“You quit the agency after that?”
His smile was bitter. “‘Quit’ might not be the right word. More like I was encouraged to leave.”
“You apprehended a sadistic serial killer twice. What would make them…”
“Let’s just say that the Bureau doesn’t take kindly to one of their agents accusing a sitting senator of arranging a murder.”
She told herself to stop right there. She knew the story. There was no reason for him to tell it. She knew every intricate detail of how Clark had been apprehended. Cockiness or carelessness, maybe both, had finally led the FBI to a hole in the wall motel in Orego
n where he’d been staying while terrorizing another city.
The first takedown had been quick, without even a hint of bloodshed. But then the bastard had inexplicably escaped. The second capture had been neither quick nor bloodless. Clark had been lying in wait, ready to kill Ash. The tables had turned dramatically. FBI Agent Asher Drake had single-handedly almost beaten the monster to death.
She also knew all about the senator. There was nothing new that Ash could tell her. But she had to ask more questions for two reasons. First, she needed to hear the facts from Ash, no matter how painful they would be to hear. And second, not asking questions would look suspicious. What person wouldn’t want answers after his statement?
“You think someone…a senator…arranged for Clark’s release?”
“Escape, not release. And I don’t think it, I know it. Proving it is another issue altogether.”
“But why—”
“It’s a long story. Condensed version is I was in Colombia on what I thought was a simple protection detail. We got attacked by a local cartel. The people we were protecting heloed out of there, leaving us to fight our way out. Senator Nora Turner was one of those people.”
“Why would…”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to find out since I recognized her. I confronted her, and she denied it, of course.
“Then we caught a break and finally captured Clark. He was tried and convicted, headed to prison for the rest of his life. His transportation had some problems. Next thing I knew, he’d escaped.”
“And he found you and your wife.”
“Yeah…he found us.”
“And you think…sorry, you believe Turner arranged all of it. But why? If she wanted you dead, wouldn’t it be a lot easier to just hire someone to kill you?”
“Maybe. I don’t know what her thinking was. My instincts tell me she did it to make it look as though Clark had a vendetta against me.”
“But you don’t think that’s the case?”
“Oh, I’m sure he has a vendetta against me, but how many people would have the ability to find a lake house five hours away from my home? Clark had to have connections and intel to find me. The only person who was remotely interested in seeing me dead back then was Turner. She got the intel to Clark and made arrangements for his escape. He took care of the rest.”
“Have you asked her?”
“Not exactly. I confronted her on the steps of the Capitol. Got arrested. Somehow, the press never reported anything about it. I was given the opportunity to resign from the FBI and ordered to stay away from Turner.”
“Have you?”
“No, I have not.”
She almost smiled at that adamant reply. Giving up was not in Asher Drake’s DNA.
“And OZ is working to find proof for you?”
“Yes. And we will. One day, maybe when she least expects it, Nora Turner will finally get exactly what she deserves.”
Jules’s heart squeezed. She so wanted to tell him the truth. But she kept her mouth closed. If he knew what Turner was up to, what would he do?
Ash had given a succinct, condensed version of what had happened. The pain and guilt she knew he must feel were deeply buried. Determination to bring Turner down had taken the forefront, which was how Asher Drake coped. She understood that kind of coping mechanism all too well.