The Sixth Man (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 5)

“What was your score?”

“A bit better than yours. But just a bit.”

“Liar.”

When they got back to the inn Megan was hard at work at the round table in the parlor, with papers and files strewn around.

She looked up when they walked in the room.

“What are you doing?” asked Sean.

“Working on some motion papers.”

“Regarding what?”

“Ms. Paul’s information was very intriguing. I want to know whatever the government knows about Edgar Roy’s background. And what he actually does for them.”

Michelle said, “But if he is working in intelligence they won’t tell us anything. They’ll just bury it under national security mumbo-jumbo.”

“That’s right. But if we can get that on the record it may be enough to raise reasonable doubt in a jury’s mind. It’s certainly critical evidence. And in order to try to get that evidence we have to pull the government’s chain. Hard.”

“But the guy may never go to trial,” pointed out Michelle.

Sean said, “But if he does, some of the forensics help us. The different dirt, for instance, found on the bodies. It’s possible the bodies were brought from somewhere else and dumped in Roy’s barn.”

“Well, that could be all the exculpatory evidence we need,” said Megan hopefully.

“Unless they argue Roy killed them somewhere else, hid the bodies for a while there, and then dug them up and brought them to Virginia.”

“And buried them in his own barn so someone could find them and arrest him?” said Megan incredulously. “For such a smart guy that’s pretty dumb.”

Sean said, “And then there’s the mysterious caller that conveniently tipped the police off about the bodies in the first place. Who is that person and how did he know about the bodies? Maybe the tipster killed the people and set Roy up.”

“We still have to prove that,” noted Michelle.

“No, proof of guilt is the government’s job. We just have to raise it as a way to get reasonable doubt in a jury’s mind,” responded Sean.

Michelle said, “Murdock will be really pissed off when he sees the filings.”

“Let him be.” He looked at Megan. “You cool with that?”

She smiled. “The FBI doesn’t scare me anymore.”

Sean and Michelle headed up to his room. “There are a lot of roads we could go down, but I want to focus on Carla Dukes.”

“She’s probably an FBI agent.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“You and I have dealt with lots of FBI agents. She’s no spring chicken, so if she were with the Bureau she’d have been with them for years now. She doesn’t have the walk or the talk of an FBI vet. And an FBI agent would have anticipated we’d pull the media card to get in to see Roy and would’ve had an answer for it. She didn’t.”

“But still, to her we’re the enemy,” replied Michelle.

“Enemies can still reach common ground.”

She cocked her head. “You mean we find some leverage with her?”