Fear No Evil

“You’re incredible. Patrick was impressed, and he’s the best I know.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Dillon kissed her hand. “I’m not going to leave you, Kate.”

“I’m okay. I’m not going to blame you for being with your family right now.” But she would miss him.

They held hands across the table, the silent connection giving them both strength they needed.

Quinn Peterson entered. “Merritt’s here and he’s pissed. I told him you walked in and surrendered. Are you ready for this, Kate?”

She nodded, not taking her eyes from Dillon. “I’m ready.”

“You’ll have to leave, Dillon. When we’re done, I’ll call over to the jail and have Morton transported here for the interview.”

Reluctantly, Dillon stood. “How long?” he asked Quinn.

“An hour, maybe a little more.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s eight right now. If you have something to do, meet me here at ten.”

“I’ll be back, Kate. I promise.”

Kate watched Dillon walk out the door and her resolve began to chip away. Quinn sat on the edge of the table. “I’ll be here for the formal statement,” he said. “Just tell the truth, the good, the bad, and the ugly, okay? We’ll find a way out of this.”

Jeff Merritt opened the door and slammed it shut.

“Kate Donovan,” he spat out.

“Jeff Merritt,” she said with equal disdain, looking him straight in the eye. He was short and lean, blond, with a goatee but no mustache to go with it. Kate couldn’t believe that five years ago she’d thought he and Paige made a cute couple. The guy was dangerous.

“I don’t know how you can live with yourself,” he finally said.

Peterson interrupted. “Let’s do this by the book.”

“Leave.”

“No.”

“Dammit, Peterson, you’re already on thin ice.”

“Agent Donovan has a right to representation. I’m that person. And in case you’re forgetting, this is my field office.”

“In case you’re forgetting, you work for me.”

“Don’t pull rank.”

“Don’t be an asshole.”

Quinn didn’t move. Finally, Merritt sat down and took out a tape recorder. He slammed it on the table.

“ADIC Jeff Merritt and SAC Quincy Peterson are interviewing former Special Agent Katherine Donovan regarding the murders of SAC Evan Standler and SA Paige Henshaw, as well as civilians Denise Arno and Oliver Johnson.”

Kate slammed her fist on the table. “Denise was not an innocent civilian! She’s been working with Adam Scott from the beginning.”

“You’ll have a chance to tell your story, Ms. Donovan. For now I’ll take your statement and you will answer my questions. Understand?”

She fumed. She hated this arrogant prick.

“Understood.”

Dillon arrived at the hospital as Lucy was getting ready to leave.

“Where have you been?” Carina admonished. “We’re already late for the plane.”

“How’d Lucy do last night?”

A cloud crossed Carina’s face. “She had nightmares. Miranda is a saint. She calmed Lucy down instantly, knowing exactly what to say, when to be tough and when to be kind.”

Jack walked around the corner. Dillon was surprised to see him. “I thought you left.”

Jack stared at him a moment. “I had some things to take care of. I thought I’d head back to San Diego with you, if it’s all right. I have some time.”

Dillon nodded. “Thank you. I’m not going back right now.”

Carina frowned. “Why?”

“I have things to wrap up here.” When Carina didn’t say anything, he added, “I’m sitting in on the FBI interview with Roger Morton at ten.”

“Lucy needs you.”

So does Kate, Dillon thought but didn’t say. “Lucy is in good hands. I need to do this, Carina. Adam Scott is still out there.”

“You’re not a cop,” Carina snapped, irritated. “The FBI has taken over the investigation.”

“Which they fucked up five years ago,” Jack interjected.

“I have a strong sense about Scott,” Dillon said.

“The FBI has its own profilers,” Carina argued. “It doesn’t need you.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Sis, but I’m staying. I’m going to talk to Lucy and then go back to FBI headquarters.”

Jack nodded. “You do what you have to in order to find the scum who hurt Lucy. And I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt her again.”

Now that his real name and image were known to the authorities, Trask had to plan carefully. Fortunately he had always thought this day was inevitable. While he couldn’t travel as freely as he wanted until he underwent plastic surgery, he knew what superficial changes to make to his appearance to blend in. He didn’t need that much time. Just long enough to get to Lucy again and use her to lure Kate Donovan into a trap.

He realized that the reason the bitch he’d followed home from the docks wasn’t good was because she looked like Kate but wasn’t Kate. Kate would fight and scream and claw at him. She wouldn’t beg for her life. She wouldn’t tell him she’d do anything he wanted. Instead she would try to get away. Just the thought of her fighting him gave him a hard-on.

And Lucy-she was his. She had volunteered to meet him. She was everything he needed. He might not kill her, not right away. Use her to get to Kate and kill her, purge Mina and all the whores from his body. Once that happened, he’d be free. He could have the life he’d envisioned with Monique. Where he was in charge and she did what he said. He’d just have to be very careful not to accidentally kill her. He might have to take a few whores on the side. But Lucy would learn quickly that she had to behave or she’d be dead, too. Fear would keep her in line.

He downloaded all the messages from Mick Mallory’s PDA. Some were cryptic, but he began to build an understanding that Mallory and his supervisor, Jeff Merritt, were acting on their own. Mallory had been sent to kill him.

What a fool. Mallory should have known immediately that Trask was untouchable.

With his network broken, he didn’t know everything that was going on. He went online to see if Kate was surfing around, trying to locate him. Saw that she had downloaded the video. He smiled. Good, now she knew what her fate was. Make her scared. She’d fight him all the more.

But he didn’t know where she was. Her mountain hideout was inactive. This frustrated him to no end, and he ended up calling his attorney, the one who had warned him about Ullman’s betrayal yesterday.

“Where’s Kate Donovan?”

“How should I know?”

“That’s what I pay you for.”

“Don’t call me, Adam.”

“You’re my attorney! I pay you to talk to me.”

“I have to advise you to turn yourself in. There’s a warrant for your arrest.”

“Fuck that, and fuck you!”

“Turn yourself in and I’ll be able to help you.”

“You’ll help me now.”