Scales’s smile broadened. “Is that right. Tell me, how you gonna do
that?” He smacked Jason across the jaw with the pistol. The door to the
small room they were in opened slightly. As Jason recovered from the
blow and stared through the cracked door, a snarl escaped his lips. With
a burst of strength, he flung himself across the room, chair and all. He
made it to the man’s feet before Scales and his associate subdued him,
dragging him back across the floor.
“Goddamn you, I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!” Jason shrieked at the
visitor.
The man stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
He smiled while Jason was dragged up and heavy tape was placed across
his mouth. “Having bad dreams again, Jason?”
After Bill Patterson had escorted the two FBI agents to the small but
comfortably furnished den, he returned to find his wife and Paul Brophy
in the kitchen. He stared over at the phone, puzzlement on his
features. The receiver had been replaced on the wall. Brophy caught
the look. “I hung it back up for you. Figured you had other things to
deal with.”
“Thanks, Paul.”
“My pleasure.” Brophy sipped at his coffee, highly pleased with himself
as he fingered the small cassette tape tucked safely in his pants
pocket. “Jesus”–he looked at the Pattersons–“the FBI.
What could they want?”
Patterson shrugged. “I don’t know and I know Sidney doesn’t know.” He
was intensely defensive of his daughter. The worry lines were prominent
on his forehead. “Lousy timing all around today, if you ask me,” he
muttered as he sat down at the table to scan the newspaper. He was
about to say something else when he saw the front-page headline.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Agents Sawyer and Jackson rose when Sidney entered the room.
Sawyer visibly started when he saw her. He made a conscious effort to
suck in his stomach and one of his hands flew up to his hair in a feeble
attempt to press his stubborn cowlick back into place. When he brought
his hand back down, he looked at it for a moment as though it were not
part of his body, wondering what the hell had made it do such a thing.
Both agents identified themselves and again displayed their credentials.
Sawyer was aware that Sidney looked intently at him before sitting down
across from them.
Sawyer rapidly sized her up. A real looker with brains and spirit.
But there was something else. He could have sworn they had met before.
His eyes drifted over her long form. The black dress was tasteful and
appropriate to such a solemn occasion; however, it also clung to her
figure in several provocative locations. Her shapely legs too, sheathed
in black stockings, were equally inspiring. Her face was lovely in its
despair. “Ms. Archer, by any chance have we met before?”
Her surprise was genuine. “I don’t think so, Mr. Sawyer.”
launched into his interview. “As I told your father, Ms. Archer, we
understand that the timing of this interview couldn’t be worse, but we
needed to talk with you as soon as possible.”
“May I ask what it concerns?” Sidney’s voice was on automatic.
Her eyes flitted around the room before coming to rest on Sawyer’s face.
She saw a big, strong wall of a man who seemed sincere. Under normal
circumstances, Sidney would have cooperated fully with Lee Sawyer.
Circumstances, however, were far from normal.
Her green eyes were now sparkling and Sawyer had to kick-start his brain
when he found himself transfixed by those eyes. In trying to read their
depths, he found himself venturing into dangerous waters.
“It has to do with your husband, Ms. Archer,” he said quickly.
“Please call me Sidney. What about my husband? Is this about the plane
accident?”
Sawyer didn’t answer right away. He was studying her again without
seeming to do so. Every word, every expression, every pause was
important. It was always a very tiring, often frustrating, but
sometimes incredibly productive task. “It wasn’t an accident, Sidney,”
he finally said.
Her eyes flickered briefly, like the lights in a house do when there’s a
thunderstorm. The mouth parted slightly, but no words emerged.