Slow Burn

They both watched the body being carted away. "What you've got here is a nice, tidy package," Dylan said.

Kline shrugged. "It can happen this way… all of it coming together…"

"Yeah? Since when does it happen this way? Everything laid out nice and easy for you? The only thing missing from the table are arrows pointing to the evidence on those papers." He shook his head. "I don't like nice and tidy, and do you know why? It makes me think that maybe all this was staged."

Chapter Thirty-six

"Miss MacKe

He didn't leave a message, but he did relax. It was okay. Kate was where she was supposed to be.

He was crossing the busy street heading to his car when his phone rang. Nate was on the line.

"We've got a problem. Ewan MacKe

"What happened to Ewan's surveillance?"

"Evidently some idiot pulled it when Roger was found with all that evidence. I've got some guys checking a couple of Ewan's favorite health clubs."

"You better get someone over to the hospital to make sure Bryce and Vanessa haven't disappeared."

"I was just about to send someone. I'll talk to you later."

Dylan pulled his car key out of his pocket and was inserting it in the door when he saw Agent Kline rushing across the street waving to get his attention.

"Glad I caught you. Ewan MacKe

"Yeah, I heard," Dylan answered.

"Well, there's more. I just got a call from the lab. They found a match to the fingerprints on the calendar, and they just happen to belong to Ewan MacKe

Kline folded his arms, looked at the ground for a second as he thought, and then said, "Here's my original theory: Someone the old man trusts films the video and makes himself an extra copy. He sells it to Roger. Roger watches it and knows he's got to get rid of Kate or he's not go

Dylan draped his arms across the car door and listened to the agent's hypothesis.

Kline continued to think out loud. "Still nice and tidy, right?" he asked. "Now I've got to wonder about the timing. Why did Roger kill himself when he did?"

"I don't think he did kill himself," Dylan said.

Kline's shoulders hunched a bit more. "Yeah, maybe."

Dylan got in the car and rolled down the window. "Hopefully, evidence will prove it."

"If Roger was murdered, Ewan becomes the number one suspect. He's capable of murder."

"In that family… they're all capable of murder."

"I'll let you know when we find Ewan," Kline said. He jogged back across the street and into the building.

Dylan couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling that he was missing something. He was looking at it but not seeing it. He locked in on Kline's comment about timing. Maybe that was it. The timing was wrong. Yeah, that's what was bothering him.

At the first stoplight he dug through his pocket, found Anderson's cell phone number, and called him.

The attorney, who had forgotten to turn off his phone, answered in a whisper. "May I call you back?"

"No, you may not," Dylan said firmly. "You need to answer a question for me right now."

"I'm paying my respects-"

"This can't wait."

"Let me just step outside this door…" His voice became louder. "All right. What do you want to know?"

"I've got some puzzle pieces missing," Dylan answered. "I need you to help me create a timeline."

Chapter Thirty-seven

Timing really was everything, and the phone logs at Smith and Wesson would confirm what Dylan had finally figured out.

The truth didn't set him free; it enraged him. How could he have been so blind? And why had it taken him so long to see what was there the whole time?

He realized he was driving like a maniac. He didn't care. Panic was building inside him, and all he could think about was getting to Kate. He needed to see her and know that she was all right. She didn't realize the danger, and she was so trusting. She was sitting in the middle of a hornet's nest. The bastard knew where she was, and he would be coming for her.

He turned the corner on two wheels, slammed on the brakes, and hit the ground ru

Dylan sprinted into the building. Two policemen were hurrying down the stairs toward him. As soon as he saw their expressions, he knew something was wrong.

"Where's Kate?" he demanded.

"Gone… she's gone," one of the officers answered.

The other rushed to add, "We've searched the entire building. She left in a hurry."

They both talked at once.

"Phone was off the hook, purse and briefcase still there…"

"The alarm on the back door… someone disarmed it… couldn't have been her…"

A security guard rushed forward, visibly shaken. "This is all my fault. She went out the back door. I got called on the intercom to come up to the entrance, and I didn't question it. I thought it was one of the cops."

"We called it in as soon as we realized… The FBI is on the way. Agent Kline says to wait here." The first policeman said.

Dylan was too late. The son of a bitch had her.

Chapter Thirty-eight

Light slowly crept into the black void. Kate struggled to open her eyes. It was such a difficult task, and when she finally managed it, the room she was in refused to come into focus. Thoughts were spi

She was lying on something hard and cold. What was it? A table? A slab? She couldn't be on a slab. She wasn't dead. She could feel herself breathing. Had she been in an accident? She couldn't remember. She wasn't in pain, but she didn't think anything was broken. She gingerly tested her arms and legs to make sure. Good, she could move, but it was difficult. She felt so weak and lethargic, and she couldn't understand why. What had happened to her?

Oh, no, she didn't get blown up again, did she?

Panic jolted her awake. Isabel. Oh, God, Isabel was in trouble. Someone had taken her. Kate remembered ru