Scene of the Crime: Baton Rouge. Carla Cassidy

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СКАЧАТЬ part of the reason I’m where I am,” Michelle said as she signed a book for him. “Your classes were always so fascinating.”

      “Thank you. Let’s hope there continue to be plenty of students who enjoy my classes.” He took the book she’d signed for him and then Alexander and Georgina stood before the author’s table.

      “Hello, would one or both of you like a book autographed?” Michelle asked with a bright smile.

      “I’d like one,” Georgina said. “You can just sign it to Georgina.”

      “And we’d both like to have a little chat with you when this is all over this evening.” Alexander pulled his official identification from his pocket and placed it on the table. To hell with the idea of pretending to be a fan, he thought. He just wanted to cut to the chase.

      Michelle looked at it and then at him with a faint alarm on her pretty features. Alexander quickly tucked his identification away.

      “Can we talk someplace other than here?” she asked. “I’d rather not have any of my readers know that the FBI is questioning me about anything.”

      “There’s a coffee shop about three blocks from here at the corner of Magnolia and Mission Road,” he said.

      She nodded. “I know the place.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “I’ll be here for another half an hour or so. Shall we meet there in about an hour?”

      She appeared curious and a bit apprehensive, but not particularly scared or guilty. Alexander was eager to question her and find out what, if any, role she might have played in the crimes. “Make sure you’re there. Otherwise we’ll find you someplace where it might be less private.”

      “I’ll be there,” she replied, her lips morphing into a thin line as she turned her attention to Georgina. “Did you really want a book?”

      “Yes.”

      Michelle quickly signed the book and handed it to Georgina. “I hope you enjoy it,” she said as if by rote.

      The two of them left the table, paid for the book and then exited the still-busy bookstore. It wasn’t until they were back in Alexander’s car and headed to the coffee shop that Georgina spoke.

      “So, thoughts?” she asked.

      “I have several. My first thought is what a great publicity stunt it would be for the three agents she wrote about in her book to suddenly go missing.”

      He felt Georgina’s gaze lingering on him, could almost hear the wheels churning in her head. “It would be a great publicity stunt, but there’s been nothing in the news until this morning to let people know that we’ve determined that the missing FBI agents are tied together.”

      “Odd, though, that the news broke on the morning of her book signing.” He glanced over to her, noting how pretty she looked in the faint glow of the dashboard lights.

      “Odd, or coincidental,” she agreed. “Nobody in the crowd caught my eye as looking particularly suspicious. Even Michelle didn’t look overly worried or guilty when you showed her your identification and said we needed to talk to her.”

      “I guess we’ll have a better feel for her after questioning her,” he replied as they pulled up in front of the coffee shop.

      They grabbed one of the tall tables in the back where they would have a little more privacy, although there were few people in the place. Most of the college students would frequent the coffee shop throughout the day, but on a Saturday night they would all have better places to be.

      “Sit tight. I’ll go get us some coffee,” he said. She sat on one of the tall stools and opened the book she’d bought as he headed for the counter.

      “I’d like a medium black coffee and a medium caffe mocha, hold the whipped cream.” He was vaguely surprised that what had been Georgina’s favorite drink rolled effortlessly off his tongue after all this time. He wasn’t even sure if she still drank what he’d just ordered for her.

      He paid for the drinks and grabbed them, and as he turned to face her, he immediately knew something was horribly wrong. She had her cell phone at her ear.

      Her face was the pale shade of death, but her eyes were huge and darted at him frantically. He raced to the table at the same time she set her cell phone down with a hand that visibly shook.

      “Georgina, what happened? Who was on the phone?” He set the cups down and reached for her hand. Her icy-cold fingers grabbed onto his and held tight.

      “It was him.” Her voice whispered from her. “He said he was the person we were hunting.” She drew a deep breath, some of the color returning to her cheeks as she disengaged her hand from his and instead curled her fingers around the warm cup in front of her.

      “Are you sure it wasn’t some sort of a prank phone call?” he asked.

      Her green eyes held a faint tinge of fear as she slowly shook her head. “He said he’d be in touch again and that Macy told me to get a good night’s sleep, that I was going to need my rest if I was going to save her.”

      Myriad emotions rose up inside Alexander, questions about if the call had really come from the man they sought and when he might make contact again. More importantly, why out of all the task force members had he connected with Georgina? His stomach clenched tight.

      Did this mean that Georgina was in danger?

       Chapter Four

      Georgina took a drink in an effort to warm the cold that had gripped her insides the minute she’d heard “his” voice on the phone.

      “Are you sure you’re okay?” Alex asked, his handsome features fraught with concern.

      “I’m fine. It was just such a shock.” She took another drink of her coffee, subconsciously noting that Alex had ordered her favorite. But even the comfort of the familiar drink couldn’t chase away the horror that still held her in its grip.

      “What did his voice sound like? Young? Old? Any accent that you could discern?” Alex asked. He leaned toward her, as if he wanted to wrap her in his arms, and for just a brief moment she wished he would.

      She remembered far too well how it had felt to be cradled in Alex’s arms...the sense of safety, of security she had found there.

      Instead she stared down into her cup and then looked back at him. “It wasn’t his real voice. He obviously was using some kind of voice-altering equipment. Still, I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I’ve been touched by pure evil.”

      She straightened her shoulders and drew a deep, steadying breath. She couldn’t allow herself to get spooked by a single phone call—Alex would pull her off the case if she appeared that weak.

      “What did your caller identification show?” Alex asked. She was pleased his voice held no sympathy, no coddling tone.

      “Unknown caller,” she replied, also glad that her voice held no sense of the cold turmoil inside her. “He probably made the call СКАЧАТЬ