Fatal Intuition Read online

  “You’re shaking.” Elton frowned and backed away without cinching the ratchet tight. His bald forehead furrowed in concern.

  “They’re here. Get into position.” Wesley crouched behind a wooden crate, a gunslinger-style holster with one of the revolvers on his leather belt. Old school.

  Elton armed himself with the other revolver, and tucked it into the back of his jeans. He joined his brother behind the crate, shotgun in his hands.

  Thank God they hadn’t chosen the gas. She twisted her wrists and was relieved to find slack. These could slip off and… She tasted metal in her mouth at the thought of what that thirteen-year old girl had done when she’d freed herself. Erin had relived every detail of that night, over and over, for the past year and a half. The scar above her girlfriend’s navel was still raw after all this time. She’d been lucky she hadn’t lost Allie, and it had taken every bit of self control she possessed not to beat the girl senseless.

  No, Lily was still out there, doing easy time in a Canadian youth detention center. Erin didn’t want to know when she was getting out, didn’t want to hear that name ever again. She had a new career, a new start with Allie away from those memories, and she was going to make this work. First she had to get free.

  The office phone jangled and Wesley hurried to answer it. With both men’s attention diverted, Erin strained tender wrist bones against metal. How had Lily done it? She adjusted the angle, clenched her jaw and shredded the top layer of skin. A wet trail trickled down to her fingertips. So much for her career as a hand model.

  “We’ve got one of yours.” Wesley spoke matter-of-factly into the phone, a greasy businessman making a simple transaction. He listened for a moment and shook his head. “No deal.” He held the receiver toward his brother and waited calmly.

  Elton pointed his shotgun at the ceiling. “I’m gonna kill her!” He screamed like a crazed lunatic. “Swear to God, I’ll do it.” BANG! He fired a round.

  Erin’s ears rang from the blast. Her hands trembled. She tugged one last time and was truly surprised when she pulled free. The clang of the cuff as it swung against the conduit pipe was swallowed up by maniacal laughter. She concealed it in her fist. Elton was overdoing it. Was he insane?

  Wesley brought the phone back to his lips. “Hear that? I don’t know how long I can keep him under control. Call me back in five minutes and I’ll give you a list of our demands.” He slammed it into its cradle and smiled at Elton. “He’s shitting bricks.”

  The two men sat side-by-side on a crate and waited. Elton held his shotgun and swung his legs like a little boy.

  Wesley kept an eye on the door, and leapt on a thin cable when it snaked under the crack. “No cameras in here,” he said and threw a box over it. He turned to his grinning brother. “I told them to phone. Should we kill our hostage to punish them?”

  Elton shrugged. “Maybe.”

  Neither of the men had given Erin so much as a glance since she’d been cuffed to the pipe. They might not even notice. The door release dangled a mere twenty feet away. Was she fast enough? If she avoided being shot by her captors, would she open the door to a hail of friendly fire? Should she stay put and wait to be rescued? From what she’d overheard, that might be impossible. She tucked into a crouch, ready to run for it. Was there a hope in hell?

  The phone jangled again, and Wesley turned his back to answer the call. Elton’s head followed. This was it. The best chance she’d ever have.

  She exploded from her crouch and covered the distance to the door in a few bounds. Like a basketball player executing a lay-up, she launched herself at the release and pulled it with all her weight. It screeched open.

  “Hey!” Elton was the first to pursue her. He tripped and tumbled to his knees, a growl rumbling in his throat. “Crap. Sorry, bro. Thought we had this one.” He’d already given up.

  She rolled under the door crack and came to her feet, sprinting for the first set of flashing lights.

  Bug-eyed, Davis stared at her when she dove for his shielded position behind a car. “You’re bleeding.” His Glock shook in his hands as if they were on their first date. “We were going to negotiate. We would have gotten you out.”

  “Sorry to ruin your plans.” Erin glanced down at her scraped wrists. They’d heal. She gingerly released the remaining cuff with the key he handed her.

  The roll-up door squealed on its bearings, and all attention focused on the two criminals in the doorway. Palms high, Elton and Wesley sauntered out.

