Hidden - Laura Griffin Page 0,89
too well.”
“She needs to talk to them,” he said. “Her statement is critical for making the charges stick when we get an arrest.”
“That’s law enforcement’s objective. Her objective is to stay alive. She’s worried about her safety.”
He bristled. “Don’t you think law enforcement is, too?”
“If they were, they would have gotten to her before a hit man did.” She twisted the top off her drink and took a swig. “From what I can see, the government has one main priority, and it’s to sweep this case under the rug before they get any bad publicity over it. She doesn’t trust them, Jacob. She doesn’t trust anyone right now.”
“She trusts you.”
Bailey’s brow furrowed. “Actually, that worries me, too.”
“I thought you wanted her to trust you? Aren’t you hoping to interview her for your story?”
“I already did. We established a good rapport and had a long talk. She gave me a boatload of information about what she’s been doing the last twenty-two months since she testified in that trial. It’s been a nightmare. Imagine trying to start your whole life over on six hundred dollars and no identification.”
“I thought she cleaned out her bank account on the way out of Chicago?”
“Only the checking account. She left everything else in the bank because she didn’t want to tip off the agents that she was leaving town. She’s been moving from place to place, job to job, with no car, no ID, no support. It’s been rough. I offered to do what I can to help her.”
“Which is what?”
She shrugged. “You know. Put her in touch with the Marshals Office.”
Jacob studied Bailey’s face. He had the distinct impression he wasn’t getting the full story.
“I thought she didn’t want to involve the feds,” he said.
“She doesn’t. That’s why I said it’s a ‘maybe.’ But what option does she have? She agreed to go to the FBI office at nine tomorrow morning.”
“Which one?”
“Here. Baton Rouge. I said I’d set up the meeting for her.” Bailey took a deep breath and blew it out. “But something tells me she’s going to change her mind. The idea that that hit man’s still out there is freaking her out.”
Jacob felt a stab of guilt.
“It’s not your fault,” she said. “Don’t get that look on your face.”
“I don’t have a look.”
“Yeah, you do. There was nothing you could have done.”
He didn’t argue. No point in it.
“We got a name,” he told her.
“You did? How?”
“A fingerprint from a homicide scene in Austin.”
“That thing near the airport?” She stepped closer. “I knew there was something up with that! Kendra’s been texting you all day, hasn’t she?”
He nodded.
“So, the two murders are related?”
He nodded again. He wasn’t telling her anything that wouldn’t come out soon anyway.
She tipped her head to the side. “You’re not going to tell me the name, are you?”
“Sorry. Not my case.”
“Is it Kendra’s?”
“Nope. Special Agent Richard Mullins in Austin has taken it over. Hit him up if you want info.”
She watched him, and he could tell she didn’t like him holding out on her. That shit worked both ways. He knew for a fact she was holding out on him, too. It was becoming a pattern, and now they were well on their way to a dysfunctional relationship.
Relationship.
He hadn’t been in one—or even thought about being in one—since Morgan. The difference now was that Jacob had seen all the red flags, clear as day, from the very beginning. Even his partner had seen them and warned him. But he didn’t care.
Bailey stepped closer and gazed up at him. “Come on, Jacob. You can tell me.”
“Save the puppy-dog eyes. It’s the feds’ investigation now. Talk to Mullins.”
“Fine, I will. But how come you’re not happier? You’ve solved your case.”
He scoffed. “No, I haven’t. The killer is still at large.”
“But you’ve IDed him, at least. And you’ve got the FBI looking for him now, too, so it’s only a matter of time.”
“An ID isn’t the same as an arrest,” he said. “I’ll be happy when we get an arrest.”
She moved closer, and he could smell the rain on her skin, her hair. Her soaking-wet clothes got to him. To hell with the food he’d just bought. He wanted to drag her onto that bed with him and do all the things he’d been thinking about doing since that first afternoon.
What he needed to do was avoid getting more deeply involved with her. It was a bad idea, and anyone could see it. They couldn’t even have a normal conversation about work