"You won't touch my daughter."
"Going to protect her, proud papa?"
"I won't have to. Get within four feet, and she'll kick your balls into your throat."
The man laughed. "Funny," he said. "That's not what Bethie or Mandy did."
For the first time, Quincy's grip tightened on the phone.
"Pierce," the man said, "intermission is over. If you won't go back home for your father, I'll just have to find somebody else to kill. You have one hour to get on a plane headed to Virginia."
"I don't think so."
"Then I will make her death very long and excruciatingly painful."
"You can't touch my daughter – "
"It's not Kimberly I'm going to punish. Get to the airport, Supervisory Special Agent Quincy – you don't have many friends left. Oh, and please tell Ms. Conner that next time she hires a private investigator, she should find one who doesn't like chocolate."
The line clicked off. Quincy stared at Rainie. There was a fierceness in his expression she had seen only once before – the night Henry Hawkins had tried to kill her.
"He's coming after you," he said.
She shook her head. "No, not me. Think about his words, Quincy. He wants you home. He's obviously gotten to de Beers. That means East Coast. He's still somewhere around Virginia."
"But who…"
They got it together. "Glenda!" Quincy swore.
"We have one hour."
Quincy picked up the phone and dialed furiously.
Quincy
's House, Virginia
"Get out of the house."
"Pierce? I don't think – "
"Glenda, listen to me. The UNSUB just called. He wants me back on the East Coast and he's prepared to kill someone to force me to return. He's targeting you. I'm almost sure of it. Now, please get out of the house."
Glenda's grip tightened on the phone. Alone in the middle of Quincy's office, she stared at the incriminating box of stationery – one sheet already sent to the document section of the science-crime lab – and she wished… She wished she had never taken this goddamn case.
"I don't think I should be speaking with you," she said quietly.
"Is Montgomery there?"
"That's none of your business."
"You're alone, aren't you? Dammit, how did he even qualify to be an agent? Glenda, the UNSUB knows where I live. He understands Bureau protocol, so he knows someone is manning my residence. Hell, for all I know, he also has knowledge of the layout of my home, the best way of scaling the fence, accessing the grounds… You cannot underestimate him."
"Your phantom stalker," she said.
Quincy fell silent.
Good,
she thought.
Be surprised. I have lived in this house for three days, listening to nothing but hate, and now I have to wonder if it hasn't all been some horrible, twisted game. Are you the hunter or the hunted, Pierce? I don't know anymore, and I'm tired!
"What's wrong, Glenda?" Quincy asked. He sounded wary now, uncertain. She took pride in that.
"There's no such thing as a perfect crime, Quincy. You should know that better than most. For every little detail that is considered, there is always one or two more that slips through the cracks."
"The police report came back from Philadelphia, didn't it? They know the note found at the scene matches my handwriting."
"What?"
He fell silent again. She could practically feel his confusion across the phone line. It was nothing, however, compared to the sudden acceleration of her heart. She'd still maintained some small residue of doubt about Quincy's guilt. But now… That note, that dreadful note stuffed in Elizabeth Quincy's abdominal cavity, soaked in blood. He had written it. Pierce Quincy, a fellow agent, the best of the best.
Oh sweet mother of God…
"You're a monster," she breathed. "Montgomery is right. You're a monster!"
"Glenda – "
She snapped her cell phone shut. She let it fall to the floor where she eyed it as if it were a coiled snake. She had goose bumps running up and down her arms. She had
gone nights without sleep and she could now feel it all
crashing down on her. She was cold, she was horrified.
She had believed in this man. Oh God, she was never going to feel clean.
On the floor, her flip phone started to chime.
She didn't answer it. She wasn't going to let him manipulate her like this. The musical ringing went on for ten seconds, then voice messaging took over and the noise stopped. She had just started to relax, when it started again. And went on and on and on.
Dammit! She snatched back up the phone.
"I don't believe you!" she cried. "You're making this up. And I am armed, Quincy, so you just stay the fuck away from me."
"I am in Oregon. I can't hurt you," he said.
"I don't know that!"
