Luke stared out the window toward the south, the direction his buddy in airport security had told him the chopper had been flying before it dropped off the radar screen. Behind him, his brother, Matt, entered the conference room. Luke turned to face him, remembering the last time they’d conferred in this room. He was a local cop. How did he manage to keep getting caught up in all this Federal shit?
He should be with Mann, pursuing leads in the Knight murder and leave this one to those with jurisdiction. He liked what he did, liked his circle of influence and was happy to stay within it. His brothers’ jobs gobbled up too much time. He liked to balance work and play. He was the mellow big brother, the one who was around when mom needed her lawn cut or his brothers needed their butts kicked. That was his role, his place in the family and community.
So what was he doing here in this dreary room once again with his gut twisting with worry for a woman he’d known for little more than one day? A little more than twenty-four hours. Busy hours, but still just hours. Dani liked to trot out the whole no man is an island quote and would probably bring it out now, but even under her stringent guidelines, he’d done his part for the whole and more. He’d protected Amelia. He’d gotten her down the mountain, placed her in a safe place that she herself had chosen to leave. That she was missing was not his fault. That he felt guilt twisting his gut was a choice, not an imperative. Could he have done more? Logic said no, but his heart indicted him.
Jeez, was that his brain whining like that? Okay, he was short on sleep and shorter on patience—another departure from the norm, since he was usually the one with the endless supply, but was that any reason to whine?
Worse than whining, instead of patience, instead of calm reason, there was this pounding urgent beat driving him forward, muddying his thoughts and tripping his reason. Okay, he liked Amelia, even when he wondered if she was playing him, he liked her. She was beautiful, but that alone wasn't it. Beauty without character was like cotton candy without sugar, if that were possible. Even with her brain scrambled, she was smart and funny. And she hadn’t quit. She’d dragged her butt down the mountain and that had to hurt. Held her poles with a sprained wrist and went the distance.
How could he not like her? She’d given off a lot of confused signals during the hours they’d spent together, but some facts were clear for anyone with a brain to observe—something he’d thought he had. She had a strong sense of adventure, felt a real joy in being alive. There was a French word for it that he never could remember, but it fit. Even in pain and afraid, she’d loved the trip down the mountain. He’d seen it in her eyes, in the way her body took the turns, spraying the snow in a joyful arc with each turn when she'd shot past him after their first fall. Had felt himself respond to that joy with some of his own. Much as he loved his private play, it was always more fun with someone to share it with—and a touch of danger to add a little spice.
She was young, though not was young as he’d thought. If only—what? The question made him squirm inside. If she was Prudence Knight, she’d have plenty to deal with when this was all over. Plenty. And if her memory came back, he’d fade to the back of her mind. Order restored, they could both return to their lives. So why didn’t that seem as appealing as it had forty-eight hours ago when all he’d had to deal with was the past? Again a stab of guilt. Nothing like a little lust on the anniversary of your wife’s death.
Because he wasn’t ready to find answers for any of the questions his bitter brain was producing, he turned his attention to his brother and his companions. Bryn and Dewey had entered with Matt, their mutual glow piercing his preoccupation. Looked like they’d finally settled it—in spades, if the discreet gold band on Bryn’s finger was any indication. Good for them.
Hypocrite, a voice in his head taunted him. Okay for her to take risks but not Luke Kirby. There were risks and risks, a different voice argued for the defense. Bryn had had to trust Dewey’s feelings for her. Amelia didn’t know what her feelings were. She couldn’t remember them. He wasn’t avoiding risk. He was being sensible. And loyal to Rosemary’s memory. Before he could stop it, the contrary voice reminded him that this was the kind of loyalty that Rosemary would never have asked for.
“Let’s get started, shall we?” Matt said, taking his place at the head of the table.
It seemed off not to have Jake there, challenging Matt’s place at the head of the table with his gaze. Those two had taken sibling rivalry into adulthood, which left Luke as the peacemaker. Luke dropped into his chair now, wishing Jake was here. He had a quick brain and good instincts, both of which they could have used right now. And he looked at life differently from either he or Matt. Drove Matt crazy, but it worked. As if Matt heard him think, he said, “Jake’s flying in. Should be here before we move out.”
“We have to talk fast,” Bryn said. “Dewey’s got an important date down south.”
“I can be fast,” Luke said. He leaned forward, his elbows propped on the table as he told his story in terse spurts. Bryn interrupted him just once.
“You had Prudence Knight and you lost her?”
Luke looked annoyed. “I didn’t know I had her until after I lost her, okay? She doesn’t know who she is.” If it weren’t so serious, it would be funny, them all running around with bits of the same whole, all thinking they were in control when they weren’t.
“Well,” Bryn gave him a wry look, “if she was grabbed so she could spill her guts on Shield, this could get interesting, since it doesn’t work. We should probably talk to a specialist, find out if truth drugs could crack her apparent loss of memory. If she really has lost it?”
