strain.
‘
All right, Jack. From now on, you check in with me
or Diego
,
every four hours. You miss a call, and I’ll have the local SWAT team on your doorstep before you can blink.
’

‘
Understood.
’

‘
One more thing—d
oes the name Joaquin Vicente
Alzua
mean anything?
’

‘
Never heard of him.
’

‘
His name crops up regularly
o
n Zacha
ry Parous’ appointment calendar
, but
as yet,
we
’ve no idea
why.
If a
nything else breaks, I’ll be in touch.
’