"Listen to me. We don't have much time, Glenda. I did not write that note. I know it looks bad, but I did
not
write that note."
"Of course you did. You just said so."
"
I
know my own handwriting!
For God's sake, I recognized it the minute the ME's assistant brought the note into the room. But I did not write it, Glenda. This man, he got copies of my handwriting, he studied it, he did one hell of a superb impression. I don't know exactly how he did it. But
he
did it, not me."
"Listen to yourself, Quincy. 'It's my writing, but I didn't do it.' Things are unraveling and you're not even lying very well anymore."
"Glenda,
why
would I use my own script? I am a professional. I've taken classes on how to analyze handwriting. If I'm so smart, why would I be so dumb?"
"Maybe you're not dumb. Maybe you're arrogant. Besides, it's not just that note. We've also traced the original newsletter ad. We know it was sent on your stationery."
"The bottom drawer," he murmured. "Christ, it's been years…" And then, "Dammit, then he's definitely been in my house. Glenda, I beg you, get out of there."
"I'm not listening to you." Her voice was rising hysterically. In spite of herself, her gaze had gone to the uncovered windows. She felt suddenly vulnerable, a lone woman standing in a fishbowl. What if Quincy was already out there? Or the phantom stalker or maybe more rattlesnakes? God knows. She was tired. She was so tired. Where was Montgomery? She was not herself.
"Think, Glenda," Quincy was saying relentlessly. "You are a bright agent, you are a brilliant agent. And so am I. So why would I create such an elaborate stalking story, then use my own stationery for the newsletter ads? Why would I stage such a brutal murder in Philadelphia, then use my own handwriting? Why would I even commit these crimes? What would I have to gain?"
"Showing off. Cracking up. Maybe the job has finally done you in."
"I haven't been out in the field in years."
"Maybe you resent that."
"So I butchered my own family? Fifteen minutes, Glenda. Please get out of the house. I'm begging you,
get out of the house."
"I can't," she whispered.
"Why not?"
"I… I think someone may already be out there."
"Oh Glenda…" She heard him take a shaky breath. He was murmuring to someone at the other end of the line. She caught the distinct tones of a female reply. Lorraine Conner. So they were in this together.
For the first time, Glenda frowned. They were in this together? What together? Murdering his family? Threatening a fellow agent? It didn't make much sense. And who sent an ad on hundred-dollar stationery anyway? A criminal mastermind who was provocatively stupid?
Holding the phone, Glenda moved out of the office, into the kitchen where she had a better view of the entrance and was framed by fewer windows. She unsnapped her shoulder holster. Then she reached down to her ankle and checked on her backup piece. Quincy returned to the line.
"You're going to be okay, Glenda," he said firmly. "I'm going to get you through this. First, I'm going to play a tape for you. Rainie made this recording just twenty minutes ago, sitting beside me in her loft in Portland. This is the UNSUB, Glenda. If you still don't believe me, hear for yourself what he has to say."
Glenda heard a click. Then a fuzzy recording filled her ear. She needed about three minutes of the conversation. Somewhere about the time the man said,
Then I will make her death very long and excruciatingly painful,
she had had enough. Quincy was right, the evidence against him was
too
perfect and they had still uncovered no good reason for a highly respected federal agent to suddenly begin butchering his entire family.
Which meant the stalker did exist. A man who thought nothing of killing an agents young daughter. A man who had viciously slaughtered the agents ex-wife. And a man who had topped it all off by kidnapping, and probably murdering, the agent's sick, Alzheimer's-stricken father. Oh God…
"All right," she said quietly. "What do we do?"
"Do you have a car outside?"
"Not on the driveway. Down the street."
"How far away?"
"Three to four minutes."
"You can do this, Glenda. Think of it as a training exercise in Hogan's Alley. Take out your Smith amp; Wesson and run like hell. You'll make it."
"No."
"Glenda – "
"There's no cover, Quincy. He could be out there anywhere, behind a neighbor's bush, up a tree. Your property offers nothing. The minute I'm out of the front door, he has me. No, I'm safer in here than out there."
