U. S. Marshall: Night's Landing Part 4

"Sarah-Sarah, honey, it's Wes."

Fresh tears welled in Sarah's eyes at the sound of John Wesley Poe's familiar, caring voice. "Wes-I'm so glad you called. It's been an awful day."

"I know, honey. I heard about Rob. I am so, so sorry."

"I saw him for a few seconds. He made it out of surgery. That's a good sign."

Juliet turned from the window, not hiding that she was listening. Sarah knew she couldn't possibly explain that she was talking to the president of the United States. Deputy U.S. Marshal Juliet Longstreet's ultimate boss. Rob's boss. But to her, he was a friend, a neighbor, a man she'd known and adored all her life.

"Ev and I are thinking of you, praying for both you and Rob," Wes said. "If there's anything we can do, please, just say the word."

"Thank you. Thank you for calling. Just knowing you're thinking of him makes a difference. He's-it's tough, Wes. He's on a respirator-the bandages-" Her voice faltered. "But I keep telling myself that at least he's alive. He has a chance."

"He's strong, and so are you." But beneath his soothing words, she heard the undertone of concern and fear, because for all his brilliance and compa.s.sion, Wes Poe didn't know if Rob would live, either. "Where are you now?"

"A hotel in New York."

"Alone?"

"I have a deputy marshal escort. Wes, don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"What about your parents?"

"They're waiting until morning their time before they decide what to do."

"G.o.d love them. This has to be a parent's worst nightmare."

Wes and Evelyn Poe had no children. That it was a political liability was something Sarah had found distasteful. Evelyn had had four miscarriages and stillbirths before an emergency hysterectomy put an end to all hope of giving birth. Sarah remembered how distraught Wes was after that fourth and last loss. He'd come to Night's Landing alone, so his wife wouldn't see him mourn, so he could be strong for her when they were together. But even before that terrible day, Sarah had become something of a surrogate daughter to them. In some ways, they'd been more reliable and solid-more available-than her own parents.

"Sarah...the media..." Wes hesitated, a rarity for him. "They'll zero in on my relationship with your family at some point. Right now, there's no indication that Rob was targeted because of it."

Sarah nearly dropped the phone.

Juliet Longstreet took a step toward her, her expression tight, alert.

"Wes!" Sarah choked, gripping the phone. "My G.o.d, that never even occurred to me!"

"I'm mentioning it only because it could come up as a theory, and I don't want you to be blindsided." The strain in his voice, famous for its ability to soothe yet sound commanding, was evident. "Honey, you just focus on being there for Rob. I'll worry about the rest of it."

"Thank you." She didn't know what else to say.

"Ev sends her love."

"I love you both. Thank you for calling."

After Sarah hung up, Juliet pulled the drapes. "Do you mind if I ask who that was?" she asked.

Sarah's heart thumped painfully in her chest. Her eyes felt squeezed. In Scotland, for weeks-for most of John Wesley Poe's first months in office-she hadn't had to deal with the reality that her closest and oldest family friend had been elected president of the United States.

"Sarah?"

"Wes. Wes Poe. He and my father go way back. My mother went to college with him. She almost married him." Sarah winced, wondering why she'd brought that up. "Supposedly. You never know with my family."

"Jesus Christ," Juliet said under her breath, then snapped up straight, looking every inch the federal agent she was. "All right. No G.o.dd.a.m.n way am I leaving you to your own devices tonight. Either we switch to a double room and I camp out with you, or you take the futon at my place."

"Would I be sleeping with the fish or the plants?"

She managed a crooked smile. "Both. You'll see."

Since she'd be sleeping in a strange bed no matter what she did, Sarah rose and grabbed her suitcase. She had no intention of making Juliet spend the night in a hotel after the day they'd both had-and there was no way Sarah was going to talk Deputy Longstreet into leaving her alone.

"Rob never mentioned we were friends with President Poe?"

"No."

"He didn't want it to affect him on the job-"

"We weren't always on the job." Juliet bit off a sigh. "We worked out okay before he was transferred to New York. I knew your family was white bread, but-" She tore open the door, grinding her teeth. "You didn't happen to mention your friendship with the president to the FBI, did you? Collins? He talked to you, right?"

"He asked me about my phone call from Rob. Our friendship with the president didn't come up."

"Trust me," Deputy Longstreet said, walking out into the hall, "it will."

Five.

E than switched off CNN and listened to the crickets out in the dark. He had the windows in his cottage open. The breeze had died down, making the crickets even more noticeable. He almost turned the television back on, but he didn't think he could take one more idiot talking about the possible firearm the sniper could have used. What the h.e.l.l difference did it make? Two federal agents were in the hospital. Go find the f.u.c.ker.

