to lose. Georgia has the death penalty. I think I already qualified for it.”
“What were you going to get out of this?”
“Ten-million-dollar insurance policy on Myron. Britta was going to take care of him.”
“She did. But she’s also dead.”
“Well, too bad, but I’ve got my own problems.”
Sirens could be heard in the distance. “Cavalry’s on the way.”
“Don’t really care,” said Straub. “Kill or be killed, it’s been sort of my whole life. So the ordinary scare tactics won’t cut it.”
“You tried to frame Cy Tanner and then Jerry Danvers.”
“Well, you didn’t arrest Tanner despite all the evidence we planted.”
“It was too well planted. Including someone watching his house in the Pagani. I guess you were trying to implicate Myron, too.”
“That was Britta’s idea. I thought it was too many cooks in the kitchen myself, but she was calling the shots.”
“Speaking of, the night Jack Lineberry was shot: That was you, wasn’t it? But you were aiming at me. Only you weren’t counting on the fact that he had let me drive.”
He glanced down at his arm. “Got a little scratch from your shooting. But, yeah, you were a problem. And when you didn’t take Tanner into custody, we moved on to Plan B.”
“Jerry Danvers didn’t follow your instructions. And he didn’t get blown up, although I almost did. I suppose that was why you wanted me to go out there.”
“Two birds with one stone if I was really lucky, and evidence left behind to show Jerry was the killer.”
“And the household staff?”
“Gave them the day off. Told them Lineberry had authorized it.”
“But as soon as I realized Jerry had never left the hospital, your story fell apart.”
“Yeah, well, I had a tight time line because Britta insisted that this little girl be the last victim.” Straub pressed the gun tighter against Jenny’s head. “And if you won’t let me go I guess I have no choice but—”
The bullet hit him directly in the side of the leg, crushing bone and slashing blood vessels. He immediately cried out, dropped his gun, and clutched at his leg.
Pine rushed forward, seized Jenny’s hand, and pulled her away after picking up Straub’s pistol.
She looked up to see Laredo sprinting toward them carrying a rifle.
Pine handed Jenny off to him and knelt down next to Straub.
“Shit,” he screamed, his face contorted. “Help me, I’m bleeding out.”
She slipped her belt off and used that as a tourniquet around his upper thigh. The blood flow slowed considerably. She phoned 911 and gave them her location.
Pine put her phone away and looked down at Straub, whose features were still seized up in pain. “It didn’t hit your femoral artery.”
“How do you know that?” he snarled.
“Because you’d already be dead.”
“Just…just shoot me. Do it. I’m a dead man anyway. Save everybody the trouble.”
“As much as I’d love to, I can’t.”
“Why the hell not?” he screamed.
“It’s not how we do things at the FBI.”
The ambulance arrived a few minutes later, and they loaded Straub in. A grim-faced police officer rode in the back with him.
As the vehicle pulled away, Pine looked over at Laredo, who was holding Jenny’s hand. The rifle was slung over his shoulder.
“Where’d you get that?”
“Found a park ranger. They use it to scare off or kill dangerous critters. He let me borrow it because I asked nice and flashed my badge.”
“That was a big risk taking that shot,” she said.
“First in my class at Quantico for marksmanship. And you don’t know this, but I did a two-year stint as a sniper with Hostage Rescue. And you’re not the only risk taker in the Bureau,” he added.
“How’d you get here so fast?”
“Remember, track team in college?”
Pine smiled. “Right. Well, thanks.” She squatted down in front of Jenny. “You okay?”
Jenny nodded.
“You’re safe now. You ready to go see your granddad? We better go and tell him you’re okay. Sound good?”
Jenny nodded and sniffled.
Pine started to pick her up, but Jenny clamped her hand tighter around Laredo’s and looked up at him with wide eyes.
Pine rose and whispered to Laredo, “Maybe you’re better with kids than you think.”
They slowly walked out of the cemetery and back to the living.
Chapter 75
THEY MET AT A TECH SHOW the Pringles were attending in Vegas,” said Pine to Laredo, Blum, and Graham.
They were sitting in the parlor at the Cottage. Jenny had been reunited with her grandfather and the Quarleses. Pine had just returned from interviewing Straub in the hospital.
“Straub and Britta had a fling out there,” continued Pine. “That makes sense because