A Deeper Fear (Lucy Kincaid #17.5) - Allison Brennan Page 0,1

convinced Nate to move into the rooms I built above my garage and get out of the dump he calls an apartment, so he’s there keeping an eye on Jess.” He paused. “I considered staying, letting Lucy have some time to herself with you and Megan, but she said she’d cancel and stay home. I didn’t want her to do that, especially since she has a presentation and everything.”

Jack hadn’t known that Sean wanted to stay home. That was definitely cause for concern—he’d been looking forward to coming out here up until last month.

“I, for one, am glad you came.” He glanced at his watch. “We should get going. I promised Megan I’d join her for the meet and greet.”

“I can’t,” Sean said. “I told Lucy I was going to Duke’s.”

“Want me to drop you off?”

“I have the rental car, I’m good. Thanks.”

“I’d join you if I could, but then Megan would be mad at me.” Jack didn’t like crowds. They made him itchy.

“No, go, it’s okay.”

“Don’t forget—tomorrow morning is the Pride Tactical presentation, and you know how Ellen is.”

“We worked out all the bugs months ago.”

“She’s a friend. You told her you would be there to answer questions.”

“I’ll be there. But it’s going to be fine.”

Sean was usually all over any new tech, and up until his arrest last month, he’d been excited about this project. Pride Tactical had hired RCK and Sean to test a drone, and he’d uncovered and solved half a dozen glitches. He generally liked bragging about his accomplishments, and this was one that he should brag about.

“After the demonstration we’re meeting for lunch at DeVere’s Pub.”

“I miss that place. There’s only one decent Irish pub in San Antonio, but nothing like DeVere’s.”

“Agree with you there, buddy.” Jack stood, clapped Sean on the shoulder and went inside.

Yeah, something was up with Sean, but Jack hoped a few days with nothing on his plate would help.

* * *

The Bi-Annual California Multi-Jurisdictional Law Enforcement Conference, sponsored by the FBI and open to all sworn officers, was the smaller version of the national FBI conference. Someday Lucy would love to attend the national conference, but space was limited and only six agents from the San Antonio office were attending this summer. She couldn’t really complain about not being chosen, considering that all those attending were senior agents with more than five years’ experience. This smaller conference was the next best thing, even though Lucy knew that her sister-in-law Megan had something to do with Lucy’s presentation. Lucy was speaking on a panel about psychology and modern interrogation techniques.

The only thing that put a damper on this week was that Sean was still out of sorts after his ordeal, which had ended only four weeks ago. She’d offered to skip the conference—she thought maybe they could spend a long weekend at their house in Vail where they’d have the privacy to talk, just them, but Sean said no, he didn’t want her to cancel. If he’d insisted on staying home, however, she would have, because she could tell there was something up with him.

Nate, her partner and their closest friend, had moved into the apartment above the garage at Sean’s suggestion. Lucy liked having Nate close by, but it meant they didn’t have as much privacy. It was almost as if Sean had Nate eat dinner with them every night . . . play video games . . . go out with Jesse . . . to avoid being alone with her. Yet . . . he was so quiet. Very unlike him. Dillon thought he should talk to someone—a professional—but Lucy knew Sean wouldn’t. Right now all she could do was be there when he was ready to talk.

He’d told her a lot about what happened after his arrest last month. The interrogation by the police for a murder he didn’t commit had been emotionally exhausting and humiliating, as well as infuriating. She’d seen the interrogation tapes—thanks to a friend of Nate’s in the Houston FBI—and they had been difficult just to watch, so she could only imagine how Sean felt living through it. Then being in jail overnight. He talked about it—his feeling of being trapped, helpless, unable to convince the police that he was innocent of the charges. In fact, he was very open about the first twenty-four hours of his ordeal, the anger and the fear and the frustration.

But he wouldn’t talk about what happened to him at the hands of former senator Jonathan Paxton,