The woman said to him. "Aisle or window."

"Aisle."

He'd made it. The security check went even easier- after all, Matt had already been ID'd at the counter, right? The security guard looked at his picture, at his face, but he didn't come up with the fact that the ID said Hunter while the boarding pass read Huntler. Typos are made all the time anyway. You see hundreds or thousands of boarding passes each day. You really wouldn't notice such a small thing.

Once again Matt got to his plane right as the gate was about to close. He settled into his aisle seat, closed his eyes, and didn't wake up until the pilot announced their descent into Reno.

The door to Mother Katherine's office was closed.

This time there was no flashback for Loren. She pounded hard on the door and put her hand on the knob. When she heard Mother Katherine say, "Come in," she was ready.

The Mother Superior had her back to the door. She did not turn around when Loren entered. She merely asked, "Are you sure Sister Mary Rose was murdered?"

"Yes."

"Do you know who did it?"

"Not yet."

Mother Katherine nodded slowly. "Have you learned her real identity?"

"Yes," Loren said. "But it would have been easier if you'd just told me."

She expected Mother Katherine to argue, but she didn't. "I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Unfortunately it was not my place."

"She told you?"

"Not exactly, no. But I knew enough."

"How did you figure it out?"

The old nun shrugged. "Some of her statements about her past," she said. "They didn't add up."

"You confronted her?"

"No, never. And she never told me her true identity. She said it would endanger others. But I know that it was sordid. Sister Mary Rose wanted to move past it. She wanted to make amends. And she did. She contributed much to this school, to these children."

"With her work or with finances?"

"Both."

"She gave you money?"

"The parish," Mother Katherine corrected. "Yes, she gave quite a bit."

"Sounds like guilt money."

Mother Katherine smiled. "Is there any other kind?"

"So that story about chest compressions…?"

"I already knew about the implants. She told me. She also told me that if someone learned who she really was, they'd kill her."

"But you didn't think that happened."

"It appeared to be death by natural causes. I thought it best to leave it alone."

"What changed your mind?"

"Gossip," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"One of our sisters confided to me that she had seen a man in Sister Mary Rose's room. I was suspicious, of course, but I couldn't prove anything. I also needed to protect the school's reputation. So I needed this investigated quietly and without my betraying Sister Mary Rose's trust."

"Enter me."

"Yes."

"And now that you know she was murdered?"

"She left a letter."

"For whom?"

Mother Katherine showed her the envelope. "A woman named Olivia Hunter."

Adam Yates was closing in on panic.

He parked a good distance from the old brewery and waited while Cal quickly cleaned up. The clues would be gone. Cal's weapon could not be traced. The license plates they were using would lead to nowhere. Some crazy person might identify a huge man chasing a woman but there would be no practical way of linking them with the dead bartender.

Perhaps.

No, no perhaps about it. He had been in worse scrapes. The bartender had pulled a rifle on Cal. It would have his fingerprints on it. The untraceable gun would be left behind. They would both be out of state in a matter of hours.

They would get through it.

When Cal sat in the passenger seat, Adam said, "You messed up."

Cal nodded. "I did at that."

"You shouldn't have tried to shoot her."

He nodded again. "A mistake," he agreed. "But we can't let her go. If her background comes out-"

"It's going to come out anyway. Loren Muse knows about it."

"True, but without Olivia Hunter, it doesn't lead anyplace. If she's caught, she will try to save herself. That may mean looking into what happened all those years ago."

Yates felt something inside him start to tear. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Adam?"

He looked at the big man.

"It's too late for that," Dollinger said. "Us or them, remember?"

He nodded slowly.

"We need to find Olivia," Dollinger said. "And I do mean we. If other agents arrest her…"

Yates finished it for him. "She may talk."

"Precisely."

"So we call her in as a material witness," Yates said. "Tell them to keep an eye on the nearby airports and train stations but not to do anything until they notify us."

Cal nodded. "Already done."

Adam Yates considered his options. "Let's head back to the county office. Maybe Loren found something useful on that Kimmy Dale."

They had driven about five minutes when the phone rang. Cal picked it up and barked, "Agent Dollinger."

Cal listened closely.

"Let her land. Have Ted follow her. Do not, repeat, do not, approach. I'll be on the next plane out."

He hung up.

"What?"

"Olivia Hunter," he said. "She's already on a plane to Reno."

"Reno again," Yates said.

"Home of the deceased Charles Talley and Max Darrow."

"And maybe the tape." Yates made a right up ahead. "All the signs are pointing west, Cal. I think we better get to Reno too."

Chapter 51

THE TAXI DRIVER WORKED for a company called Reno Rides. He pulled to a full stop, shifted in park, turned around, and looked Olivia up and down. "You sure this is the place, ma'am?"

Olivia could only stare.

"Ma'am?"

An ornate cross dangled from the taxi's rearview mirror. Prayer cards wallpapered the glove compartment.

"Is this 488 Center Lane Drive?" she asked.

"It is."

"Then this is the place." Olivia reached into her purse. She handed him the money. He handed her a pamphlet.

"You don't have to do this," he said.

The pamphlet was church-affiliated. John 3:16 was on the cover. She managed to smile.

"Jesus loves you," the driver said.

"Thank you."

"I'll take you anywhere else you want to go. No charge."

"It's okay," Olivia said.

She stepped out of the taxi. The driver gave her a forlorn look. She waved as he departed. Olivia cupped a hand over her eyes. The sign of tired neon read:

EAGER BEAVER-NUDE DANCING.

Her body began to quake. Old reaction, she guessed. She had never been in this place, but she knew it. She knew the dirty pickups that littered the lot. She knew the men trudging in mindlessly, the low lights, the sticky feel of the dance pole. She headed toward the door, knowing what she'd find inside.

Matt feared prison- going back. This, right in front of her, was her prison.

Candi Cane lives another day.

Olivia Hunter had tried to exorcise Candace "Candi Cane" Potter years ago. Now the girl was back in a big bad way. Forget what experts tell you: You can indeed wipe away the past. Olivia knew that. She could jam Candi in some back room, lock the door, destroy the key. She had almost done it- would have done- but there'd been one thing that always kept that door, no matter how hard she pushed, from closing all the way.

Her child.

A chill scrambled down her back. Oh, God, she thought. Was her daughter working here?

Please no.

It was four P.M. Still plenty of time before the midnight meeting. She could go somewhere else, find a Starbucks maybe or get a motel room, grab some sleep. She had caught a little shut-eye on the plane out here, but she could definitely use more.

When she first landed, Olivia called FBI headquarters and asked to speak to Adam Yates. When she was connected to the office of the Special Agent in Charge, she hung up.