A Killer's Agenda (10 page)

Hearty laughter interrupted her thoughts. Despite his

trepidation, Brad and her parents had taken to one another almost immediately. Within minutes of their meeting the night before, her father had him in the basement examining the security system.

When her mother had offered him a second helping of her

homemade apple pie, she knew Brad had passed inspection.

She closed the trunk, smiling at the sound of more laughter

and glanced at her watch. She started back up the driveway

toward the porch. Eileen stood with an arm around Alicia watching while Alan and her father began a spirited discussion with Brad about the Carolina Panther’s chances of reaching the Super Bowl.

The only thing missing were her twin brothers, Andrew and Adam who were still out west. Her heart overflowed with love for all of them.

-85-

Anita Whiting

Instantly, she realized her thoughts hadn’t excluded Brad.

Damn! She had broken her cardinal rule. The not getting involved with your client rule. It totally screwed her objectivity. She had lost that objectivity almost from the first moment she had set eyes on the man. The fact that she had known him less than a week made no difference.

Brad turned, as if sensing her thoughts, and motioned for her to join him. “I’m outnumbered here, Alex. Come over and lend some support.”

She shook her head as she walked toward them. “If you’re

taking sides against the state football team, you’re out of luck.”

“That’s my girl,” Patrick said, pulling Alex next to him.

“Coward.” Brad grinned, his expression more relaxed than she had ever seen it.

“Nope. Just know better than to bet against my family,” she

said, standing on tiptoe to give her father a kiss on the cheek.

Brad glanced at his watch. “We’d better get a move on or we’ll be late for our appointment.”

Eileen gave her daughter a hug. “Be careful, both of you.”

“We will, Mom,” Alex said, a sudden lump forming in her

throat.

Mother’s eyes met daughter’s and the connection was instantly swift and intense. You’re in love with him, honey. He just doesn’t know he’s in love with you. He will.

Alex smiled and nodded slightly, giving her father, Alan and Alicia each a hug in turn.

Alicia promptly threw her arms around a surprised Brad and

squeezed hard. “Nice biceps,” she said, releasing her hold slowly, giving her sister an outrageous wink. “I figured as much.”

-86-

A Killer's Agenda

“Alicia!” her mother scolded.

“Well, they are,” she protested.

Alan pulled his sister away from Brad, holding her against him.

“Get away while the going’s good, Brad.”

Amid laughter, Alex and Brad made their getaway.

“Your sister always that hands on?” Brad asked as he

accelerated onto the main road.

“From the time she was two. My mother swore she would never

teach her to be afraid of strangers. The reality is strangers aren’t sure what to make of her.” She glanced over at him, flashing a smile. “Probably keeps her just as safe.”

He merged into traffic, his lips twitching. “I like your family.

Even Alicia. What are your twin brothers like?”

“You really want to know?”

He sighed dramatically. “Yes. I really want to know.”

“Okay, you asked for it.”

She kept him entertained with amusing stories, passing the

time quickly. It was only as they neared Charlotte that she realized she had spent the majority of the trip talking about her family and not his. She was about to mention that fact when she saw his eyes straying to the rear view mirror.

“What’s wrong?”

His gaze flicked back. “Probably nothing. It just seems like that car has been behind us almost the entire trip. Doesn’t get any closer but doesn’t get any further behind, either.”

“Which one?”

“Dark green two-door about four cars back.”

She turned, focusing, and instantly a barrage of images began to flash in front of her. Her lashes fluttered closed and she allowed

-87-

Anita Whiting

them in. “There’s an exit up ahead,” she said quietly, without opening her eyes. “Take it at the last minute.”

“What’s going on?” he asked sharply.

The man in the green car in back of us, the one you’ve been

watching, has a gun. It’s sitting beside him on the seat. He’s following us.”

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely.”