He put his feet up on the old flat-topped trunk set up as a coffee table, its wood varnished to a high gloss, probably hurting its value as an antique. The Dunnemores didn't seem to think much in terms of antiques. A different sort of family, for sure. Eccentrics. Ethan's parents were ranchers in West Texas. Hard working, well-respected. They had no idea what their younger son was up to.

Char's father was a widower, career military, who pretty much thought Ethan had killed her.

He wasn't that far off.

FOX News had done a diagram of the kind of wound Rob Dunnemore might have suffered in his left upper abdomen. Explained how he could live without a spleen. About the risks of blood loss, the strain it put on the kidneys. Luckily, he'd gotten medical attention within the "golden hour."

Char hadn't.

Because Ethan hadn't been there.

He hadn't been there a lot during their two-year marriage.

He jumped to his feet and tore open the small refrigerator, grabbed a gla.s.s container of leftover barbecue and popped it into the microwave. It was an ancient microwave. It must have been one of the first ones off the a.s.sembly line. The Dunnemores weren't into gadgets.

He got out dill pickle slices and found a dried-up sesame-seed bun in the bread box. He softened it up in the microwave and put the whole mess together and ate it leaning against the sink, wondering what in h.e.l.l he thought he was doing. Night's Landing. The Dunnemores. President Poe's boyhood home just up river. Ethan knew better than to turn into some kind of nut-ball loose cannon, but here he was.

He'd read Sarah Dunnemore's dissertation on the Poe house and how the Poe family fit into the post-Civil War South. Thought he'd go blind. She'd just finished producing and directing a doc.u.mentary. There was talk of her becoming the director of the Poe House and working to open it to the public as an historic site. Now that he'd met her, Ethan couldn't see Sarah Dunnemore spending her time figuring out where the visitors' center should go, doing fund-raising, training docents-she needed a new project.

Ethan had taken his own private, illicit, midnight tour of the Poe house downriver from the Dunnemores. It hadn't produced a single thing except a spider bite on his ankle. His search of the Dunnemore house hadn't produced much more. He'd gone through file cabinets, photo alb.u.ms, old yearbooks. The father had written plenty of boring papers of his own. The mother was into art.

He'd found Sarah's locked diary from when she was fifteen but decided he wasn't low enough to break into it and read it.

But he might yet. He was that G.o.dd.a.m.n frustrated.

He wasn't sure what he expected to find in Tennessee. A connection, a hint, a link. Something that explained Charlene's interest in the Dunnemores. Why she'd contacted Betsy Dunnemore in Amsterdam two days before she was killed. What it had to do with her death.

She'd gone to Amsterdam on her own. On holiday, she'd told her friends and superiors, Euro-style. Ethan had shown up at her base in Germany without notice, found her gone, figured out where she was and headed to Amsterdam to join her. He could track down anyone, so he'd tracked down his ambitious, incredible wife.

He hadn't considered the importance of her trip until she'd turned up dead. Then he wanted to know everything. Why Amsterdam? What had Char been up to?

Weeks of probing, spying and prowling in Europe had landed him on the c.u.mberland River in middle Tennessee, playing gardener.

Waiting like a d.a.m.n fool for answers to fall into his lap.

Ten days ago, he'd bought a ticket back to Amsterdam.

But he hadn't yet used it. Because Sarah Dunnemore had returned from Scotland. And now her brother had been shot in Central Park.

Suddenly Ethan realized the crickets had stopped chirping.

He set his plate in the sink and went still, listening, aware of the .38 semiautomatic strapped to his ankle under his overalls.

"Mr. Brooker? It's me, Conroy Fontaine." The accent was distinctly Southern, the voice amiable, familiar. "Would you mind if I had a word with you?"

Ethan stifled a groan. Just what he needed, a bottom-feeding reporter who liked to pa.s.s himself off as a legitimate journalist-historian. Before he could respond, Fontaine was at the door. He was working on an unauthorized, tabloid-style biography of the president. He'd set up shop a couple weeks ago at a cabin he'd rented at a fishing camp farther up river from the Poe house. He was worming his way into Sarah's good graces, presumably in an attempt to get access to the president and dig up any dirt he could find-not that she was anyone's fool. As far as Ethan had seen, so far she hadn't told Fontaine much more than what kind of mint extract she used in her sweet tea punch.

