Cold as Ice Read online

  “Mr. Rogan,” Banner said, “you’re drawing attention from your neighbors.”

  Sean’s face heated. He didn’t look around. He wasn’t resisting, but he couldn’t force his body to relax. He winced as the cop jerked his arm up and back and clicked on the handcuffs.

  Murder. They’re arresting you for murder.

  You didn’t kill Mona Hill.

  Why do they think you killed her?

  They wouldn’t arrest him solely on the word of an eyewitness—there had to be evidence. Question him, sure—but they wouldn’t arrest him. What did they have? Why did they believe he killed her? Anything they had would be circumstantial. He was in her condo. He couldn’t tell anyone, especially the cops, why he was there. Not until he talked to a lawyer.

  Unfortunately, he hadn’t told Lucy. There were two reasons he hadn’t told her, not the least of which was because Lucy didn’t like Mona. Neither did Sean, but they had an understanding, and in this particular situation they had a common enemy.

  You should have told Lucy.

  He had a very, very bad feeling that this was all a setup.

  You are screwed, Rogan.

  Banner said, “Can we take a look in your car?”

  He glanced over his shoulder and looked Banner in the eye. “Do you have a warrant?”

  He took their silence as a no.

  “We’ll get a warrant; you can just make this easier.”

  “I do not consent,” he said clearly.

  The officer who had cuffed him took hold of Sean’s elbow and pulled him to standing, then escorted him to the squad car. “Watch your head,” he said and helped Sean into the back.

  The cop closed the door and Sean was alone. His eyes burned. Rage and embarrassment tore him up inside.

  And fear. Fear that this setup was going to get him killed. He had enemies in prison. So did his brother. So did Lucy.

  Maybe that’s why he was bring framed for Mona Hill’s murder. It wouldn’t matter when the cops realized he was innocent, by then he might already be dead.

  Chapter Three

  When Lucy Kincaid walked into the FBI office that morning, her boss Rachel Vaughn called out to her before she sat down. “Lucy, the ASAC needs to see you.”

  There was something about her tone that caught Lucy’s attention, and when she put her briefcase down and turned to her, Rachel’s expression was blank. Yet … something in her posture said concern. Her tension told Lucy that something was definitely up, even though her face was emotionless.

  Lucy mentally reviewed all her cases and couldn’t imagine what was wrong. Was she in trouble? Did she screw something up? She would have heard or sensed something, wouldn’t she?

  “Is there anything I need to know?” she asked Rachel. She wished her boss would give her some sort of clue.

  “She’s waiting for you.”

  Then Rachel turned, walked into her own office, and closed the door.

  Not good.

  Lucy put her purse in her desk drawer, then walked slowly from the Violent Crimes squad to the opposite side of the building where the administrative offices were housed. She hoped someone would approach her and give her a clue as to what was going on. Everyone seemed to be going about their business and didn’t give her a second glance. A few people said good morning. If something was going on, only Rachel knew about it.

  She braced herself for a reprimand, though she couldn’t imagine about what. Or maybe one of her cases was falling apart and she needed to go over evidence with the US Attorney’s Office. Or she was being transferred.

  Last year she’d seriously considered requesting a transfer because she felt that there were some serious problems for her in the office, but over the last few months, everything had been great. She and Rachel now worked well together after an initial rough patch. The Violent Crimes Squad was fully staffed, Lucy got along with everyone, and she was no longer a rookie.

  Maybe it’s nothing bad.

  Except Rachel hadn’t looked her in the eye.

  It’s bad.

  She walked into the administrative wing and ASAC Abigail Durant was standing outside her door talking to her admin. She saw Lucy and a cloud crossed her face, then she covered it up.

  “Agent Kincaid, thank you, you can come in.”

  Had someone died? Been injured? Was she being written up? Something more serious?

  Stop. Listen.

  She walked in and was surprised to see SAPD Detective Tia Mancini sitting at the small table. “Hello, Tia.”

  “Lucy.”

  Tia also looked serious.

