Page 85 of The Shadow Friends

“We ask the questions.”

The man looked from Ben to Declan and finally his gaze turned to Maggie. Maybe he thought a woman would be easier to appeal to, but she was in no mood to be sympathetic. Not when he’d come armed with a Glock. Still, there were details about him that seemed all wrong. Declan yanked off the man’s fleece jacket, revealing arms unmarked by a single tattoo. And he’d sounded American, without any trace of an accent, Russian or otherwise.

Declan pulled a wallet out of one of the fleece pockets and read the ID. “Tanner Minnihan, Maryland driver’s license. Forty-one years old, red hair, green eyes. Five foot eleven, a hundred fifty pounds.” Declan glanced at the man. “Fits the description.”

“A dead double,” growled Ben.

“What?” The man’s head jerked up. “No!”

“Who sent you?”

“No one! I’m just trying to find Ingrid Slocum.”

“That we already knew,” said Ben, and he pressed the gun barrel against the man’s temple. “We’re going to get the truth out of you eventually. The question is, how much will it hurt? You decide.”

The man focused desperately on Maggie. “I don’t know what you people want! Tell me what you want!”

“Answers, that’s all,” she said. “Who wants Ingrid dead?”

The man looked bewildered. “Someone wants her dead?”

“It’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” said Ben. “Carrying a nice Glock on your hip.”

“Ben,” said Declan.

“We don’t take kindly to assholes coming after one of our friends.”

“Ben.”

Ben looked at Declan. “What?”

Declan held up a second billfold that he’d just pulled out of the man’s jacket. “It says he’s FBI.”

Ben snatched the ID from Declan and stared at the badge and ID card. “Jesus. They’re making really good fakes these days.”

“Guys?” The man cleared his throat. “And, uh, ma’am. You should know that killing a federal agent is gonna land you in a fucking heap of trouble. So you might want to rethink whatever you’re planning to do with me.”

Ben and Declan looked at each other. Looked at the man.

“Who are you, really?” said Declan.

“Special Agent Minnihan. It’s right there, on my ID. And who are you people?”

“We’re friends of Ingrid’s.”

Minnihan looked around at his three captors, all of them dressed in black, all of them armed. “What kind of friends does she have?”

“Again, we ask the questions,” said Ben. “And so far, I’m not satisfied with your answers.”

“Okay. Okay, you don’t believe me? Then talk to the chief of police.”

“Jo Thibodeau?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s her name. She’ll vouch for me. Call her!”

Maggie looked at Ben. “I think the wrong fish just swam into our net.”

Chapter 32