Hughes had not been listening to their last exchange. He was busy on his cell phone. With the phone still to his ear, he told them, “Willis checked in with his probation officer last Thursday. He doesn’t see him again for a month. That’s plenty of time for him to do some side work.”
Ben said, “Okay, so we now know that George Cogburn was after Sean Goodman. If that rookie hadn’t seen the gun-”
Max interjected, “Maybe it wasn’t just Sean he was after.” His jaw tightened as he thought about what this meant. “It looks like the Landrys aren’t going to wait for an indictment this time. It’s pretty obvious, they’re looking for witnesses now.”
“The only reliable witness we have is Greg Roper, and if we keep him under wraps, they won’t get to him,” Hughes assured.
“What about Ellie Sullivan?” Max asked. “They were feet away from her on that track. They could be going after her, too.”
“She isn’t going to be listed as a witness,” Hughes insisted. “They don’t even know who she is.”
Max’s temper was rising. “Don’t know who she is? Are you serious? One trip to the hospital, and they’d know. Everyone’s still talking about what happened. Ten minutes, Hughes. That’s all it would take to get Ellie’s name. George Cogburn went into that hospital to take out a witness, and Willis Cogburn could go after her next. I’ll be damned if I’ll let that happen.”
Hughes put his hands up. “Look, I hear you. I’ll see that someone warns her and that the hospital security is advised to be on the alert.”
“She’s not at the hospital,” Max said. “She’s gone back to her hometown in South Carolina to see her family.”
“That’s good, then,” Hughes said.
“That’s not good,” Ben countered. “You know as well as we do that the Landrys will stop at nothing to save themselves. Right now, we don’t know where they are, and we don’t know where Willis Cogburn is.”
Max was adamant. “Ellie Sullivan needs protection.”
Hughes started to argue, “But if she’s not-”
“And she needs it now,” Max demanded. “You’re the lead agent on this case, but if you won’t order it, I will.”
Hughes relented. “Okay, I’ll call the field office in South Carolina and see what I can do.”
A couple of hours later, Ben and Max were on their way to the airport to catch their flight back to Honolulu. Despite Hughes’s assurance that Ellie would be guarded, there was a gnawing apprehension in the pit of Max’s stomach.
He was about to go through security when his cell phone rang. It was Agent Hughes.
He didn’t waste time on pleasantries.
“Just got word from Omaha that Willis Cogburn hasn’t been showing up at his apartment. They got inside for a search and found a note in his trash can with the names Sean Goodman and Dr. Ellie Sullivan on it.”
“Tell me you’ve got someone on the way to her now,” Max demanded.
“I did what I could, but we can’t get anyone to Winston Falls for a couple of days, maybe even a week. Everyone at the nearest field office is tied up with cases, and they’re understaffed. I’ll talk to the locals down there. See if they can watch over her until she leaves.”
“They weren’t any help in the past when Ellie’s family needed them. I don’t trust them to do more than send a car by a couple of times a day. I’m guessing they’re a pretty small operation.”
Hughes’s frustration came through loud and clear. “Look, I’ll find someone. It’s just going to take some time. Dr. Sullivan needs to be warned. I’ll call her and caution her to be careful until we can get her some protection or until we’ve got a handle on where all the players are.”
Max immediately thought of the stress Ellie and her family were already feeling from the Patterson threat. “Don’t call her,” he said.
“There’s not much choice here. She needs to be warned,” Hughes argued.
“I’ll go,” Max blurted.
“What?” Hughes asked, surprised. “You can’t go. You have to be back in Honolulu to work on the case there.”
“I’ll take personal leave,” Max said. “Just for a week, until Ellie gets back home. Ben’s got our end of the case under control. He can consult with me by phone. I’ll make all the arrangements with the Honolulu office.”
He ended the call before Hughes could say another word.
FIFTEEN
She wasn’t happy to see him. In fact, she nearly had heart failure when Max pulled into the driveway. She was painting Annie’s old bedroom on the second floor, and she happened to look out the window just as Max was getting out of his car.
She was so rattled, she dropped the paintbrush. Fortunately, it landed on the tarp she’d put down on the hardwood floors.
What was he doing here? Had something happened? Of course something had happened, she decided, answering her own question. He wouldn’t be here otherwise.
Maybe he found out where Evan Patterson was hiding and wanted to tell her. No, no, if that was true, he would have picked up the phone and called her.
Oh Lord, her father was home. He was probably sitting on the front porch reading the news on his laptop. He was already stressed out. A federal agent stopping by could send him right over the edge.
Dressed in a pair of old shorts, a sleeveless blouse spotted with lavender paint, and flip-flops, she dashed down the stairs, flew through the living room, and ran outside. She passed her father without saying a word and came to a screeching halt about a foot in front of Max.
She couldn’t seem to catch her breath, but it wasn’t because she was out of shape. It was because of him. When he saw her, a huge smile spread across his face. That dimple in his cheek could cause foolish women to go weak in the knees. She wasn’t a foolish woman, she reminded herself.
He looked sexy as sin. Damn it.
Her greeting wasn’t polite. “What are you doing here?”
Max was looking past her. “Is that your father? He looks like he’s going to pass out. Ah…”
“Ah, what?” she asked, frowning.
“He’s staring at my gun.”
“Great,” she whispered. “Just great.”
“Meaning?”
“I’m so happy you could make it,” she said loud enough for her father to hear. She then leaned up and kissed Max on his cheek.
He couldn’t resist. He pulled her into his arms, told her she had paint in her hair, and kissed her on her mouth. It was quick but amazingly thorough. “That should put some color back in his face,” he said.
She put her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear, “I haven’t told my parents about the shooting in the park… or about Sean Goodman… you know…”
“Got it.”
Side by side they walked up the porch steps to where her father waited, and Ellie made the introductions.
“Dad, this is my friend Max Daniels.”
“William Sullivan,” her father said, stepping forward to shake his hand.
“It’s good to meet you, sir.”
Never one to mince words, William said, “I notice you carry a gun.”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“And a badge,” Ellie nervously interjected. “He carries a badge, too. Max is an agent with the FBI.”
Frowning intently now, her father asked how the two had met. It was obvious he was suspicious.
“The hospital,” she rushed to answer before Max could say a word. “We met in the hospital. His friend needed surgery.” She added nonchalantly, “Routine stuff.”
She was nodding vigorously, even as she tried to calm down. This wasn’t the Inquisition. Why was she so nervous? She knew the answer to that one. She was a frickin’ basket case because Max had astounded her, showing up the way he did.
Max could see the worry in her father’s eyes, so he casually took hold of Ellie’s hand and pulled her into his side. “Ellie did the surgery,” he said proudly.