Page 46 of Complicated Past
“You know ordnance. Sometimes you diffuse the bomb. Other times you do your best to dodge them.” She drove into the central lot. “Kendra’s a people pleaser, but she’s realizing it’s time to makeherselfhappy.”
“What type of guys does she date?”
“Since I’ve been with Derrick, the only one I’ve met is Marcus. And I wouldn’t say he was her type.”
“Why’s that?”
“He was—boring. Very career and money focused.”
“What kind of work did he do?”
“He’s an attorney. Personally, I think he liked showing Kendra off to his law partners since she was younger and, frankly, out of his league.”
She might be out of Linc’s league, too, though she didn’t make him feel that way.
“You’ll need to leave your weapon in the van.Youaren’t allowed to carry firearms into the airport.”
“I’ve got my Marshal credentials.”
“You’re not here as a Marshal. It’s a courtesy they’re letting either of us be involved.”
He removed his weapon from its holster and placed it in the glove box, which Clara then locked.
She carried a bag with her as they walked to the terminal.
“How’d they meet?” Linc probed further.
“He represented a family in an adoption case, and they worked together. She accepted his dinner invite because he went the extra mile for the family. Then, he invited her to a children’s charity event fundraiser. The kind of thing she wouldn’t say no to. He was high bidder on several items in the silent auction. Since she was his date, he invited her to join him at one of the finer restaurants in Fayetteville. He also won the auction for a week’s stay at someone’s timeshare in Cancun, which I think he strategically bid on.”
“Because he invited her to go with him?”
“He waited until they’d been going out longer, but yes. He claimed he bid on it because she’d commented on how beautiful it looked, and he thought it would be a great way to celebrate his fortieth birthday. I think she felt pressured to go. Not only byMarcus, but he’d won Grandma Ruby over, and she convinced Kendra that his wanting to take her on a luxurious trip showed how committed he was.”
It sounded manipulative to Linc, though it could be a bit of jealousy. They entered Terminal Two, and Clara texted to inform HSI they were there.
“Marcus started talking about marriage. She wants to get married, but she wants kids, and, at his age. he doesn’t. So, she ended things. Expensive houses, cars, and trips aren’t what appeals to Kendra. Seeing how you are with Jalen? Now that’s another story.”
Clara clearly meant it as a compliment. However, as much as he wanted to date Kendra, maybe he shouldn’t waste her time. He couldn’t give her the things she wanted either. It’d be better to put his cards on the table rather than wait. Maybe then it wouldn’t feel like she rejected him.
A man wearing plain clothes approached. “Detective Lowe?”
“Yes, and this is Staff Sergeant Lincoln Porter. He’s been assisting us since learning his sister was being held and forced to be a courier.”
“I’m Officer Harkness. I’m sorry she’s going through this. However, it looks like she could be one of the lucky ones. Follow me.”
Lucky? Linc hoped so.
Harkness swiped his badge at an unmarked door, punched in the keypad code, then led them to a private security screening area. Upon producing her credentials, Clara passed her weapon through. It was probably best that Linc didn’t have the temptation of being armed. Besides, he didn’t need a firearm to restrain Tawnya.
Inside a small conference room, Harkness introduced them to the other HSI officers detailed to this mission.
“Officer Garcia will pull your sister for secondary inspection.” He pointed at the petite officer who looked like a high school student.
“The plan was to pass your sister a button camera with a mic. However, that’s not going to work. Our officers in Atlanta took this.” Garcia slid them a picture of Bri pulling a suitcase. “There are no buttons on her top. Fahey might well be watching and notice her putting on or suddenly wearing a necklace.”
“What are your other options?” Linc asked. The best of the best would have a plan B and C.
“We don’t want to attach anything to the suitcase that might get noticed. And since they took her phone, I don’t want to take the chance of Fahey seeing me slip Miss Porter a phone, especially when we can’t get video. Besides, the audio from inside her big purse is questionable. The new plan is for me to give her this camera pen to clip to the edge of her purse. We probably won’t get a great video of Tawnya’s face to get a read on her, but the audio should be good.”