Whispered Lies

“Nothing really. It wasn’t that unusual.” Gabrielle stopped fidgeting with her fingernail, swiped a hand over her hair, and explained, “Linette wasn’t in class one day. When I went to our room to check on her, all her possessions were gone. I asked questions, but no one would tell me anything, not even her family’s address so I could write her. The school is very strict. They don’t tolerate being questioned.”

“Wait,” Carlos said, staring over her head in concentration. “You said nothing really happened when Linette went missing and that it wasn’t that unusual? Did you mean it wasn’t unusual for Linette or for others to go missing?”

Footsteps approached from the top of the stairs.

“Others,” Gabrielle answered, keeping her eyes on the stairwell. “Students dropped out all the time without notice.”

When another towering hunk in a leather motorcycle jacket entered, the room came to attention. He was maybe late thirties and wore jeans in a way any woman would appreciate. Just as imposing as the rest of this bunch with his dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and blue eyes so intense she felt as though he expected her to give up her secrets with a look.

Carlos took a seat beside Gotthard.

“Gabrielle, I’m Joe,” the new man said politely, before he addressed the others in the room. “Hell of a jump you made. Good job. Gotthard has kept me posted on this morning’s conversation and ru

She glanced at Gotthard, who had leaned an elbow on the table and propped his head with a meaty hand. He nodded at Joe. “Everything she said checks out.”

Gabrielle frowned. “Given my situation, did you really think I’d try to lie my way out of this?”

Joe’s narrowed gaze tightened. His voice was whisper soft. “I expect anything at any time, just as everyone else in this room. Underestimating an adversary would be a stupid mistake for those in our line of work, and I assure you I don’t hire stupid people.”

“Excusez-moi,” she murmured in apology.

Joe nodded and continued, “Gotthard turned up some interesting cross-references. Unlike most of the other elite schools in France, the one Gabrielle went to was a private operation, funded by private investors and donations. Many graduates from there went on to have distinguished careers. The school is in a castle that has belonged to a local family for umpteen generations. But there seems to be a high percentage of dropouts. I’ll let him explain further.”

Gotthard thumped his thumb against the laptop. “I wouldn’t have thought much about the dropout rate since these are privileged and spoiled kids who probably don’t finish anything.”

Gabrielle stiffened at the insult. She’d worked her bum off her whole life to prove she was not some indulged child.

“I expected to see them popping up anywhere from news articles to job status to marriage a

Gabrielle’s heart pounded. More confirmation that something had happened to Linette. “Why would her father say she was dead if she wasn’t?”

Carlos answered, “He either believes she is buried in that grave or can’t risk telling the truth. Was there anything special or different about Linette-or you-we should know?”

Yes, but the less everyone knew about her the better Gabrielle felt her chances were of getting out of this. “No.”

“So what do you think happened to Linette?” Rae asked.

“I imagined everything over the years, even that her father might have sent her to a convent where she wouldn’t have been able to contact me.” Gabrielle took a breath. Her gaze sought out and didn’t waver from Carlos’s. “But I can’t conceive that he might be a party to something that would have hurt her physically, so he must believe she is dead.”

“Or she did something he considered the same as being dead to him,” Rae suggested.

“Not Linette.” Gabrielle didn’t even try to hide her exasperation. “This fratelli must know something.”

Silence fell over the room suddenly, no exhale of breath, no tapping keys, no rustle of paper.

Carlos could feel the panic seizing Gabrielle in spite of the strong front she was putting up, but could do little about it since he wouldn’t see her again after this meeting.

Once Joe had a plan, they would all head out. Carlos would normally walk away without looking back, no sleep lost over a prisoner. But he’d heard enough to convince him Gabrielle had landed here out of honorable reasons and had no idea just how bad a spot she was in and that her freedom might be nothing more than a memory after today.

He’d argue in Gabrielle’s favor for Joe to keep her in protective custody at a BAD safe house until all of this was over, but she’d have to show Joe she had a value for that concession.

And he doubted she had anything left to barter with.

“Gabrielle?” Carlos waited until her gaze met his and hoped like hell she got his drift. He warned her, “If there’s anything you haven’t shared yet, don’t hold it back from Joe.”

Her violet-blue eyes widened for a flash before a resigned mask settled across her face. He had no idea if she understood or not, but he’d do his best to help her.

“What is this fratelli?” Gabrielle asked carefully.

“In for a pe

Carlos faced Joe. “Might as well tell her since she isn’t going anywhere until we get to the bottom of all this, and the more she understands, the more she can share.”

Joe appeared to think for a minute, then gave a short nod. “The Fratelli is a ghost group behind the viral deaths last year in India and the U.S., plus a couple other earlier attacks.”

Gabrielle frowned. “I thought the media said India was an anomaly and a pharmaceutical company was behind the U.S. attack?”

“You haven’t hacked quite as deep into intelligence mainframes as you thought,” Hunter pointed out. “The public thinks the same thing you do, which is what they need to think while we search for this group, or paranoia will create chaos and likely play into whatever the Fratelli is pla

“What do they want?” Gabrielle asked.

“That’s the million-dollar question,” Joe said. “The only reason I’m willing to discuss any of this with you is because that postcard is the first significant lead we’ve gotten on this group. So the more important question is what are they going to do next, and how did Mandy play into those plans?”

“Mandy was enrolled in the École d’Ascension, too,” Gotthard interjected.

“Really?” Gabrielle whispered with a tremor of unease.

“That’s not all,” Joe added. “Another girl left with Mandy, signed out for a week.”

Gotthard lifted his gaze to Gabrielle along with everyone else.

“I don’t know about another girl,” Gabrielle answered before someone asked her.

“Give us a rundown on the second girl,” Carlos told Gotthard.

“Amelia Fuentes. Family is the third-largest coffee-bean producer in Columbia. The school records show she was heading home and taking Mandy with her, but no one has reported her missing. She’s due back in three days.”

Joe interjected, “I had operations place a call the phone ID service would show as the school calling the Fuentes home and asked if Amelia was available to come to the phone. The housekeeper said Amelia had a change of plans and decided to vacation in Germany for a few days.”

“We need to find out what she knows about Mandy,” Rae pointed out. “In fact, that school seems to be a common denominator.”

“Exactly.” Joe checked his watch, then told Carlos, “That’s why I need your team rolling by tonight.”

“What are you going to do with her?” Carlos said, indicating Gabrielle, who watched in silence.