Cut and Run (Lucy Kincaid #16) - Allison Brennan Page 0,2

but I can’t guarantee.”

“I understand,” she said, but she really didn’t. Yes, she understood why Elle couldn’t leave. The one thing she admired about Patrick’s girlfriend was that the lawyer fought for those who couldn’t fight for themselves. But couldn’t Patrick come out for one night? Would it kill them to be apart for a day?

“Luce, you don’t sound like you understand.”

“Let me know. I won’t force you to give me an answer, okay? I just want to see you. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, Sis. I promise, we’ll really try. How’s work? Sean told me about the flooding and the prison escape.”

“All good,” she said, though knew this was just small talk. Sean and Patrick worked together remotely on many projects, and Patrick talked to Sean more than he talked to her.

Lucy heard her name and looked up to see her boss, Rachel Vaughn, motioning for her to come to her office.

“I have to go, my boss just called me in for a meeting.”

“I mean what I said, Lucy. I will do everything possible to come out.”

“I know you will. Love you.” She hung up.

Maybe Rachel had a meaty case for her that would keep her mind off her family this week.

Rachel had called in Nate as well, and he closed the door behind them. Rachel said, “We have a break in the flood case.”

Lucy had been assisting the Bexar and Kerr County Sheriff’s Offices over the last two months in the case of four unidentified skeletons unearthed during the flash flooding over Labor Day weekend.

“IDs?” Lucy asked.

“Yes. It’s more complicated than we thought, which is why I want you to partner with Nate. We’re taking lead, the sheriff here is fine with it. I just got off the phone with his office, but Kerr might have some issues.”

Until now, Lucy’s role in the investigation had been more logistical, as the Bexar County crime lab was working closely with the FBI lab at Quantico. All they knew at this point was that the victims were four Caucasians, a male in his forties, a female in her forties, and two teenage females. The San Antonio ME brought in a forensic anthropologist from the university who said they’d been dead slightly over three years. All four had been shot twice in the back of the head and evidence indicated they’d been killed where they were found, but with the contamination of the burial site, they couldn’t confirm.

“And?” Lucy pressed. “A family, right?” That had been the logical assumption, but DNA testing couldn’t be done overnight.

Rachel nodded. “The Albrights. They disappeared just over three years ago, last seen on Friday, September 21. Denise Albright was an accountant suspected of embezzling three million dollars from a construction company, which had just landed a federal contract for a major public works project. Because federal funds were missing, the AUSA opened an investigation, but it was put on hold when they believed she fled to avoid being questioned. While the theft wasn’t discovered until after she disappeared, the owner of the company had scheduled an independent audit the day she was last seen. It isn’t a stretch to believe that she thought she would be caught.”

“No one knew she’d been killed?”

“Her vehicle was tagged crossing the border in Brownsville the night they disappeared. She and her husband both withdrew the maximum they could from their ATMs that afternoon, used his credit card to fill up with gas in Brownsville and buy supplies at a camping-goods store.”

“So this wasn’t planned—they were running on the fly,” Nate said.

Rachel nodded. “So it appears.”

“Were they suspicious of her?” Lucy asked. “Is that why the owner wanted the audit?”

“I don’t know. His contact information is in the file, so you can reach out.”

Rachel shifted through papers and handed Lucy a business card. “AUSA Shelley Adair handled the case from the beginning, hopefully she has more info about the particulars of the crime. All I know from our database is that it was on hold pending locating Denise Albright. However, we have another issue to deal with—the Albrights also had a son, and his remains weren’t found with his family.”

“How old?” Nate asked.

“He was nine at the time his family disappeared. He would be twelve if he’s still alive, but it’s likely that he was buried elsewhere.”

“Could his remains have been washed away in the flood?” Nate asked.

Lucy shook her head. “Not based on the photos I’ve seen. The four bodies recovered were in the same grave, and even if