  Abigail told her admin no interruptions, then she closed the door and sat down at the table.

  Lucy had a million questions, but didn’t say a word. She looked from Tia to Abigail.

  Abigail spoke first. “Detective Mancini has some information for you. She told me first and asked how to handle it. I said be up-front and to tell you everything she can.”

  Lucy hadn’t worked with Tia on a case in more than a year, but they’d become friends. Tia was a sex crimes detective and had been helpful in several of Lucy’s investigations.

  When Tia didn’t immediately say anything, Lucy said, “Tia—just tell me. Straight-out.”

  “Fuck,” Tia muttered. “There’s no easy way to say this, Lucy. I was asked to come down here because my boss knows we’re friends. And because we’re friends, I can’t be involved in the investigation at all.” She hesitated, then said, “Sean has been arrested. I just received confirmation that he’s in custody.”

  It took Lucy a second to process arrested. “Sean?”

  “Houston PD arrested him for murder.”

  “Murder.” She was repeating the words but they weren’t registering.

  “I don’t have all the details, because like I said, this isn’t my case. It’s a Houston case and we loaned out four SAPD officers to transport him. He’s on his way to Houston right now for booking. I’m sure he’ll call a lawyer, but of course if you want to start the process, go right ahead. This is a courtesy conversation, but dammit, I know you’ll pull out all the stops. And you should.”

  “Wait wait wait,” Lucy said, putting her hand up. “Sean. What the hell, Tia? Murder?” She couldn’t imagine … Sean … cold-blooded murder? Never.

  Was this related to what happened in Mexico, when he’d rescued Jesse from the cartels? People had died and Sean had likely killed one or more people. Lucy didn’t ask questions, didn’t want to know the details. But why would Houston cops arrest him? Then there was the situation when she’d been held captive as bait for Kane, and Kane and Sean had gone down to Guadalajara and taken care of the situation. But that was all south of the border. Certainly they would have heard something about that before SAPD. Before Houston PD. And if it was an international situation, they’d have the FBI or another federal agency take him into custody.

  There was the situation down in Hidalgo with Kane, but they’d been told no charges would be filed. Everything Sean did had been out of self-defense. He’d been kidnapped, dammit!

  Why Houston? What the hell was going on?

  Lucy couldn’t think of anything that would place Sean under suspicion of murder.

  Not suspicion. They arrested him. They have evidence. Something solid …

  “This is wrong,” Lucy said.

  “I’ll tell you what I know, which isn’t a lot. Mona Hill was shot and killed Monday night in her apartment. Sean’s fingerprints were found at the scene and there was a witness who heard Sean and Mona arguing. No murder weapon but they are in the process of getting a search warrant for your house, his vehicle, and his plane. They have evidence he flew in his private plane from San Antonio to Houston on Monday and flew back the same night.”

  “Mona Hill?” She sounded like a damn parrot.

  “I know that you’ve used her as a CI. I helped facilitate that, and she’s always been straight with me. I don’t know if that’s all going to come out, but you need to be aware that it migh
t, in case there’s a pending investigation.”

  “I didn’t use her as a CI, not officially. I talked to her once last year when we were looking for the trafficked girls in San Antonio. The other time you and I interviewed her together as part of our investigation into Harper Worthington’s murder. That’s it.” But Lucy knew that Sean had tapped Mona for information several times. She just never asked the details because she didn’t want to know.

  Lucy turned to Abigail, worried that this might come down on one of her cases. “I put Mona’s name in the report, I talked to her last February when we were looking for Bella Caruso and the girls who were trafficked from Phoenix—”

  Abigail nodded. “I remember the case, you’re not in trouble here, Lucy.”

  She was. Because if Sean was arrested for murder, she was in deep trouble.

  “Sean’s prints, his plane,” Lucy said to Tia. “What else?”

  “He was on camera going into the building and leaving more than an hour later. I don’t know the time, just that it was evening. Again, this isn’t my case, this is only what I was told by the detective in charge. John Banner. He seems like a good cop, Lucy.”

