see hundreds or thousands of boarding passes each day. You really wouldn't notice such a small thing.
Once again Matt got to his plane right as the gate was about to close. He settled into his aisle seat, closed his eyes, and didn't wake up until the pilot announced their descent into Reno.
The door to Mother Katherine's office was closed.
This time there was no flashback for Loren. She pounded hard on the door and put her hand on the knob. When she heard Mother Katherine say, "Come in," she was ready.
The Mother Superior had her back to the door. She did not turn around when Loren entered. She merely asked, "Are you sure Sister Mary Rose was murdered?"
"Yes."
"Do you know who did it?"
"Not yet."
Mother Katherine nodded slowly. "Have you learned her real identity?"
"Yes," Loren said. "But it would have been easier if you'd just told me."
She expected Mother Katherine to argue, but she didn't. "I couldn't."
"Why not?"
"Unfortunately it was not my place."
"She told you?"
"Not exactly, no. But I knew enough."
"How did you figure it out?"
The old nun shrugged. "Some of her statements about her past," she said. "They didn't add up."
"You confronted her?"
"No, never. And she never told me her true identity. She said it would endanger others. But I know that it was sordid. Sister Mary Rose wanted to move past it. She wanted to make amends. And she did. She contributed much to this school, to these children."
"With her work or with finances?"
"Both."
"She gave you money?"
"The parish," Mother Katherine corrected. "Yes, she gave quite a bit."
"Sounds like guilt money."
Mother Katherine smiled. "Is there any other kind?"
"So that story about chest compressions...?"
"I already knew about the implants. She told me. She also told me that if someone learned who she really was, they'd kill her."
"But you didn't think that happened."
"It appeared to be death by natural causes. I thought it best to leave it alone."
"What changed your mind?"
"Gossip," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"One of our sisters confided to me that she had seen a man in Sister Mary Rose's room. I was suspicious, of course, but I couldn't prove anything. I also needed to protect the school's reputation. So I needed this investigated quietly and without my betraying Sister Mary Rose's trust."
"Enter me."
"Yes."
"And now that you know she was murdered?"
"She left a letter."
"For whom?"
Mother Katherine showed her the envelope. "A woman named Olivia Hunter."
Adam Yates was closing in on panic.
He parked a good distance from the old brewery and waited while Cal quickly cleaned up. The clues would be gone. Cal's weapon could not be traced. The license plates they were using would lead to nowhere. Some crazy person might identify a huge man chasing a woman but there would be no practical way of linking them with the dead bartender.
Perhaps.
No, no perhaps about it. He had been in worse scrapes. The bartender had pulled a rifle on Cal. It would have his fingerprints on it. The untraceable gun would be left behind. They would both be out of state in a matter of hours.
They would get through it.
When Cal sat in the passenger seat, Adam said, "You messed up."
Cal nodded. "I did at that."
"You shouldn't have tried to shoot her."
He nodded again. "A mistake," he agreed. "But we can't let her go. If her background comes out-"
"It's going to come out anyway. Loren Muse knows about it."
"True, but without Olivia Hunter, it doesn't lead anyplace. If she's caught, she will try to save herself. That may mean looking into what happened all those years ago."
Yates felt something inside him start to tear. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Adam?"
He looked at the big man.
"It's too late for that," Dollinger said. "Us or them, remember?"
He nodded slowly.
"We need to find Olivia," Dollinger said. "And I do mean we. If other agents arrest her..."
Yates finished it for him. "She may talk."
"Precisely."
"So we call her in as a material witness," Yates said. "Tell them to keep an eye on the nearby airports and train stations but not to do anything until they notify us."
Cal nodded. "Already done."
Adam Yates considered his options. "Let's head back to the county office. Maybe Loren found something useful on that Kimmy Dale."
They had driven about five minutes when the phone rang. Cal picked it up and barked, "Agent Dollinger."
Cal listened closely.
"Let her land. Have Ted follow her. Do not, repeat, do not, approach. I'll be on the next plane out."
He hung up.
"What?"
"Olivia Hunter," he said. "She's already on a plane to Reno."