Luke tried not to stiffen, not with them all looking at him. “Her injuries were real. I’m just guessing, but I’m thinking she somehow fell out of the chopper, which was probably flying low to avoid getting picked up by radar. Trees would break her fall and people have survived falls from far more serious heights. You say she had some kind of fight with her father?”
“That’s what Donovan said.” Bryn frowned. She filled them in on what she’d learned from Donovan. “What if Knight knew he was dying and told her he wasn’t her father? Then she gets kidnapped, falls. Trauma like that could lead to hysterical amnesia, I would imagine. At least it does on television,” she added dryly.
Luke remembered her “I hate lies” vehemence. It seemed she had good cause to hate it.
“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” Dewey asked. “You saw her get kidnapped, whether she knows her own name or not, she’s in trouble. How do we find her?”
“You don’t do anything,” Bryn said. “You have a date with Green.” Luke and Matt looked at her, so then she filled them in on this, fumbling a bit over how Dewey got involved with Green. It was obvious to Luke she wasn’t eager to clarify much, but at least now she knew who her friends were and told them enough. What also seemed obvious to Luke was the criminal movement on so many fronts and yet no one seemed to see a connection. Could it be a coincidence that Dewey was meeting Green this week, the same week someone tries to kidnap Amelia and use her to put pressure on Donovan?
“What if this Green is involved in the kidnapping?” he asked.
Matt sat at the head of the table, slumped in a chair with his feet thrust out. With one hand he tapped the table impatiently. “Merryweather is a biotechnology company, a favorite target of Green and other environmental activist groups. We’ve got a biotech conference in town this weekend. Did you see that bit on the news the other night? People dressed up like vegetables and other crap yapping about the evils of technology—after having driven or flown here in their cars and planes?”
Bryn nodded. “I saw it. And we know that’s bringing the former VP to town. He’s going to speak out at a big counter-demo. He’s the most important target in town this week.”
“Target?” Luke asked. He’d missed some key points it seemed.
Bryn filled them in on Donovan and his possible role as sniper in the proceedings.
“Would he really turn shooter for them in hopes that they’ll release Ame—Prudence Knight?” Luke asked. “Looked smarter than that to me.” In his head, Luke was relieved. It meant they wouldn’t kill Amelia as soon as they got what they wanted—or in this case what they didn’t want—out of her. On the other hand, they might be dealing with an out-of-control sniper before they were through.
“It does make me think Green must be behind the grab. No question she’s the key to Donovan’s buttons,” Bryn added, with a look of worry toward Dewey. “If they are turning violent—”
“—and Dewey’s date is our only lead, then how do we make sure we don’t lose him?” Matt finished for her.
This wasn’t his area, so Luke sat back, listening as the talk turned high tech and technical.
Dewey shook his head when Matt suggested an electronic tracking device. “This guy is smart. He’ll be looking for everything, up to and including a wire. I walk in there broadcasting anything, I’m dead. They’ll also be looking for tails, advance and post surveillance of the area. Trust me on this. It’s what I’d have done before I became a reformed man.”
Bryn jumped up and paced to the window, looking over her shoulder to say, “We can’t send you in without some kind of backup. Your community service hours don’t require you to go on a suicide mission.”
“Actually, I already have a plan,” Dewey confessed. “Well, Phoebe had a plan, but don’t tell Jake or he’ll kill me, making this all pointless.”
Bryn turned, leaning against the windows, her arms crossed defensively. Despite his worry, Luke found he could grin, though he hid it with his hand.
“Based on the assumption that this guy was beyond paranoid,” Dewey said, “he may make me change cars, clothes, even a watch, but who plans for a guy with glasses?”
Like a magician, he produced a pair from his shirt pocket. They were small, wire rectangles. Bryn stalked over and took them, peering through the lenses. “They have a prescription. Can you see with them?”
With a sigh, he nodded. “Unfortunately, my eye doctor thinks I can.”
Luke took them from Bryn. “So how do they help?”
“There’s a small, but powerful GPS transmitter in one of the nose pads. But it’s not active, so if they scan me for anything, it won’t read. When I feel safe, or I’m in trouble, I can activate it using the other nose pad.” Dewey took the glasses back and put them on.
He looked studious and sort of like John Lennon, Luke decided, with an inward grin. Trust Phoebe, the Pathphinder, to find a way to beat paranoid.
“I’d sure like to put a team on the road ahead of you,” Bryn said.
Dewey shook his head. “He’ll be looking for that. That’s why the extended advance warning. He’s waiting to see if there’s any sudden activity in the area. You do anything and he’s gone. I could be wrong, but I’m betting he’s been where he is long enough to know who’s new and who isn’t. This guy is smart.” He grinned. “He could be me. If I didn’t know I was here, I’d say you should be looking at me.”
In the olden days, that remark would have set Bryn off. Luke noticed now she just looked at him, a look so intimate he looked away. His gaze bumped into Matt’s, who was also trying not to notice the sudden rise in temperature.
“So what do we already know about the area?” Matt spread a map of the state across the table top. He looked at Luke. “Your chopper headed south, didn’t you say?”
Luke nodded. Bryn found the rendezvous point, then used her finger to trace a circle around the area. It was in the direction of the chopper, but a lot was.
