Saving Faith by David Baldacci Page B

You were able to follow me even though the FBI assured me no one could. You were in that house tonight. Your face is on the tape. An FBI agent is dead. You fired your gun. You say you shot the other man, but you have no way to prove another man was even there. So the proven facts are we have you at the house and me at the house. You fired your gun and an FBI agent is dead.”
    “The ammo that killed that guy is not something my pistol happens to chamber,” he said angrily, releasing her arm.
    “So you threw the other gun away.”
    “Why would I snatch you from the place, then? If I was the shooter, why wouldn’t I have killed you back there?”
    “I’m not saying what
I
think, Mr. Adams. I’m just suggesting to you that the FBI might suspect you. I suppose if there’s nothing in your past to make them suspicious, the FBI might believe you.” She added offhandedly, “They’ll probably just investigate you for a year and then drop it if nothing turns up.”
    Lee scowled at her. His recent past was squeaky clean. Going back a little further, the waters got a little murkier. When he was first starting out as a PI, he had done some things he would never even consider doing now. Not illegal, but still hard to explain to straightlaced federal agents.
    And then there was the restraining order his ex had gotten right before Lucky Eddie had struck patent gold. Claimed Lee was stalking her, was perhaps violent. Lee would have become violent if he had gotten hold of the little shit. Every time Lee thought about the bruises on his daughter’s arms and cheek when he had made an unexpected visit to their rat-trap apartment he almost had a stroke. Trish claimed Renee had fallen down the stairs. Stood there and lied to his face, when Lee could see the imprint of what he knew was a knuckle against his daughter’s soft skin. He had taken a crowbar to Eddie’s car and would’ve taken one to Eddie if the guy hadn’t locked himself in the bathroom and called the cops.
    So did he really want the FBI snooping around his life for the next twelve months? On the other hand, if he let the woman walk away and the Feds tracked him down, then where would he be? Everywhere he turned, he ran into a nest of snakes.
    Faith spoke in a pleasant tone. “Do you want to drop me at the Washington Field Office? They’re at Fourth and F Streets.”
    “Okay, okay, you’ve made your point,” Lee said hotly. “But I didn’t ask for this crap to be dropped in my lap.”
    “And I didn’t ask for you to become involved in this either. But . . .”
    “But what?”
    “But if you weren’t there tonight, I wouldn’t be alive right now. I’m sorry I haven’t thanked you before. I’m thanking you now.”
    Despite his suspicions, Lee felt his anger slowly receding. Either the woman was sincere or she was one of the slickest operators he’d come across. Or maybe it was a little slice of both. This was Washington, after all.
    “Always glad to help a lady,” he said dryly. “Okay, supposing I decide not to turn you in. What do you have in mind to pass the night away?”
    “I need to get away from here. I need some time to think things through.”
    “The FBI is not going to just let you walk away. I’m assuming you’ve cut some sort of deal.”
    “Not yet. And even if I had, don’t you think I have good grounds to declare them in default?”
    “What about the people who tried to kill you?”
    “Once I have some space, I can decide what to do. I’ll probably end up just going back to the FBI. But I don’t want to die. I don’t want anyone else associated with me to die.” She stared very deliberately at him.
    “I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself. So where do you plan to run, and how do you plan to get there?”
    Faith started to say something and then stopped. She looked down, suddenly wary.
    “If you don’t trust me, Faith, none of this works,” Lee prodded gently. “If I let you walk, that means I’m going to