given the FBI agent enough ketamine to kill her on the spot, but of course she couldn’t, not with Nikki Bexholt and the others standing right there, watching her every move. She didn’t know what McKnight had overheard, what she’d seen, but even if she’d only seen Redemption House itself, she’d signed her death warrant, just as Eleanor Corbitt had when she’d let the CIA agent see her. Farriger could only hope McKnight hadn’t already called for backup or revealed what she’d seen.
McKnight would have gotten away clean if Craig hadn’t happened to look at one of the monitors and see her on the property. It was only luck Claire herself had been there to set a plan in motion, or she had no doubt it would have been a disaster with the amateurs trying to figure out what to do. Nikki had led her away from the house and McKnight, as she’d expected, had followed her. And when Nikki had turned off at the isolated gas station, the agent had exited with her. Farriger had followed them both and taken care of the agent. She’d hoped her blow had killed her, but unfortunately it hadn’t. Thankfully, the agent had stayed unconscious after Nikki had insisted they bring her back to Redemption House. Farriger couldn’t very well fight with Nikki right there on the road. Back at the house, she called Lance and told him to come and pick her up, so little time was wasted. She had to call with everyone listening, so she had to tell him loud and clear to take the agent to a CIA safe house until morning.
By now Lance was back in McLean at the safe house. She watched Cricket Washburn, Dr. Cook, and Nikki work for a moment, then slipped into the hallway and called him on her burner phone. She got his voice mail, frowned. No, she wouldn’t worry. Lance was a pro. She said into her cell only “It needs to look like an accident.” She walked back into the living room, where they were still all busily breaking down equipment, Nikki giving them orders. She studied them a moment. It amazed her how their collective greed overcame breaking more laws than she could count, yet they weren’t willing to do what was necessary to save themselves, save the project. They had to know the FBI agent threatened their very lives, yet they wouldn’t hear of killing her. And that’s why she’d never admit to them she’d had Armstrong kill Eleanor Corbitt. In her case, there’d been no time to stage an accident. She wondered, at odd moments, if killing Corbitt had been a mistake. Perhaps if she’d left her alone—but no, she’d spotted Corbitt as the weak link, and Corbitt had proved it when she panicked and drove off. Water under the bridge. Now the new threat was from Agent Lucy McKnight. This time she would do it right.
She’d known working with amateurs meant screwups were inevitable—even with pros you never knew when things would go sideways—but she’d figured she could manage any amateurish mistakes. The only thing she hadn’t counted on was the FBI making connections so fast. They’d managed to scare the crap out of Palumbo and Nikki. Almost enough to give them all away.
As for Justice Cummings, being dead was the only thing she wanted from him. The incriminating data theft from his computer would prove him a traitor. If anyone was going under the bus, it would be him.
When she walked back into the room, Dr. Cook stopped his packing and gave her a long look. “I was telling Athena you would have the FBI agent killed if we let you, like you had Ellie killed. We all saw you go into the hall just now—in the mirror.” He waved back to the large mirror over the fireplace. “You pulled out your cell. Did you call that goon of yours and order him to kill her?”
Farriger shook her head, sighed. “Craig, we’ve worked together for months now. I told you I didn’t have anything to do with Eleanor Corbitt’s murder. But now, you must listen to me, all of you. I will be honest. The FBI agent is another matter entirely. She could and would bury us all so deep we wouldn’t see the outside of a cell for the rest of our lives. No, don’t look away from me. They know the agent was following Nikki, they most assuredly will find out she came to