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Authors: David Baldacci
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sec and answer from your gut.”
“Yes, I think that was why he was killed.”
Michelle leaned against the wall and stared moodily out the window.
Sean said, “Okay, what are
you
thinking?”
“I’m thinking how long do we have before they target us?”
“You want to quit and hop on a plane back to Virginia?”
She looked at him. “Do you?”
“I thought I was clear on the point. I’m going to find out who killed him.”
“Then I thought I was clear, too. We’re a team. Where you go, I go.”
“You don’t think I can take care of myself?”
“No, but I can take care of you better.”
CHAPTER
9
S EAN WAS OUTSIDE taking a walk along the rocky coast when his cell phone buzzed a bit after two o’clock. Megan Riley sounded young, green, and stunned. His hopes sank. There was no way the young woman would be able to handle this.
“I can’t believe that Mr. Bergin is dead,” she said. He could envision her eyes filling with tears. A perfectly normal reaction under the circumstances, but he didn’t need normal right now, he needed extraordinary.
“I know. It’s a shock to all of us.” As he spoke he watched Michelle make her way over from a rickety pier with an equally rickety fishing boat tied up to it. She reached him and sat down on a huge boulder that served as riprap to keep the ocean at bay.
“Who would do such a thing?” asked Megan.
“Well, we’re working on that right now. Hilary mentioned that you had worked on the Roy case for Ted?”
She sniffled. “I did a little research for him that he asked me to do.”
“Did he ever talk to you about his theories of the case? What defense he was planning, steps he’d taken, conversations he’d had with Edgar Roy?”
It would have been a one-way conversation, obviously.
“He did go into some of that with me. I guess I was a sounding board for him. And I talked to him yesterday.”
“What time?”
“Around six.”
“What did he want?”
“Just checking on some cases I was handling.”
“Did he talk to you about Edgar Roy?”
“He said he was going to meet with him. In fact, I think he was on the way there. In a car, I mean.”
“Nothing else?” asked Sean.
“I called him back about nine o’clock.”
“Why?”
“To go over a court hearing I had the next day. I needed his advice.”
“Okay, Megan, this is really important. Did he mention that he had seen Edgar Roy last night?”
“No, he didn’t talk about that.”
“Did he mention to you where he might have been going late last night? I mean other than to meet with Michelle and me?”
Her voice sounded frightened. “No, he didn’t say anything about it. I didn’t even know he was meeting with you. I just assumed he was in for the night.”
“Nothing at all, you’re sure?” Sean persisted. “Just some comment he let slip?”
“There was nothing. Most of the conversation was about the court hearings I had the next day. He didn’t say anything about Edgar Roy and I didn’t ask.”
“Why not?”
“Because if Mr. Bergin had wanted to discuss the case he would have. I’ve only been working for him a short while. I wasn’t comfortable just injecting myself into a case I wasn’t really working on. He was always very particular about client confidences.”
Sean said, “Okay, let’s get down to specifics. Do you know whether you’re on the papers filed with the court?”
“As a matter of fact I am. Mr. Bergin said it was always good to have another attorney on the papers. Just in case something happened.”
“Well, unfortunately, he was prophetic. Look, we’ll need to talk to you about what Ted’s theories and strategies were. And anything else that might be connected to Roy.”
“Have you talked to Edgar Roy?”
“We’ve seen him. Talking is somewhat problematic. Can you fly up here?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve got some cases I’m working on and—”
“Megan, this is really important.”
He heard her take a long breath. “Of
“Yes, I think that was why he was killed.”
Michelle leaned against the wall and stared moodily out the window.
Sean said, “Okay, what are
you
thinking?”
“I’m thinking how long do we have before they target us?”
“You want to quit and hop on a plane back to Virginia?”
She looked at him. “Do you?”
“I thought I was clear on the point. I’m going to find out who killed him.”
“Then I thought I was clear, too. We’re a team. Where you go, I go.”
“You don’t think I can take care of myself?”
“No, but I can take care of you better.”
CHAPTER
9
S EAN WAS OUTSIDE taking a walk along the rocky coast when his cell phone buzzed a bit after two o’clock. Megan Riley sounded young, green, and stunned. His hopes sank. There was no way the young woman would be able to handle this.
“I can’t believe that Mr. Bergin is dead,” she said. He could envision her eyes filling with tears. A perfectly normal reaction under the circumstances, but he didn’t need normal right now, he needed extraordinary.
“I know. It’s a shock to all of us.” As he spoke he watched Michelle make her way over from a rickety pier with an equally rickety fishing boat tied up to it. She reached him and sat down on a huge boulder that served as riprap to keep the ocean at bay.
“Who would do such a thing?” asked Megan.
“Well, we’re working on that right now. Hilary mentioned that you had worked on the Roy case for Ted?”
She sniffled. “I did a little research for him that he asked me to do.”
“Did he ever talk to you about his theories of the case? What defense he was planning, steps he’d taken, conversations he’d had with Edgar Roy?”
It would have been a one-way conversation, obviously.
“He did go into some of that with me. I guess I was a sounding board for him. And I talked to him yesterday.”
“What time?”
“Around six.”
“What did he want?”
“Just checking on some cases I was handling.”
“Did he talk to you about Edgar Roy?”
“He said he was going to meet with him. In fact, I think he was on the way there. In a car, I mean.”
“Nothing else?” asked Sean.
“I called him back about nine o’clock.”
“Why?”
“To go over a court hearing I had the next day. I needed his advice.”
“Okay, Megan, this is really important. Did he mention that he had seen Edgar Roy last night?”
“No, he didn’t talk about that.”
“Did he mention to you where he might have been going late last night? I mean other than to meet with Michelle and me?”
Her voice sounded frightened. “No, he didn’t say anything about it. I didn’t even know he was meeting with you. I just assumed he was in for the night.”
“Nothing at all, you’re sure?” Sean persisted. “Just some comment he let slip?”
“There was nothing. Most of the conversation was about the court hearings I had the next day. He didn’t say anything about Edgar Roy and I didn’t ask.”
“Why not?”
“Because if Mr. Bergin had wanted to discuss the case he would have. I’ve only been working for him a short while. I wasn’t comfortable just injecting myself into a case I wasn’t really working on. He was always very particular about client confidences.”
Sean said, “Okay, let’s get down to specifics. Do you know whether you’re on the papers filed with the court?”
“As a matter of fact I am. Mr. Bergin said it was always good to have another attorney on the papers. Just in case something happened.”
“Well, unfortunately, he was prophetic. Look, we’ll need to talk to you about what Ted’s theories and strategies were. And anything else that might be connected to Roy.”
“Have you talked to Edgar Roy?”
“We’ve seen him. Talking is somewhat problematic. Can you fly up here?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve got some cases I’m working on and—”
“Megan, this is really important.”
He heard her take a long breath. “Of
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