36

Logan sat down with his unit after getting off the phone with Washington. He was keeping them all apprised of the situation.

“When will they be here?” Robin asked.

“There’s a pileup on the highway coming out of Washington. Both lanes are shut down, and they don’t know how long they’ll be stuck there. They’d send out a helicopter, but the winds have picked up. It’s too dangerous.”

Logan ran his hand through his hair. “The Hostage Rescue Team is being alerted, but they need a location. They also need local police to help us find our agents. Until the weather clears, they can’t use a helicopter either, so they’ll deploy their emergency vehicles, including their Humvees. As you know, HRT is trained to operate in this kind of weather. They’ll get through the snow, but they’re slow. We need that triangulation. Not only for Alex’s phone, but also for Cooper’s. Julie’s too. I don’t know if she’s part of this or if she’s a victim, but we need to look for her phone as well.”

Logan quickly called Chief Gorman. He asked for Cooper’s and Julie’s normal phone numbers. After the chief gave them to him, he asked why he needed them. At this point, Logan wasn’t certain who he could trust. He wasn’t ready to tell the chief he thought his two detectives were working for the man they’d been looking for. Or that he wasn’t certain they were still alive. He told the chief he would talk to him about it later. Then he called CIRG and gave them the additional phone numbers.

“Can we use our other phones now?” Monty asked.

“Not yet,” Logan said. “They’re probably okay, but until we have our agents back, we can’t take any chances. I’m not losing anyone else.”

As Logan waited to hear from CIRG, every minute seemed like an hour. He prayed that God would lead them to Alex and Kaely. And that they would be alive.

“It will be okay,” Monty said. “God will protect them.”

Logan was surprised that Monty had talked about God in front of the rest of the team. Expressions of faith in the workplace, especially for those in the federal government, were discouraged. An agent could even receive a reprimand.

“Amen,” Robin said.

The other agents nodded their approval.

“Well, I guess we’re all in agreement,” Logan said with a smile. “We’ll get them back alive.”

“Ben put a thought into my head that wouldn’t go away,” Alex said to Kaely. “I didn’t realize that was what was bothering me all this time until I sat in our room and used your method. That’s when it came to me—that and the quote from Holmes.”

“And what was that thought?” Bayne asked. “I’d really like to hear it.”

“Ben said you’d be the perfect suspect if you weren’t dead.”

“We just accepted that you’d died,” Kaely told him.

“As you were supposed to. You see, if I’d been the only one who died, you would have figured out my suicide was fake. That’s why I had to add it into the mix. Get your attention on Davis as the first and most important victim and the rest as an attack against profilers.” He chuckled. “Sorry. Behavioral analysts.” He wagged his finger at them. “You realize no one wants to say that mouthful. That’s why everyone calls you profilers.”

Alex was trying to do anything she could to stall him. She had no idea what he was going to do next, but she was certain he wouldn’t just shoot them. He wanted to end his spree with something memorable. “I became convinced when I considered that the only person who actually saw your body wash out to sea was your wife,” she said. “That’s when I realized that what we saw on the video could have been rigged.”

Kaely stared at him for a moment before saying, “How did you do it? Although no one else reached the edge in time to see your body wash away, people did see you jump.”

“A lot of crevices sit below that cliff edge. Early that morning, before anyone was around, we set up a cable and attached it firmly to a rock near the top. Then when I fell, I grabbed the cable to my right and easily swung over to one of the jutting rocks below. It wasn’t that far, and I’d found a way to practice at home. Build up some calluses on my hands. Then I jumped onto several other rocks that led me back to the top but far enough away that no one noticed when I climbed back up. When Gloria dropped down to her knees, she unhooked the cable and let it fall into the sea. Her performance kept all the attention away from me. We had a car waiting, and I just drove away. By the time anyone could reach her, the cable had washed away.”

“Clever,” Kaely said. “Very clever.”

“Yes, it was,” Bayne said. “We had to make it happen in real time to fool you. So there you go. As you said, everyone’s attention was on the spot where my poor mangled body had been dragged out to sea, just waiting for the sharks to feast on my remains.” He pulled up his shirtsleeve and flexed his muscle. “Good thing I’m in shape, or it never would have worked. Pretty good for a man of my age, don’t you think?”

Alex wasn’t impressed or surprised with his self-aggrandizing. “And Gloria? I guess she’s the only person who knows what you did. Will you let her live?”

A man like Bayne would value his own life above everyone else. Even those he professed to love.

His eyes widened. “Of course. We planned this together. She’s dedicated to my plan. Now, if that ever changes . . . Well, I’ll deal with that possibility then.”

Of course he would.

“But I still don’t get it,” Kaely said. “Again, you were respected by every behavioral analyst who came through the BAU. You and John Davis are the fathers of behavioral analysis. Why would you destroy your reputation? Your legacy?”

His face grew dark, and his expression twisted into one of rage. “John Davis believed he was the only one who was instrumental in creating the BAU. He took credit for everything. I hated him.”

As if she understood that they needed to keep him talking, Kaely said, “But you wrote all those books. I read them. They were great. Your contribution in the early days of the BAU is clear.”

He glared at her. “My books? You and Julie were among the few people who bought them, then. Everyone wanted his books. Not mine. My books didn’t sell close to the number his did.”

