Daring Deception Page 15

Her jaw dropped. "You got the plate? Why didn't you say something?"

  "It went out of my head until just now. I was staring at the car so hard, I memorized the plate: 7K82L6.

  "That's amazing. That could be a huge clue." She threw her arms around him and gave him a hug.

  He was so shocked to have her in his arms, he didn't have time to respond, to squeeze her back. And then she was moving away.

  "I'm going to call Emi. She can help run this down for me." Caitlyn paused. "I have to tell her you were with me, Quinn. There will be evidence on some camera; I'm sure of it."

  "I understand. Why are you worried about it?" he asked, seeing unfamiliar shadows in her eyes.

  "I'm afraid you'll be a distraction, a target to derail the investigation."

  "The way I was before," he said flatly.

  "Yes. That's why I didn't tell anyone I'd found you. I knew eventually it would get out, and I would have to come clean, but I wanted to wait as long as I could. Maybe it was a mistake." She let out a sigh. "Maybe it was all a mistake. When I found you, when I brought you into this, I put you in danger. You could have been shot today."

  "We still don't know if they were aiming at me or you." He paused. "Did you see Wyatt come out of his house?"

  "I saw nothing but the shooter. You?"

  "I was too busy ducking. But I'm sure Wyatt looked out his window, at the very least. He had to know we were the targets."

  "I wonder if he also knew the shooter. Something to think about."

  "It definitely is," he agreed.

  As Caitlyn moved down the rail to make her call, he turned his attention back to the sea, wondering if he would become the focus of the investigation as he had before. But it didn't matter. He needed the truth, and this time he was going to get it, no matter who tried to get in his way.

  "Are you at the office?" Caitlyn asked.

  "Yes, I just got back from Alancor," Emi replied.

  "Any leads?"

  "Unfortunately, no. The person who got into the ventilation system did so with a stolen Alancor ID. Cameras hacked once again. A utility worker in the building was found unconscious, but he'll be all right. The same is true for the board members who went to the hospital. They should all recover, but they may experience residual lung problems."

  "I'm glad no one died."

  "What have you been up to?"

  "I went to see Wyatt Pederson."

  "Did he have anything to say?"

  "A few things. I think I mentioned to you that I heard Kevin Reilly from Lexitech was dating a student at Bolton. Well, Wyatt told me that the student is Allison Sullivan."

  "She did not mention that in my interview with her," Emi said. "Seems like something she would have told me, considering he was scheduled to speak. Did you hear back from Mr. Reilly?"

  "Only short texts, telling me that he was in London, that he felt shaken after the bomb, and he wanted to get away."

  "I guess that's understandable."

  "It seems a bit of an overreaction to me. I think there's something about the relationship between Kevin and Allison that's concerning."

  "Maybe he thinks she tried to kill him."

  "It's possible. Wyatt said that he saw Kevin and Allison in his bar several weeks ago, and they were all over each other. I don't know what happened to end that, maybe nothing of significance, since there's a big age gap between them."

  "It's worth following up on."

  "Wyatt also admitted to me that his father lied when he gave him an alibi ten years ago. He had some roundabout story as to why his father wasn't really lying, but it won't hold up. I need to see what Agent Bauer has to say about this new information. But Rob keeps telling me to leave him alone, that he's on some long-awaited vacation."

  "Rob doesn't want to have to address lies from the senator right now."

  "I'm aware of his concerns, and I'm not eager to press the senator, but talking to Bauer is a different story. Anyway, I might try to call him tomorrow. There's one more thing and it's big."

  "And you saved it for last?"

  "When I was leaving Wyatt's house, someone started shooting. I fired back, but he was too far away. I jumped in my car, and he followed me through the city, but I was able to lose him."

  "Are you serious? Way to bury the lead, Caitlyn."

  "I was able to get a license plate: 7K82L6. Can you run it for me? And can you pull camera footage from the block around Wyatt's house? His address is 137 Dove Way."

  "I'll get on this right away. This shooter could be a huge lead."

