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“You could find out about a lot of crimes before they happened,” Hansen said so matter-of-factly it gave me shivers. “Of course,” he continued, “that would expose her to the wrong side, as you put it, as well as other…interested parties.”
Yeah, not something I wanted. Not in the least.
Larkin looked at me. I realized he wasn’t afraid of me listening in. He was convinced he was right. He had nothing to hide in that regard. “Sometimes personal wishes can’t outweigh duty,” he told me. I knew this was his asking me in a reasonable way to go with him. He’d tried forcing me with him twice, and that had failed.
“I know that,” I said. I meant it. Did I not set aside personal wishes all the time? Did I not have to leave a place where I wanted to stay in order to protect both myself and my Community? All because of people like him.
“Enough of this,” Hansen said and stood up. “You have no reason to arrest her, so we’re going to walk out of here now.” As on cue, I got up as well. “And you are going to do nothing about it.”
Larkin didn’t move. “I can make trouble for you,” he said and added, “both.”
“How? The way I see it, you’ve tried to kidnap her twice now. Who do you think my colleagues and friends are going to believe?”
“Well, you’re not trying to arrest me, either, so it seems neither of us has any warrants or…evidence.”
Hansen actually smiled at that, though I knew him well enough by now to know he had to be boiling on the inside. “In that case,” he said. “Buckets of putrid chicken will do.”
The agent’s eyes widened a little before he nodded. “That was you.” It was not a question.
“Yep,” I said. “That surprised the hell out of me, too, but now that I’ve seen you properly I totally get it.”
Larkin sighed, making me think of a disappointed teacher. “Allegiance is an important thing, Ms. Evans. It can make your life easier or very,verydifficult.”
“My allegiances lie somewhere else I’m afraid, Agent Larkin,” I said and quickly headed out of the room, Hansen following me.
Turned out he was right. The suit did not come running after us. What could he do in the station without anyone asking questions? It was not lost on me, though, that Detective Hansen once again disassembled his phone as we left the station as quick as we could.
Chapter 15
“Seattle, huh?”Hansen said as the kids were getting on the school buses. It was the first thing he had said since we left the police station. At that point, I would have welcomed awkward silence, but that had not been the case. No, he was angry, and it was directed at me.
“What can I say?” I turned the car engine on. “I like the ferries.”
“Could you just, for once—”
A knock on the window next to his head cut him short.
“Sometimes you have the best luck in timing, don’t you?” he said as he lowered the window.
A blonde woman, around forty, dressed in a dark blue trench coat with a beige bag on her shoulder, peered in through the window past Hansen as she looked straight at me.
“Are you Maggie?” she said with a worried voice.
I nodded, not quite able to hide my confusion.
“I’m Amy Boudreau, Eloise’s mother. Annalise called me.”
I nodded again, a little relieved. “Get in,” I said. The buses were almost full. We couldn’t risk being stuck by the school talking to her.
Her getting in, however, involved Hansen getting out so she could climb into the backseat, via the same door.
“I’m starting to hate this tiny matchbox,” he said as he got back in.
“Really?” I said, patting the dashboard for show. “I’m liking it more and more.”
“Are you an affiliate?” Amy asked Hansen.
He scoffed at the question, then seemed to remember that he wasn’t mad at this woman.