  “Not if he arrested Sean,” she snapped, and wished she hadn’t. She itched to call Rick Stockton and find out what the hell was going on.

  Why had Sean gone to see Mona Hill?

  Lucy despised the woman, but she’d helped when Lucy needed it.

  Why hadn’t Sean told her he went to Houston?

  Monday … she had worked late. She and Nate had been called in to provide security for a member of Congress who was hosting a series of town halls in his district. It had been an uneventful day that went long into the evening. She and Nate then grabbed a late dinner and she got home just after eleven. Sean was there. He didn’t say anything about going to Houston. It was about an hour flight, then twenty minutes from the small airport he used to their house. So he would have had to have left Houston no later than nine thirty P.M. to be home before her.

  She didn’t tell any of that to Tia. She might be a friend, but she was also a cop, and Lucy had to figure out what was going on before she knew who she could trust with the information she had.

  Sean wasn’t going to do well in jail. There were many concerns—the fact that she was in law enforcement. The fact that his brother was an enemy of the drug cartels.

  That this might be a setup to assassinate him.

  Her stomach twisted, but she kept her cool.

  She had to, for Sean.

  “Abigail—” Lucy began.

  Abigail put up her hand. “We can’t interfere in this investigation, Lucy. You know that. But I can give you a leave of absence.”

  “I appreciate that, but Sean is in danger in jail. I need someone with authority to explain that to the Houston police. They’re not going to listen to me.”

  “He’s not a cop,” Abigail said.

  “No, but considering his involvement in several high-profile investigations and his work with RCK, the fact that Sean and his brother Kane both had bounties on their head by the drug cartels, one bounty because of work Sean was doing for the FBI—I shouldn’t have to explain this, you know what RCK does.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, I should have considered that. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you.” But Lucy couldn’t trust that Abigail would protect him. She trusted her—to a point. She liked and respected her and she was one of the most diligent and smartest agents Lucy knew. Still … this was a prickly situation and Abigail didn’t know just how much trouble the Rogan family had caused certain criminal organizations. If any of those groups knew that Sean was behind bars it would just take one call to put the bounty back on his head, in a place where he was defenseless.

  Lucy had to talk to Rick Stockton. He was an assistant director of the FBI and had more clout than anyone else. Plus, he would do anything in his power to protect Sean. He couldn’t get him out of legitimate charges, but he could make sure that he was safe while in custody.

  “While you’re on leave, Lucy, I need to remind you that you can’t insert yourself in this investigation. Let the police do their job. You’re Sean’s wife, but you’re also a sworn agent and I expect you to conduct yourself as such.”

  “May I go?”

  She nodded. “Please, tread carefully. I hope this is just a misunderstanding, but Sean needs to be honest with the investigators.”

  Lucy had to leave before she said something she would regret. No way would Sean tell them anything, even though he was innocent. Sean didn’t trust most cops, though over the years he’d learned to trust a few of them. He’d had problems in the past with overzealous FBI agents.

  He also had a record. Sean’s crimes were nonviolent, and the one he was caught for was before he was eighteen. It should have been expunged. But Lucy didn’t know what was in his FBI file or what Houston PD might have access to.

  She rose and said to Tia, “Thank you for telling me in person.”

  “I’m sorry about all this.”

  “I’ll find the truth.”

  “Houston PD will find the truth,” Abigail said. “Lucy—”

  “Sean is innocent,” she said. “Sean would never kill anyone in cold blood.”

  Why were you at Mona Hill’s apartment, Sean?

  “I need to go,” she said, and walked out before Abigail or Tia said anything else.

  She ran back to her desk and grabbed her things, then looked around for Nate. He wasn’t in the office. She wasn’t going to talk to anyone else about this, not until she had more information. On her way out of the office, she called Nate on his cell phone. He didn’t answer. As she slid behind the wheel of her car, he texted her.

  In court for the Diaz case.

  She couldn’t tell him about Sean over text. She responded: Call me when you have a break.