He studied her for a moment and then made his decision. It

was early afternoon and luckily they were still far enough on the outskirts of the city for the traffic to be fairly light. There was a truck ahead, a big eighteen-wheeler, and if he planned it just right…

“Hold on, Alex. Right now!”

He jerked the car abruptly to the right, shooting between

another car and the big rig. Dust exploded behind the car as he caught the end of the road and roared onto the exit ramp. He glanced in his rear view mirror again. The green car had sped up, attempting to squeeze between the truck and the guardrail. As his eyes returned to the road in front, he heard the squeal of brakes followed by the truck’s loud horn and the scraping of metal. He risked a look back once again and saw the green car’s front end bent against the rail, tires spinning.

“Nice driving, Tex,” Alex quipped, her voice a shade breathless.

“Impressive intuition,” he responded. He maneuvered the car

into a gas station parking lot and put it out of gear. “You okay?”

“Of course. High speeds always get my adrenalin going.”

He shook his head. “You amaze me. I never know which Alex

Leahy I’m with half the time.”

-88-

A Killer's Agenda

“I’m who I am, Brad.” She glanced back, raising a brow. “One thing I’ll say, when you react you really react.”

His dark eyes bore into hers. “When I make up my mind about

something, I don’t change it.”

Their gazes locked.

“I know,” she said quietly.

“Does your ESP tell you who this guy is or what he looks like?”

he asked as he put the car in gear again and eased onto the road.

She shook her head. “I don’t have a clue. All I saw was the gun and the fact that the driver was a male.” She sighed. “I can’t control the visions but I
can
encourage them by surrounding myself with evidence, a scene of a crime, that sort of thing.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

“Well, from the quick glimpse I got of his car, he won’t be

following us in the same vehicle anytime soon.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For believing.”

He regarded her levelly. “I made that decision when I hired

you.”

“Then I’m glad you’re a man of conviction,” she said lightly. She longed to tell him more, but knew now wasn’t the time. Her family background wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Brad turned his attention back to the road as he swung on the entrance ramp to the freeway. “You know, that little maneuver back there might not stop our man if he knew where we were

going.”

-89-

Anita Whiting

Alex settled back in her seat and nodded. “Then we’ll just have to stay one step ahead of him.” She caught his eye. “At least we know you and your cousin’s instincts were right on.”

“About my aunt’s death not being an accident?”

“That’s right. Remember the mention of a green car seen at the site of several of the murders?” She motioned backwards. “Green car and gun tells me nothing about those murders was an

accident. She thought of that deadly-looking weapon she had

visualized on the car seat. “All I know is this guy means business.”

“That’s fairly obvious,” he agreed, glancing over at her. “Are you sure you want to continue, Alex? I can hire someone else.”

“Are you questioning my capabilities?” she asked tightly.

“No, I’m questioning this nasty urge I have to turn this car around and take you back somewhere safe and to hell with the consequences.”

She held his gaze for a brief moment and then nodded. “That’s very sweet, Brad, but don’t underestimate your local PI.” She reached in her pretty leather purse and pulled out a delicate but deadly pearl-handled revolver. “I might look defenseless but that’s far from the case.”

“You know how to use that?”

“I do and have more than once.” She tucked it back in her

purse and closed the snap.

“I’m not sure whether that makes me feel better or not.”

“I don’t play cowboy if that’s what you mean. You would be

amazed how angry some men get when they find out I’ve been

hired to discover whether they are cheating or not. Especially when they are.”

“So you
do
take those kinds of cases?”

-90-

A Killer's Agenda

She shrugged. “I did in the beginning. They paid the bills.” Her eyes flashed. “Not that I have anything against helping a spouse find out whether their partner is playing around on them.”

“I didn’t know I would hit a nerve.”

“You didn’t. There are just some things I am really passionate about.”

He raised a brow. “Some things?”

She laughed. “Okay, most things. Just drive, buster.”

