AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The M.E. said it’s going to take a while to know for sure, but he’d been shot five times,” Sinclair said. “Three of the five wounds would have been fatal all by themselves, so until the tox screen comes back, that’s what she’s ruling as cause of death.”
Camila pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to make sense of the news. “Okay, but what does that mean? This guy, Thorn, right? He’s the one who came after me. If he’s dead, am I safe?”
“Not necessarily,” Sinclair said, at the same time both Roman and Matteo said, “No.”
Sinclair arched a brow and took point on answering her question. “This is where things get a bit murky. Camila, Roman, this is Dallas Garrity.” A sandy blond guy who looked to be in his late thirties appeared on the screen. “He’s a psychologist for the Remington Fire Department. Normally, he counsels first responders experiencing job-related trauma, but for the last couple of years, he’s also been training as a criminal profiler. We’ve brought him in to assist on this case.”
“Hi, Camila. Agent Roman,” Dallas said. “I know this is a lot to have thrown at you all at once. I’m here to help in any way I can.”
Camila decided not to wait to take him up on the offer. “Can you start by helping me understand what’s really going on, here?”
It was testament to his skill as a mental health professional that he didn’t even blink. “I can try, sure. It might be helpful for us to start with what we know. You’ve been able to identify both Portia Whitlock and Thorn St. James as assailants in several crimes. If Archer Whitlock is also involved in those crimes, as the evidence strongly suggests, then it’s possible he’d want to harm you. It’s also possible, though, that he’s more interested in avoiding the risk of getting caught, and he’ll simply go into hiding. I’m here to help the RPD figure out which one of those things he’s more likely to do based on what we know about his personality and past behavior.”
Camila processed his words, slowly nodding. “Okay. So, whatdoyou know about this guy?”
“Well, assuming he’s the leader in these bank robberies—and I think that’s a pretty safe logic leap, considering the evidence the Intelligence Unit is gathering—he’s very calculated and very smart. But the attack on the two of you doesn’t really fit that M.O. The attackdoesfit with what we know about Thorn’s personality, and as far as we can tell, Thorn acted alone when he tried to harm you. Obviously, it put all three of them at risk for exposure, and if he did it without Archer’s knowledge or approval, that probably pissed Archer off.”
“So, you think Thorn attacked us without Archer knowing, and it caused an argument that Thorn clearly lost?” Roman asked.
“It’s entirely possible,” Dallas said, and Roman finished his train of thought.
“It fits. Archer finds out what Thorn did, realizes the guy is a liability he can’t afford, and pops him for the trouble. Then, Archer does double duty by torching both the car and the body,” Roman said. “Any evidence from both the attempted robbery and the murder was almost certainly destroyed by the fire, and now he and Portia don’t have to worry about Thorn getting sloppy or going rogue anymore.”
“Pretty diabolical, killing a member of his crew like that,” Matteo said.
Dallas nodded. “Agreed. It does speak to Archer’s ruthlessness, which we can’t ignore. It would also suggest that he’s not going to rob any more banks—at least, not any time soon. He had a reliable system that’s been disrupted. The process won’t work without Thorn. Not as it stands, anyway.”
“So, do you think he’ll just run?” Camila asked. The three of them—now two, she guessed—didn’t have any connection to Remington, and they already had a bunch of money from the other bank robberies. Running seemed like the smartest thing to do.
“He might,” Dallas said. “He knows Intelligence has leads that will eventually point to his involvement in these robberies. Disappearing would increase his chances of getting away with his crimes, and he’s certainly got the money to do so.”
“But,” Roman said, his tone suggesting that something equally likely was hiding behind door number two, and Dallas lifted his hands in concession.
“Buthe also knows what Thorn knew. Camila can positively identify Portia as one of the robbers, and that’s dangerous for both of them.”
Tara chose that moment to chime back in. “But far more dangerous for Portia. Yes, your theory that Archer is behind the robberies and Thorn’s murder is sound, but so far, that’s all it is. A theory. All of the evidence againsthimis circumstantial.”
“So far,” Sinclair said, but Tara shook her head.
“I can’t work with ‘so far’. Unless you find a smoking gun—preferably a literal one—that ties Archer to these crimes, we can only charge her for the full ride.”
Camila thought back to the day of the robbery. The eerie calm of the leader. The absolute control he wielded like it was its own weapon and no. No way. “Portia might have been there, participating in those robberies, but she wasn’t in charge. It was him. No question.”
“The leader—whoever he is—was definitely calling all the shots in that bank,” Roman agreed. “And the footage from all the other robberies backs that up.”
“So, where does that leave us?” Camila asked, her temples beginning to pound.
“Well, unless we come up with something to link Archer to Thorn’s murder, which isn’t likely given the state of Thorn’s body or the car he was found in, it leaves us without enough evidence to arrest either of them for that crime,” Tara said. “Camila’s ID puts Portia in the bank, so it potentially endangers both of them, assuming that Archer is our third guy, of course. But if we want to take him down, we’ll either need a confession—which I think we can all agree isn’t going to happen—or we’ll need to get her to flip on him.”
Roman’s spine went ramrod straight at the same time Camila’s breath caught in her lungs. “That would work,” he said.
“It would be her word against his,” Tara said, “but, yes. With the video footage from the robberies and depending on what she’d offer as proof, itcouldwork. Either way, right now, our case hinges on Camila’s testimony. Without that, we have nothing.”
Camila’s gut dropped, a ball of dread forming low between her hips. “Oh, my God. Do you think Archer will try and come after me like Thorn did?” If she disappeared, both of them would walk free.
“No one’s going to hurt you,” Roman said, his voice so loaded with hard-edged certainty that she had no choice but to believe him.
Dallas’s blond brows lifted in curiosity, although he didn’t voice it. “I think, right now, that’s very accurate. First of all, Archer has no idea where you are. But even if hewereto obtain your whereabouts, he’s too smart to try to infiltrate an FBI safe house. The chances he’d be able to harm you and get away with it there are very, very low. He knows it’s not worth the risk.”
