It’s too late, too late for any of that now…

Kate stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for seven.

It was one of those old industrial types, clattering as it passed every floor.

All she wanted to do was get inside her apartment and bolt the fucking door.

The elevator rattled to a stop on seven. Kate clutched her key and threw open the heavy outer door.

Two men stood facing her.

Oh, God, no!

Her heart rose up in her chest. Kate backed away and tried to scream. But to what end? No one would hear her.

She knew what they were there to do.

Then one of the men stepped forward. “Ms. Raab?” His hands reached to steady her shoulders.

“Kate.”

She looked up. Tears welled in her eyes. She recognized him. She broke down in sobs, staring at his salt-and-pepper hair.

It was Phil Cavetti. The WITSEC agent.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Kate literally hurled herself at him, her whole body paralyzed by fear.

“It’s okay, Kate,” he said, and wrapped her safely in his arms.

Kate nodded, pressing her face against his jacket. “I thought I was being followed. I thought-”

“I’m sorry.” Cavetti held her closely. “That was probably my man. At the bus stop. We just wanted to be sure you were heading home.”

Kate shut her eyes and sucked in a shaky breath, a mixture of nerves and unimaginable relief. She felt her heart rate subside. She pulled away, trying to compose herself.

“Why are you here?”

“This is James Nardozzi,” Cavetti said, introducing the man with him-lean, sharp-jawed, a plain gray suit and equally plain red tie under his raincoat. “He’s with the Justice Department.”

“Yes.” Kate nodded, slightly chagrined. “I remember you from the trial.”

The lawyer smiled thinly.

“We need to ask you some questions, Kate,” the WITSEC agent said. “Can we come in?”

“Of course.” Her hands were still a little jittery. She had some trouble aligning the key with the lock and pulling back the bolt. Fergus was barking at the door. “It’s okay, boy…”

She opened the door to her apartment and flicked on the lights. Kate could never remember feeling such an overwhelming sensation of relief. Thank God they were here. It was about Tina, she assumed. She wanted to tell them anyway. She couldn’t go on holding it back like this anymore.

“Okay.” She placed her groceries on the counter. “Shoot… Poor choice of words.” She smiled.

Kate gradually felt back on her axis. “Go ahead. I know why you’re here.”

Phil Cavetti looked at her a little blankly. What he said sent her axis reeling.

“When was the last time you heard from your father, Kate?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“My father…?”

Kate blinked back at him, wide-eyed, and shook her head. “I haven’t spoken to him since the trial. Why?”

Cavetti shot a glance to the Justice lawyer. Then he cleared his throat. “We have to show you some things, Kate.” He took out a manila envelope from under his raincoat and stepped over to the kitchen counter. His peremptory tone had Kate a little scared.

“What I’m going to show you is highly confidential,” he said, unfastening the clasp. “It may also be a bit distressing. You might want to sit down.”

“You’re making me nervous, Agent Cavetti.” Kate looked at him, lowering herself onto a stool. Her heart began to quicken.

“I understand.” He started to lay out a series of graphic eight-by-ten black-and-white photos on the counter.

Crime-scene photos.

Kate held back a start, convinced she was about to see her father there. But it wasn’t. All the shots were of a woman. Stripped down to her underwear. Tied to a chair. Some of the photos were full body and others were close-ups-her face, parts of her body, covered in wounds. They were gruesome. The woman’s head hung to the side. There were bloodstains-her shoulders, her knees. Kate winced. She could see they came from multiple gunshot wounds. She put a wary hand on Cavetti’s arm.

There were marks on both the woman’s breasts, deep discolorations. The next shot was a close-up of one breast. Kate saw now what the marks were. She’d been burned. On her breasts and nipples. Charred. Her right nipple had been entirely removed-cut off.

“I’m sorry, Kate,” Phil Cavetti said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Why are you showing me these?” Kate looked at him. “What do these have to do with my father?”

“Please, Kate, just a couple more.” Cavetti spread out two or three more photos. The first was a stark close-up of the left side of the victim’s face. It was totally swollen and discolored, bruised from the eye to the cheek. Whoever she had been was barely recognizable.

Kate pushed back a surge of bile in her gut. This was sickening, horrible. What kind of monster would do this?

“The wounds you’re seeing”-Cavetti finally laid down the envelope-“weren’t meant to be fatal, Kate. They were meant to keep the victim alive as long as possible, to prolong her agony. There was no sexual abuse. All her belongings were in place. This woman was simply tortured.”

“Tortured…?” Kate felt her stomach turn.

“To extract information, we believe,” the Justice lawyer put in. “To induce her to talk, Ms. Raab.”

“I thought you were here about Tina.” Kate stared up at them, confused.

“We know about Ms. O’Hearn,” Phil Cavetti said. “And we know how that must be for you, Kate, in all regards. But please, I’m sorry, one more…”

The WITSEC agent removed a final photograph from the envelope and placed it on the counter in front of Kate.

It was even more disturbing. Kate averted her eyes.

It displayed the far side of the woman’s face. Her bruised and swollen eyes were rolled back under her lids. Her matted brown hair fell forward, slightly covering her face.

But not enough to conceal the dark, dime-size hole in the right side of her forehead.

“Christ!” Kate sucked in a sharp breath, wanting to turn away again. “Why are you showing me these? Why are you asking about my father?”

But then something stopped her. Her eyes grew wide, transfixed.

Kate went back to the photo. She saw something. She slowly picked it up and stared.

“Oh, my God…” Kate gasped, the blood draining from her face.

I know her.

At first she couldn’t see it-the poor woman’s wounds were so disfiguring, but suddenly the features-the mole on the side of her mouth-came clear.

Kate turned back to Phil Cavetti, a cramp of revulsion gripping her abdomen.

The woman in the photo was Margaret Seymour.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“Oh, good Lord, no…” Kate shut her eyes, nausea overcoming her. “This can’t be true. It’s horrible…”

Margaret Seymour had been attractive and pleasant. She had reached out to Em in order to make her transition as easy as possible. The whole family’s. They all liked her. No…good God.

“Who did this?” Kate shook her head, repulsed. “Why?”

“We don’t know.” Phil Cavetti got up and went over to the sink and poured her a glass of water. “This happened Thursday, last week. In a warehouse park outside of Chicago. All we do know is that Agent Seymour went there to meet someone-related to a case. I know how troubling it is.”

Kate gulped down a mouthful of cooling water, unable to stop shaking her head.

Cavetti squeezed her arm. “Like we said, we’re thinking this wasn’t designed to kill her at first but to get her to talk. To divulge something.”

“I don’t understand…”

“The whereabouts of a reassignment, Ms. Raab,” the Justice lawyer interjected. “Someone in the program.”