  "I hope so." She took a breath, then added, "There's one more thing, and I'm just sharing this with you at the moment, Emi."

  "All right. But I work for Rob, so I can't make any promises…"

  "I understand. I was with Quinn Kelly at Wyatt's house. I'm with him now. We're trying to figure out if he was the target, or if I was."

  "Wait a second. Quinn Kelly? Your former boyfriend and the person of interest in the first case?"

  "That's the one."

  "I thought you didn't know where he was."

  "I found him yesterday. I wasn't ready to say anything. Last time, the investigation was derailed by an insane focus on Quinn. I don't want that to happen again. He wasn't involved then, and he's not involved now. He's helping me get to the truth."

  "Are you sure he's helping you? Could he be playing you?"

  "No. That's not happening. I know him, Emi."

  "You used to know him. It's been ten years. And someone just tried to kill you—again."

  She frowned at the reminder. "I don't know if they were aiming at Quinn or at me."

  "If they were aiming at him, then he knows something."

  "I don't think he does." She wished she could be absolutely positive that Quinn didn't know something, but there was something he was hiding from her. She needed to get that secret out of him before she fully committed to his innocence.

  "Are you coming back to the office tonight?"

  "No. I'm going to hunker down somewhere. Let me know if you find out anything."

  "I will. Be careful, Caitlyn. You're personally involved, and emotions don't always lead to good decisions."

  "I'm thinking clearly."

  "I hope so."

  As Emi ended the call, she stared out at the dark sea and hoped she was thinking clearly. But she had to admit that was difficult with Quinn nearby. Now they were alone on a boat in the middle of the ocean. That clearly hadn't been a good decision.

  Why hadn't they just gone to a motel and gotten two rooms? Why had she gone along with this plan?

  An annoying answer came to her mind, but she refused to accept it. It was not because she wanted time with Quinn, that she wanted to be alone with him; she'd just wanted to get them somewhere safe. Determined to stick with that reason, she walked back to Quinn.

  He gave her an enquiring look. "Any news?"

  "Nothing of note. Emi will run the plate. Hopefully, that will lead to at least one answer."

  "You told her about me?"

  "I did. I also said that I was concerned you would become a distraction. She won't lie for me, but she won't push the information out there until it's necessary."

  "All right." He cut the engine. "Are you ready for a drink?"

  "More than ready. Do you have drinks?"

  "I do." He opened a small fridge and pulled out two beers.

  "Thank you." She took the can out of his hand and popped the top. The first swallow felt incredibly good.

  Quinn sat down on the bench seat, and she took a seat next to him, feeling both calm and tense at the same time.

  For a few moments, they just sipped their beers, and then Quinn said, "We need to talk, Caitlyn."

  "We do," she agreed. "You need to tell me what you're keeping from me."

  He gave her a long, assessing look. "You haven't guessed yet?"

  At his challenging words, she realized that she had guessed. There had just been so much going on, she hadn't had a chance to p
rocess it. "It's about Donovan, about what happened in Yosemite. You told Wyatt you weren't there. You were lying, weren't you?"

  "Yes. I didn't want to tell Wyatt the truth, but I think it's time I told you."

  Her heart raced once more. She licked her lips as she set down her beer and folded her arms across her chest, a chill running through her. "Did you kill him, Quinn? Did you kill Donovan?"

  Chapter Sixteen

  Caitlyn could hardly believe the words that had just come from her mouth. But they were out now, and she wouldn't take them back.

  Quinn took another draught of beer, then crinkled the empty can and set it aside. He looked at her with shadowy blue eyes that were filled with too many emotions for her to decipher.

  "Yes, I killed him."

  She sucked in a hard breath. She had never suspected that Quinn had had anything to do with Donovan's death. But why would she? Donovan had allegedly killed himself and Quinn had never been a violent man. He had never been a killer. "How? How did it happen?"

  "Let me back up a little."

  She didn't want him to back up. She was impatient to get to this part of the story. "I know the history," she protested.

