The Line Between Here and Now

CHAPTER TEN

Casey was perched at the edge of Ryan’s desk, scratching Hero’s ears and gripping her phone as she prepared to hear Marc’s update, when Patrick beeped in.

“Hang on a sec,” she told Marc. “Let me see what’s going on in D.C.”

She switched calls. “Patrick. I got your cryptic text message. Now tell me, what did you find?”

“Nothing at breakfast. A windfall at lunch.”

“Well, now I’m screwed,” Casey replied. “I’ve got both you and Marc on the phone simultaneously, and each of you has a significant update. Who goes first?”

“Talk to Marc,” Patrick answered quickly. “I’m done here. I’m at the airport, about to jump on a plane. I’ll be home in a few hours.”

“Can the information wait till then?”

“Yeah. Besides, it has to. I need Ryan there when I review it with you. Is he in the office?”

“Yes.” Casey glanced at Ryan, who was still staring at his monitor, this time delving into John Morano’s employment history to see where he’d worked previously so as to determine how he’d managed to amass such large sums of money. “He’s here. I’m sitting in his lair right now. But I won’t be for long.”

“Why not? I need your insights and Ryan’s eye.”

“Can you get my insights by phone?”

“I suppose so. Why?”

“Because I’m about to leave for the Hamptons. Long story. I’ll fill you in later. Let me get back to Marc so we can make plans. Fly safe.” Casey switched lines again. “Hey, Marc. Patrick’s on his way home with information he sounds very hyped up about.”

“I’ll be back at the office by then,” Marc replied. “I’m grabbing something to eat at Simon’s Beach Bakery Café. You remember it. It’s that place with the yellow awning right down the street from Amanda’s place.”

“I remember. I also remember that it’s a spot Amanda mentioned where she and Paul ate pretty often.”

“I can see why,” Marc informed her drily. “The pastries look amazing. I’ll do a hundred extra push-ups tonight. But it’ll be worth it.”

“Eat as many pastries as you want. You’ll have the time. You’re not leaving Westhampton just yet. I’m meeting you out there. We have a date with Lyle Fenton tonight.”

“We do?”

“We will as soon as I talk to Amanda. I’m heading for the hospital now. Then I’ll try to beat rush hour traffic out to Long Island.” Casey glanced at the clock as she spoke. “It’s three-thirty, so I should be okay. Are you speaking to anyone in particular at Simon’s?”

“Anyone and everyone, from Simon the owner to the employees to the patrons. This place is a real hangout, not just during the season but all year round. There are quite a few locals here. I’m hoping someone will have a meaningful observation or two about Paul.”

“So you struck out with his neighbors and friends?”

“Essentially, yes. They were all willing to talk to me, but I didn’t learn anything of consequence. If the guy had an alternate life, he kept it very well hidden.”

“So would I if I were involved in something criminal.”

“Right. In any case, I’ve got more to accomplish. I was going to bag it and come home so I could make decent time on the expressway before rush hour screwed me up. But now that I’ve got a few hours, I’ll cover more territory. I want to talk to some of the contractors Paul Everett hired.”

“Good idea.” Casey’s wheels were turning. “By the way, if it wasn’t Paul’s neighbors or poker buddies who piqued your interest, I’m guessing it was the meeting with Morano. Is that what you want to discuss? Did Morano say something that related to Paul Everett?”

“Nothing as straightforward as that. But, Casey, that guy is way too smooth. He answered my questions like a practiced politician. And I don’t mean because he’s used to handling the press. I doubt he’s done anything except local interviews at this point. He prepped himself, or was prepped, far more than necessary, not just about what to say but about how to say it. I can buy that he’d be comfortable talking about his business. But when I brought up Paul Everett, he was overly laid-back about it.”

“In what way?”

“You’d think that Paul had just reneged on a business opportunity, rather than being killed. Having your predecessor murdered would throw anyone. Not Morano. He laughed it off as if I’d made a joke that fell flat. At the same time, he was definitely curious as to why I wanted to know about Everett. And, smooth or not, I know his antennae went up. The whole interview felt wrong. No concrete reasons. Just gut instinct.”

“That works for me.”

And it always did. It wasn’t just because Marc had worked as a profiler with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. It was because he was Marc. Every single member of the Forensic Instincts team had that same knack-each in a different way-of just knowing. Together, it made Forensic Instincts exceptional.

“Okay,” she said. “Then here’s what I suggest. Go do your thing at Simon’s. Then take care of your other stops and drop off your rental car. I’ll give Claire a call. She, Patrick, and Ryan can convene at the brownstone as soon as Patrick lands. I’ll drive out to the Hamptons. You and I can have a conference call with the rest of the team when I get there.” Casey paused. “Oh, speaking of Claire, there’s something you should know. She had some upsetting insights earlier today.”

“About?”

“The baby. So I called Amanda. Justin had a setback today. And not a minor one. His fever spiked, he’s getting a chest CT and some other more invasive tests. The doctor thinks he has an escalating lung infection of some kind. He’s concerned about the baby’s breathing. He’ll probably put him on a ventilator. The scenario isn’t good. Neither is Amanda. She was bordering on hysteria.”

Marc blew out a breath. “That poor woman. And that poor, innocent baby.”

“That’s the other reason I’m dropping by the hospital before I drive out to you. I’m hoping I can calm her down by giving her some hope. I’ll mention that you’re at Simon’s, asking around. And I’ll tell her Patrick’s on his way home from D.C. with some information. I’ve got to walk a careful line here, since I’m guessing the information Patrick’s bringing back involves Lyle Fenton. I’m not ready to clue Amanda into our suspicions about him yet. But they’ve escalated. Ryan’s been making some progress. And the one common denominator in all this is Fenton. When we connect all the dots, I have a feeling the details surrounding Paul Everett’s disappearance might include Amanda’s uncle Lyle.”