  “Freeze!” Davis shouted. He was joined by a cacophony of commands from a half dozen other agents barricaded behind their cars.

  “Get on your knees!”

  “Don’t move!”

  “Stop!”

  “We surrender!” Elton recited a well-rehearsed line. He grinned at the flurry of activity as agents adjusted their positions. “We should have held out for pizza,” he muttered to his brother. “I missed lunch.”

  “Whatever,” Wesley retorted. “It’s past quittin’ time, and I’m gettin’ too old for this.”

  Two of Erin’s classmates broke cover to take the men into custody.

  One man in khakis and black polo shirt separated himself from the rest, and his voice boomed above the activity. “Let’s wrap this up, people. Good work. Make sure all the vehicles and equipment are properly returned.”

  He leveled a stern gaze at Davis. “Watch where you’re pointing that thing. I don’t care if it’s not a real firearm, treat it like it is.”

  Davis’s face reddened. “Yes, s-sir.” He holstered his bright orange training pistol and hurried to make himself useful packing equipment into the trunk of a dented Crown Victoria.

  “Boys, boys.” The instructor shook his head at the grinning criminals .

  Elton and Wesley, the role players hired for this FBI training scenario, leaned casually against the hood of a car. Uncuffed and relaxed, they looked like anyone you’d meet on the street. Maybe Elton really did love his mama and own a cat. Maybe the two weren’t even brothers.

  “Took it a bit far today, didn’t you?” Harsh sunlight created shadows in the craggy lines of the instructor’s face, lending him a sterner than usual appearance.

  Erin rubbed her sore collarbone where the hard edge of Elton’s steely forearm had squeezed her. He sure didn’t pull any punches when he played his part. His crazy lunatic routine had seemed real, too believable.

  And then there was Wesley, the mysterious man with the peeling mustache. He’d played the cold mastermind of the duo, yet here he stood like a normal human being. The game was over. He probably had a wife and kid at home and was eager to clock out.

  “You aren’t authorized to go off script,” the instructor growled. “Whose idea was this?”

  “No one said we couldn’t,” Elton blurted. He dipped his head at the training officer’s glare.

  Wesley stepped forward. “It was all my idea. I wanted some fun on my last day. I’m sorry if I screwed up your trainees.” He reached into his pocket and handed over his ID card. “Consider this my notice. I’m done.”

  “Aw, Wesley. No.” Elton’s face crumpled like a sodden paper bag. “I liked this job.”

  The instructor considered him for a moment. “You’ll be on notice if you decide to stay.”

  Erin held her breath when the instructor turned his attention to her.

  “E-ric-sson,” he stretched the word into three agonizingly long syllables. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I had the opportunity to escape.” She tucked her abraded wrists deep into her pockets and squared her shoulders. “I took it. I—”

  “That’s not the problem.”

  Elton huffed.

  “You walked right into a robbery-in-progress without so much as a glance over your shoulder. I don’t know what it was like in your sleepy little hometown, but here anything can happen. Out there,” her instructor pointed somewhere in the distance, “ everything will happen. You need to keep your head up.”

&nb
sp; Erin’s shoulders slumped. She had sensed something awry, from the moment she exited the car, before she’d taken a single step toward the bank. Even in this simulated town, there was a pattern of activity, and it was off.

  Accustomed to working alone, she’d been distracted. Davis, the man with the impeccable hair and shiny shoes, her partner in the simulation, had changed everything. He didn’t have a clue how to behave on the street. Back home, Morley Falls crew members sometimes teamed up, but she preferred to work alone.

  “And don’t even consider blaming your partner. Davis is green, but you are all trainees here. You were fully aware of each other’s strengths,” he looked her in the eye, “and limitations. You are not the Raging Ranger here. We are all on the same team.”

  Erin’s jaw clenched at the loathed nickname. She’d left Morley Falls PD behind, but the stupid moniker dogged her even now. Would she never be free?

  She’d been saddled with that after she’d hunted down a fellow police officer, and discovered that he wasn’t a child molester, or a killer. Derek Peterson was just a bad cop, and a poor excuse for a father. Lily’s lies had sent him to prison, and he’d served time before the truth had disentangled itself.

