Chapter 75

“We’ve got to get going. The meet is set for five thirty,” Poppy says to Michael when he returns to the hospital waiting room.

He has a faraway look in his eyes. Poppy doesn’t have any recollection of this man who meant so much to her father. She doesn’t remember Dad and Michael Lane hanging out. But Poppy’s father was most definitely there when Michael needed him: the night Alison was abducted and two men were killed and ended up at the bottom of Suncatcher Lake.

“Where’s the meet?” Michael asks.

“An Econo Lodge about five minutes from here.”

Michael shakes his head. “No way.”

“They don’t want you to come to a field office.” She doesn’t say why, but it’s obvious: O’Leary has someone on the inside.

Ryan and Alison are on their feet now, listening.

“I want somewhere public,” Michael says. “And I’m going on my own. I need to make sure all this is square before I put her on the line again.” He looks at his daughter, and nods like she’ll understand what he means.

“That’s not what I discussed with my contact and I—”

“I’m sorry. But tell them that’s the deal. We meet somewhere public or we disappear again. And tell them I’m not bluffing. We’ve disappeared before and can do it again.”

Poppy frowns. “I need to make a call.” Poppy pulls out her phone, hesitates. “Where do you want to do it?”

“Somewhere public. Crowded with people.”

Poppy frowns again. Leavenworth isn’t exactly a bustling metropolis. “Give me a minute.”

Poppy heads outside, calls Agent Fincher.

“Hey,” the agent says. “You have the packages?”

The packages? Poppy doesn’t like stupid Federal agent–speak. “Yeah, but there’s a change of plan.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’ll only meet somewhere public.”

“That wasn’t the deal.”

“Well, he says he’s not coming unless it’s somewhere public. I believe him.”

There’s an audible sigh. “Where?” she asks, finally.

Poppy considers this. Where is somewhere public, somewhere crowded that he’ll feel safe?

“The carousel museum,” she blurts, remembering the place was always crowded when her parents would take her there as a kid.

“The what?”

“The carousel museum,” she repeats. It’s the best Poppy can come up with on the fly. And it’s just up the road from the Econo Lodge. “Google it. It’s not like there’s more than one carousel museum in Leavenworth.”

“Or anywhere, for that matter,” the agent says with the condescension of a big-city person.

“One more thing,” Poppy says.

“Seriously?”

“He’s coming alone.”

“No. We need them both,” Fincher says. “You need to convince him to bring Sophia.”

Poppy sighs. “Not gonna happen.” She wonders how the agent knows Alison is going by the name Sophia, but Fincher has always had a leg up on intel.

“For fuck’s sake, what the—”

“Look, he’s got a right to be paranoid. Let’s just get him comfortable, then we can get this squared. You want O’Leary, don’t you?”

Fincher doesn’t answer.

“Where are you taking the daughter?” Fincher says eventually.

Poppy hasn’t a clue. “I’m not sure. I’ll figure out somewhere safe. I’ll keep them close until you all finish, then we can all meet at the motel once he’s comfortable.”

Poppy waits for confirmation, but the agent has hung up on her.

Nice.