"Glenda, he
knows
the house. Inside you're trapped. Outside you have options."
"Outside he can pick me off. Inside I can at least see him coming. Besides, we changed the security system of your home. He has to have a fingerprint and an access code now. That will hold him up, buy me some time." Her eyes were on the kitchen window. She reached for her 10mm. Her hands were sweating badly. She fumbled the piece.
"He'll have a plan for the security system. He's had a plan for everything thus far."
Glenda finally got her pistol secure in her grasp. She forced herself to take a deep breath and steady her nerves. "Remember his MO," she told Quincy briskly. "The UNSUB relies on his gift for manipulating people. Well, the computerized system could care less. It has no deep dark secrets to exploit and it will not accept a severed digit."
"Call for backup." Quincy remained urgent.
"Fair enough."
"How long before they arrive?"
"Five to ten minutes. No more."
"If he gets there first… Remember his strengths. Do not let him talk. Shoot first, question later. Promise me, Glenda."
Glenda nodded into the phone as she reached for the radio to summon her fellow agents. Just as she was about to click it on, however, Quincy's home line began to ring. Another admirer, she thought. Just what her nerves needed at a time like this. But then the machine picked up, and the voice was not a stranger's. It was Albert Montgomery and he did not sound like himself at all.
"Jesus Christ, Glenda," he wailed. "Pick up the goddamn phone. I've been trying to reach you on your cellular… I was wrong. Not a phantom stalker. He's here, he's here, he's here. Oh God, he has a knife!"
She heard Quincy screaming something in her ear. She wasn't paying attention anymore. She dropped her flip phone on the marble countertop. She reached over with her right hand. She grabbed Quincy's white cordless phone and…
The pain was instantaneous and intense. Deep, searing heat as if someone had branded her hand with a red-hot iron. She cried out. She dropped the cordless phone on the floor. And in the next moment, she heard the
beep beep
of someone disarming the security system, followed by a click as the front door swung open.
She looked over at her 10mm, within easy reach. She looked down at her right hand, seared by some sort of acid, now bubbling up with blisters, her fingers impossible to move.
"I'm sorry, Quincy," she murmured.
Then she watched Special Agent Albert Montgomery walk into the kitchen holding his cell phone in one hand and his 10mm in the other.
"Surprise, baby! It's me!"
The last sound Quincy heard was gunfire. And then nothing but his own desperate voice, "Glenda, Glenda! Talk to me.
Talk to me!
"
Quincy hung his head. His breath came in ragged gasps. The disconnected phone had fallen from his fingertips and now lay on Rainies bed.
He must stay in control,
he thought. Now more than ever… Rainie's arms were around his shoulder. She had not spoken, but there were tears on her cheeks.
"I should call Everett," he murmured. "Get agents over there. Maybe…"
Rainie didn't say anything. Like him, she didn't really believe that Glenda was still alive.
Quincy took a deep breath, and reached for the phone just as it began to ring. He picked it up slowly, figuring he knew who this would be, and already steeling himself for the man's mocking tone.
"I shot Special Agent Montgomery," Glenda Rodman said without preamble.
"Glenda? Oh thank God!"
"He put… something on the phone. Last time he was here, I suppose. He thought it would disable me. Stupid bastard. He should have read my file more closely. My father was a cop – he believed strongly in being able to shoot ambidextrously. You never know which hand will wind up free under fire."
"You're okay?"
"Albert's shooting skills are equal to the rest of him," she said dryly. "My right hand needs immediate medical attention. Other than that, I'll live."
"And Special Agent Montgomery?"
"I aimed to kill."
"Glenda – "
"I disabled him with shots to his kneecap and his right hand instead; I know you need answers. Quincy, he says he'll only speak with you. He says he knows where your father is. You need to get back here ASAP. At least, before I change my mind and start shooting again."
"Glenda," he tried again.
"You're welcome," she said. And hung up the phone.
