Page 78 of Dead Drift

They seriously felt two days was enough time to combat this level of threat? “How could you not tell me?” Luke asked.

David hung his head. “Orders, my friend. Orders and timing are essential to what we do. You know that.”

Luke exhaled, remembering all the information he’d been asked to withhold or to falsely plant over the years. It was part of the life of an agent. A part he could no longer play.

But first he’d make sure Ebeid was stopped.

33

Griffin and Finley drove to the Hood estate located outside of Annapolis proper. Veronica hadn’t been exaggerating when she used the term expansive. Looking at the map, Griffin estimated the estate covered over one hundred acres. In that area of Maryland, they were talking major money. The wrought-iron entrance gate was locked, and apparently Albert wasn’t home, because no one answered when they pressed the call button.

Finley gestured to the ten-foot-high brick wall running along either side of the gate and as far along the property line as they could see. “I doubt a property so vast is completely surrounded by a brick wall.”

“Excellent point,” Griffin said, and sure enough they found where the brick wall ended and a simple three-rail horse fence began.

Griff glanced down at Finley’s red heels. “Might want to grab your tennis shoes out of the trunk before we go trudging about.”

“Good idea.”

She changed her shoes, and Griffin held out his hand and helped his wife, who wore a coastal blue and crisp white striped dress and purple Treks tennis shoes, climb over the wood fence. She hopped down on the grass, the lawn still surprisingly green and plush considering the time of year and the cool nights they’d been having.

Griffin hated to imagine the cost of maintaining such expansive grounds.

Finley pulled her cobalt blue cardigan tightly about her and buttoned it up as a brisk wind fluttered through the autumn leaves overhead.

“You want my jacket?” he asked, pulling his fleece over his head without waiting for an answer.

“It’s not necessary.”

“Please humor me,” he said, handing it to her. She needed it far more than he did. There was a crisp bite in the air.

“Thanks.” She slipped the charcoal gray North Face fleece over her head, the sleeves hanging at least four inches beyond her fingertips.

He smiled as the wind rustled her red hair, so striking in the golden shafts of sunlight streaking through the light cloud coverage. “You look adorable.”

She smiled back. “This smells like you,” she said, zipping it up and burrowing further in.

“Shall we?” He smiled, loving that he could provide her with comfort.

She nodded, and they headed toward the bay. Having no clue where the barn sat on the property—they’d been hoping to ask Albert—at least they could locate the boathouse by following the shoreline.

Within a half hour, they found it. A beautiful white and Nantucket-blue boathouse, the structure larger than Griffin’s oversized three-car garage, where he worked on his refinishing projects.

The motorboat was up on a dry ramp and seal-wrapped for the end of the season, but the rowboat simply sat against the far wall, where one could easily flip it onto the launch ramp and into the greenish-blue bay.

“I can see why this would be a romantic spot,” Finley said, looking out across the Chesapeake, small whitecaps occasionally fluttering along the otherwise smooth and still surface.

Griffin opened his mouth to speak as something smacked the back of his head with a pain-searing thwack. Then everything went black.

Tanner walked beside Declan as her dad examined the warehouse with Luke.

David strolled methodically, observing, touching with gloved hands. According to Luke, Bedan was nothing if not meticulous. In addition, nearly all the evidence had been cataloged and moved to FBI headquarters, but her dad took time to sit on the high stool where Bedan had no doubt sat while working. David inhaled, exhaled, and tapped the white lacquer countertop. “Still no idea where they moved Bedan to?” he asked Luke.

Luke shook his head. “No. I spoke with Malcolm before we headed over to see if the Agency has learned anything new, but unfortunately when it comes to Bedan, they still know very little.”

“Malcolm.” David chuckled. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time. How is he?”

“Hard to say,” Luke said.