“She was trained for this her whole life. And we’re all terrified because she didn’t fit any profile we have. What if there are more Annie Lamberts out there?”
Connors said, “We have to find them and stop them.”
Robie smacked the table with the palm of his hand. “She was the puppet, her life taken from her by her parents. She’s dead and they get to live. Tell me what’s wrong with that picture?”
“She was a cold-blooded killer,” said Blue Man.
“Bullshit! She was what they made her! She never had a chance.”
“You’re not the best person to make that determination.”
“Then who is, some analyst who never even met her? You got an algorithm for that?”
Blue Man said nothing for a few moments. “If it makes you feel better, Khalid bin Talal is no longer among the living.”
Robie said nothing, because this meant nothing to him.
“Then there is the matter of Julie,” said Blue Man.
“I’ve got that covered,” said Robie abruptly. He rose.
“How?”
“I just do.” He looked at Connors. “I owe you, Shane. More than I’ll ever have in the bank.”
“We’re square. Like I said, got me out from behind the desk.”
Robie looked at Blue Man. “There are maybe five men I know who could have made the shots Shane did that night. And two of them are in this room. You might want to keep that in mind.”
“Rules are rules,” said Blue Man.
“No, rules, as we’ve seen, are made to be broken.”
He turned to walk out the door.
“Robie?”
He turned to look at Blue Man, who held up a manila folder. “This was delivered to us by messenger. I believe you received a set too. I think you should take this and do what you want with it. It’s of no use or concern to us.”
Robie took the package, opened it, and glanced at the photos inside. The first one was of him and Lambert on the rooftop bar. The next was of her kissing him in front of the White House. He didn’t look at the rest. He closed the package back up.
“Thanks.”
He walked out the door.
CHAPTER
100
ROBIE DROVE.
This time Julie was shotgun.
Vance was in the backseat.
They had mostly recovered from their injuries, though Julie still limped a bit and Vance’s face was still puffy.
“Where are we going?” asked Julie.
“Somewhere you’ve already been,” he replied.
He had explained what he could to her about her parents’ deaths. He had watched her sob, given her tissues. He’d talked with her quietly as her anger grew, peaked, and then faded to more tears. The fourteen-year-old street-hardened kid had finally and fully unraveled in the face of overwhelming misery and grief. But at least she had some closure.
He parked the car and the three got out and walked into the bar.
Jerome Cassidy was waiting for them.
His face was scrubbed pink and he was dressed in what looked to be a new suit with shiny black shoes. His hair had been cut short and lay neatly on his head. From the whiff Robie got, the man had used hairspray to keep some errant strands in place.
“What are we doing here, Will?” asked Julie, as Cassidy came forward to greet them.
Robie and Cassidy had worked out the story beforehand.
Cassidy said, “He brought you here so I could tell you the truth.”
“Truth, what truth?” asked a bewildered-looking Julie.
“I wasn’t just friends with your parents.” He paused, eyed Robie, who gave a bare nod.
“I was your mom’s half brother. That means I’m sort of your uncle. Well, technically I guess I am your uncle.”
“We’re related?” said Julie.
“Yes, we are. And I seem to be the only relations you have left. Now, I know you don’t know me or anything, but I have a little proposition.”
Julie folded her arms across her chest and looked at him suspiciously. “Like what?”
“Like we take some time getting to know each other. See, the reason I was trying to track you all down was because your dad and my sister really helped me out when I was down. I owed them big. Never got a chance to repay that debt.”
“I see where this is going,” said Julie. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“No, Julie, it’s a real debt. They loaned me money. I signed a note. That note was transferable into stock in a company I started with the loan. That company now owns all of my businesses, including this bar. If the note wasn’t repaid by a certain date the loan amount plus accrued interest was