Trust Me by Anna Wells Page B

wondered if she needed warning
or not.  The files were, of course copies, ones that had been
severed.  He had called Harris from his cell when he had been making
coffee.  He had asked him to send the file, but to exclude all the
incriminating information they had about Alaina.  He couldn't let her know
she was a suspect. It was better if she remained unaware.
    “Before I read this I just want to send Elise a text
and let her know I will be out of town for a couple of days.”
    “Okay, but after that turn off your cell as a safety
precaution.  You can be located through your cell.”
    “All right, I hadn’t thought of that.” She was a
little freaked by that idea, so she quickly texted Elise and shut off her
phone.
    Finally she returned her attention to the envelope,
retrieving two files from inside.  As she began reading through the
contents, the evidence was unmistakable and her worst fears were
confirmed.  Donovan's belief in her father's guilt was greatly
substantiated by the documents she read.  The bombings blamed on the OAS
had occurred at federal buildings across the country.  An individual
working for the federal government would receive a box, upon opening it the
bomb inside would explode, killing the opener and often injuring anyone in
close proximity.  The bombs apparently were packed with a combination of
nails and explosive powder and the effect of the explosion was devastating on
its surroundings.  Alaina remembered reading about the bombings at the
time, several years ago. She had been horrified then, but as she read the file
her horror grew.  The file contained records of plane tickets, hotel
reservations, and car rentals all of which coincided with the dates of the
bombings that had taken place in the United States during a two-year
period.  There was also a copy of a receipt for a large amount of Hercules
Red Dot double base powder, the kind used in the bombings, according to the
forensic file.  There was a sworn affidavit by the clerk from the gun
store who identified her father as the purchaser.   Everything
pointed to Tom Simmons. She felt utterly and completely betrayed.  She had
let her father back into her life and he’d betrayed her.  He had even used
her to protect his records.  How could she have been such an idiot? She
had gone toe to toe with the FBI for her father’s sake and he’d made a complete
fool of her.  She’d placed her trust in the wrong man.
    The file on the OAS contained transcripts of
conversations between her father and other members of the organization. 
The communications consisted of him confirming he would be in certain locations
at specified times.  Although there was no mention of bombings in the
conversations, the places and dates all coincided with the time and places of
the bombings.  However, Alaina realized that the link was not strong
enough since not once did any of the members in the OAS make any mention of the
bombings.  The FBI would need more solid evidence to connect the
explosions to the organization.  That was obviously what the FBI was
hoping to find in the records that had been placed with the historical society. 
Something else was nagging at the back of her mind, but she just couldn't put
her finger on it.  She had the feeling there was some other
connection.  She looked up from the files and saw that they were almost in
Newport Beach. She had been so engrossed in them that she had failed to notice
that several hours had slipped past.  Donovan had been driving and had
obviously decided to let her read the records undisturbed. 
    She felt the tears streaming down her face.  She
had trusted her father, and had been his advocate and he had totally betrayed
her.  The son of a bitch was a terrorist and she unknowingly had been
trying to cover his tracks for him.
     “God, I’m such a loser.  I put my heart and
soul into protecting my father’s documents and his organization and the whole
time you were right.  My father