The Heart of Lies by Debra Burroughs Read Free Book Online

pocket. “I’m not promising anything, but I’m happy to check with my friends at the CIA, see what I can turn up. Maybe the FBI had him in witness protection or something, too. Did you consider that? Fits the facts.”
    Emily ran her fingers through her hair as she sat cross-legged on the floor. “Could be.”
    After a few more minutes of playing what-ifs , Jethro stood, so Isabel and Emily followed suit.
    “You have no idea how much it would mean to me to finally know the truth,” Emily said, facing the retired federal agent.
    “Yes, my friend, your help is huge,” Isabel agreed, patting his shoulder.
    “Before you go, I have one more question—a hypothetical question.” Emily looked at Isabel, who nodded for her to proceed.
    Jethro’s eyes fixed on Emily’s with a serious stare. “Okay.” He drew out the word as he crossed his arms across his chest. “What’s your question—hypothetically?”
    She paused for a moment and swallowed hard before speaking. “What if Evan had been involved in something where a gun was used and he hid the gun so it wouldn’t be found?”
    “Go on,” Jethro encouraged.
    “And let’s say, hypothetically , the gun was found by a friend. What should that friend do with the gun? Give it to the police?”
    Jethro frowned. He turned and glanced at Isabel, then back to Emily. “Hypothetically?” he asked, raising his brows.
    Emily nodded.
    “Hypothetically, the friend should give it to the FBI. If the friend gave it to Isabel, for example, she could make sure it’s checked against any federal investigations first.”
    “I agree—hypothetically, of course,” Isabel concurred.
    Jethro explained that Isabel could also check with the CIA to see if the gun was used in any cases they were involved with. Then, if it was cleared by the FBI and CIA, the gun could then be turned over to the police to search for a match in any of their investigations.
    “I see,” Emily replied, feeling overwhelmed.
    “So, one could start with the federal agencies, then go local, or vice versa—either way,” Isabel said.
    “Good to know,” Emily replied, “if I ever run across something like that.”
    “So,” Jethro grinned, “can I get a look at this hypothetical gun?”
    ~*~
    After Isabel and her friend left, Emily cleared the food and drinks, then raced back to her bedroom to change into her black jeans and thin black sweater. She pulled her hair up into a stretchy skull cap and tugged a curly dark brown wig on over it—just a girl getting ready to go to work. She stuck a pair of black framed glasses on and admired her handiwork in the bathroom mirror. Grabbing her purse and camera, she headed out.
    Emily stuck her Bluetooth earpiece on as she drove to the Hilton Hotel to catch her mark in the act. The wife, her client, had found credit card charges to this hotel dated every Monday for the last month, when her husband claimed he was working late.
    Emily had a friend, named Trudi, who worked the evening front desk at the hotel. Trudi had experience with a cheating husband, and she happily agreed to help Emily and temporarily loan out a hotel uniform jacket to catch the scumbag , as her friend put it.
    On the drive over, Emily called Colin and told him all about her meeting with Isabel and Jethro.
    “And then he asked to see the gun,” Emily said with a hint of disbelief.
    “You didn’t really think he’d buy the hypothetical thing, did you?” Colin asked. “I wouldn’t have either.”
    “No, it was more of a veil. I couldn’t exactly admit I had a gun that could have been involved in a crime, but I wanted his advice.” Emily pulled her car into the hotel’s nearly empty parking lot and turned the engine off.
    “Are you going to turn it in?” he asked.
    “Probably, but I want to discuss it a little further with Isabel.” Emily looked around for a silver Lexus SUV, as the wife had described, but it was nowhere to be seen. “I might as well. We’re not going to find out the