Game of Fear (Montgomery Justice #3)(40)

The Warden chewed on the offer for a moment, then smiled. Niko had been with him from the beginning. He understood more than most—which made him a risk he couldn’t ignore. “Yes, I believe there is. We have a security issue, and I need your help.”




Gabe and Luke pulled the remainder of their father’s files out of the box and spread out the first half dozen. Luke looked at the headers of all the files, let out a low whistle, and rubbed his temple.

“Crap.” Gabe flopped back in his chair. “It’s as bad as I thought.”

Deb turned to him in surprise.

“When my brother gets that tingle in his temple, it either means he’s onto a big story or that something is terribly wrong. My mother passed some of her Irish intuition on to all of us. Not enough to divine the winning lottery numbers, but it’s kept us all alive at one time or another.”

Luke flipped open the most worn file and scanned the notes, reading the brief summary. “Shannon Devlin. The first victim Patrick knew of to investigate. Straight-A student. Math and physics whiz. Murdered at age sixteen. She escaped an attempted kidnapping and traveled on a bus to Denver, where she was killed. Case never solved.”

Gabe gritted his teeth and Deb moved closer beside him, slipping her hand into his. He held her tighter than he should. Her fingers squeezed back. His racing heart slowed. Who knew a woman could drive him crazy with want, and at the same time, center him?

“Diego Morales,” Luke read next. “Computer-science whiz. Straight-A student. Went missing the same year from Utah. Never found.”

Another file. “Brandon Taylor. Regional Science Bowl champion. Missing in 2008 from West Virginia. Unsolved.”

When Luke selected the file for Shannon’s three friends, Gabe sighed. “We need to change missing to murdered. They were all shot.”

Luke paused, then scratched the note beside each name.

A half hour later, even Luke was convinced the disappearances were no coincidence. “There is definitely a pattern here. Dad was on to something bad and it’s not just a local phenomenon. These happen all over the country,” Luke said grimly scanning the printouts and opened one of the files again. “Over two dozen kids over a few years. Just gone. Not troublemakers. Smart, good grades, mostly. All listed as runaways. Why?”

Deb crossed her arms in front of her and frowned. “Because the notes left for the parents are probably all forgeries. The one Ashley supposedly left me was close. Someone who didn’t know her or her handwriting really well would think she wrote it. Some parents gave up; some police departments just didn’t investigate.”

Gabe touched her arm gently. “Well, we don’t give up. The Montgomerys are a stubborn lot. Sometimes too stubborn.”

Jazz walked into the room, carrying a tray of coffee and snacks. “Are you casting aspersions on my husband, best friend, and family members?”

“You caught me.” Gabe laughed.

“Well, cut it out.” She set the tray down, pulled up a chair next to Luke, then slid her arm through his. “Miracle of miracles, the pint-sized Energizer Bunny has worn herself out from her excursion and has fallen asleep in the middle of her princess collection. She didn’t even wake when I picked her up and put her in bed.”

She looked over the array of files on the coffee table and sent Deb a sympathetic glance. “Have you found anything yet that’ll help?”

“Not enough,” Luke said. “But this box of materials my father hid is full of potential. I can’t believe he kept this investigation secret.”

“Dad was good at keeping secrets.” The words were out of Gabe’s mouth before he realized, and he hadn’t even attempted to block the anger in his voice.

Luke stared at Gabe. “Care to explain that?”

“No.” He squirmed in his chair. “I’m just exhausted.”

Damn. He’d thought he’d buried the disgust, but after reliving that night over and over again in the last days, all the frustration he’d pushed aside simmered beneath the surface, ready to explode. If he didn’t leave now, he’d say something he regretted. He’d vowed eight years ago to never reveal his father’s affair, or Whitney. Gabe refused to hurt his mom like that. He had to protect her—even from her own husband.

He rose, unwilling to give Luke a chance to push. “I’ve got to get over to the bar and see how they’re doing.”

The phone rang and Luke answered it. A minute later, after grunting agreement a few times, he hung up and threw Gabe a sympathetic look. “That was Mom. She’s coming over. John’s coming, too. She’s been calling your phone all morning and you haven’t answered. She said don’t even think about leaving before she gets here. She’s seriously angry with both you and John and she says you, especially, have some explaining to do.”




Sammy’s Bar had a full parking lot, but Gabe Montgomery wasn’t inside. Ernie slouched against the wall, praying he was invisible. He’d watched and waited for hours. Gabe had to show soon. God, where was he? This was suicide to be waiting anywhere near here. If Gasmerati ever found out, Ernie would be cougar food.

He’d vowed never to put himself at risk by going in that cop bar, but now . . . maybe he should. He’d already called Gabe four times. Where was he? The guy hadn’t left the place for any length of time in months. He wasn’t home, either.