Page 74 of Dead Drift

“Because you turned her down? That’s just crazy.”

“Malcolm fears she might have accepted a contract from Ebeid. There’s been an occasional rumor of her taking a contract on the side, but no concrete proof ever came of the rumors.”

“Are you kidding?”

“I wish I were.”

“So, now what?”

“He’s got a team searching for her. They’ll bring her in.”

“Yeah. If they can find her. You said yourself, she’s one of the best.”

He leaned over her shoulder and shifted the conversation. “Looks like you’re on to something. . . .”

“I found a handful of pictures of Ebeid with this woman.” Kate pointed to the woman in said pictures. She was tall, blond, and slender. “These photos were taken right around the target time period, and they look like surveillance photos to me.”

Luke’s brow furrowed. “You think the two were involved?”

“From this image . . .” She pointed to one of them on a picnic, the woman’s head in a young Ebeid’s lap, Ebeid staring down at her with loved-filled eyes.

“We need to find out who that woman is,” Luke said.

“No need.”

Kate startled, and she turned to see David standing behind Luke. What was up with these stealthy spies?

“David.” Luke moved to shake the man’s hand. “You know this woman?”

“Yes. Her legend was Caroline Ladew.”

Luke arched a brow. “Legend?”

David nodded. “She was working for your Agency.”

“She was CIA?”

“She was a field agent, and an excellent one at that.”

“Was?”

“Ebeid killed her, and then discovered the biggest surprise of his life.”

31

Griffin and Finley entered the small but cozy reading room at the Brightview Senior Living Community in Ellicott City, Maryland. There were numerous Brightview facilities throughout the state, and as far as senior-living facilities went, Griffin had heard nothing but good things about them.

The facility was beautiful, clean, and well kept, and based on his interaction with the staff over the phone, and now in person, they appeared knowledgeable and compassionate.

Miss Sally, as the lady in her upper fifties and with a distinct southern drawl had introduced herself, led them to the room where Veronica Hood was reading.

“Roni,” Miss Sally said, “you have some visitors.”

The woman’s sparkling green eyes lit. “Do I?”

Though her face was wrinkled, she was strikingly beautiful with gray hair styled in a fashionable twist knot. However, he’d bet money her hair had been brown in her youth.

Like all of Hood’s victims, she was petite—maybe about five-foot-four, one-hundred and twenty pounds at most. Now to see if she was the overbearing sort.