Nadine hesitated before nodding.
Quinn motioned for Nate and Daeng to hold back to not overwhelm her, and then he moved over to the seating area with the others. He and Nadine took chairs on opposite ends of the coffee table, and Orlando and Abraham shared the couch.
“You’re concerned, of course,” Abraham said, leaning forward, his forearms resting on his thighs. “You think we want to hurt Desirae.”
“My daughter’s dead,” she said, sounding now like she was reading from a book.
“I worked with her, you know,” he told her. “On my last job before I retired. I’m starting to think it might have been your daughter’s last, too. Maybe one she’s still working.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You would have never allowed her to build secure living quarters under your house if you didn’t have some idea,” he gently countered.
Nadine made no comment.
“The truth is, Madame Chastain, it’s not your daughter that we are most concerned about. It’s Tessa.”
She stared at him for a moment, and then in a near whisper said, “I’ve never heard that name.”
“I’m the one who delivered Tessa to your daughter,” he said. “I’m the one who brought the girl halfway around the world. I don’t want to harm Tessa. I would never do that.” He glanced back at Orlando and Quinn. “None of us would.”
While he spoke, the woman’s expression changed from one of disbelief to dawning realization.
“What is it?” Orlando asked her
Nadine’s gaze remained on Orlando’s old teacher. “Abe,” she said softly. “You’re Abe.”
The room went quiet.
Nadine finally blinked and seemed to get control of herself. “Or maybe you’re just using that name to try to trick me.”
“Not a trick.”
“Then prove it.”
“So you do know about the girl,” Orlando said. “Do you know where she is?”
Nadine shot her a quick look. “I never said that. I never said anything about a girl.” She turned back to Abraham. “Prove it.”
“I could show you my driver’s license,” Abraham said. “But you’ll just think it’s fake.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Tessa?” he asked.
She said nothing.
Abraham frowned. “I was only with her a few days when she was four years old. I can tell you she liked noodles then but wasn’t crazy about rice. I can tell you she used to have three freckles that formed an arc right here.” He touched his collarbone where it met his neck and traced the pattern. “I can tell you she liked her hair in a single ponytail, not two.”
“What else?” she asked, as if looking for something specific.
“Well, checkers, of course,” he said. “I taught her to play. I even gave Desirae the set we used.”
Almost in a daze, Nadine said, “She still has it.”
It was as if time froze. No one moved. No one breathed. No one said anything.
Orlando finally broke the spell. “Tessa’s with Desirae, isn’t she?”
Nadine glanced at her and then away, her lip trembling.
“It’s okay,” Abraham said. “I told you. We’re not here to harm them.”
“Terri,” Nadine said. “Her name’s Terri now.”
“How did she end up with your daughter?”
“I don’t know. Really. One day Desirae showed up with her. Within a few days there were these people in my basement building the apartment.”
“How long did they live there?” Quinn asked.
“A couple of years. Until Desirae thought it was safe enough to leave.”
“Where did they go?” Orlando asked.
Nadine said nothing.
“Tell me about Terri,” Abraham said.
A hint of a smile graced Nadine’s face. “What can I say? She’s my granddaughter. She’s the best girl on earth.”
“Does she still ask about her mother?”
“Her mother?” she asked, confused.
“Before Desirae,” Abraham said.
“I don’t know anything about her…first mother. If she talks about her, it’s not with me.”
“She is healthy, though, right?”
The smile was back. “She broke an arm once when she was out—” She stopped herself. “Look, I’ve already said way more than I should.”
“Could you at least tell us if you have a way of getting ahold of Desirae?” Quinn asked.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“We need to warn her,” Abraham said. “Someone’s looking for her and…Terri. Someone whose intentions are not good.”
“Who?”
“If we told you a name, would it even matter?” Quinn asked.
“Try me.”
“McCrillis International.”
The woman thought about it and then shook her head. “Never heard of it.”
“We need to warn your daughter. Is there a way to contact her?” Quinn said.
“Sorry. There isn’t,” she said, a tad too quick.
“Your daughter and your granddaughter are in serious trouble. We can help them.”
She crossed her arms, her face tense. “Or maybe you’re trying to trick me.”
“No one is trying to trick you,” Abraham said. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Don’t your understand? I should have gone with Tessa last time. I should have made sure she was safe.”
Orlando put a hand on his shoulder. “Abraham, she was safe. We know that now. Desirae took care her. She’s okay. Maybe it’s time to give it up.”
“Give it up?” he said, pushing her hand off. “You know what? All of you can just leave. Thank you for your help, but you can go on to your next job now. I have to help Tessa. I will not make the same mistake I did before.”
Quinn had been keeping an eye on Nadine throughout the exchange, and could see she was affected by his response.
“Madame Chastain,” he said. They all looked at him. “Could you tell us about the tikis?”
Her face dropped. “How did you—”
“Which island are they on?”
CHAPTER 30
Gloria received the information in Los Angeles right before boarding the second leg of her flight to Hawaii. She took her seat and patiently waited for the announcement allowing the use of electronic devices. When it came, she fired up her laptop and opened the waiting file.
Her researchers had been able to locate four operatives who had used Quinn as either a first name or surname. One was a woman so she was out, as were two others who were long retired. The last was a man who called himself Jonathan Quinn, with a presumed age range in the late thirties to early forties, right in the ballpark of the Quinn she’d encountered. There were some conflicting reports that mentioned him being at least a decade younger, but those were in the minority. The only picture was a police sketch from a few years earlier. It was not the best drawing, but she was certain this was her guy.
He was a cleaner who worked exclusively in the intelligence world. So why had he crossed over into corporate?
The lack of other information about him despite the fact he displayed the skill level of someone with years in the business at least shed light on how he’d been able to outmaneuver her men and infiltrate the Virginia facility.
She knew Mr. McCrillis would want this information. She had no doubt that Quinn was responsible for not only freeing his friend Daeng but also killing Boyer.
But Gloria wasn’t above a little revenge of her own. When she finally finished her business with the girl, she would go after Quinn and make him pay for getting in her way. If she could use his termination as a means to advance her career at McCrillis, that was just a bonus.