Portland
, Oregon
Back at the hotel,
Quincy swiftly threw his clothes into his travel bag. Rainie was in the living room, talking to Virginia state trooper Vince Amity on the phone. Kimberly, on the other hand, stood watching him from the doorway, her shoulders hunched as if preparing for a blow. She'd had a run-in with room service while he and Rainie had been gone. Apparently, an overworked bellhop had transposed two numbers and tried to deliver someone else's anniversary surprise to Kimberly's room. The bellhop had hoped for a good tip. Instead, he'd encountered a screaming woman who – fortunately unknown to him – was brandishing a loaded semiautomatic.
The hotel had explained the mixup to Quincy upon his return. He'd relayed the story to Kimberly. She'd smiled in an attempt to find humor in the situation, but Quincy could tell the incident had left her shaken, and news of Glenda's attack had only further frayed her nerves.
"So Special Agent Rodman is all right?" Kimberly asked for the third time. Her voice had taken on the anxious edge he remembered from two days ago. Nothing he'd offered in the last ten minutes seemed to change it.
"Special Agent Rodman is an extremely capable woman," Quincy said, trying a new tack as he rounded up his socks. "She took her training seriously, and when the moment came, that training paid off. She not only met the threat, but she took out Montgomery with two clean shots."
"She must be an excellent marksman."
"I believe she's won a few medals."
"I'm a good shot," Kimberly said. "I practice three times a week."
Quincy raised his head and met his daughter's eyes. He said firmly, "You're going to be fine, Kimberly. Rainie is staying here with you, and you're a capable young woman. You'll be safe."
Kimberly's gaze fell to the floor. She was gnawing on her bottom lip; he couldn't tell if he had reached her or not.
"What about Special Agent Rodman's hand?" she asked.
"I don't know. Montgomery confessed that he sprayed the phone with Teflon to protect the plastic, then applied hydrofluoric acid, which is an extremely corrosive chemical. The acid reacted with the moisture of Glenda's hand, burning her fingers and part of her palm. I'm not sure of the long-term prognosis."
"It's her right hand. She could be permanently damaged, or scarred."
"She's receiving the best medical attention you can get. I'm sure she'll recover."
"But you don't know – "
"Kimberly!" he said sharply. "Albert was going to kill her. You know that, I know that, she knows that. Instead, she controlled her fear and pain and disabled her attacker. This is a triumph. This is a lesson in the value of hard work and proper training. Don't give this victory away. Don't demoralize yourself like that."
"I don't want you to go," she whispered.
Quincy closed his eyes. The irritation drained from his body. He felt simply rotten instead. "I know," he said softly.
"It's just… So you have Albert in custody. So he went after Glenda. There's still something wrong… something else going on. If Albert looks the way you say he does, I can't see him getting anywhere near Mom. Plus, there's the matter of brainpower. If Albert was this clever, he wouldn't have had problems at the Bureau in the first place. Don't you think?"
"He fits the description of the man in Mandy's AA group," Quincy said, though he knew that wasn't really an answer.
His daughter knew it too. She gazed at him miserably, obviously needing more than he was giving. He wished he knew what to do at times like this. He wished he knew how to make his daughter feel safe and confident and strong. And then he really did miss his ex-wife, because Bethie had always been better at these moments than him. He held a doctorate in psychology. Bethie, on the other hand, had been a mom.
"I love you, Kimberly," he said.
"Dad – "
"I don't want to go. Maybe sometimes it seems that I do. Maybe we both mistake my sense of duty for desire. But it is duty. Montgomery has information about Grandpa that I need to know and he claims hell only give that information to me. It's been forty-eight hours, Kimberly. If we don't find Grandpa soon…" His voice trailed off. His daughter had taken law enforcement classes; he knew that she understood as well as he did how the probability of finding Abraham alive decreased with each passing hour. The UNSUB had claimed that Abraham was tucked away safely. Quincy, however, had subsequently learned a new detail. He'd called Everett after he'd gotten off the phone with Glenda. The red Audi TT convertible had been found by Virginia state police at four that morning. It had been left parked in the exact spot where Mandy had hit a telephone pole fourteen months before. Forensic technicians found traces of urine in the passenger's seat, probably from Abraham. Extra personnel had now been brought in to scour the surrounding woods. They were also using dogs – cadaver dogs.
