Lucy stunned herself. She didn’t know what came over her, but she couldn’t backtrack now. She turned to Nina because Banks didn’t say a word, and said, “We need to trace the call—”
Ken snapped his fingers. “Cell phone! We didn’t have her phone number until now, we can trace it without a call. Brilliant. Call, but I’ll also get the local office on it. One way or the other, we’ll get her.”
He left the office.
Lucy said to Nina, “Call her and ask how she is, and if she can at all come in to take care of something, or if you can bring work to her. Is there anything that only she can do?”
“Noooo,” Nina said. “What if I tell her I want to bring her chicken soup?”
“She put a false address on her employment records, she’s not going to let you visit her.” Lucy didn’t even think she was at home, but Lucy wanted her address because there was going to be evidence there that would help convict her. Lucy wanted to get it before she had a chance to destroy anything.
House.
“Hold on one second,” Lucy said and followed Ken out the door.
She found him around the corner on his phone. He put the person on hold. “Have something?”
“Electricity. Water. She has to have them in her name. Can we get those records?”
“Absolutely. I’ll get the L.A. office working on it.”
Lucy went back into Nina’s office. “Okay. Call her, ask her to come in. Is there something only she would know where it is? Or did she work on something that you can plausibly say got deleted? Misfiled? A client that only wants to work with her? It has to be believable, or she’ll catch on.”
“She’s been preoccupied,” Nina said. “I had to call her on Thursday, after her doctor’s appointment, because she hadn’t filed a document properly.”
“Use it. But don’t push too hard. I don’t want her to get suspicious.”
Nina paused a minute, then dialed the number.
She listened. “Voice mail,” she said.
“Just ask her to call you back,” Lucy said.
Nina nodded. “Hi, Danielle, it’s Nina. Can you give me a call when you get this message? I have a question about the Carroll file, and I can’t find the docs on your desk. It’s important—thanks.” She hung up. “Okay?”
“Perfect,” Lucy said.
Ken walked back in and said, “Kevin Fieldstone is here. He’s in Mr. Fieldstone’s office.”
“Can I—?” She looked at Lucy.
“Yes, but I need to talk to him.”
“Why?”
“Danielle stalked her other victims. He may have seen her.”
She could see Tony Fieldstone wanted to argue, but he simply put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and led the way to his office.
Ken whispered to Lucy, “I’m going to follow up on the address. We may need to bolt quickly.”
“I want to get the Fieldstones into protective custody,” she said. “As soon as Danielle figures out we’re onto her, she may change her MO or disappear.”
“I’ll work on getting a detail to sit on them at their house.” Ken walked off and Nina and Tony led Lucy to Fieldstone’s office.
Lucy asked Banks to stand aside and not interject. “I don’t want to scare Kevin,” she said quietly, “and too many grown-ups getting angry will do that.”
She also said that for Nina and Tony’s benefit—they meant well, but they were an intimidating couple, especially together.
“Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! I brought you Grandma’s cookies.”
He had a Tupperware in his hands.
“Great, they’re my favorite,” Nina said and took the box.
“Did you know that two FBI agents were picking me up? Grandma said you did, but it was so totally cool. They have guns and everything. They have a cool radio in their car, but their car isn’t like a police car. It’s all stealthy.”
“Yes, we asked them to bring you here.”
“Why? Is something wrong, Mom?” He looked more curious than worried.
“No,” Nina said. “Not with us, but this FBI agent would like to talk to you. She came all the way from San Diego.”
“Really? Why?”
Kevin was a cute kid. He was small for an eight-year-old, fidgety, with huge blue eyes and a mop of dark blond hair.
Lucy sat in the chair next to Kevin. “It’s good to meet you, Kevin,” she said. “You can call me Lucy, and you can ask me anything. I think that’s only fair because I’m going to ask you questions.”
“Do you have a gun?”
“Yes. I have two.”
“Really? Like a backup gun?”
“Exactly like that.”
“So it’s not just in the movies.”
“No. The movies don’t always get things right, but that one is true for some of us. My turn?”
He nodded.
“Do you know a woman named Danielle Sharpe—Ms. Sharpe—who works with your mom and dad?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes I come to the office here, like when we have a minimum day or Christmas break and my grandma has things to do like buying me Christmas presents so I can’t stay with her. It’s fun. So I know people here.”
“When was the last time you saw Ms. Sharpe?”
“Today after school.”
Nina sucked in her breath and Kevin frowned.
“You have a good memory,” Lucy said. “Where were you when you saw her?”
“Grandma picks me up at school every day and we walk to her house. Unless it’s cold, then she brings the car because Grandma doesn’t like it too cold.”
“And Ms. Sharpe was standing outside your school?”
“No, she was in her new car.”
“New car?”
“Yeah, she used to have a black Honda now she has a brand-new silver car. Like Uncle Eric’s.”
Lucy glanced at his parents. Tony said, “My brother has a Nissan Altima.”
Lucy made a note, and asked Kevin, “Do you see her at your school often?”
“A few times. I just thought she has a kid or something. Ashley’s dad is a lawyer, too.”
“That’s the daughter of one of the senior associates,” Tony said. “She’s a couple years older.”
“Sixth grade,” Kevin said. “I’m in third grade.”
“So a few times—is that a few times lately? Since the school year started?”
He squinted. “Well, maybe since break. I don’t think I saw her before Christmas. But, you know, I might not have noticed. I saw her the first day we got back—I remember only because my grandma was a couple minutes late. The dogs got out because the gardener left the gate open. Grandma called the school and my teacher waited with me. I didn’t really think about it, just thought she looked familiar, but then the next week I saw her again sitting in the car and remembered she was a friend of my mom’s and worked here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nina asked. “Ms. Sharpe doesn’t have a child.”
Kevin shrugged, but looked a little uncertain. “I didn’t think to?”
“You’re not in trouble, Kevin,” Lucy said. “I promise.”
“Did she do something wrong?”
Now he was getting worried, but she didn’t want to lie to him, either. Kids picked up on lies sometimes faster than adults. “Well, a long time ago Ms. Sharpe had a little boy who died. We’re just a bit concerned because she misses him so much we think she might want to find herself another little boy.”