The Murder That Never Was (Forensic Instincts 5)

Claire didn’t bother plunging into a whole explanation of her gift. She merely waited for Shannon’s response.

“Billy Carver and Jessica Majors,” Shannon supplied. “They’re both awesome. Jim called us the Thriving Three. Billy can’t qualify for another year; he’s only fifteen. And Jessica is working on perfecting her timing.”

Casey was taking all this in. “Are you friendly enough with them to give them a call without arousing suspicion?”

“Sure.” Shannon turned her palms up in puzzlement. “Why? What do you want me to ask them?”

“How they’re doing at practice since Jim took off. It’s very important that you don’t use words like disappeared or vanished. Keep it casual. I just want to figure out how the drug withdrawal is affecting them.”

“It’s affected me a lot.” Shannon looked sad. “And not only my heart, or even the arthroscopic surgery I had to fix my rotator cuff, but my energy, my endurance, even just taking a walk. I’m so tired. Plus, I have all these daily medications I have to take now.”

Claire placed her hand on Shannon’s arm again. “Tell that to them. Gush over the wonderful health supplements Jim was giving you, and how much you miss them. Then, ask how many supplements Jim had been recommending they take per day.”

“I was taking four—two in the morning and two at night.” Shannon was looking nervous again. “Why do you want to know that?”

Claire was gentle but honest. “Because I think Jim was giving you more than the others. Probably because you were closest to bringing him the Olympic gold. If so, that would explain a lot, including your weakened rotator cuff, your accident, and your resulting cardiomyopathy.”

“Oh my God.” Shannon blanched. “Is that why I got hurt when no one else did?”

“I believe so, yes.”

“Shannon,” Ryan interrupted. “Do you have Jim Robbins’ cell phone number?” He was itching for the right answer. This would be a crucial, first solid lead on Robbins. The background checks that both he and Miles had run had come up empty. On paper, the guy read like a Boy Scout. And his emails, which Ryan had hacked into, were boring and ordinary—completely devoid of incriminating information.

To Ryan’s relief, Shannon nodded. “It’s programmed into my cell phone.”

Ryan grabbed a pad. “Give it to me.” He was clearly urgent. “Given the sophistication of this organization, my guess is it’s going to turn out to be a burner phone, which would keep his calls anonymous—except from me.”

Turning to face Casey, Ryan said, “The phone company won’t have records. I’ve got to find out Robbins’ service provider and find a way into their system. That could take a while.” Ryan purposely avoided the word hack. No need for TMI, not with a teenager. “The provider won’t have a name—I’m sure Robbins paid by cash—but they will have records for that phone number. But I’ve got to act fast. They tend to delete records pretty quickly. I might have days, maybe a week if I’m lucky. And I want to know who Robbins called and who called him. That’s imperative to solving this case.”

“Do it,” Casey replied.

Seeing Ryan’s pen poised and waiting, along with his questioning gaze, Shannon gave him the number.

“Unless you need me, I’m on this now.” Ryan looked at Casey, who shook her head, gesturing for him to go.

“I’ll see you guys later,” he told their clients, then took off to do what he did best.

“Can you call your athlete friends now?” Claire asked Shannon.

“Sure.” Shannon scrolled through the contacts on her phone.

“Express concern for Jim,” Claire advised her. “That’ll be your easiest in.”

Nodding, Shannon called Billy first.

“Hey,” she said when he answered. “It’s Shannon… Yeah, I’m a mess, pretty much what you’d expect. I’m in New Jersey visiting a friend. I need to take my mind off things.” She drew in a breath. “I wanted to know if you’d heard any news about Jim. I’m worried about him.” She looked like she wanted to gag. “Nothing?” No surprise there. “How are you holding up?”

She paused, listening. “I’m feeling tired, too, and my energy level sucks. I miss the supplements Jim gave me—they gave me stamina, which would help me recover faster… You, too? How many were you taking—one or two a day? Yeah, same with me.” She gazed at Claire and mouthed the word: two. “And Jess? How’s she holding up?” Shannon nodded. “I thought I’d give her a call. Maybe I can cheer her up. I know I’m not really part of the Thriving Three anymore, but I still care.

“Thanks for saying that. And you know I’ll be cheering you and Jess on.” Billy’s next words brought an aching sadness to her eyes. “Okay, you go to practice. Text when you can.”

Shannon disconnected the call, bringing herself under control. “He feels depleted, but at least Jim didn’t bump up his dosage like he did mine. Billy didn’t say anything about Jessica, other than the fact that she’s depressed without Jim to train her. I’ll give her a call now.”

The call to Jessica yielded the same results. Although the other gymnast attributed her lethargy to Jim’s sudden disappearance, she did confirm that she’d been taking one supplement at night and one in the morning. She wished Shannon a speedy recovery and said they’d get together when Shannon got back to Chicago. Then she, too, ran off to meet the athlete’s ubiquitous call to practice.

Tears glistened on Shannon’s lashes, and she brushed them away with trembling fingers. “This makes me sick,” she said. “Jim was giving me four pills a day for the past month. He was using me as a guinea pig for his…employer. He screwed up my health and my whole life.” She took the tissue Casey handed her and blew her nose. “I still don’t understand why he chose me. He has so many trainees.”

“Because you showed the most promise,” Casey answered her. “I know it’s bittersweet to hear, but you were obviously Jim’s star pupil. He believed you’d be the one to bring home Olympic gold—soon, with the right PED boost. He gambled and he failed. And you’re the one who paid the price.” Casey’s lips thinned into a grim line.