A Face to Die For (Forensic Instincts 6)

“Very good, Casey.” There was a moment or two of silence. “Task completed,” Yoda returned to announce. “Seats nineteen A and B are now Marc and Patrick’s. Confirmation and boarding passes should be added to the Passbook on their iPhones any moment now. A car service will be arriving in fifteen minutes in order for them to leave immediately. Arriving one hour prior to takeoff is advised.”

Patrick and Marc were already on their feet, simultaneously taking the written material Dani had provided and checking their cell phones. All the necessary confirmation and boarding information was there. And their carry-on bags were packed and ready; each member of the FI team kept an emergency bag at the office just for situations like this.

“You all set?” Marc asked, stuffing the notes from this meeting into his case, where they’d be ready to be transcribed into his iPad.

“Yup. Let’s grab our bags and wait outside for our car. We’ll call our wives and Dani’s parents from the road.” Patrick turned to Dani. “We’ll keep you posted every step of the way.” His voice gentled. “Don’t worry.”

“What about your security team?” Gia asked. “When will they start?”

“Immediately. I’ll call and finalize their posts during our drive to the airport. I’ll arrange for John Nickels, one of my most experienced men, to come to the brownstone ASAP. The whole team knows him, so they can make the introductions. That way, you’ll feel more comfortable going with him when he walks you to your car. He’ll follow right behind you in his car. Don’t worry about losing him; you won’t. Just drive normally and leave the rest to John. As for the other three men, I’ll text you photos and basic specs so you’ll have all the info you need. Wherever you are is where they’ll be. Oh, and Dani, until we figure out your daily routine, either stay inside Gia’s condo or accompany her wherever she goes.”

“I will,” Dani replied.

As he finished packing up his case, Marc leveled a steady gaze at Casey. “I’ll call in,” was all he said before he and Patrick left the room.

Casey heard Marc’s message loud and clear. The team needed to talk, but not while Gia and Dani were there. The elephant in the room could only be addressed when the FI team was alone.

And that wouldn’t be until John whisked their clients out of there.

CHAPTER 19

Thankfully, John arrived twenty minutes later. He introduced himself, chatting a bit with the team and with Gia and Dani, making sure to put the two girls at ease.

Catching Casey’s eye, he nodded almost imperceptibly. Patrick had filled him in. “Okay, ladies, let’s head up to Rye,” he said to Gia and Dani. “You’ve had a long day. Time to rest.”

Gia turned to Casey. “You’ll call and tell us when you’re seeing our parents?”

“The minute we make the arrangements, we’ll reach out to you,” Casey replied. “Expect tomorrow to be an emotional day. But it will also be day one in our information gathering.” Seeing the defensive look flash in both girls’ eyes, she clarified. “I wasn’t implying guilt on their parts. It’s always possible that an innocent person unconsciously knows something. It can only help us if that’s the case.”

That did the trick. Gia and Dani thanked them, took their Raspberry Pis, and left with John.

The team waited.

* * *

“All parties have left the building,” Yoda informed them a few moments later. “Privacy is ensured. A team meeting can commence.”

Casey picked up her iPhone, pausing to look at Emma. “You hid your reactions and kept it together. I’m proud of you.” She pressed Marc’s number and tapped on the speaker button while it rang.

“They left?” Marc asked without preamble.

“Yes. You’re on speaker.”

“We’ve got you on our earbuds now,” Patrick replied.

Marc had fired up Ryan’s custom-made app, which muted the iPhone speaker and patched in any of FI’s earbuds within Bluetooth range.

Instant team audio conferencing.

“We shut the partition between us and the driver,” Patrick continued. “He’s listening to music. We can talk freely. I filled Marc in on the missing piece of this bizarre puzzle.”

“Lina.” Emma blew out a long breath, as if she’d been holding it for hours. “I can’t believe it. I sat here and watched it, but I still can’t believe it.”

“It must be pretty hard for you to absorb,” Patrick said. “Casey, you’re absolutely sure?”

“I’m sure. They’re triplets.”

“I’m sure, as well,” Claire said quietly. “Now I know why I had such a strong pull toward Gia and Dani even before they arrived. Lina. She’s the third piece of the puzzle, and the one I already knew.”