Page 95 of Long Past Deadly

Alanna propped a hand on her hip. “Not the perfect couple. Secrets. Dammit. Let’s put a pin in the info until we finish this manhunt, but we’ll need to dig out everything we can find about the boyfriend and begin a series of interviews with the family. I’ll get a warrant for his phone and his financials, and I’ll have to hear the whole sordid story before I can build justification.” Alanna sighed. “Sometimes when a case goes cold, you have to come at it sideways. This is good, Kerry. Very FBI of you, honestly.”

She grinned. “Thanks. I try. Also, all the morgue checks were negative. I’ve circled all the way into Northern California, Nevada, and Arizona. Nothing matches. For either girl – Esme or Serena. Lots of unclaimed Jane Does, but none fit. Sorry. We live in a very disturbed society.”

“Keeps us both in jobs.”

Kerry agreed. “Holler if you need me to work on anything else.” She left the room at a fast clip.

Quaid watched her with a question in his eyes, but she shook her head. She couldn’t talk about Esme or the Tenney case. She needed square, targeted focus on Mercer.

The room was full. How they got representatives from the agencies here this fast she’d have to talk with Mackey about. California Highway Patrol was in the room, same with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. Frank arrived with a cup of coffee in hand.

Two other men arrived. One was a U.S. Marshall she knew by sight, but had never met. The other man she didn’t know. Frank took them to the circle of men at the front of the room. She watched their body language, but had no interest in joining the conversation. Preoccupied, strategizing, and planning kept her focus.

Quaid came to her side. His eyes swept over her. He didn’t touch her or in any way show they were involved. “You ready, partner?”

Her lip curled in a slight smile. Exactly the right tone. Alanna studied the room full of men. “I’m ready, but can we pull Bailey Tanner into this?”

Quaid frowned. “Sure. Why?”

“Former FBI. Fugitive task force. Might be helpful.”

“I’ll make it happen.” He kept his eyes on her face, but she kept her features as blank as possible. There was no time for any serious discussions.

“I’m good, Quaid. Let’s do this.”

He took her at her word and left to get Bailey. When he came back, Hunt was behind him. Civilian clothes made him appear taller, less threatening, which was a lie. The man was pretty damn intimidating in his Navy uniform, too. If it was true special operators could identify other special operators anywhere from the vibe, Mercer would sense it. But the civilian clothes might mask the truth for a minute.

“Bailey’s coming.” Quaid went to Mackey, but Hunt stopped beside her. With feet spread, he crossed his arms and searched from board to board assimilating the information.

Curious, Alanna wondered what he saw. “Any restrictions on your participation, Lieutenant Commander?”

“Technically, I can’t shoot anybody. Leaves the field wide open.” He didn’t shift pose, but his attention changed. Leave it to a SEAL to study the people, too. “Heavy hitters.”

“Yes. He’s not getting away again.” The vow was more for her than him.

“He killed a friend of mine.” His quiet voice was scarier than his military one. His face stayed neutral, eyes blank, but his voice carried the deep mourning and respect for whoever the friend had been.

She choked on tears, all the years of sorrow, frustration, and fear shoving at her control. “He killed a friend of mine, too.”

“He’s not getting away again.” Hunt repeated her words with the same solemn vow she’d given. For Steven.”

“We’re in agreement. For Esme. Let’s get this show started. Do you know everybody?”

“No.”

“Do you want to be introduced or would you rather be the silent warrior in the room?”

He smirked. “Just Hunt. No ranks, no designation, no explanations. Can we manage that?”

“Yes. I’m grateful for your support.”

“I’m stunned by what I see here. We didn’t have a full picture, did we?”

“No, but enough to let me figure the rest out. Whit filled in a couple blanks. He killed at least one soldier during Iraq in 2005. It was the start of his assassinations.”

“Higher command discounted the report because of their history of animosity.”

“Whit has a different story we should take into consideration. I believe we’re going to find civilian victims in Iraq, too.”