Page 60 of Flesh and Fury
“Let’s go,” Eoghan said, not even looking at him as he walked out of the apartment.
Ari cursed Kellen McGillis and all his descendants under his breath as he followed in Eoghan’s wake, feeling helpless and miserable enough for both of them. They went downstairs and out to the car in silence, getting into Eoghan’s Prius. It felt wrong, very wrong not to talk with his partner. It was almost like Kellen’s slimy presence filled the space between them as Eoghan started the engine. Ari sighed and looked out of the window as they pulled away from the curb.
He watched the passing cars and buildings with little interest as he thought about who would have taken the chief and why. Her disappearance didn’t make any sense at all…Unless she really had been kidnapped or was dead and her killer or killers had taken her body away to bury or otherwise dispose of. He thought about the apartment and the way it had been totally trashed.Could it have been a robbery?He speculated about what Eoghan had said when they’d first arrived and seen the place.“Maybe someone followed her home and robbed her.”A beat after he thought it, he felt his entire body go cold as if washed with a bucket of ice.
“Oh, my God!” he exclaimed out loud.
Eoghan swerved suddenly, forcing Ari to brace himself on the dash with one hand and grab the door handle with the other. Eoghan immediately righted the car as several horns went off.
“Crap. I’m sorry,” Ari said, quietly, feeling terrible for startling him.
Eoghan turned to look at him. “What? What is it?”
“Sorry, Eoghan,” Ari apologized again. “I didn’t mean to shout like that. I just thought of something.”
“Jesus, Ari, I almost drove off the road,” Eoghan said, blowing out a relieved breath.
“I know…I just—” He stopped.
“Well…what is it? What did you think of?” Eoghan asked with a quieter tone. He dragged his eyes off the road for a second and pinned him with a perplexed look before reaching over and placing a calming hand on his thigh, giving it an encouraging squeeze. “Tell me, Ari.”
Ari sighed and twisted a little in the seat to better face him. “Okay, do you remember what you said when we first got to the apartment?”
“I said a lot of things. What’re you talking about?” Eoghan asked frowning just a little as he glanced at him quickly again before returning his gaze back to the road.
“When we were in the living room, looking at the mess, your exact words were ‘maybe someone followed her home and robbed her.’”
“Okay, yeah, so what?”
“Kellen McGillis used the exact same phrase, ‘maybe someone followed her home and robbed her.’”
Eoghan was silent for a few seconds, biting his lower lip. “Yeah, okay, so, we had the same thought. What about it?”
“No, McGillis’ first instinct was to say he was there to help Doc Patterson with the forensics…to help her determine whether the chief was kidnapped. But then, he pivoted and said, ‘maybe someonefollowedher home and robbed her.’ When he said it, I downloaded it to examine later.”
Eoghan glanced at him just long enough to roll his eyes. “Downloaded it?”
“You know what I mean. You hear some part of a fast-moving conversation or think of something and then save it to examine in more detail later on. Anyway, that stuck with me because you’d also said those exact same words. I didn’t remark on it at the time because he immediately followed that up by talking about how the boss might be on an unauthorized leave which made me furious. And it forced the first thought to the back of my mind. He then went on, making a big deal about how she’d staged the whole incident and that she hadn’t been kidnapped at all.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Eoghan said. “Are you sure he used my exact words?”
Ari felt relief wash through him. He finally had Eoghan on the same page.
“Yes. It matches what you said, word for word.”
“Okay,” said Eoghan, still sounding unsure.
“To say someonefollowedher home? The same way you said it? The chances are small.”
“You think McGillis overheard me say that before he arrived?” Eoghan asked. “Oh, wow, Ari…you think McGillis is our mole.”
Ari nodded emphatically. “The one in the office…oh, hell, yeah. Idothink so. The goddamned guy puts himself in our path every time we’re in the office. He’s constantly starting shit. And he knows way more about our relationship than he should, Eoghan.”
“What are you saying, Ari?”
“Just that. Think about it.”
“Do you think my house is bugged?” Eoghan asked, turning to him with wide eyes. “How would that even be possible with Bear there all the time.”