on any theory when it comes to any of this, particularly in light of new information Tyler has.”
All eyes turned to me and I nodded at Eli. He pressed a button, a photo of a man and woman in their sixties appearing on the screen. “These are Mr. Montgomery’s alleged latest victims, Mr. and Mrs. Sheperd,” I explained. “Emily Sheperd used to be Emily Mills before getting a divorce, then remarrying. At the time of the embassy attack, she lived next door to the Galloways. Incidentally, her former husband, Harrison Mills, disappeared several years ago. He simply never showed up for work one day. He had been estranged from his wife and family for years, so they were no help in finding him. After a year, he was assumed dead.
“Mills was close to Galloway, having served under him in the Rangers, then in Counterintelligence. In fact, after Galloway’s disappearance, he was the one who had been tapped to lead the investigation into the embassy attack.”
“Have you looked into him?” Benson asked.
“Yes. We believe he’s a victim and not involved in any of this. Further, Harrison and his wife had a son together, Damian, who was Mackenzie’s best friend growing up. Coincidentally, he hasn’t been heard from since the day Montgomery was implicated in all those murders, adding yet another level of what the hell is going on to this case. Going forward, what we need to focus on is getting to the bottom of everything, finding out what really happened, including who’s responsible. All of these pieces may lead us to the answer.”
“Why don’t you ask Galloway?” Martin asked, staring at me. “Sir, talk to the girl and convince her to take you to see her father.”
I shook my head. “I’ve thought about it, but I just can’t. I need you all to come up with a different course of action.”
“I don’t think we have one,” Martin insisted. “From where I’m sitting, anyone else who may be able to offer help or information is missing, on the run, or dead, which is a bit suspicious, if you ask me. I don’t think you have a choice. I think you need to do whatever it takes to finally talk to Galloway.”
“But she knows I’m still working this case.”
“True…,” Eli offered, “but it’s not the same case as before, Ty. A lot has changed, including our motive. You’re not asking her so you can bring him to justice. You’re doing this so you can help clear his name. I’m sure she wants nothing more than for her father to finally be able to come out of hiding.”
“He may not know any more than we do.”
“Still,” Eli responded, “it’s worth a shot. He may not think he can help, but maybe he has a missing piece that could bring all of this full circle.”
I sat there, surveying my team members, their eyes intense. In truth, I knew this was a way to find out more information, but things had just gotten back to a new sort of normal with Mackenzie. I hated the idea that I had to do this so soon, which would certainly remind her of why I dated her in the first place, reopening old wounds.
Life sometimes forced you to make difficult decisions, and this was another one of those times. But Mackenzie had urged me to be open and honest with her about everything and I knew this was no different. I needed to see her father. I just hoped she understood and didn’t think I was using her.
“Okay… I’ll see what she says. In the meantime, everyone remain at your posts and keep an eye on Miss Delano,” I ordered the six individuals who had been part of her protection detail. “Report anything suspicious to Eli immediately.”
“What about us?” Benson asked, gesturing between himself and Maxwell, who had both been living at my house and were charged with convincing Mackenzie her reality was anything but.
“You two will track down everything you can about Charles Montgomery. While you’re at it, dig up everything you can about Galloway, as well. I want to know every mission he was on when he was a Ranger, every case he worked in Counterintelligence. No detail is too small. I want to know what he ate. What he drank. How many hours he slept a night. There may be something in his background that could lead us to who’s behind all of this.”
“And what if he is the one behind it all?” Maxwell asked.