“It’s only a theory,” Walton went on. “But we know this woman knows you, Tracy. That she wants to draw you into this whole mess with Group 99 and the hostages. Someone messed with Blake’s truck—Blake who, as you said yourself, has no enemies.”
Tracy shook her head more vehemently.
No. This can’t be because of me. Nick and Blake can’t be dead because of me.
“An unknown woman, fitting Althea’s description, then followed Blake and your son, possibly driving them off the road.”
With a huge effort of will, Tracy forced herself to be logical.
“It doesn’t add up. For one thing, how would harming Blake or Nick help her?”
“I don’t know,” Greg admitted. “Maybe she simply wanted to hurt you. Or maybe she thought, with your family out of the picture, you’d agree to come help us. To get involved.”
There was a horrible, twisted plausibility to this that made Tracy’s heart race. Even so . . .
“It’s so messy, though. A car accident,” she said. “What if they’d survived? I mean Nicholas almost did. When I saw him afterwards, at the hospital, he . . .”
She stopped dead. All of a sudden she looked as if she’d seen a ghost.
“What?” Greg Walton asked. “Tracy, what is it?”
“At the hospital,” she whispered. “I saw someone go into his room.”
“Who?”
“A nurse. I thought it was a nurse. She was in uniform. But . . .”
Greg took her hands in his. “Tell me, Tracy. What did she look like?”
“I only saw her from behind. But I noticed her because she had mud all over her sneakers. Like she’d been out hiking or something.”
“What else?”
Tracy looked right at him. “She had long, dark hair. And she was really, really tall.”
AFTER TRACY CHECKED INTO a hotel, Greg Walton picked up the phone.
“How is she mentally?” Milton Buck asked.
“Shaky. She’s still in shock.”
“And physically?”
“Terrible. She looked like she’d aged twenty years. Her hair’s completely white.”
“Jesus.” Buck whistled through his teeth. “But she’ll do it? She’s in?”
“Are you kidding me?” Despite everything, Greg Walton couldn’t entirely keep the smile out of his voice. “Tracy Whitney won’t rest until she finds Althea now. She’s in all right. To the death.”
MILTON BUCK HUNG UP, turned to his wife and hugged her tightly.
“What was that for?” Lacey Buck giggled. Milton had been like a bear with a sore head these past few weeks. He was always this way when work was going badly.
“Oh nothing.” Buck grinned. “Sorry I’ve been such a Grinch. Turns out it might just be a merry Christmas after all.”
PART TWO
CHAPTER 10