"There's a good chance that Montgomery planned this whole thing," Quincy said now, his voice purposely firm. "He hated me because of the Sanchez case, he plotted revenge. If that's the case, then it's over, Kimberly. You're safe now. Everything will be all right."
"Then why won't you let us go with you?" she protested.
"Because I'm not one hundred percent certain, and I'm not going to risk you without being completely sure! Until we know everything, you're safer here than there."
"But what about you? You're returning to the East Coast, where some man knows all about you."
"I've also had a lot of training."
"Mom is
gone!"
Kimberly exclaimed. "Mandy is gone! Grandpa is gone! And now you're leaving, and, and, and…"
Quincy finally got it. His daughter wasn't seeking reassurance for her own safety. She was terrified for
him.
She'd already lost most of her family and now her good old dad was once again walking out the front door into the face of danger. Christ, sometimes he was an idiot about the most basic things.
Quincy came around the bed. He took Kimberly into his arms, and for once, his stubborn, independent daughter did not protest. "I'm not going to let anything happen to me," he whispered against the top of her head. "I promise you that."
"You can't make that promise."
"I am Quantico's best of the best. I can, too."
"Dad – "
"Listen to me, Kimberly." He pulled back enough to look her in the eye, to let her see how serious he was. "I'm a good agent. I take my training seriously; I do not underestimate my opponent. This is a game, but it's a game where the stakes are life or death. I never forget that. And because I never forget that, I'm better at this than most."
Her blue eyes were still watery. He could tell she was on the brink of crying, but she sniffed back her tears. "You won't let down your guard?" she pressed. "You won't be fooled by anything this Albert guy says?"
"I am going to keep myself safe so I can come home to my daughter. And you are going to take good care of yourself and Rainie, so I can come home to you."
"We'll look out for each other."
"Kimberly, thank you."
From the doorway, Rainie cleared her throat. Quincy looked up, and knew instantly from the expression on her face that she had bad news. He took a deep breath… Then slowly, reluctantly, he let his daughter go.
"I have an update from Virginia," Rainie said as Quincy and Kimberly turned to face her.
Quincy nodded. "Go ahead."
"Phil de Beers and Mary Olsen are dead. The police found their bodies an hour ago in a car just down the road from Mary's house. The car was registered in Phil's name. We'll need the medical examiner's report to be sure, but the police are guessing poison. The bodies have white foam around the mouth. There's a strong smell of almonds…"
"Cyanide," Quincy deduced.
She nodded grimly. "They found a box of chocolates in the car. Two are gone. The rest have that same bitter almond scent. According to the butler, Mary accepted a delivery shortly before leaving the house. He found the empty shipping box in the foyer, no return address."
"So someone sent Mary a box of poisoned chocolates and she took them to de Beers? But why did she eat one, too? That doesn't make any sense." Kimberly looked baffled.
"For the sake of argument," Quincy said slowly, "let's assume Montgomery spotted de Beers conducting surveillance on Mary. Mary probably knew Montgomery through Amanda, so now Albert has two loose ends. An accomplice who can connect him with the murders and a private investigator watching the accomplice. He doesn't have a lot of time, but he must do something."
"He poisons the box of chocolates," Rainie murmured, "sends them to Mary, and makes up some story that convinces her to share them with de Beers. Not bad really. Eliminates two people without burning a lot of time or resources. You're right, Quincy, this guy is an efficiency freak."
"Death by UPS," Kimberly said. Her shoulders sagged.
Rainie shot her a look. "Hey, Kimberly, if Montgomery is so good, why is he the one in FBI custody? He might be efficient, but we're the ones who won the war."
"Tell that to Phil de Beers."
Rainie's lips tightened. She turned on her heels and marched back into the living room. A second later, Quincy heard the sound of wood snapping. She had finally found his stash of #2 pencils in his computer case. From here on out, he would apparently be taking notes in pen.
"I guess I shouldn't have said that," Kimberly murmured after a moment.