  Now the girl was in detention and he had to rebuild his devastated life. Lily would be nearly fifteen by now, probably honing her criminal skills in juvy. Erin frowned.

  “Don’t give me that look, Ericsson,” her instructor barked. Erin snapped to attention and his expression softened. He jutted his square jaw toward her concealed wrists. “You’ll need to take care of that.” He pivoted on his heel and strode away.

  * * *

  Allie stood still and listened. Save for a squirrel chattering somewhere in the distance, the woods were silent. Unbelievable. How would she explain this to Erin? Honey, I lost your dog. I’m a terrible parent.

  Why had she brought him? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t gotten two separate dog-sitting offers from Erin’s family. No, she insisted on bringing Doppler, because Erin missed him , and crammed him into a tiny kennel under her airplane seat. The truth was that Allie needed him. She’d been relying on his calming energy ever since that night .

  It didn’t hurt that the little dog was a great traveling companion. He’d slept through the entire flight and enjoyed riding up front in the rental car from the airport. The trip had been smooth, until now. Now he was gone, lost somewhere in the woods near Quantico’s FBI training facility.

  She rubbed her throbbing temple. It was as if the signals were mixed up. She thought about the dog, and up popped thoughts of Erin. She couldn’t seem to focus. Doppler wasn’t in danger or she’d surely have felt it by now. No, the Chihuahua who thought he was a bloodhound was probably happily following some rabbit trail back to Minnesota. What was she going to do?

  She imagined his wagging tail, his soft ears, and closed her eyes. She inhaled as if she were in yoga class and rotated toward the tattling squirrel. Of course.

  She opened her eyes and Erin materialized from the woods like a sexy apparition, with the dog’s legs dangling over her bandaged forearm.

  “Looking for something, Miss Brody?” Erin wore the adorable grin she reserved only for her.

  “You found him!” She rushed into her arms and squeezed the Chihuahua between them until he grunted. It had only been a few months but Erin seemed different. She stepped back and looked at the bandages. “You’re hurt.”

  “It’s nothing, only scraped a bit. I’ll be fine.”

  “We waited. I let Doppler go for a walk and… How did you find us?”

  Erin’s grin faded. “I’m sorry, Baby. Our training exercise went late.” She shrugged and the corner of her eye twitched. “A couple of guys from class dropped me off at our meeting spot on their way to town. The rental car was here and I knew you couldn’t be far. You told me you were bringing the dog, so I followed the sound of the nearest yakking squirrel.”

  That made sense. Why hadn’t Allie realized it was that simple? She’d had to focus her intuition to figure out where the dog had gone.

  “Let’s go for dinner. The food’s not horrible, but I’m so tired of the same sauce on everything. I know a good pub where we can get a mouthwatering bacon burger and home cut fries. And beer. I need a beer.” Erin led the way back to the car.

  “I’m glad you came,” she said, once they’d turned back to town. “I’ve been super busy, but I earned weekends off since I aced my PT test and I wanted to at least take one night off.” She reached over and took Allie’s hand in hers. “I booked us a room.”

  A warm flush crept up Allie’s cheeks. They’d been together for years, but suddenly it seemed like a reversal of their first real date. Back then, Allie had been confidently mischievous while Erin betrayed her nervousness with pink cheeks and an adorable stammer. Now the tables were turned, with Erin the confident one, and Allie’s uncertainty laid bare.

  “How’s Z-man? Gina? L’il baby Z?”

  “Good, good, a handful of toddler energy. That kid can empty all our cupboards in two minutes flat.” She smiled. “He’s irresistibly adorable.”

  “I’m betting that our godson gets away with everything.” Erin laughed. “I’m starving. I don’t think I can wait until dinner. Do you have any treats that aren’t for Doppler?” She unzipped Allie’s bag, cocked her head and pulled out the envelope. Her eyes widened at the return address. “What’s this?”

  Allie braked and eased the car to the side of the road. She couldn’t concentrate on driving when something this big needed to be discussed. “It came in the mail after you left.” The skin on her forehead suddenly seemed too tight. “It’s from her .”