  She tried Sean’s number, on the off chance this was all a screw up and he’d already been released.

  It went to voice mail after four rings.

  She pulled out of the parking lot and called the one person she trusted more than anyone, other than Sean.

  “Hey, sis,” Jack answered.

  “Sean’s been arrested for murder. They’re transporting him to Houston, I don’t know any details, other than the victim is Mona Hill and she was killed Monday evening. I’m going home. They’ll be getting a warrant I’m sure, I need to be there.”

  “Who is Hill?”

  “She ran a prostitution ring in San Antonio, skipped town, and Tobias Hunt and his organization put a bounty on her head at one point. Sean kept in touch with her and she’s the one I reached out to when we were looking for Bella last year, and—”

  “Now I remember. Have you talked to Sean?”

  “No. They just told me when I got to work, and his phone went to voice mail. He’s already in custody. I have no messages or texts from him, and I … I don’t know what to do. He needs a lawyer, he needs help, Jack, he can’t be in jail. He can’t…” Her voice cracked and she forced herself to calm down. Deep breath. She couldn’t lose it. Sean needed her to be strong, he needed her to take care of business.

  And he needed her to find out what was going on. If she acted hysterical, she’d get nothing.

  “Lucy? You there?”

  “I don’t know what to do, Jack,” she admitted. “I have to help him. I don’t know how. He didn’t kill Mona. I don’t believe it.”

  “I’ll call JT and we’ll get the best fucking lawyer on the planet.”

  “What if—”

  “Shh, don’t talk, don’t say anything about Sean or this case or Mona Hill, nothing. Understand? Not over the phone. Run a complete security check on the house before talking, then use Sean’s landline.”

  He was right.

  “What did they tell you?” Jack asked. “Just what they said, no opinions.”

  She told him exactly what Tia told her, no embellishments. She ended, “They’re in the process of getting search warrants.�
��

  “You need a lawyer present when they serve the warrants. But if they get there before a lawyer, read it with a fine-toothed comb. Don’t let them take anything that isn’t explicitly listed. It needs to be reasonable. But they might take electronics if they can make a case that they need them, and the RCK lawyer is going to fight that because Sean works for us. We have sensitive information. They’ll likely seize any firearms, but if they have ballistics they should only take guns that fire that caliber.”

  He was telling her everything she already knew, but hadn’t thought about.

  “I need to call Kane,” she said.

  Silence.

  “What? I know he and Siobhan are out of the country, but he’ll come back for this.”

  “Kane’s missing. I found out last night and took the last flight to Hidalgo. I talked to Sean this morning—he wanted to join me, but I said no. I didn’t think I would need him, I have Ranger and Dyson waiting for me at a safe house.”

  “Kane’s missing?”

  “Kane has been on the heels of a major human trafficking organization for years, and one of the leaders was identified with a confirmation on his location. Siobhan went with him because there were six victims involved. They rescued the girls—they are at the Sisters of Mercy convent—but Kane didn’t make it back. I’m hoping by the time I get there, Ranger will have a line on him and it’ll just be a matter of extraction. Where’s Nate?”

  “In court, he doesn’t know yet.”

  “I’ll tell him and ask him to stay with you until I get there. I’m hoping this situation with Kane will be resolved in twenty-four hours, and then both of us will be there. Don’t go anywhere alone.”

  “This isn’t about me, it’s about Sean! What if someone is setting him up to kill him? He’s helpless in jail.”

  “Sean has never been helpless, and we don’t know what this is about. Do what I say, Lucia,” he said firmly. “I need to talk to JT and Rick. Expect the unexpected. We’re in this together, understand?”

  “You’re right, Jack. Thank you.”

  “Be smart, Lucy. Go back to your training. All your training. I need you to be stronger than you’ve ever been, keep a cool head. We will get through this. Also, don’t use your cell phone to discuss this with anyone—just in case. The phone on Sean’s desk is secure, plus he has a secure cell in the safe. Get that phone, keep it with you, I have the number.”