End Game (Will Robie #5)(40)

They stopped a few feet from her. “Okay,” said Robie. “About Roger Walton? We know that he came by to visit you at the rehab facility. Why was that?”

Holly said, “Where’s my suitcase?”

In answer Reel went inside the cabin and came out a few moments later carrying it. She handed Holly her passport.

“Signed, sealed, and delivered,” said Robie. “Now it’s your turn.”

Holly sat down on the porch of the cabin and glanced at Walton’s rental, which was still parked in front. She let out a long breath and looked nervously at each of them.

“I don’t want to get into trouble over this. I’m on parole.”

“Which means you probably can’t leave the area,” said Robie.

“I thought of that. I checked in with my parole officer and talked to him about my plans. They’re allowing me to transfer to another location where I’ll be checking in regularly with a new parole officer. I just can’t stay here anymore.”

“Your sister has been telling you that for some time, hasn’t she?” pointed out Reel. “She came out here because of you. She’s worried about you. She went looking for you last night but couldn’t find you.”

“My sister has been trying to run my life since we were little” was Holly’s surprising reply, her features hardening. “Did she tell you I was the brainy one? The golden girl?”

“She did. Are you saying you’re not?” asked Robie.

“Oh, I’m smart. I’ve got a head for math and science. I proved that. I graduated from MIT. I got offers from NASA and others.”

“But you turned them all down and came out here, why?” asked Reel.

“Because I wanted to get away from my family. I wanted to live my life.”

“Pretty drastic move. If you worked for NASA you would have moved from New York, surely.”

“It wasn’t just geographic. It was everything to do with that part of me. I was tired of all the expectations. Of making the family proud.”

Reel stared her down. “So your family is so bad that you came out here, got in with the wrong crowd, did drugs, got arrested, did some prison time, and now you’re hooked up with a guy with a temporary hate symbol on his head. Nice work. And your sister puts on a uniform and risks her life protecting people like you,” she added quietly. “I know she’s proud of you. Maybe you should be proud of her.”

Holly stood and snapped, “I didn’t come here to be lectured. Do you want my help or not?”

“We do,” said Robie with a sharp glance at Reel. “Walton?”

Holly sat back down. “When I was in rehab I heard some things.”

“What things? And from who?” asked Robie.

“Another patient. A guy named Clément. He was in for drugs like me.”

“What did he tell you?”

“That he thought people were being brought here against their will.”

“Brought here to Grand, you mean?” said Robie.

She nodded.

“Why?”

“He saw it. He saw the people in a van. They were tied up with hoods over their heads.”

“Where?”

“He wouldn’t say exactly. But he said there were people with guns guarding them.”

“And you believed him? Even though he was a drug addict? He could have just been making shit up. Either delusional or maybe trying to impress you.”

“No, I think he was telling the truth. There were too many details. He couldn’t have made it all up. And he was really scared. I could tell.”

“Did he tell anyone else?”

“I don’t think so.”

“So why confide in you?”

“We were sort of thrown together. They have a buddy system at the facility, and he was my buddy and I was his. We were supposed to look out for each other. And Clément was really fragile. He needed a friend and I was it. We had just finished up a counseling session when he pulled me aside and told me about it.”

“Did you ask him any questions?”

“Some. I was more concerned with doing my time there and getting out, but he talked to me about it on a couple of other occasions and I became more focused.”

“Where’s Clément now?”

“I don’t know. He left the facility before I did.”

“What’s his last name?”

“Lamarre. Clément Lamarre. He wasn’t from around here. I think he mentioned Boulder. But he’s originally from Canada. He’s French Canadian, or so he told me.”

“What was his issue that he was in rehab?” asked Reel after she wrote this information down.

“Like I said, same as me, drug use. Opioids, coke, and heroin. He’d done some prison time too.”

“And how does this tie into Roger Walton visiting you?”

“He just showed up one day. I had heard of him. I knew that he visited the area. Over the years I’d also heard that he was high up in DC in some way.”

“And you heard this from who?” asked Reel.

“Lots of people.”

“A nurse at the rehab said that Walton used JC Parry’s name when he came to see you. Why would that be? What’s the connection?”