  Erin looked at Allie, looked at the envelope, and reached inside to pull out the single sheet of folded paper. Doppler whined on her lap but she stared at the letters long and hard before she spoke. “Lily’s coming back? What the hell does that mean?”

  “I don’t know,” Allie croaked. She swallowed hard and got out of the car, bending to hold her knees. Blood and oil swirled in her memory. It transformed into smoke. Smoke filling her lungs, consuming her oxygen. “No!” She coughed, as if she could expel it all and breathe again.

  Erin was already beside her, concern puckering her brows. “You’re still not sleeping, are you? Are the nightmares back?”

  “It’s not the nightmares. I just can’t sleep, and I don’t trust myself.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I guess, and then I second-guess. I’m so afraid to be wrong, I can never make a decision. It’s driving me nuts.” Allie swept her hair back from her face. Where was her ponytail elastic? Couldn’t she remember even the little things? “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to ruin our one weekend together by talking about her, but I’m worried sick. Does this mean she’ll be out early?”

  “It can’t be. They promised to let us know her release date, and Z-man’s keeping an ear to the ground for any info. Don’t worry, she’s blowing smoke.”

  Allie coughed again. Of all the words Erin could have chosen, why had she used that one? As sure as the itch that was spreading from her gut, she knew Lily meant what she’d written. Somehow, she was getting out and she was headed back to Morley Falls.

  Erin squeezed her elbow. “Come on. Let’s get some dinner and relax tonight. When I’m studying tomorrow, you can take the official Quantico FBI family tour. That’ll take your mind off things. You can buy little FBI T-shirts for the kids at the gift shop. As if you need to bribe them to love you more.”

  “Well…” Her spirits lifted with the tug at the corner of her mouth. Kids always made her feel better. “The cat could use a new outfit for the next Auntie Allie sleepover party…”

  Erin shook her head. “That poor cat.” Her twin nieces and nephew often begged to stay over with Auntie Allie. While Sophie and Victoria doted on Wrong-Way Rachel, and dressed the reluctant cat like a fairy princess, Jimmy loved the dog best. He’d been the one to name the Chihuahua Doppler, and took dog-sitting responsibilities seriously.


  Allie shrugged. “Oh, don’t worry about Rachel. She loves every single minute of attention. Maybe I’ll pick up a tiny FBI vest for the dog too.” She patted him when his ears perked up.

  “That’s the spirit, Baby. Let’s go get a burger. I’m starving.”

  The scent of smoke embedded in her memory wafted through her thoughts. She clenched her teeth and put the car back into gear. Lily wasn’t getting out, not for a while.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Winnipeg Youth Detention Center

  “Get the fuck outta my chair.” The fat-ass loser stares down at me, hands on her hips. Another new kid’s trying to prove herself but she’s picked the wrong person.

  Kiss my ass. I curl my lip but keep my eyes on the TV.

  She moves to block my view. “Get out.” Her fat fists clench into meatballs.

  I stare up into huge black pupils that disappear into dark irises. Her eyelid flinches when she meets my glare and the skin on her neck goes pink. One of her fists rises and I narrow my eyes.

  “Angel, no!” Shonda, the skinny meth-head, buzzes past and takes fat-ass with her. There’s a hiss of whispered conversation and then silence. Angel bends to peer under the corner of the shirt sleeve Shonda peels aside. She shoots an alarmed look back at me and they both shuffle away.

  That’s right, Shonda, you twitchy bitch. Tell her. Tell her what I did to you when you tried to push me around. Did you ever dig the tip of that sharpened pencil out of your skin? I bet you sleep with one eye open now.

  Both hands behind my head, I weave my fingers together. I am the bad-ass panther. Kids in here are smart enough to understand. No one messes with me. No matter whose turn it is, everyone knows I pick what we watch on TV, and right now it’s a show where they DNA test guys to find out if they’re the daddy. Those people are so messed up that it’s entertaining.

  Who cares, unless yours is rich and can buy you stuff? Mine isn’t. I couldn’t care less if I ever see him again, and my mom’s dead so there’s no one to tell me what to do.