  "I just want to tell you everything."

  "Then start talking."

  "After the bombing, I tried to speak to Donovan several times but got nowhere. He wasn't willing to meet with me, and the FBI was watching both of us. Any conversation we would have could be construed as conspiring about something. I was going crazy wanting answers, wanting someone to be punished, but I was fighting for my own life at the same time. The FBI was on my ass every second of the day."

  "I didn't realize that was happening."

  "You were tuned out, and I couldn't blame you for that. Your hell was far worse than mine. But I knew if I wanted to get to Donovan, I would have to wait until I was no longer a suspect. When your dad told me if I agreed to disappear from your life, the FBI would disappear from mine, I decided it was the best solution for a lot of reasons. I was close to graduation, so I convinced my professors to let me take my finals early and then I left town."

  "Did my father give you money to disappear?"

  "He offered. I didn't take it."

  She was relieved to hear that he hadn't taken money from her dad, but she was still angry that he'd let her father drive him away. "You should have fought to stay with me, Quinn. You should have been willing to keep taking the heat if it meant you could be there for me."

  "It wasn't just the heat, Caitlyn. I wanted justice. No, that's not right. I wanted revenge," he said flatly. "I didn't just want the truth. I wanted someone to pay. And I knew that if I got my revenge, it had to be in a way that would never tie back to you. If I went after Donovan, and if I was successful, his followers might want to exact payback from you."

  The darkness of his gaze now disturbed her. Her stomach twisted with the realization of the confession that was coming.

  Did she want to hear it?

  "Stop." She put up her hand. "You shouldn't tell me anything more. I'm a federal agent."

  "You deserve the truth, Caitlyn."

  "I'm not sure I want it anymore." She couldn't believe the words that had just come out of her mouth.

  "Yes, you do. You want it more than anything. You haven't fought so hard for so long to get answers to stop me from telling you now. I'll take whatever comes of it. I can't give you much, Caitlyn, but I can give you this."

  He was right. She did need to know. "Go on."

  "After I left town, I waited a few weeks. I erased myself from the internet. I got a new identity. I got rid of my Jeep, by the way, so Wyatt did not see my Jeep in that parking lot. But we'll get back to him later."

  She frowned. "All right. Keep going."

  "I wanted the air to clear, for everyone to know that you and I were done. I wanted you to tell all your friends what an asshole I was, so the news would spread around Bolton that I deserted you and that you hated me."

  "I did hate you. And I told everyone that."

  "Good. That's what I was hoping. I monitored Donovan's social media from a distance. After graduation, he posted a photo from Yosemite. I knew exactly where he would be, because we went to Yosemite several times together. I drove there in a very old car I'd bought a few days earlier. I stayed in a motel outside the park and then the next morning before dawn, I went to the tent cabins where we used to stay. Sure enough, he was there. He came out around ten, and I followed him. I watched him all day, every second building my anger. He made it easier for me because he was alone, and because he went up the mountain and stayed there until dusk. He was going to camp up on the summit in his sleeping bag."

  She could picture the scene so clearly. Quinn stalking Donovan throughout the day, waiting for his chance. The knot in her throat grew bigger. "What did you do next?"

  "I confronted him. He was shocked to see me. For the first time since the explosion, he actually looked me straight in the eye. He knew why I'd come after him. I told him it was just me and him. He owed me the truth. I asked him if he'd set the bomb, if he'd deliberately tried to kill you or both of us."

  "Did he confess?" she whispered, her heart beating so fast she couldn't breathe.

  "He said he was sorry. I didn't like his answer. I hit him in the face, and he staggered backward. I thought he would hit back, but he didn't. He said he was sorry again. He'd lost himself."

  "He'd lost himself?" she echoed in angry outrage. "What did that mean?"

