Gideon sighed. “Say you’re sorry.”
Molina nodded. “Yes. After his failed attempt on Miss Dawson, where we know now he really wanted Miss Hart, he took Kaley Martell. The next day he flew to Vail, where he took Zandra from the bar. He took most of his victims from bars, actually. The one victim abduction that puzzled me was the victim he took from the Barry Manilow concert after they’d argued about her standing in front of his seat. But then we found a stack of old vinyl albums, all by Barry Manilow. Mr. Garvey was able to shine light on this. He said his first wife was a big fan and played the albums all the time. Carson would sing with her before she died, and sat playing the albums afterward. Then Mr. Garvey married Sydney. He seemed pretty broken up over the videos of her abuse.”
“At least there’s that,” Daisy said bitterly.
“The last thing he said was that the property that Carson used as his burial ground will belong to him—the father, I mean. Sydney left it to him. He’s going to sell it and donate the proceeds to a victim compensation fund. I personally think he did that to curry favor with the DA over the drug charges, but victims’ families get the money in any case.” She looked over her list. “That’s all I have. If you don’t have questions, you’re free to go.”
Daisy regarded her levelly, then thought, Why the hell not? “I have a question. When will the Bureau reward Agent Reynolds—”
Gideon was on his feet, his expression one of exasperated disbelief. “Daisy.”
Daisy arched a brow. “You said I should ask.”
Daisy swore she saw Molina smile. Just a little.
“I wasn’t serious.” He held out his hand. “Come on. If I’m on suspension, I don’t want to stay here.” He pulled her to her feet, then turned back to his boss, sobering. “Thank you for the information, ma’am. We’ll be going now.”
Gideon marched her toward the rental car his insurance company had provided because the engine in his Camry had to be completely replaced after Carson poured bleach in the gas tank while they’d been talking to Gale Danton in Macdoel.
When they got to the car, he pressed her up against the door. She looked up at him, smiling. “What?”
He laughed. “You . . .” He shook his head. “Thank you. For being willing to ask.”
“I still think—”
He cut her off with a kiss that silenced all thoughts. When he lifted his head, she sighed. “I’ve forgotten what I was going to say. You scrambled my brain.”
“You shouldn’t have told me that. Now I’ll kiss you every time you argue.”
She cupped his face, her heart lighter than it had been in days. Maybe ever. “Then I’ll have to argue with you often.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
EPILOGUE
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 10:25 P.M.
Gideon pushed away from the wall where he’d been leaning when Daisy came through security in the field office lobby. The guard reached for her bag, giving a blink of surprise when she pulled Brutus out. She cuddled the dog under her chin as she walked through the metal detector, then gave the guard a smile and a “good morning.”
Nobody would have guessed that she’d been up at four A.M. after a restless night. Nobody except Gideon, who’d held her when she’d woken around midnight, screaming from a nightmare that had been a near-nightly occurrence. She normally dreamed of finding Trish’s body, but last night’s horror had featured her father and the torture he’d endured as a POW. That was all she’d been able to get out.
He figured it was tied to the therapy session she’d had the afternoon before—her first. She’d found a therapist and had begun working through the remaining anger she felt at her father for the way he’d dragged them into isolation. That they’d dropped Frederick at the airport on their way to the therapy appointment probably hadn’t helped. It had been a teary scene at departures with both Frederick and Daisy completely losing it. Poor Brutus had been petted nearly bald on the drive away from the airport, but the dog just did her job, distracting her before her tears gave way to an anxiety attack and giving Daisy comfort.
A job Gideon now shared. He smiled down at her when she stopped in front of him. “You sounded good this morning,” he said.
Blond brows winged up. “You listened to the show?”
“Bits and pieces.” Which was a fib. He’d listened to the whole thing so that he could evaluate the DJ who Karl had brought in to replace TNT. The new guy was there on trial. If Karl liked him and, more importantly, if Daisy liked him, he’d be offered the job.
“Liar,” she said softly. “Did Jack pass muster?”
He laughed, leading her to the elevator. “He did. I reserve the right to change my mind, but so far, so good.”
Daisy punched the UP button. “Did you get it?”
Sobering, he nodded, knowing what she was asking. “I did.” The funeral home had called to let him know Eileen’s remains were ready and he’d picked them up while Daisy had been in the studio. “I also called Mr. Danton. He said it was fine for us to come up this afternoon.” Because they’d agreed to release Eileen’s ashes in the one place she’d encountered kindness.
“I was sure he would.” When they were in the elevator, she gave Brutus a kiss on the top of her head, put her back in the bag, then leaned up and kissed Gideon’s cheek. “What’s this meeting with Molina about?”
Since he was technically still on suspension, he knew it wasn’t about his everyday job. “I think she has news on the search I asked her to run on Eileen’s wedding photos.”
“Well, good. It’s about time.”
He bit back a smile. “Don’t say that to her, please.”
Daisy gave an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll try to behave. Who else will be there?”
“Rafe.” Who was recovering well but still wasn’t supposed to be putting any weight on his leg. He’d arrived in a wheelchair, pushed by none other than Mercy. “And Mercy. I’m not sure if she’s here as my sister, and so connected to the case, or as Rafe’s personal assistant.” Because the two had spent a lot of time together since everything had gone down at Carson’s burial ground. Sasha had to work, so Mercy had shared shifts with Irina, the two making sure that Rafe was well cared for.
Daisy tilted her head. “You didn’t ask?”
“I was afraid to,” Gideon admitted. “I’m afraid to ask her anything personal. I’m afraid she’ll leave.”
“It’s been more than a week,” Daisy said hopefully.
“I know.” Mercy had only taken a week of vacation. She should have gone back to New Orleans already, but she was still here. “I guess she extended her vacation.”
“And you’re wondering if it was for Rafe or for you.”
He nodded, not surprised she understood. “I’ve given her time, like you said.”
Daisy twined their fingers together, then kissed his knuckles. “I think she’s still processing the truth about why you left the community. It takes a while to make sense of things when you realize the situation wasn’t the way you’d always thought it was.”
She spoke of him and Mercy, but also of herself and her father. Mercy had been rocked by the knowledge that Gideon had been forced to flee for his life. “I just wish she wouldn’t avoid me.” The elevator doors opened and he led them to Molina’s office, but found himself hesitating when he lifted his fist to knock on his boss’s door.
Daisy looked up at him knowingly. “Whatever she says, we’ll deal.”
He nodded, then drew a breath and knocked.
“Agent Reynolds,” Molina said. “Come in.”
He and Daisy entered and took their seats between Molina and Rafe. Mercy sat on Rafe’s right. She gave Gideon a tight smile, her nerves evident.
So, she’s here as my sister. It made him wonder if Rafe was here as a detective or Mercy’s support, but he didn’t ask.
Gideon hadn’t been expecting the other person at the table—SacPD forensic investigator Cindy Grimes. Gideon’s pulse kicked up a notch. Cindy had been working on assembling the pieces of the photograph that Eileen had destroyed. Her presence here could mean that she’d been successful and found something. Or not.
He sent up a prayer for the former.
Molina introduced everyone, then turned to Gideon. “I had a facial recognition search run on the two photographs you provided—the age-regressed photos of the men you knew as Edward McPhearson and Ephraim Burton. We got back more than two hundred hits. And that was after we removed individuals who were either deceased or the wrong age bracket.”
Gideon’s excitement eroded a sliver. “Two hundred. That’s . . . a lot.”
“Yes. We would have been investigating for quite some time. However, Sergeant Grimes was independently working.” She gestured to Cindy, giving her the floor.