He and Ethan were about the same age, but Conroy Fontaine seemed like a throwback to another generation, pre-World War II, maybe even pre-World War I. He was unfailingly polite and tended to dress in penny loafers with no socks, chinos, polo shirts and a retro Timex watch. He wore rimless gla.s.ses and his sandy-colored hair was getting thin on top, but he kept himself in decent shape. Nearly every morning, Ethan would see him up on the road jogging what he said was a six-mile route. He must also pump iron, given his muscle ma.s.s, but where he did that, Ethan didn't know or care.

He opened up the screen door, then remembered his good ol' boy act. "What can I do for you, Mr. Fontaine?"

"I'm sorry to bother you so late. I've been working all day on my book. I didn't have the radio on. I just heard the news-"

"Yes, sir, it's an awful situation."

Conroy shook his head in obvious despair. He had a broad forehead, a strong jaw-not a bad-looking guy. "It's terrible. Sarah's gone to New York?"

"She left a short time after she heard about the shooting."

Fontaine took in a breath. "Good heavens. I simply can't imagine. The FBI just held a press conference-it was carried by all the news channels. Rob Dunnemore's still in critical condition, but at least he's stable. He made it out of surgery. Sarah must be beside herself."

Ethan noted the familiar way Fontaine talked about Sarah and wondered if they'd struck up a real friendship since she'd arrived back in Night's Landing. He turned on the tap at the sink and rinsed off his barbecue plate. "She was pretty upset when she left here, Mr. Fontaine."

"Understandably. Do you know anything? Anything that's not on the news? Are the parents flying in from Amsterdam? Will Rob be brought down here to recuperate-"

"If I knew anything," Ethan said, turning from the sink, "I don't believe I'd tell you. No offense, sir, but you're a reporter. It's not my job to blab family business to reporters."

Conroy's back stiffened visibly, but he smiled. "No offense taken, but you're quite wrong about me. If I were the kind of reporter you obviously think I am, I'd be on the phone to CNN right now alerting them to Rob Dunnemore's connection to the president. But I haven't done that."

"No money in it?"

"Name recognition. That would help me with my book when it goes to press." He sighed, his shoulders sagging. "I've never been very good at selling myself. My interest is always the story. This book-I'm doing a responsible job on it. I want it to be respectable. The most difficult part..." He trailed off, avoiding Ethan's eye. "Sarah. I didn't expect-" He seemed unable to go on.

"You didn't expect to want her approval," Ethan finished for him, then added, matter-of-fact, "She's a beautiful woman."

Fontaine still didn't look at him. He nodded, embarra.s.sed. "That's right. I want to do my best work on this book. I'd like her respect. I've read her dissertation, and I understand the doc.u.mentary she just finished is stunning. I can't compete with that kind of scholarship. Of course, her work doesn't focus on the president. What I'm doing is quite different."

The guy sounded smitten. Ethan got it, but Sarah Dunnemore was sisterlike material as far as he was concerned. "Look, Mr. Fontaine," he said, "you don't have to justify yourself to me. What you do is none of my business. I'll tell Sarah you dropped by and let you know if I hear anything. Fair enough?"

Fontaine seemed pleased, even relieved. "Thank you. It's a worrisome situation, isn't it?"

"Sure is, sir."

"Sarah...I wonder how long she'll be up there. If she needs anything-"

"I'll tell her you offered."

After Fontaine left, Ethan got a beer out of the refrigerator and walked down to the dock. It was dark out, not much for moon and stars. Chilly. He could fly up to New York. Ask questions, stick his nose where it didn't belong.

Get arrested.

Bad enough having Conroy Fontaine, would-be presidential biographer, sniffing around Night's Landing. In New York, Ethan'd be facing scores of hard-nosed, cynical reporters who had s.p.a.ce and time to fill with whatever they could fill it with, all of them eager for anything that would spin the Central Park sniper story into a new direction for another day or two of audience-grabbing coverage.

He should have used an alias. Never mind Fontaine and a bunch of national and New York reporters-if the FBI and the marshals fed his name into a computer, G.o.d only knows what'd pop out.

"Yeah, well," Ethan said into the night. "Whatever."

He finished his beer and went back inside.

Six.

N ate woke up irritable and in pain, even before he remembered that his uncle and two sisters were in the next room. He rented an apartment in Queens, upstairs from a New York firefighter he'd met in the aftermath of September 11. Gus had invited him up for lasagna until Antonia intervened and reminded him that Nate had just been shot.

Shot.

Right. He pulled on clothes and popped a couple of Extra Strength Tylenol. No bleed-through on his bandages. Had to be a good sign.

Gus was making omelettes from eggs he'd brought down from New Hampshire in a cooler. "Look at them," Nate said. "They're orange."