  "I don't know. I thought I wanted him to talk, but all I really wanted to do at that moment was to make him pay. I hit him again. Blood spurted from his nose, and it gave me intense satisfaction, but also filled me with more rage. I wasn't just seeing his blood; I was seeing yours. I was thinking about our baby, and the life she would never have." His jaw tightened. "I told Donovan that he had killed my child. He was stunned. He said he hadn't known you were pregnant. He apologized again. He said he'd been angry that I had betrayed him and our friendship. I told him he was the one who had betrayed me, who had lied to me, who had hurt the woman I loved and killed my baby."

  Quinn's voice rose with the passion of his words, as did the tension running within her.

  "Say it," she ordered.

  He met her gaze. "Donovan knew what I wanted, why I'd come after him. He said he wished he'd done things differently, that he'd listened to the wrong people. He'd gotten caught up in some fever dream. I told him he had to come clean. He had to turn himself in. It was the only way. He looked at me and said I didn't want the truth, I wanted payback. I wanted him to die." Quinn's lips tightened. "He was right. I took another swing at him, but he sidestepped away from me. He said he never meant to hurt me or you. It all got fucked up. Things got out of control. And then he backed up. One step and then another. I saw it coming. I almost warned him. The words were about to come out of my mouth, but I couldn't release them."

  "God," she breathed. "He went over the edge."

  "One minute he was there, and then he was gone. I didn't hear him scream. I don't know if he did." Anguish filled Quinn's eyes. "All I could hear was the blood rushing through my veins. I rushed over to the side, and I looked down, but it was dark, and the canyon was deep. He was gone. I killed him."

  She jumped to her feet, her body impossibly tense, her nerves on fire, her breath coming short and fast. She felt dizzy. She felt…she didn't know how she felt.

  Quinn had killed Donovan!

  The words went around and around in her head.

  Quinn stood up, reaching a hand toward her, but then pulling it back as if he knew she wouldn't let him touch her. "Caitlyn, are you all right?"

  "I—I…" She couldn't find the words. She walked around the deck, trying to breathe, trying to come to terms with what he'd just said.

  Quinn's gaze followed her, but he didn't say another word.

  She'd wanted to know his secret. She'd needed to know his secret.

  Now, her mind grappled with the truth. There was a part of her
that wasn't surprised. She'd known what he was going to say as soon as he said he'd been in Yosemite.

  She whirled around, looking into his eyes once more. "What if he'd told you a story? What if he'd said someone else had done it? What if he'd claimed he was innocent? Would you have believed him?"

  Quinn's lips tightened. "None of that happened."

  "But it could have."

  "It didn't. What are you trying to get me to say? That I would have just accepted some bullshit lie? No. I wouldn't have done that, Caitlyn. By the time I got to Yosemite, I was on a mission. I'd had months to think about what had happened. And I'd watched you suffer for most of that time. My anger was off the charts. I had never felt so out of control." He paused for a moment, letting that sink in, then added, "When I saw him, my rage only got worse. And when he spoke, when he apologized, there was no coming back, no change of plans. He had to pay. That's all I could think. He'd gotten away with murder. No one was going to hold him accountable. I had to do it. I had to be the one. He was my friend. And because of that, our baby was dead, and you were broken."

  Her heart was still beating way too fast, but her brain was starting to work again. She believed what Quinn was saying. The truth was in his gaze. He had gone to Yosemite to get justice. And Donovan had died.

  She sat back down on the bench. "Okay."

  Quinn gave her a speculative look and then took a seat across from her. "That's it?"

  "I'm thinking," she said sharply.

  "All right. Take whatever time you need."

  "I will. And I don't need your permission to do it," she snapped, anger, pain, and a myriad of other emotions running through her.

  Quinn ran a hand through his hair, then folded his arms across his chest and turned his gaze toward the sea.

  She went over the story in her head. It made perfect sense in some ways, but in other ways, it did not. She'd never thought of Quinn as someone who could kill another person. But then she'd never thought of herself that way, either, until after the explosion. The unbearable loss, the unanswered questions, the lack of justice had driven her crazy and reshaped her life. Even after Donovan had died, her frustration had continued, because she still hadn't known for sure that Donovan was guilty. But Quinn had known!