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“When was that?” Didn’t actually matter, since the man was dead, but Finley was curious.
“Several years ago, I believe. Before they released that anniversary special about Lucy’s murder.” His smile faded. “To my knowledge, there’s no one left.”
“With all her sources,” Finley pushed, “it’s possible Louise has a friend in Metro who knows what became of her. Maybe someone who helped her disappear.”
“It’s possible, but I have quite a few myself, and they all know I would like to find Louise. I’m sure I would have heard if anyone in Metro was in touch with her.”
His certainty was almost too solid—as if he’d gone to great lengths to be prepared for her questions. Or maybe he really had wanted to find Louise and wasn’t able to. Sometimes admitting one’s own limitations was the hard part.
Finley stood. “Thank you for making time for me on short notice. I hope you’ll let me know if you learn anything new.”
He rose from his chair and stretched out his hand. “I hope you’ll do the same.”
Finley gave his hand a shake. “Count on it.”
Bauer escorted her to the elevators and watched until the doors had closed with her inside, maybe to ensure she actually left. His answers, for the most part, had felt on the up-and-up, to a point, but there was some little something that didn’t sit right with her.
The elevator opened into the expansive main lobby, and she wandered back to the entrance. More troubling than what Bauer wasn’t telling her was what her father wasn’t telling her. Were the two hiding the same thing? She no longer worried that there had been some untoward relationship between her father and Lucy Cagle. Actually, she hadknown that was impossible from the beginning. But, like Bauer, there was some piece of this puzzle that he was holding back.
But why hold anything back after all this time?
The air was brisk as she stepped onto the sidewalk. Since she hadn’t bothered with a coat today, she was thankful for the tee she’d worn under her blouse. The sun had dropped behind the high-rises that crowded in on downtown, and all the streetlamps and stringed lights had come to life. She walked toward the intersection to catch the traffic light. She’d parked in the garage the next block over.
As she waited for the signal to change, she noticed a car stopped on the other side of the street in the eastbound lane. The traffic light on that side was green; the car should have been moving. She glanced toward the vehicle that seemed to hover on the street, prepared to but not progressing. The driver’s window powered down, and a man sporting a hoodie and sunglasses, even as full-on dark descended, turned toward her.
A car whizzed past him, then another, but he sat completely still. Even when a horn blared, he didn’t move. He just sat staring at Finley.
Suddenly he smiled, powered his window back up and drove away.
The signal changed, and pedestrians moved past her. One bumped her shoulder.
Finley didn’t move.Couldn’tmove.
She hadn’t recognized the face. Wouldn’t have with or without the sunglasses, she suspected.
The three thugs Carson Dempsey had hired were all dead.
This was someone new ... someone who had definitely been watching her.
In her bag her cell vibrated, but she remained frozen ... unable to properly react.
This man ... this new watcher ... she didn’t have to wonder if Dempsey had sent him. He had. She was certain. There was no one else who would be so interested.
He still wanted to get to her.
Only this time everything was different. She had taken his son. She had destroyed him. He had no one left and certainly nothing to lose. This time she understood with absolute certainty that he didn’t just want to watch her ... he wanted her dead.
Vanderbilt Medical Center
Medical Center Drive, Nashville, 5:40 p.m.
The call had been from the hospital. Helen Roberts had survived her surgery, and Dr.Herron wanted to speak to her representative.
Finley was it for now.
“She came through the surgery surprisingly well,” Herron explained. “But she’s not out of the woods yet. The pain meds will keep her sedated to a degree for a while. Don’t be surprised if she sleeps a lot. We’ll keep a close eye on her. I doubt she’ll be released for a number of days, considering her overall condition. We need to watch the situation for a time to ensure she regains her strength.”
“Thank you,” Finley said. “Is it possible for me to see her?”
