Page 44 of The Shadow Friends

“And folks from your old Agency, no doubt.”

“This is a matter of national security. I’m sure the Agency is monitoring this.”

“And Ingrid leaves town just as things turn hot. Doesn’t that strike you as suspicious?” Jo waited for an answer. No one offered one. She turned to Lloyd. “Is there a chance she’s done something that could get her into trouble?”

Lloyd straightened and fixed her with an unflinching gaze. Jo had always thought of Lloyd Slocum as the comic relief in this group, a mild-mannered househusband who was happy just to putter around in the kitchen. Now she saw a different Lloyd, a dangerous Lloyd, glaring at her. “My wife served her country with courage and distinction. I don’t know why she suddenly decided to get on that plane, and I don’t know where she is. But I know she would never betray her country. I’d stake my life on it.”

Was he simply refusing to see the obvious? Decades of marriage could do that to a man, especially a man who genuinely adored his wife. Jo wondered how objective any of these people could be when it came to one of their own. Friendship, like marriage, could blind one to the truth.

Jo might be the only one here who was clear eyed enough to see it.

Back outside, sitting in her patrol car, she considered how to proceed, and how much to reveal to investigators. The members of the Martini Club were bound to silence about their past careers, and they were counting on Jo to honor their secret. But was she abdicating her duty as a police officer? If Ingrid Slocum turned up in Moscow as a defector, Jo was going to feel like an idiot. Even worse, a collaborator.

She looked at the Slocums’ house, a picture-perfect white colonial with its picket fence and manicured front yard. It was exactly the sort of facade you’d hide behind if you were a Russian spy. This house looked like it belonged to a loyal American who flew the flag every Fourth of July, who celebrated every Thanksgiving with roast turkey and pumpkin pie. Spies were trained to blend in. They knew how to avoid suspicion and wear a convincing smile and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. To anyone who knew them, they’d look like red-blooded Americans.

Patriot or traitor?

Which one are you, Ingrid?

Chapter 18

Maggie

“What the hell is going on?” Ben said as he and Maggie and Declan huddled together in the kitchen, out of Lloyd’s earshot.

“Ingrid will tell us when she’s ready to,” said Maggie.

“Are you sure about that?” Ben leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. “We’ve never had any reason to doubt her. But this—her jumping on a plane and heading off to God knows where? It makes her look guilty.”

“Guilty of what?”

“I don’t know. But with polonium now in the picture, this almost certainly involves our old friends in Moscow.”

“I don’t like what you’re suggesting,” said Maggie.

“‘Inductive science.’ Remember that old Agency term?” said Ben. “It’s how we’re supposed to approach this. We look at the evidence and try to understand it, no matter where it takes us. Not like cops, who use evidence to prove what they think they already know. And what we do know is that the Russians are involved in this. Which makes me wonder . . .”

“Wonder what?” Lloyd said.

The three of them turned to see Lloyd standing in the kitchen doorway. He’d already had three drinks this evening, all on an empty stomach, but his gaze was steady and coldly focused on Ben.

“Are you accusing my wife of being compromised?”

“No. Of course not,” said Ben.

“But that’s what it sounded like. Ingrid, working for the other side?” Lloyd threw his head back and gave a bitter laugh. “Oh, sure. All these years together, and I didn’t know my wife was a Russian spy? How stupid do you think I am, Ben? How completely blind would I have to be?”

“Lloyd.” Declan placed a calming hand on Lloyd’s shoulder. “We’re just struggling to understand the situation. Like you, we want her home, safe and sound. And we’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back.”

“Then start by identifying who poisoned Maslov,” said Lloyd. “It’s almost certainly the same person who killed Karen O’Brien.”

“Unfortunately, the FBI will be all over this,” said Ben. “They’ll be taking a good look at everyone who attended the conference. Including us.”

“And they’ll be asking me about Ingrid,” said Lloyd. “Before I talk to them, I need to know what I’m dealing with. I have to be ready to defend her against whatever malarkey they accuse her of.” He straightened and looked Ben in the eye. “Whatever you accuse her of.”

“We’re not accusing her of anything,” said Maggie. “We’re all in this together, Lloyd. The way we’ve always been.”

“Thank you, Maggie. Ingrid’s counting on us.” Lloyd looked at Ben. “All of us.”