The Next Accident - Lisa Gardner [126]
“There’s a good chance that Montgomery planned this whole thing,” Quincy said now, his voice purposefully firm. “He hated me because of the Sanchez case, he plotted revenge. If that’s the case, then it’s over, Kimberly. You’re safe now. Everything will be all right.”
“Then why won’t you let us go with you?” she protested.
“Because I’m not one hundred percent certain, and I’m not going to risk you without being completely sure! Until we know everything, you’re safer here than there.”
“But what about you? You’re returning to the East Coast, where some man knows all about you.”
“I’ve also had a lot of training.”
“Mom is gone!” Kimberly exclaimed. “Mandy is gone! Grandpa is gone! And now you’re leaving, and, and, and . . .”
Quincy finally got it. His daughter wasn’t seeking reassurance for her own safety. She was terrified for him. She’d already lost most of her family and now her good old dad was once again walking out the front door into the face of danger. Christ, sometimes he was an idiot about the most basic things.
Quincy came around the bed. He took Kimberly into his arms, and for once, his stubborn, independent daughter did not protest. “I’m not going to let anything happen to me,” he whispered against the top of her head. “I promise you that.”
“You can’t make that promise.”
“I am Quantico’s best of the best. I can, too.”
“Dad—”
“Listen to me, Kimberly.” He pulled back enough to look her in the eye, to let her see how serious he was. “I’m a good agent. I take my training seriously; I do not underestimate my opponent. This is a game, but it’s a game where the stakes are life or death. I never forget that. And because I never forget that, I’m better at this than most.”
Her blue eyes were still watery. He could tell she was on the brink of crying, but she sniffed back her tears. “You won’t let down your guard?” she pressed. “You won’t be fooled by anything this Albert guy says?”
“I am going to keep myself safe so I can come home to my daughter. And you are going to take good care of yourself and Rainie, so I can come home to you.”
“We’ll look out for each other.”
“Kimberly, thank you.”
From the doorway, Rainie cleared her throat. Quincy looked up, and knew instantly from the expression on her face that she had bad news. He took a deep breath. Then slowly, reluctantly, he let his daughter go.
“I have an update from Virginia,” Rainie said as Quincy and Kimberly turned to face her.
Quincy nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Phil de Beers and Mary Olsen are dead. The police found their bodies an hour ago in a car just down the road from Mary’s house. The car was registered in Phil’s name. We’ll need the medical examiner’s report to be sure, but the police are guessing poison. The bodies have white foam around the mouth. There’s a strong smell of almonds. . . .”
“Cyanide,” Quincy deduced.
She nodded grimly. “They found a box of chocolates in the car. Two are gone. The rest have that same bitter almond scent. According to the butler, Mary accepted a delivery shortly before leaving the house. He found the empty shipping box in the foyer, no return address.”
“So someone sent Mary a box of poisoned chocolates and she took them to de Beers? But why did she eat one, too? That doesn’t make any sense.” Kimberly looked baffled.
“For the sake of argument,” Quincy said slowly, “let’s assume Montgomery spotted de Beers conducting surveillance on Mary. Mary probably knew Montgomery through Amanda, so now Albert has two loose ends. An accomplice who can connect him with the murders and a private investigator watching the accomplice. He doesn’t have a lot of