Read Online So Close the Hand of Death by J. T. Ellison - Free Book Online Page A

Their alone time had run out. She had that queer feeling in the pit of her stomach, the aftermath of adrenaline, when her senses were oversharp and she felt like she might throw up. A few deep breaths quelled her nausea, and the rage started to bleed in.
    “I assume they were meant to take me?”
    Baldwin shook his head. “I don’t think so. They could have easily shot all of us and grabbed you at any time. I think fake Sansom was supposed to get on the team, go with us, and report back everything we knew. Drive us, like cattle, to a predetermined place and time so they’d have the upper hand.”
    “We gave her a lot of information.”
    “Nothing they didn’t already have. Charlotte’s PowerPoint wasn’t anything new.”
    “The Pretender arranged for all of this. He has help.”
    “Yes.” Baldwin was gritting his teeth, the muscles in his jaw jumping. “Yes, he has help. More than we could have anticipated.”
    Taylor breathed in deeply and regretted it. She slumped against the wall.
    “So he arranged for Fitz to be dropped in Nags Head, where he could control the scene. Left the boat where it could be easily found, everything. He set us all up.”
    “Yes.”
    “He has to have people on the inside, don’t you think?”
    “Yes.”
    “And he knew I’d come rushing here, playing right into his hands.”
    Baldwin turned to her, lips set in a thin line. “Yes.”
    “A little less affirmation from you would be helpful, you know.”
    He snorted through his nose at that, and shot her a crooked smile. “Then stop being so right all the time.”
    The levity helped, and she felt herself settle. She’d spent years in training for these types of situations, and despite the personal nature of the crimes, the fact that the dance was directed at her, she felt certain they would win. It was what they did. Good triumphed over evil, even if it sometimes got trampled along the way.
    She could hear shouting from the front of the station. They shared a glance. No sense taking chances. Baldwin drew his weapon; she followed suit.
    “Be ready,” he whispered.
    They flattened themselves against the wall.
    A moment later, the shouts came closer. A strong, deep voice slightly dampened by a Southern accent called to them.
    “Dr. Baldwin? Lieutenant Jackson? I’m SBI supervisory agent Roddie Hall. I know you might be a bit spooked right now. Garrett Woods told me to tell you he’s got a bottle of White Label in his bottom left drawer. I’m gonna toss my badge in there for you to look at, okay?”
    Taylor felt Baldwin relax fractionally.
    “Go ahead,” he said.
    The credentials landed with a thud close to Taylor’s right foot. Baldwin nodded to her. She reached down and grabbed the leather case, then handed it to him. Baldwin glanced at it and signaled the go ahead. They both stepped around the edge of the door, Taylor low, Baldwin high, weapons trained on the man standing inthe middle of the reception area with his hands up. It was clear that his shoulder holster was empty.
    “Your boss is a little peeved with me,” Hall said. “I don’t think he’s gonna be sharing that liquor with me any time soon.”
    “I can only imagine,” Baldwin replied.
    “Mind if I put my hands down now?”
    “Go ahead. Slowly.”
    Hall looked relieved, dropped his hands to his side. He was a big man, prematurely gray, inhabiting a rumpled brown suit that was a size too large for him. There were red blotches on his white shirt. After a quick glance at Taylor’s hands, he wisely didn’t try to shake.
    Temporarily appeased, Taylor and Baldwin holstered their weapons.
    “What happened?” Baldwin asked. “How did they get the drop on your agents?”
    “We don’t know just yet. All three of them were shot twice to the back of the head. Executed. Thrown in a shallow grave on the beach. A guy walking his dog found them. The dog went nuts and started digging. You folks okay?”
    “We’re fine, but we have four officers down here. Three