Megan was ready to get out of here.
See if Adrian needed backup.
Sofía ran her hands down her face. “I don’t even knowwhat to do. Though I guess I have to call Ernesto. And send anemail to the man to tell him José haspassed.” Her lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears.
Megan shifted to face the younger woman, pushingaside her feelings about “Ernesto” and what Adrian had told herabout José’s father and his connection toall this. She said, “The man?”
Sofía sighed. “The one whois paying all our medical bills. He’ll need to know.”
Megan waved the young woman to a low brick wall.“Would you like to sit?” Sofía nodded and settled onto it. Megansat beside her. She didn’t want to burden the woman with questions.She’d just lost her son and then had almost been kidnapped.
As soon as Megan was done, she could let Sofía getback to the waves of emotion and thoughts that seemed to bebarraging her. She said, “There’s a man who pays your medicalbills?”
This was all linked to the blackmailer. Megan didn’tbelieve in coincidences. People were getting terrorized andpressured to do things or pay money…and Sofía’s family wasreceiving it.
Perhaps her husband was more involved than Megan hadknown.
And if he was, then they had a clear link betweenEl Cuervo and theblackmailer.
Sofía’s face blanked. Megan was about to lose her tothe fog of grief. “Ernesto said it would be taken care of.”
A police car with flashinglights and sirens pulled up to the curb. The security guards walkedthe apprehended man over to them, and they stood in a huddle. Oneof the cops glanced at Megan and Sofía. Megan pulled her FBI badgeout of her back pocket and waved it. The cop lifted his chin, thenturned back to the security guard.
“Is there someone you can call?” She didn’t want thewoman to be alone right now. It wasn’t good for her. And it wasn’tsafe.
Sofía nodded.
“The police will want your statement. Then you can goback inside.” She would likely rather be with her son, sayinggoodbye. “Have the security guards go with you, I don’t want you tobe alone right now. Okay?”
Sofía nodded, her eyes glassy. She seemed almostdazed. Was everything catching up with her?
Movement down the sidewalk caught her attention.Megan stood. Adrian was making his way back to her. He shook hishead.
The man had gotten away.
**
Adrian gripped the steering wheel, headed for theairport. Hank’s voice came through the SUV’s speakers. His bosssaid, “Security at the St. Louis airport caught Zimmerman checkingin for a flight to Chicago half an hour ago.”
“They’re sure?”
“It’s him,” Hank said. “Duffel bag that could containthe sonic weapon.”
Adrian wasn’t convinced that meant Zimmerman hadboarded the plane. He knew the FBI would be notified if he wascaught on security camera. They were watching all airports, trainand bus stations. Zimmerman wasn’t dumb enough to make a mistakelike that.
Unless he was trying to get caught.
Adrian couldn’t shake the feeling that Zimmerman hadmade these moves on purpose. Leaving the flash drive for Megan—aflash drive that presumably had been on the person of the man he’dchased. All the way to that waiting van.
Megan had a better result with her guy, and she’dsafeguarded Sofía. She was a good partner whether she wanted toadmit it or not. It was Adrian who had let the side down.
And yes, he thought he was the weak link even thoughthe van’s driver had shot at him, and he’d been forced to dive tothe ground. FBI didn’t shoot at vehicles fleeing the scene—it wastoo easy to hit an innocent doing that. But he’d sure wantedto.
Megan hadn’t asked him about the tear in his pants onhis left knee. And he was pretty sure he had road rash on hiselbow, but he was ignoring that.
“We’ll keep an eye,” theSAC said. “They have security scouring the footage to see where hewent after he checked in. We’ll find him.”
Megan shifted in her seat. “Hank, can someone send mea picture of Sofía’s husband?”
Silence.
Adrian listened while Hank blew out a breath into thephone. The SAC said, “You sure?”
“Yes.” Megan’s voice washard, the word short. “She called him ‘Ernesto,’ but I want to knowwho he is. And my guess is the blackmailer is the man Sofía told meis paying their hospital bills. I want to know why there’s aconnection between the person behind all this and El Cuervo.”
Adrian glanced over, but she didn’t meet his gaze. Helooked back at the road. She’d fought this so far. Now she acceptedthe link, and it was costing her. How far would she bend before shebroke?
Hank said, “Zimmerman is the blackmailer.”
“I’m not convinced of that.”
Adrian said, “Neither am I.” Megan shifted. He saw itout the corner of his eye. Adrian continued, “I think Zimmermanknows who it is. But I don’t think it’s him.” An idea had beenfloating around in his head the past few hours. “I actually thinkhe used this connection to reveal the truth to Megan, but theblackmailer found out. Likely when we did.” He was in DoubleDown’s tech—their email and computersystem. Maybe he was in the FBI’s also—or he had a mole in theirdepartment feeding them information.
Megan said, “But we didn’t get the flash drive.” Noaccusation in her tone.
“So it didn’t work,” Adrian said. “Zimmerman gave ita shot, but it failed. Though maybe he won’t know that unless weput it out there somehow. But either way, now he’s back on plan.Doing the blackmailer’s bidding is my guess.”
“And what is that?” Megan sounded eminentlyfrustrated.
Adrian glanced at her. He wanted to…squeeze her kneeor something. Would that even help?
Hank said, “What I have from our profilers indicatesZimmerman is out to destroy the government he works for. That he’sdisillusioned and attempting to strike back because he’s frustratedand angry.”
Megan said, “Or he’s frustrated and angry because theblackmailer is pulling his strings, and the one that’s striking outis this mystery man whose identity we still don’t know.” Sheballed
