Page 26 of Isla by Any Other Name

“Then let’s go inside. I can wait,” Roberto said as he pushed her through the door.

“Can’t I just call you when I find something? I can’t work with you breathing down my neck.”

“If you like that neck of yours, you’ll shut up and get to work. I’m not leaving until I get what I need,” he threatened.

Mary hung her coat in the closet and walked into the back bedroom and sat behind her computer. Roberto walked in behind her and sat in the chair in the corner.

“How long is this going to take?” he growled at her.

“I don’t know. It might even be another dead end. It’s just a hunch I have.”

Mary’s fingers flew even though her hands shook. She started looking into state property tax records in the state of Virginia. There were twenty-eight properties in Virginia that were owned by the last name Hughes. After an hour, she had narrowed down six properties that could be where Larkin’s cabin was. Three of them were in Albemarle County, two were in Clarke County, and the last one was in Fluvanna County.

She turned around and handed Roberto a sheet of paper. “I believe Mitchell Larkin is the agent in charge of the case. I haven’t found anything to believe that he isn’t. He’s been supposedly out on family leave, but his entire team has not been in the office for weeks. I’ve been able to look into the files that show the addresses of all the safe houses that the Agency has within a ten-hour radius of Pittsburgh and I’ve come up with nothing that tells me that Pierce is being hidden in any of them. However, one of my co-workers told me recently that Larkin has a family hunting cabin in the mountains of Virginia. I looked through the state’s property tax records and didn’t find any property in Larkin’s name.”

Roberto looked at the paper, listening calmly. Mary regained her composure.

“Today I was able to hack into Larkin’s personnel file and his mother’s maiden name is Hughes. What you have there is a list of addresses that could be where they are keeping Pierce. The property tax records don’t indicate Larkin’s mother’s first name. However, we have to consider that one of these properties could be owned by Larkin’s family. I think if you find that property, you’ll find Pierce. I hope it’s enough, but I haven’t been able to find anything else. I haven’t been able to hack into anything that pertains to Pierce. This is the best I can do.”

He nodded. “I’ll take it from here. Keep looking. If you find anything else, I want to know about it. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” said Mary, walking Mendez to the door. She was safe, for now.

Chapter fifteen

Roberto Mendez placed a call to José Rodriguez. “I have a list of possible locations from our insider at the Bureau. It’ll take some time to weed through the information. Be ready to move by Wednesday.”

“You give me the location and the problem will be taken care of. I’m tired of waiting around.”

Roberto felt his jaw get tight. No thanks in this business. He growled, “I’ll be talking to the boss tonight. If anything has changed, I’ll let you know.”

Two hours later, Roberto was on the phone with his boss, posing as his nephew.

“Tell me some news about the family,” Hernandez said tightly, as if he was being watched. He probably was being watched, every second of the day. Roberto felt momentarily lucky to be on the outside. He was one slip away from maximum security himself.

“We have a few possible locations…for the family reunion,” Roberto said. “We’re combing through the list as we speak. I should know something by this time tomorrow. I just need to make the call, and everything will be taken care of,” Mendez said with certainty.

“You better book that caterer I like,” Hernandez growled. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, uncle,” said Roberto. “Understood.”

Roberto hung up the phone and dialed one more number—the thugs his boss kept on retainer. He gave them the addresses on the list. “If there’s a town nearby, ask questions. Someone must have seen something they’d like to talk about. Don’t make it obvious. Ask about hunting spots and cabin rentals. Keep me informed. I want to know where they’re keeping Isla Pierce, do I make myself clear?”

Crystal.

Mary Carlson sat in her darkened apartment. Her mind was whirling, fear paralyzing her. She had a glass of wine in one hand, but couldn’t bring herself to drink it, not even to calm her nerves.

She had known that what she was doing was asking for trouble. But the thrill of one-upping everyone made her feel superior. She never got the exciting jobs. She was damn good and they just assumed she wasn’t good enough to do the job. Well she was—she was better than anyone she worked with. They never took her talent into account, so when Hernandez approached her with a proposition, she couldn’t resist the cash in hand. She could put her talents to use, make money doing it, and feel like she was finally appreciated.

But now, fear made her sit back and realize what she had done.

If they found Isla Pierce, she would be responsible. They would kill Ms. Pierce. It was the only way for Hernandez to get out of the mess he was in. And Mary knew that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her as well, even though she’d complied with his request for information. He would tie up all his loose ends. Hackers were a dime a dozen and there was always someone better coming along who could take her place.

She felt so stupid. She considered her options: she could either go to the Bureau and confess to her wrongdoing and maybe save Isla Pierce’s life, or run like hell and hope that they didn’t find her. She was dispensable—she knew that now.

She didn’t go into work the next day. She called off sick for the first time in three years. The guilt of possibly signing Isla Pierce’s death warrant hung heavily around her. She needed to think, and she couldn’t do it with everyone in the office around her. She sat in the dark and contemplated her choices. And each time she thought she had the answers, her mind told her that she didn’t have a future. She needed to come clean—no matter the consequences.

She picked up the phone and called her supervisor. Neil Dillon picked up his office phone.