Private Rogue

Chapter 60

A squad car had arrived at the house within minutes of Jessie calling the police. Now the place was a major crime scene with detectives and FBI trawling over every inch of the property, looking for evidence and examining everything they found. Justine sat in an FBI incident-response truck and watched Jessie through the window. The head of Private New York knew some of the agents on the scene and was talking to a couple of them who’d sat in on Justine’s interview. The Detective in Charge, Charlie Nightwell, had led the interview and she crossed the driveway now to join Jessie’s conversation with the special agents. Charlie Nightwell was the kind of tough New York cop who looked as though she’d stare into the face of evil without blinking. She exuded strength, and, in that moment, Justine longed to be like her. Justine used to think she was tough, but she certainly didn’t feel that way now. She was far more vulnerable than she’d ever realized.

Beyond Jessie, Nightwell and the two special agents, forensic investigators were working the scene alongside uniform cops and FBI agents. A photographer was taking pictures of Roni’s body. Taft’s was hidden by a screen, but Justine couldn’t shake the memory of the gruesome headshot he took. These two brave people had been cut down before their time. They’d been murdered while trying to protect others. There had to be justice, or if not that, vengeance.

Justine had given her statements and was glad to be alone. Jack’s death had created a gaping wound in her soul, and this professional failure only deepened it. She hadn’t felt so low in years. Guilt gnawed at her, alongside the grief she felt for Jack. The deaths of those two agents were on her. If she hadn’t been so caught up in her own loss, would she have noticed a tail? Would she have suggested they sweep the car for bugs before leaving the New York office? Justine would never know for certain if they had been followed or what she could have done differently, but she found it hard to shake the feeling that if she’d been at her sharpest, those two people would still be alive.

The trailer door opened and Justine steeled herself to put on the brave face she reserved for strangers. It faded away the moment she saw Mo-bot and Sci climb the steps.

“Oh, Jus,” Mo-bot said, crossing the truck to embrace her. “I’m so sorry. Jessie told us what happened.”

“We lost them,” Justine responded tearfully. “They killed two of our own and they took Beth and the children.”

“They’ll pay for this,” Sci said. “We’ll make sure of it.”

“Have you told the Feds about Andreyev?” Mo-bot asked.

Justine nodded.

“That might explain why he’s gone to ground,” Mo-bot replied. “The billfold showed up on a flight to Moscow.”

“You think he’s left the country?” Justine asked.

Mo-bot shook her head. “I checked immigration photos of everyone on the flight. No record of him on the plane. My guess is he gave it to someone else to make it look like he’d flown. We sent a couple of operatives to his apartment. It’s empty. He has what he wanted. He can burn his cover.”

“What do we do now?” Justine asked, wishing Jack was there to guide them.

“We’re going to find Beth and her children,” Mo-bot replied. “Whatever it takes. We will find them and we will bring them back. And then Andreyev will pay for what he’s done.”