Best Laid Plans(112)

Adeline didn’t say anything.

“We can’t help you unless you tell us the truth,” Barry said.

“The truth is that I don’t know what he’s talking about! But he must have thought I’d done something to him…” She seemed to realize that she wasn’t making any sense and stopped talking. She took a deep breath and put her chin out. “I should have come to you first. I realize that now. I didn’t know what to do.”

Barry seemed stunned that she would think they were such idiots. Lucy wasn’t. Lucy was angry and not a little bit worried. But she pushed her fear aside and said, “Tobias had your husband killed because you betrayed him. What specifically did you do for Tobias?”

“Nothing!”

“You’re lying.”

“How dare you,” Adeline said. “I’m a member of Congress. I will have you fired, Agent Kincaid.”

Barry said, “Mrs. Reyes-Worthington, I’d like you to come down to headquarters for further questioning.”

“No.”

“You’re making this more difficult for yourself.”

“I am not going to be treated like a criminal when I’m the victim.”

“You’re no victim,” Lucy said.

“Get out of my house!” Adeline shouted.

Barry pulled out his phone. He said to Lucy, “Watch her,” then left the room.

Adeline stared after Barry. “The audacity!”

Lucy glared at her. “Your husband was murdered because you were involved with a known criminal.”

“Do not talk to me. I want a lawyer.”

“Do you think this is a game? That you can give the right answer and pull a get-out-of-jail-free card? At a minimum, you’re an accessory to murder. More likely, you’re an accomplice.” Lucy wanted to say more, but she bit her tongue. Barry hadn’t brought up the political corruption or bribery charges, so she kept that to herself. But to Lucy, murder was worse. Murder was personal.

Adeline didn’t budge. “You have no idea who you are up against.”

Lucy refused to let Adeline bait her. She watched her closely and received a bit of satisfaction as the woman squirmed under her glare.

“There is no reason for Tobias to kill your husband except that Harper must have found something that connected to him instead of you,” Lucy said, working her mind around what they knew versus what they suspected. “Tobias could care less about whether you’re caught for doing something illegal, but there must be a paper trail that leads to Tobias, and he feared that Harper would find it. That’s why he died. And you let it happen.”

“I didn’t! I didn’t know!”

“But you knew that Harper was preoccupied. And you knew that you were involved in illegal activities with a gun runner.”

Adeline’s face completely drained and she sat down.

Lucy realized she was on to something. She sent Zach Charles a text message.



Dig into Adeline’s finances—personal, campaign, corporate, anything—from mid-March through the present. See if there’s anything odd or unusual. Ask Juan if you can use Sean for this.



She sent it before she could change her mind. She shouldn’t bring Sean into it at all, but he had already analyzed Harper Worthington’s business and financial records, so he was primed to dig into Adeline’s. He’d see the connection—figure out what Harper had uncovered that had gotten him killed. Because the only reason for Tobias to have killed Harper was not just to scare Adeline or frame her, but because Harper knew something that could jeopardize Tobias.

“Who is Gary Ackerman?” Lucy asked. “Why did you get a restraining order against him seven years ago?”

Adeline didn’t say anything.

“Did you know your husband was meeting with him?”

Again, no answer, but Adeline closed her eyes.

Lucy said quietly, “Do you know that Ackerman was murdered, too?”

“Dear God.” Adeline put her head in her hands.

Barry walked back in. “Lucy.” He jerked his head and she followed him into the hall.

Quietly, he said, “Juan passed me up to Naygrew. He listened to what just happened, and wants to get an arrest warrant. I wanted to bring her in now, but Naygrew thinks it puts the Bureau at risk.”

“How?” Lucy would never understand politics.

“Because we have a lot of circumstantial evidence but nothing substantial. It’s a big clusterf*ck.”

“And so she gets to go free?”

“No. Dunbar is going up in front of a grand jury tomorrow with the AUSA and they expect a multicharge indictment on bribery, abuse of power, political corruption, whatever they’re calling it these days. She’s not going to get a pass on murder. But we can’t prove it at this point.”

“She knows more.”

“Which is why we’re going to ask her to come in of her own free will tomorrow morning to answer questions. If she refuses, we’ll get a subpoena to compel her to answer. You need to work on Elise Hansen tonight.”

“She lied to us. Multiple times.”

“She’s sixteen.”

“I don’t care. That photo…” Lucy shook her head. “Okay. I’ll push Elise. Do what you need to do.”