Page 104 of Seal of Honor
Yeah
He picked up the phone again, but set it down and typed:
Do you have Chloe Van Amee’s background too?
No, never saw the need to look into her. Should I have?
I don’t know. Maybe.
I’m on it.
The computer beeped with an incoming email. Marcus accessed his inbox and raised the phone to his ear again.
“Danny, you still there?”
“What did you find out?” he asked.
“Harvard just sent the file. Hang on a sec.” He read it over, swore loud and long, and opened the picture attachment just another message from Harvard popped up:
FUCK
The pic opened, and Marcus stared into the face of a teenage Claudia Rivera.
The chat dinged with another picture from Harvard, one of Chloe standing next to her husband.
IS THIS CHLOE VAN AMEE?
That’s her.
To Danny, he said, “Just got a picture of Claudia and one of Chloe, and I’m looking at them side-by-side. I think you’re on to something. Chloe’s about fifteen pounds lighter, has bigger boobs, fuller lips, a straighter nose, and blonde hair, but there’s still a strong resemblance. Too strong to be a coincidence.”
Danny cursed. “It’s always the spouse, man. It’s so obvious, and yet we overlooked it because she just seemed…” He trailed off. “Not all that bright. She acted her part perfectly. Academy Award-winning stuff. She doesn’t even have an accent. Except…” He paused. “I did hear it once or twice when she said certain words. Couldn’t place it at the time, but I remember wondering about it.”
“All right, listen,” Marcus said. “I’m going to have Harvard send everything he finds your way. Try to get the Bureau involved. I’ll contact Quinn and see if we can set up a protective detail on Van Amee. Keep in touch.”
He hung up and was in the process of changing his clothes when his phone rang again. He expected Giancarelli, but it was Harvard.
Switching the phone to speaker, he tugged off his dirty shirt and picked a clean one out of his dresser. “Nice timing, man. I was just about to call?—”
“I checked Chloe Van Amee’s financial records,” Harvard said without preamble. “Her personal accounts are nearly dry, but she scraped together enough to buy a first-class ticket to Costa Rica. For tonight. Her plane arrived in San Jose two hours ago.”
CHAPTER 39
Chloe blinked when Gabe slid a protective arm around Audrey’s waist. If she had less Botox injected into her face, that pinched expression might have been a frown.
“Who’s he?” she asked again in a voice full of suspicion and a hint of gossipy speculation.
Audrey ignored the question, instead answering with a couple of her own. “Where’s Bryson? Is he okay?”
Chloe wasn’t the type of sister-in-law to drop in unannounced. She wasn’t even the type to drop in announced. Five minutes ago, Audrey would have bet her life savings that Chloe didn’t even know where she lived and would never see the inside of her home, yet here the woman stood on the porch, staring warily at Gabe.
Jeez, was today the day for unexpected visits or what?
“I need to talk to you,” Chloe said.
“You couldn’t do it over the phone?” Gabe asked.
Her too-plump lips pressed together. “No. I couldn’t.” Then she looked him over with a critical eye. “You’re one of the men who rescued my husband.”
