close to what her father worked on,
her cousin Tessa would know more about it than anyone.
Now, if she
could just find her world-traveling cousin. Tessa was a couple of years older
than Isabelle. Where Isabelle was settled and responsible, Tessa was a wild
child; moving from one location to the next when the fever struck, using the
title of Archaeologist as a reason for such nomadism. As far as she knew, her cousin
had never discovered anything.
Once back in her
office, she placed the blood samples in the private refrigerator and found her
cell phone. She skimmed the list of contacts until she found the last phone
number she had for her cousin and pressed “call”. After several rings,
voicemail picked up. “You know the drill.”
Isabelle would
never get used to her cousin’s disregard for those she felt she didn’t have
time for. “Tessa, it’s Isabelle. Listen, I have a project I’m working on, and
I could really use your help. I don’t want to go into detail over the telephone,
but let’s just say it is similar to the findings in my father’s journals you
and I spoke of long ago. Please call me when you get this message.”
Now all she
could do was wait.
Chapter
13
Coffee was doing
more harm than good on Kaya’s empty stomach. She needed food. Dane hadn’t
called yet to update her on the lead he was checking out. She wanted to run the
anonymous tip by him and have him question Rafael, but Kaya was tired of
waiting on him to call her back. She packed her laptop in its case and grabbed
her keys. After she had lunch she would have another talk with the prime
suspect. Kaya passed the dispatcher on her way out. “I’m going to check on a
lead. It’ll take a while, so if you need me call my cell.”
Kaya wanted more
information on Rafael before she approached him again. She drove to Giovani’s,
a nearby Italian restaurant. The lunch crowd was thinning out. The lack of
clientele along with a table in the back allowed her a modicum of privacy.
After taking her seat, she pulled her laptop out of its case and began
searching. Kaya didn’t want Rafael to be guilty, but that didn’t mean she
shouldn’t research him anyway. First she was going to look into Elizabeth
Flanagan.
Even though
there was no proof, the consensus at the office was that Gordon Flanagan had
abducted his twin. When her uncle’s clinic was bombed and Elizabeth
disappeared, the media spent all their time researching the Flanagan brothers
and their relationship with Elizabeth, as well as each other. When Gordon and
Magnus were teenagers, they both fell in love with Elizabeth Carson. Magnus
went off to medical school, and Gordon joined the military. Gordon would come
home on leave as often as possible to see Beth. With Magnus out of the picture,
Gordon eventually convinced her he was the brother she wanted.
Soon after they
were married, Gordon began showing his true demeanor: dark. Magnus graduated
and returned home to join their father’s private practice. By then, Elizabeth
was already married to the wrong man. She confided in her brother-in-law that
she was pregnant, and soon after, she disappeared. Somehow, Gordon found out
Elizabeth was hiding out in Atlanta with her uncle.
Kaya wondered if
Elizabeth was still alive. Whoever helped her disappear had succeeded in
erasing all trace of the woman and her daughter. If Gordon had managed to track
down his brother after thirty-three years, it was possible he could find his
wife as well. Not likely, but possible. Kaya had encountered quite a few rich
and powerful men over the years, but none as hell bent on revenge. If Flanagan
was indeed behind these murders, she was going to need an army of her own.
The waitress
cleared away the dishes and asked Kaya if she was ready for her check. She
noticed the time in the corner of her computer. Shit. She had been
sitting there for over three hours with no more information on Rafael than she
already knew. She would just have to go talk to
her cousin Tessa would know more about it than anyone.
Now, if she
could just find her world-traveling cousin. Tessa was a couple of years older
than Isabelle. Where Isabelle was settled and responsible, Tessa was a wild
child; moving from one location to the next when the fever struck, using the
title of Archaeologist as a reason for such nomadism. As far as she knew, her cousin
had never discovered anything.
Once back in her
office, she placed the blood samples in the private refrigerator and found her
cell phone. She skimmed the list of contacts until she found the last phone
number she had for her cousin and pressed “call”. After several rings,
voicemail picked up. “You know the drill.”
Isabelle would
never get used to her cousin’s disregard for those she felt she didn’t have
time for. “Tessa, it’s Isabelle. Listen, I have a project I’m working on, and
I could really use your help. I don’t want to go into detail over the telephone,
but let’s just say it is similar to the findings in my father’s journals you
and I spoke of long ago. Please call me when you get this message.”
Now all she
could do was wait.
Chapter
13
Coffee was doing
more harm than good on Kaya’s empty stomach. She needed food. Dane hadn’t
called yet to update her on the lead he was checking out. She wanted to run the
anonymous tip by him and have him question Rafael, but Kaya was tired of
waiting on him to call her back. She packed her laptop in its case and grabbed
her keys. After she had lunch she would have another talk with the prime
suspect. Kaya passed the dispatcher on her way out. “I’m going to check on a
lead. It’ll take a while, so if you need me call my cell.”
Kaya wanted more
information on Rafael before she approached him again. She drove to Giovani’s,
a nearby Italian restaurant. The lunch crowd was thinning out. The lack of
clientele along with a table in the back allowed her a modicum of privacy.
After taking her seat, she pulled her laptop out of its case and began
searching. Kaya didn’t want Rafael to be guilty, but that didn’t mean she
shouldn’t research him anyway. First she was going to look into Elizabeth
Flanagan.
Even though
there was no proof, the consensus at the office was that Gordon Flanagan had
abducted his twin. When her uncle’s clinic was bombed and Elizabeth
disappeared, the media spent all their time researching the Flanagan brothers
and their relationship with Elizabeth, as well as each other. When Gordon and
Magnus were teenagers, they both fell in love with Elizabeth Carson. Magnus
went off to medical school, and Gordon joined the military. Gordon would come
home on leave as often as possible to see Beth. With Magnus out of the picture,
Gordon eventually convinced her he was the brother she wanted.
Soon after they
were married, Gordon began showing his true demeanor: dark. Magnus graduated
and returned home to join their father’s private practice. By then, Elizabeth
was already married to the wrong man. She confided in her brother-in-law that
she was pregnant, and soon after, she disappeared. Somehow, Gordon found out
Elizabeth was hiding out in Atlanta with her uncle.
Kaya wondered if
Elizabeth was still alive. Whoever helped her disappear had succeeded in
erasing all trace of the woman and her daughter. If Gordon had managed to track
down his brother after thirty-three years, it was possible he could find his
wife as well. Not likely, but possible. Kaya had encountered quite a few rich
and powerful men over the years, but none as hell bent on revenge. If Flanagan
was indeed behind these murders, she was going to need an army of her own.
The waitress
cleared away the dishes and asked Kaya if she was ready for her check. She
noticed the time in the corner of her computer. Shit. She had been
sitting there for over three hours with no more information on Rafael than she
already knew. She would just have to go talk to
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