Way of the Shadows (Shadow Agents #8)(10)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Chapter Three

“Uh, are you real sure you want to do this?” Sheriff Hodges asked as he slammed his car door and turned toward Noelle and Thomas. The snow was still falling.

They were outside the senator’s home. She and Thomas had insisted they be brought straight over. Noelle wanted to look into the senator’s eyes and see his reaction to their survival. If he was the guy who’d just tried to send them to an icy grave, his reaction would tell her everything she needed to know.

“Senator Duncan…” The sheriff’s voice was cautious. “He has a lot of power around here.”

“We’re not worried about his power.” Noelle brushed past the sheriff and headed for the gate that led to the senator’s property. It was ajar, so she just kept marching right up to the front door. She was wearing a thick coat about two sizes too big, a spare that Hodges kept in his trunk. Gloves covered her fingers, and a big woolen cap swallowed her hair. Thomas followed right on her heels. After what they’d been through, there was no way they’d allow the senator to slip through their fingers that night.

“Maybe you two should go to the local doc’s place,” the sheriff said as he rushed after them. “Make sure you’re not suffering from some kind of trauma.”

Noelle wasn’t concerned about trauma. Before she could slam her fist against the door, Thomas beat her to it. He pounded hard enough to shake the facade.

Lights flooded on from the interior of the house.

“I’m gonna be in so much trouble,” Hodges muttered.

The man needed to grow a backbone.

Eyes narrowed, Noelle focused on the door. When it swung open a few minutes later, a disheveled Paula Quill stood in the doorway.

“Agents?” Paula shoved back her hair. “What are you doing here?”

Noelle advanced and Paula fell back. Noelle figured that counted as an invitation to enter the place. “We’re here to see the senator, now.”

“But it’s the middle of the night!” Paula’s hands tightly gripped the front of her robe. “You can’t just barge in here—”

That was exactly what they’d just done. Noelle glanced to the left and saw a light was on in the senator’s study, and its door was slightly open. Just like the gate. The senator should really watch that tendency to keep inviting folks in.

“The senator is sleeping,” Paula snapped as she moved to stand directly in front of Noelle. “You’ll have to come back in the morning if you want another appointment with him.”

Noelle simply walked around the other woman and headed for the study.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Thomas murmured to Paula, “but this appointment can’t wait.”

Noelle’s steps quickened as she approached that study door. Thomas was close. She could hear him following her. “Senator Duncan,” Noelle called, raising her voice, “I hope you—” She fully pushed open the door, and her words broke off.

Noelle didn’t see the senator in the office. He wasn’t at his desk.

“I told you,” Paula said, voice tight. “He’s asleep. He’s upstairs! Now, leave.”

But…Noelle could smell something in that room. A familiar, gut-tightening scent. Instead of leaving, she advanced. Every muscle in her body tightened.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Thomas’s eyes were narrowed and currently sweeping over the room.

She looked behind the desk. Looked behind the leather couch…

And saw the body.

“That’s not sleeping,” Thomas said flatly as he peered down at the senator. “That’s dead.”

Paula ran toward the sofa. When she saw Duncan, Paula screamed.

* * *

“OUR CHIEF SUSPECT is dead.”

Noelle glanced over when Thomas made this grim announcement. They were at the sheriff’s station in Camden, in fresh clothes, and the two of them were currently heading the investigation into the senator’s death. When they’d found the body, Sheriff Hodges had pretty much gone into shock.

“Things like this just don’t happen in Camden…” Those had been the sheriff’s hushed words once Paula Quill finally stopped screaming. It had taken at least fifteen minutes to calm down that woman.

To Noelle, it appeared as if the quiet town of Camden was having one hell of a night.

“Yeah, Mercer, I’m sure the guy in the truck wanted us dead. It was no mere hit-and-run. We were targeted.” Thomas turned toward Noelle as he kept the phone to his ear. “My money was on the senator being behind that attack, but with him dead…” Thomas exhaled. “I’m not sure what’s going on now.”

Neither was Noelle.

“Right,” Thomas said into the phone as his shoulders straightened. “We’ll keep the FBI cover, and we’ll report back on everything we find.” He ended the call and tossed his phone onto the nearby desk.

They’d taken over one of the empty offices at the sheriff’s station so they could have some privacy—and a base for their operations.

“Mercer wants us to stay here until we find the killer.” Thomas ran a hand through his hair. “Our FBI cover positions us to lead the case, so he thinks we can control the investigation.”

They could. If Sheriff Hodges called to verify their credentials, Noelle knew Mercer would just pull strings to make sure that verification went through without a hitch.

“Tell me what’s happening,” Thomas said as he crossed his arms over his chest and studied her. “You’re the one who knows killers so well.”

Yes, she did. Noelle cleared her throat. “The senator knew his killer. There was no sign of a struggle, and since none of the alarms were triggered in the house, I’m thinking Duncan even let the guy inside.” A bad mistake. He’d trusted the wrong person. “There were no hesitation wounds on the senator’s body. The knife sliced straight across his carotid artery. The senator…he would’ve been dead in moments.” With his throat cut, the man hadn’t been able to cry out for help. He’d just been able to die.

Noelle forced herself to take a long, deep breath. “I think we’re looking for a man who has killed before.” If it had been the killer’s first time, the attack would’ve been more disorganized. Senator Duncan might have even been able to fight back. “And knife attacks…they’re more personal. Using a knife is a type of intimate kill for many perpetrators.”

His golden eyes gleamed. “So you think the man we’re looking for was a friend of Duncan’s.”