“We’re assuming that Green is the culprit here,” Luke objected. “It’s kind of hard for me to buy. I mean, if they don’t like what Merryweather is doing, wouldn’t they be getting rid of Shield, not stealing it? Is there anyone else who might be targeting this Shield? I don’t like concentrating all our efforts in one direction without something more than some guy who wants to meet Dewey. If we’re wrong, then it’s over.”
The words sent a chill down his back. What if he never saw Amelia again? The chill turned into a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had to fight to clear his thoughts so he could focus as they discussed other possibilities, but with the admittedly scant information at their disposal, there wasn’t a better lead for them to follow. Bryn promised to direct her team to look for other possibilities, which helped some, but not a lot.
“You know…” Bryn’s fingers stopped by a town, then moved to a spot at the base of the mountains. “This is odd.”
“What?” Luke stood up next to her and frowned down at the map. Where had they taken Amelia? It was a damn big state. Was this how his brothers had felt when their women disappeared? Except Amelia wasn’t his woman, he reminded himself, and he should start calling her Prudence. Or Miss Knight. They were the same, weren’t they? He just wished he knew where the Amelia persona had sprung from. The same set of keys that had opened her car had also had a key that opened Amelia Hart’s apartment. Could she have created an alternate identity for herself? And if she had, why? She’d said something about feeling lighter and relieved. Was that the explanation? She’d been someone trying to find a little room to be herself? Everything he’d heard about John Knight made him sound like someone you’d want to get away from as quickly as possible.
It made more sense than that she was involved in something dishonest. Granted he only had his instincts to rely on that she had been truthful with him. Did he trust them? They hadn’t let him down in the past, but in the past his hormones hadn’t been in the mix. Didn’t seem to matter how often he told his libido to stop it. He hated feeling like this. Hated feeling out of control. Hated feeling helpless. It brought back all the feelings he’d wrestled with when Rosemary was dying. He’d promised himself he’d never feel like that again. Hell of a time to find out it wasn’t something he could control.
“We’re also investigating the Colorado Irregulars,” Bryn was saying when Luke tuned back in. “Their camp is right here, near the mountains. They’re open to the public on the weekends. You can pay to get hit with paint balls and gripe about the government.”
Matt and Dewey both bent over the map, too. Dewey looked aggrieved. “You were investigating them without me?”
Bryn flicked him a look that was straight out of the olden days. “It was need to know.”
Luke was happy for the distraction. His thoughts were giving him a headache.
“Odd that two such opposite groups should be working in the same general area,” he said. “I’d like to check them out. No question a paramilitary group would want Shield. If they were behind this, they sure mobilized a pack of hounds. They had our route covered faster than a fart. And they looked more like right wingers than lefties.”
He was going to say more, when he noticed that Dewey was still staring at the map with a peculiar look on his face.
“What?” Luke asked.
“Huh?” Dewey looked up, his gaze unfocused for a moment before it sharpened.
“You have an idea?”
Bryn and Matt were now looking at him, too.
“Do you know who I’m meeting?”
Luke shrugged. “Green.”
“His handle is 'Forest for the Trees,'“ Dewey said.
Luke stared at him. “Forest for the Trees?”
“That’s right.”
“As in, you can’t see the forest for the trees?”
“Yup.”
“Damn. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Luke asked.
“No, I think you’re thinking what I’m thinking,” Dewey said. “I thought it first.”
“Damn it,” Bryn said. “I should have been thinking it a long time ago. I could tell the guy had a quirky sense of humor. Do you really think—”
She stopped, as if she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“Well,” Luke stared at nothing as his thoughts raced. It was so bizarre, but in a weird way, made sense. “I can’t think of a better place to hide a radical environmental movement than a right-wing paramilitary outfit’s camp.”
Bryn didn’t look amused. “This could easily turn into another Waco—if we can even get the proof we need to go in.” She frowned as the three men watched her quietly. “You know who we need?”
Matt looked wary. “Who?”
“Donovan Kincaid.”
“He’s gone to ground, hasn’t he?” Dewey pointed out.
“Yes, he has. But I’ll bet he has his phone with him.”
Luke found his thoughts moving in another direction. If Green was behind this move on Merryweather, they’d have needed someone on the inside. They’d need to know how the technology was progressing, access to Knight to administer the digitalis, and someone to tell them Prudence Knight’s movements, when and how to make the grab. Someone had jumped the gun. Or chosen to sabotage it? Someone who wanted to screw his father, say?
One thing he’d been right about. He was in the wrong place. His job was the murder. There was a threat to Amelia here, too, and he needed to find it. At least it was something to do while they waited.
“There are some things I need to check. Let me know when you head south for Dewey’s date. I want to go with you,” he said.
Matt looked up, his gaze sharp. Finally he nodded. He got up and went with Luke to the door. “You all right?”
Luke rubbed the back of his neck, then shrugged. “Sure.”
“We’ll find her,” Matt said. “With the three of us together, we can’t fail.” He slapped Luke on the back. “Keep your phone on.”