Part 10 (1/2)
”Or it could take years.”
”That's what they say.” He waited out several minutes of silence, then said, 'I don't like it.”
”No. Neither do I.
”So?
”So where is she now?”
He swore. ”I don't know.
There was a pause, and then, ”I told you to check out her apartment last night.”
”I did. She wasn't there.”
”And?”
”And I got p.i.s.sed.”
In all her imaginings, Faith had not thought of murder, and a chill
raised gooseflesh over her body.
”What?” She groped desperately in the darkness of her mind, but there
was absolutely nothing, no memory, no knowledge at all. Nothing but the terrifying possibility that she had done something horrible.
Bishop continued to speak as if reciting items on a list. ”A little over
two years ago, you were living in Seattle with your mother and youngersister. Your sister was still in high school, your mother worked in alibrary, and you worked as a receptionist at a construction companyduring the day and waited tables at night.” He paused. ”I don't have allthe details, and I won't until I go up to Quantico and get access to therecords. But the facts are simple.”
”What facts?” she asked unsteadily.
There might have been a softening of Bishop's steely gaze, but it was
difficult to tell. ”I'm sorry. Your mother and sister were murdered, and the house was burned to the ground.”
Faith felt shock, but it was distant, impersonal, little more than
dismay. She could not conjure even a fleeting image of this mother orsister, and the grief that should still have been strong in her wastotally absent.
It was Kane who asked quietly, ”Who was responsible?”
”The case is still open, that's all I can tell you.”
Bishop looked at his friend. ”And the file is restricted, maybe because
it's an ongoing Bureau investigation, something like that.”
”Could Faith be a protected witness?”
”Not likely. If that were the case, I would have been warned off the
moment I tried to access her file.”
She cleared her throat. ”Could I-was I a suspect?
”According to the Seattle P D., which I called after running into thatrestricted file, you had an alibi. You were waiting tables in a busyrestaurant, in full view of dozens of people, when the murders werecommitted and the house burned. But the police refused to tell meanything else. It seems their file is off-limits as well.”
Kane looked at Faith. ”So two years ago, the people closest to you weremurdered. No arrests, no convictions. A few months later, you came toAtlanta and started over.”
Faith tried to think. ”Which would explain the lack of some things in myapartment. Photographs, old clothing. If the house I lived in burned tothe ground, I could have lost everything.”
Kane frowned at Bishop. ”My imagination is probably working overtimetrying to figure out how two unsolved murders in Seattle could connectto a traffic accident and a disappearance here 'in Atlanta two yearslater. But ... here's Faith. One very real connections ”Until we havethe details,” Bishop said, ”there's no way to know if there's any otherconnection.”
”And we get the details only if you go to Quantico.
”We have a chance of getting them if I go to Quantico. My clearancemight not be high enough, depending on why the file was restricted.”
”Weren't you going to have to go back tomorrow anyway? Something aboutthis new unit of yours?”
”I don't have much choice, I'm afraid. And I don't know when I'll beable to get back.” He paused. ”If I thought there was anything I coulddo here that you couldn't do just as well or better-”
”You wouldn't leave. I know that.”
Bishop went to pour himself some coffee, and Faith was glad theirattention had s.h.i.+fted away from her. She needed time to try to cope withthe shock of knowing her family had been murdered.
”I'm not too crazy about leaving here just now,” Bishop said. ”With nosolid evidence surfacing, the search for Dinah was going along prettymuch according to standard operating procedure, with very littleprogress and no real surprises.” He looked at Faith. ”And then you cameout of a coma and walked out of that hospital.”
Kane frowned again. ”Meaning?”
”Meaning the balance has been upset, the status quo disturbed. ifanybody is paying attention, now would be the time I'd expect them tomake a move.”
Faith was puzzled. ”You mean ... whoever has ir Dinah would have tochange the' plans because of me?”
”If you figure into this at all-yes. Think about it. If you are or werea threat to someone, that coma kept you safely out of the picture. Thefact that you're up and about again has to give them pause. Even if theyfind out that your memory is gone, chances are they won't feel secureenough to just ignore you. Not for long, at any rate.”
”My apartment was probably searched,” Faith said slowly. ”Maybe theyfound whatever it is they were looking for.” Then a sudden memory madeher look at Kane. ”Does Dinah have a laptop?”
”Yes. Her briefcase was missing when her jeep was found abandoned nearher office, though, and she always carries the laptop in it.” Faithhesitated. ”According to what she told the lawyer, she also had mylaptop. Did you ever see it?”