“You left the FBI before retirement age,” Alex said. “If you’d stayed, you would have sold a lot more.”

Bayne strode to Alex’s chair, a venomous hatred flashing in his eyes. “I left because I couldn’t take it anymore. Couldn’t abide another minute with Davis and his insufferable ego. He ruined my career, destroyed my book sales. And then his publisher sued me, saying I’d claimed one of his cases as mine! But we worked that case together. Why was it so important that he get top billing, especially when I am the superior profiler and always have been? He said he tried to talk his publisher out of taking me to court, but I didn’t believe him. They all wanted their pound of flesh. We finally settled out of court, but it left me nearly bankrupt.”

“So you were after the insurance money,” Kaely said. “It was brought up as a possible motive, but I didn’t take it seriously.”

Bayne took a deep breath as if trying to regain control. “I deserve that three million dollars. I need it. But I had to be patient. Wait until it wouldn’t matter if my jumping off that cliff was considered suicide so the insurance company would still pay.”

His expression darkened again. “The chance to see Davis dead was the icing on the cake. And then the two of you getting accolades just like he did. . . . You and your arrogant colleagues all fit into my final plan perfectly. The more analysts your UNSUB killed, the less the focus would be on little ol’ dead me.”

Bayne sighed. “I thought Davis would have his gun with him, but he had a knife, and that was good enough. I just wish I could have seen him die in person. But I was busy in Australia, setting up my own death.” He chuckled. “Then I used a fake passport to fly here without detection. Agents learn how to spot fake documents and IDs in the FBI, you know. That, of course, teaches us how to create them too.”

“But you were the man in the sketch,” Kaely said. “The man Harper talked to at the convention.”

“That was Derrick Williams, a two-bit criminal who needed a break. I had him dress up in the same disguise I’ve been using to hide my identity so it would plant the seed that a crazy fan could have been involved in Davis’s death.” He shrugged. “I hoped it would send the police in the wrong direction. And since I’m not very knowledgeable about today’s phones and . . . What are they called? Apps? Anyway, Williams was the master behind all that. He made certain all Davis could see on his phone was his wife. He also was careful not to leave any clues that might lead back to me. And he operated the drone so I could watch Davis kill himself. Julie oversaw everything else. Made sure it was handled correctly. She did a wonderful job, didn’t she?”

“Is Williams still alive?” Kaely asked.

“Ah no. Unfortunately, Mr. Williams died of an overdose after helping us.” He shook his head. “So sad.”

“Who killed Monty’s grandmother?” Alex asked.

“I did that. I told Cooper to do it—even if Monty killed himself first—but he refused, and I had to change my plan. You see, I’d initially promised him he wouldn’t have to take a life.” He shrugged. “It was too late in the game to get rid of him, and the window of opportunity was closing. I wore the fake stomach but decided not to use the makeup and wig. Another red herring, you see.” He sighed. “I’m still upset about losing my favorite leather jacket. But oh well. Easy come, easy go.”

Bayne gave them a wide smile. “As much as I’ve enjoyed this interesting exchange, the weather is worsening, and I have to get going. I’m not really worried. Even if I have to hole up in the area for a while, my new disguise will protect me. No one will be looking for me anyway. You’ll both be dead, so you won’t be able to tell anyone who I really am. Hopefully, by the time they find you, I’ll be long gone.”

He made a sweeping gesture with his hand as if he were bowing. “I have to leave you for a moment, but I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” He laughed as he walked toward the other side of the large warehouse and opened the door to a room that looked like a small office.

“Kaely, listen,” Alex whispered. “I left a note for Logan telling him I suspected Bayne. I should have told him I was concerned about Ben and Julie too, but I wasn’t as certain about them. I waited for Logan as long as I could, but I finally had to take off so I had to leave it with someone else. I’d stalled so long I was afraid Ben would get suspicious. I thought I could find you, neutralize Ben if I had to, and then call for help.” As she explained her actions to Kaely, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made a fatal mistake. One that would lead to both their deaths.

“Who could you trust with that note?” Kaely asked.

“I gave it to someone who couldn’t possibly be involved.” But now she was second-guessing herself. She’d thought the bakery guy was probably a safe option, but was trusting him one of the dumbest things she’d ever done? Or had he followed through? Knowing she needed to show Kaely some confidence, she smiled.

“And there’s something else.” She looked around carefully, not only to make sure no one could overhear her but also for any kind of listening device. But Bayne was overconfident. In her opinion, he couldn’t hear them. He considered them too stupid to ruin his great strategy.

She lowered her voice even more. “I told Logan I put my phone in my boot, just in case. Ben and Julie never looked there.”

Kaely’s eyes filled with tears. “If I could reach you, I’d kiss you.”

“If they triangulate my phone, it will give them an area to search. Empty warehouses should be their first thought. They could also be looking for Ben’s and Julie’s phones.” She paused a moment before saying, “It’s not a slam dunk, Kaely. It’s just a chance, but I think it’s a good chance.”

“I agree. Let’s pray it’s good enough to get us home alive.”

Alex heard a door close. Bayne was coming back. Time was running out. If they weren’t found soon, it could very well be too late.