The Line Between Here and Gone (Forensic Instincts 2)

“But he doesn’t know that yet,” Casey reminded him.

“True. But I’ll find Hutch. He can’t have gone far. That means that the longer Fenton’s here, the better the chance that he won’t walk out a free man. So let’s let things play out.”

“In the meantime, I hope Amanda can pull this off.”

“She’ll pull it off,” Claire said quietly. “She’ll do it for Justin, and for Paul.”

“Uncle Lyle.” As if proving Claire’s point, Amanda greeted him in nothing more than a guarded tone. “I didn’t realize you were coming by today.”

“Amanda, hello.” Fenton halted. At the same time, he glanced to his left and saw the entire FI team standing in the waiting room corner.

Clearly, he was not happy with that scenario. He couldn’t be in control of the conversation, not when he was uncertain about what the team had told his niece. Plus, Marc intimidated the hell out of him.

As if in disgust, Marc turned and stalked out of the room.

That gave Fenton some hope.

It also gave Marc the time he needed.

He went into the men’s room and turned on his phone. He didn’t give a damn if it was allowed or not.

He pressed Hutch’s number on speed dial.

“Hey,” he said the instant Hutch answered. “Where are you?”

“I just joined Mike outside the lab. Why?”

“Fenton’s here. He’s with Amanda. We’ve got our eyes on him. But call whoever you need to. Put a rush on those warrants. My gut tells me this is a stopover to the airport. You stay with Evans. Keep him away from the PICU until you hear from me.”

“Done.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Back in the waiting room, Fenton was testing the waters.

“I wanted to check in on Justin—and to talk to you,” he said, gauging his niece’s reaction.

“About what?” With or without realizing it, Amanda was blocking her uncle’s path with her body, erecting an invisible but protective wall between her uncle and her son.

Fenton played his cards with great care. “About the future—Justin’s future.”

“The only aspect of Justin’s future I’m interested in discussing is the one where Dr. Braeburn tells me that my son is out of the woods and is going to live a full and healthy life.”

“I understand that.” Fenton went for a softer approach. “And I have no doubt that’s going to happen. Since Cliff Mercer’s plea, half of his political district has come forward to be tested. So have the student bodies of both his kids’ colleges. Between that and your online video, word of Justin’s condition is on the front burner, coast-to-coa

st. You will find a match.”

“I pray you’re right. But, in my heart, I know the best match would be Paul. That’s the person I really want to find.”

Fenton wet his lips. “Any progress?”

Amanda’s nails dug into her palms, but she remained composed. “I get the sense that Forensic Instincts is getting somewhere. But they’re reticent about discussing it with me because they don’t want to get my hopes up.”

“So they haven’t told you anything?”

“Only that they’re interviewing a number of people, including some slimy ones. And that some of those slimy individuals might be colleagues of yours.” She gazed pointedly at her uncle, awaiting his response.

He looked relieved. It didn’t take a psychic to figure out why. If that was all Forensic Instincts had revealed to his niece, then Fenton was in a good place.