Daylight

Chapter 36

“Linda Holden-Bryant?” Pine said into the phone. She was sitting in her car outside of Doug Bennett’s house with Blum next to her.

Jack Lineberry said, “Doug told you about her?”

“Yeah, he did,” snapped Pine.

“Why did he mention her?”

“Why the hell didn’t you mention her before now?”

“There was no reason to.”

“There was every reason to,” retorted Pine.

“Why?”

“You were engaged?”

“Well, yes. For a time.”

“Did you live together?”

“Yes, in New York.”

“When did you break up?”

“Why do you need to know this?”

“I think it’s obvious, Jack, don’t you?” she responded sharply. “In fact, I think when you gave me Bennett’s name, it had occurred to you that her name would come up. Maybe you had thoughts that she could be the mole.”

He started to cough but that wasn’t a deterrent for Pine, not this time.

The coughing subsided and he said, “You give me more credit than you should if you think that.”

“Did you ever talk to her about your work?”

“Of course not. Never!”

“Did you ever work from home?”

“I suppose I did on occasion.”

“Back then there were no smartphones, no computers, no internet really. How did you work from home?”

“I used the phone. A secure line.”

“What else?”

“I wrote memos. Sometimes people came by to see me.”

“While Linda was there?”

“Not always.”

“So some of the time, then?”

“Some of the meetings were on short notice and late at night. What did you want me to do, push her out in the street in her nightgown?”

“Are you sure she was asleep?”

“Atlee—”

“Are you sure she never looked through your briefcase, or eavesdropped on a phone call? Or followed you to wherever you were going to see what you were up to?”

“She knew I worked for the government. And she knew it was... secret.”

“But you trusted her?”

“Of course I did, but I took all appropriate precautions. I would never want to put her in danger because she inadvertently discovered some information about what I was doing.”

“There may have been nothing inadvertent about it. So let me ask you again: Why did you break up?”

Lineberry didn’t respond. Pine thought she could hear the quickened beats of his heart over the phone; they seemed to match her own. She glanced at Blum, who was watching her intently.

“Jack?”

“She found out about... about what happened.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

“She found out about me and Amanda.”

“How?”

“I was never exactly sure. But she confronted me.”

“Jack, if she found out about it, she must have taken steps to find out. Like having you followed.”

“I took precautions.”

“Screw precautions,” barked Pine. “They obviously didn’t work.”

More silence.

In a calmer tone, Pine said, “Did she know that my mother was pregnant? And that you were the father?”

When he said nothing, she added, “Jack, I really need to know this. And you know why. That’s the only way we can find out what happened to Mercy. Just like I told you back in your hospital room. We have to do this together.”

“She knew.”

“So she knew about my mother? I mean, who she was?”

“I never told her about the circumstances.”

“But she knew my mother’s identity?”

“Yes.”

“Did they ever meet?”

“Not to my knowledge. At least your mother never mentioned anything like that.”

“If Linda didn’t tell her who she was, my mother may not have known the connection.”

“That’s... true,” Lineberry said haltingly.

“You know where this is leading, Jack.”

“She was not the leak, Atlee. She couldn’t have been.”

“You don’t know that. And from where I’m standing, she is the most probable source of the leak. And she had the motive to sic the Vincenzos on my family.”

“How would she even know about the Vincenzos?”

“Wasn’t it in all the papers back then? After the arrests were made?”

“Well, yes.”

“And you’re telling me that Linda was so oblivious to what you did for a living that she couldn’t have made that connection? Or was she that stupid?”

“No one would accuse Linda of being stupid. Quite the opposite. She was a brilliant woman.”

“Then you’re proving my point. Did you ever have my mother over to your place?”

“Not while Linda was there.”

“But she could have seen her there if she had been suspicious. She could have left and then come back.”

“I just don’t think that’s possible.”

“What did she do for a living? Did she have a profession?”

“She was a lawyer.”

“Oh, great. Don’t tell me she was a criminal defense lawyer?”

“She was, actually, yes.”

“And you still think she couldn’t have possibly made the connection with the Vincenzos? Hell, she might have had mob clients.”

“No, no, I’m sure she didn’t.”

“Did she share her work with you?”

“No, she was as guarded as I was.”

“Then you can’t possibly know who her clients were, can you?”

“Now you sound like a lawyer cross-examining me.”

“Good, that’s my intent. Where is she now?”

“I don’t know. It’s been over thirty years.”

“Do you know what happened to her after you two broke up?”

“I... I heard she got married. To a very wealthy man. He died a few years later, leaving her very rich. She might have gotten married again after that. But I’m not sure.”

“And she never made any effort to contact you? After you became superwealthy? You probably moved in the same circles.”

“I moved to Georgia. She was more of a big-city girl.”

“She should be easy enough to trace.”

“Are you going to do that?”

“I have to do that, Jack.”

“Even if she had anything to do with what happened, do you really think she’ll just confess it to you?”

“I’m not expecting that, no. But I still need to talk to her.”

“Look, despite what I said, I know that it could be possible that Linda was the leak. I... I guess I just didn’t want to even entertain the thought.”

“I’m not saying she’s a bad person, Jack. I’m not even saying she wanted to hurt my family. But for someone who was engaged and then found out her fiancé was going to be the father of another woman’s children? That might have been enough to make her do something she otherwise never would have done.”

“I guess I can see that.”

“I’ll make my own inquiries. But if you come up with anything, let me know.”

“I will.”

Pine clicked off and dropped her phone on the car seat.

Blum said, “I heard most of the exchange. He’s a man clearly in denial.”

“Yes, he is.”

“Chances are very good this Linda Holden-Bryant was the leak.”

“I know.”

“When you find her and confront her, what will you do? How will you work it?”

Pine closed her eyes and took a long breath.

She opened her eyes and said, “When I figure that out, you’ll be the first to know, Carol.”