The Black List by Robin Burcell

Author:Robin Burcell
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2012-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

3

Sydney walked up the driveway after Carillo dropped her off that evening, and she stared at the two-­story gray and white house of her childhood, with the ivy growing up the side, its twisting trunk as thick as a tree. An ancient oak stood on either side of the yard, moonlight filtering through the branches. Tiny white Christmas lights twinkled in the bushes that bordered the front porch as though fireflies hovered over them. She loved this house, the one constant in her life that didn’t change. It didn’t matter where she lived or where her job took her. This was home, and she walked up to the steps and sat, not yet ready to go inside.

Although the curtains were closed, she knew her mother, stepfather, and Angie were sitting inside, laughing, being a family. It was what she thought of when feeling overwhelmed. It brought her comfort and gave her strength.

Why then was it having the opposite effect as she sat there now?

She glanced at the envelope Carillo had given her in the car and knew why. She’d left California partly because of these numbers, moved all the way across the country so her work wouldn’t bleed over into her personal life. And here she was, letting it happen again. Sure it was Carillo’s wife this time, but she’d interrupted her holiday visit with her family, and suddenly become embroiled in a murder investigation that meant she and Carillo were now on administrative leave until the facts were sorted through. Worse was that any chance of a simple, peaceful vacation was now going to be ruined because of the constant phone calls from the investigators who would undoubtedly find one more question to ask, one more detail that needed to be outlined. That was the primary reason she cut short her trip, deciding to return back to Washington, D.C., tomorrow. She didn’t want to subject her family to having to hear any of it.

“Hey.”

She looked over, saw Carillo standing in the driveway. “I thought you’d left.”

“You were looking a little lost. And I guess my conscience got to me. Like you said, not how you pictured your Christmas vacation.”

She shrugged, then let out a sigh. “Not so much that as my mother is going to be . . . disappointed. It’s bad enough that I’m late, but I’m trying to figure out how to even tell her. Sorry I missed dinner, but had to knock off an assassin who mistook Carillo for his wife’s boyfriend.”

“I dunno. Sounds good to me.”

“Yeah, if you’re describing the plot to a movie, maybe. Not when you hate everything about your daughter’s job.”

“Angie would like it.”

Sydney smiled at the thought. “Definitely.”

They sat there in silence for several minutes, just staring out at the moon-­dappled lawn. After a moment Carillo said, “I’ve been thinking.”

“Not good.”

“Sheila mentioned that some guy in Washington, D.C., could back up Trip’s story. Maybe shed a little light on what’s going on—” He stopped, pulled his phone from his belt, looked at the screen.

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