"No, you shouldn't have."
"I'm sorry – "
"I'm not the one to whom you should be apologizing." His voice came out too harsh. Kimberly instantly looked stricken. Quincy repressed a sigh. He wasn't used to Kimberly being this sensitive. Then again, she had never lived under the threat of immediate death before.
"Kimberly," he said more patiently, "Rainie hired Phil de Beers. She met with the man. She gave him an important assignment, which means she trusted and liked him. She is not going to cry into her coffee right now because she knows the situation is still live and she can't afford that luxury. But don't think she doesn't have feelings. And don't lash out at her, just because you feel helpless."
"I'm sorry. I'm just… I don't know myself anymore!" Kimberly's voice rose, the full force of her anxiety now flooding to the surface. She stepped away from him, rubbing her arms compulsively and shaking her head. "I'm tense, I'm moody. One moment I feel strong and in control. I can meet this challenge, I can take this man! The next moment I'm shaking in my boots, drawing down on room service and mistrusting every noise I hear. I can't stand this level of uncertainty. I hate doubting myself, I hate worrying about what's going to happen next. I'm not supposed to fall apart like this, Dad. I'm supposed to be
strong!"
"Are you having panic attacks again?" Quincy asked immediately. "Do you feel as if you're being watched?"
She drew up short. "No…" she said slowly. "In fact, I haven't felt that prickly sensation since we came here."
"Good." Quincy started breathing again. "You are strong, Kimberly," he said evenly. "You are doing remarkably well for everything you've been through."
"Do you feel like you're falling apart?" she demanded. "Are you swamped by anxiety, do you jump at shadows, are you tempted to open fire on room service waiters?"
"No, but I've been doing this kind of work for over fifteen years."
"Dad, does it frighten you?"
"What?"
"To feel so comfortable in the face of so much death?"
He bent down and kissed her cheek. "Yes, Kimberly. Sometimes it frightens me to death." He moved back to his duffel bag. "Help me pack, sweetheart. The only way out of this is to keep moving forward. So let's keep moving, one step at a time and then one step beyond that."
Kimberly nodded. She uncrossed her arms. She took a deep breath and picked up one of his shirts. And she looked so determined, it made Quincy's heart ache all over again. He lowered his head so she could not see his eyes.
He had lied to his daughter. He didn't think Albert Montgomery had masterminded this elaborate plan. He didn't think it was safe to head back East. Instead, he was absolutely certain he was once again being manipulated, but he didn't know what else he could do. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't. Fifteen years of being the best of the best and now he was being played like a toy violin.
There had to be another option. There was always another option…
"I couldn't uncover anything interesting on Millos," Kimberly spoke up. "He doesn't even have that much money in the bank. Most of the searches I did just kept bringing up Miguel Sanchez. The man has spawned even more case studies than Bundy."
"His partnership was unusual," Quincy said.
"Maybe not anymore," Kimberly murmured.
He didn't pretend to misunderstand her. His bag was full. He zipped it up, then finally met his daughter's waiting gaze.
"Maybe you could do me a favor," he said casually. "You have a good memory. Perhaps you could make a list of everyone you knew in your childhood, friends of yours, friends of the family. You know, the people we knew when your mother and I were still married."
Kimberly looked at him. He hadn't fooled her. After a moment, she nodded wordlessly.
"Hey Kimberly," he called softly. "Fuck ballet."
Her gaze remained somber, but then finally, slowly, she smiled.
Minutes later, Rainie and Quincy rode the elevator down to the lobby to hail a cab for the airport. Kimberly had tactfully agreed to stay upstairs in the room, seeming to understand that they might want a moment alone. Quincy figured there was something profound he should say to Rainie. All he could think was no sickening-sweet pet names.
In the lobby, Rainie glanced at her watch. "Two hours," she said, "not one."
"And yet I'm heading home."
"Intermission is over," she agreed.
"Rainie – "
"I won't let anything happen to Kimberly," she interjected quietly. "You have my word."
He nodded. He had figured that Rainie also realized that Montgomery was a long shot for a lone gunman.