“No shocker there.”

“As I said, you and I are paying him a visit tonight. Ryan says he’s landing from D.C. around dinnertime. You and I will show up during dessert. We’ll keep our questions focused on Paul-what he was like, why Fenton would or wouldn’t choose to work with him, did he ever mention where he might go if he left the Hamptons-that sort of thing. We’ll key it up to look like we’re all about needing Fenton’s help in finding the father of Amanda’s baby. Which we are. But while we’re at it, we’re getting a read on this man. He seems to be there at every turn we take.”

Casey pursed her lips thoughtfully as she disconnected her call to Marc.

“Are you leaving now…” Ryan cut himself off as he pivoted around to face Casey. “Uh-oh. I know that look. Whatever you just came up with means more work for me.”

A grin. “You’ve been hanging around Claire too much, Ryan. You’re becoming psychic. You’re also full of it. You love this. The more I throw at you, the happier you are.”

“Yeah, well, don’t spread that around.” Ryan sobered. “What’s up?”

Casey rose and shrugged into her coat. “I want you to do another background check on Paul Everett,” she said. “I need the results by the time I get out to Westhampton.”

Ryan’s brows drew together. “You need me to go back further? Or dig deeper? I already did a thorough check into his professional background. You want educational details? His college grades? Major?”

“No. I want you to cross-check him with John Morano. You did a cursory search of Morano’s background. Now do an intensive one. Get details. Then see if he and Everett were in any of the same places at the same time-anywhere they might have crossed paths. If you need to go back to their school days, do it. I want to make sure these two didn’t know each other.”

“And that Morano wasn’t part of Everett’s disappearing act.”

“Exactly.”

“Consider it done.” Ryan’s fingers were already flying across the keyboard. “I’ll have answers for you in time for our conference call.”

The man was parked a few buildings down from the brownstone, his car concealed by a pile of garbage. Dusk had already settled over the city, since the December days were so short. He was dressed in black and between that and the fading light, he was nearly invisible. Still, he wasn’t taking any chances. He ducked down behind the wheel of his car when Casey exited the building. She crossed the street and walked into a garage. A few minutes later, the FI van flew up the ramp, turned left and drove off.

He waited a moment. Then, two.

Quietly shifting into Drive, he pulled away from the curb and followed behind her.

Claire was sitting cross-legged on her futon, holding the suction-cup heart that Amanda had let her take home. Of all Paul’s personal possessions, this one triggered the strongest reaction. She could feel that binary energy flowing through her like a river. She could visualize Paul and sense his conflicting emotions. Suddenly, she couldn’t visualize him at all, and the emotions she was picking up from the plastic heart dissolved into dust.

The reasons behind it were driving her crazy. She had to clear the cobwebs from her mind and get to the core of her response. In her gut, she knew that when she did she’d have something concrete to draw from.

Claire started as her cell phone rang. She didn’t want to be interrupted in her attempts to figure out Paul Everett’s energy. Whoever it was could call back.

Meanwhile, the ring tone was invading her cerebral space. She leaned over and picked up the phone, fully intending to press Ignore and send the call to voice mail. Then she glanced at the caller ID. Casey. She couldn’t blow off a call from her, not now.

Setting aside her frustration, she punched a button on the phone and put it to her ear. “Hi, Casey.”

“Hi. Sorry to intrude. I know you’re working with the personal items Amanda gave you. But I wanted to keep you posted and ask you to go to the office in a few hours. We’re arranging a full-team conference call so that…”

“Stop.” Claire’s interjection was sharp. “I’m sorry to cut you off. But something’s wrong.”

“Wrong? You mean with the baby?”

“No. I mean with you. That feeling I had. It’s back. Casey, someone’s watching you.” A pause. “Where are you?”

“In the car.”

“Then he’s following you. He’s wearing black. I can’t see his face, just a shadowy form. But his energy is dark. Lock your doors. And don’t drive anywhere remote. Stay in traffic.”

“No worries there,” Casey said drily, searching her rearview mirror for a suspicious-looking vehicle. “I’m in Manhattan. I’m stopping at Sloane Kettering and then driving out to the Hamptons. That’s about as remote as Times Square on New Year’s Eve.” She shifted in her seat. Despite her flippant attitude, she wasn’t happy. “Is he armed?”

“I don’t know.” Claire sounded terribly unnerved. “But he’s only going to follow us and Amanda for so long before he does something. And whatever that something is-it’s ominous. He’s ominous.”

“I hear you.” Casey wished she could figure out which car in the converging traffic was the one. “I’ll make sure I’m not alone. I won’t park in the hospital garage…I’d have to walk through that connecting tunnel to get to the building. I’ll drive to one of the lots on Sixty-ninth between First and Second. That way, I can drop the car off up front and walk, blending in with the crowd. It’s the end of the workday. Everyone will be rushing out of their offices to head for home. I’ll just be another rat in the rat race.”

“Do that. I don’t have a good feeling about that tunnel. You wouldn’t be safe. The hospital’s being watched, too.” Claire pressed her fingers to her temples. “My head is pounding. There’s too much happening at once. And none of it’s good.”

“The baby, too?” Casey asked quickly.

A heartbeat of a pause. “Get to Amanda,” Claire replied, her voice low and tense. “She needs you.”