Within minutes, Brad guided the car off the correct exit ramp and turned toward the middle of the city. Charlotte didn’t have the charm that Charleston had but instead appealed with its tall buildings and modern architecture. It was a city of the times, sophisticated and fast-paced. The streets were lined with tall trees and fall flowers bloomed in various spots along the sidewalks.

He parked in front of one of the tall, glass buildings and they took an elegant brass elevator twenty stories up to the office with Russell Ferron, Attorney At Law, on the door. The waiting room was large and spoke of wealth from its thick burgundy carpet and cream walls to the lush leather couches and chairs artfully set around a glass table. The young blonde sitting in front could have graced the front of any number of fashion magazines. Her gaze bypassed Alex and landed squarely on Brad.

“May I help you?” she asked, her smile showing perfect white teeth.

“We have an appointment with Mr. Ferron.”

She glanced down at her desk. “Oh, yes. Mr. Norton, correct?”

“That’s correct. This is my associate, Alex Leahy.”

She stood, motioning to the chairs behind them. “Please have a seat and I’ll let Mr. Ferron know you are here.”

-91-

Anita Whiting

Moments later, she ushered them down a short hall and into

an incredibly ornate office. Everything was overdone, including the man behind the desk, Alex thought, extending a hand to shake Russell Ferron’s. Perfect hair, perfect skin, perfectly tailored suit, even perfectly manicured nails. Only his eyes didn’t fit the image.

The color was a brilliant blue but there was shiftiness about them Alex didn’t like.

“Nice to meet both of you. Please have a seat.” He resumed his own, the leather in his chair creaking as he reclined back.

“What a gorgeous view,” she said, looking behind him to the

wide expanse of windows. The height softened the pulse of the city, accenting only its beauty.

“It is, rather,” Russell said smugly. He eyed Alex from head to toe appreciatively. “I’ve seen a few newspaper pictures of you, Miss Leahy. They didn’t do you justice.”

“I could say the same about you, Mr. Ferron,” Alex said as she crossed her legs smiling innocently.

“I appreciate your taking the time to see us, Mr. Ferron,” Brad said smoothly. “We just have a few questions that we thought you might be able to help us with.”

Ferron’s expression became almost comically sad. “I’ll be happy to give you what information I can about my wife’s tragic death but frankly, Mr. Norton, I fail to see what I can tell you that I haven’t already told the police.”

“We were hoping maybe there was something you forgot. Some

little detail that might help us identify the killer,” Alex said.

Ferron shook his head. “I wasn’t even home at the time. I

received the call while I was in court. By the time I arrived on the scene, the police were already there.”

-92-

A Killer's Agenda

“How terrible for you,” Alex said, not at all sure that it had been. The man was too smooth, too silky with his answers. “Did you have any idea why your wife was in that section of town that particular day? My understanding was that her interest was

primarily in very expensive jewelry. Doesn’t fit with the dirty industrial area where she was found.”

Russell Ferron’s eyes darkened, although the amiable smile

remained in place. “What’s this really all about? I’ve put up with a ridiculous amount of questions already from every sheriff and wannabe cop from here to the Gulf, not to mention all the media that hounded me for months after my wife’s death. Unfortunately, the final result was that the police concluded Anna was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Fate if you will.”

“Not necessarily,” Alex said, watching him closely. “We have reason to believe, Mr. Ferron, that your wife’s death wasn’t as accidental as it appeared.”

The smile left his face. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means, Mr. Ferron, that we think there is a connection

between the other drive-by shootings that occurred before and after your wife.”

Russell straightened, his brows drawing together. “What other shootings?”

“Your wife was only one in a line, at recent count, of six people killed in exactly the same way.”

A flicker of something passed across the man’s face before he shook his head emphatically. “That’s ridiculous. Anna was in a bad neighborhood for God knows what reason and paid for it with her life. It was a cruel twist of fate, but I refuse to believe it was

-93-

Anita Whiting

anything other than that. Besides, if the authorities felt that way I’m sure I would have been told about their suspicions.

“We don’t have enough evidence yet for them to become