Aaron Jeffrey Kincaid’s phone rang. His private line. “Hello?”
“You got it mostly right, Aaron,” said the voice on the other end. “The chess pieces didn’t quite match, though. And the knot in the rope was tied on the wrong side of the neck.”
“Who is this?”
“At first I wasn’t sure it was you, but when the second body showed up, I knew it couldn’t be anyone else.”
“Sevren?”
A harsh laugh. “I’ve used a lot of names over the years.”
After a brief pause. “Yes. I’m not surprised.”
“A name is just another kind of mask.”
“Yes, I suppose.”
Another pause. “It wasn’t easy to find you, Aaron.”
“I’ve been trying to keep a low profile.”
“I’ll always remember those months we had together at the group home. You remember the first time? In the forest?”
“The cat?”
“Yes. What I did with the pocket knife?”
“I remember.”
“I’ve gotten much better since then, Aaron.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Practice makes perfect.”
“What is it you want, Sevren?”
“I want you to stop interfering in my game. Or maybe I want you to enter it with both feet. I haven’t decided.”
“So. The two girls.”
“Yes. You used my handiwork to hide your own. You remembered from those afternoons in the forest, with the animals.”
“There won’t be any others. I promise.”
“Mmm. Well, before you cross your heart and hope to die, I have to say, I think you used me. And I think you might owe me a favor.”
Aaron should have seen it coming. Sevren had somehow tracked him down. He could tell the authorities who Aaron really was, and completely disrupt the family’s plans. Everything could be lost. Aaron decided he needed to evaluate this situation very carefully. “What kind of favor do you want? Money?”
“No, Aaron, not for me. I want something money can’t buy. I want you to help me tell a little story to a certain FBI agent who just doesn’t know when to die.”
“I’m listening.”
And when Kincaid found out that the agent was in North Carolina, he realized it was destiny after all that was bringing them together.
And he was always glad to fulfill that.