Page 84 of Four Cards Exposed

He picked it up quickly and put her on speakerphone.

“I’m in a plane,” she said, “heading to the Aries airfield, about ten miles south of Sharp’s Cove.”

Traffic cameras didn’t catch anything.

Airfields.

We need to check airfields.

“It’s the only airfield within a hundred miles of Sharp’s Cove,” Lorraine said, as if reading his mind. “Three private jets left early this morning. One heading to Rhode Island. One to Florida. And one to Mexico.”

Mexico.

There are no coincidences in the world.

“I’ll come meet you,” he said, standing up.

Natalie stood up with him. “I’ll drive you.”

“That’s not necessary,” James growled. He needed space to think.

Her voice was steel. “It’s not a suggestion.”

James shrugged. “Lead the way, then.”

He was grateful that Natalie didn’t try to spout any platitudes. In fact, she drove quietly, not saying anything at all until they arrived at the airfield twenty minutes later.

It looked nearly identical to dozens of airfields he and Lorraine had seen in the last few years. There were two well-kept runways and, on the far edge, a hangar space and several maintenance buildings. That’s where the offices would be.

As they watched, a small plane approached on the horizon. James recognized the government-owned fixed wing aircraft. He and Lorraine had used it in the past. He wondered how his partner had managed to commandeer a plane—most of the time, the two of them had to drive.

When she stepped out of the plane, Lorraine’s grave expression hit him like a punch to the solar plexus. Natalie must have seen it as well, for she reached out a hand, as if expecting to have to steady James.

“What is it, Lorraine?”

“Susan’s phone sent a message to Jay’s phone.”

It took a moment for his partner’s words to penetrate his hazy mind.

Jay’s phone.

It’d been left in evidence back in the safe house, when they’d debriefed.

“What?”

“Things are happening that we don’t yet fully understand, James. While you and I were meeting with the Assistant Director yesterday, Guerrero was released on bail.”

“What? That’s impossible. He was on parole. He—”

“Somebody made a mistake, James,” Lorraine said carefully. “This isn’t just about Susan,” she began carefully. “The entire case could hang on this. We need Guerrero.”

That explains the plane.

“Show me the message.”

The look Lorraine gave Natalie terrified him.

“The message, Lorraine,” he growled. As tight as his control was, he felt it unraveling.