Page 16 of Max's Mission

Once he had the windows clear enough he could see, he practically dove into the car.

Handing Margot the ice scraper, he rubbed his hands together for warmth, then buckled up. “Ready?”

She set the bit of plastic at her feet. “Yes.”

“Let’s go, then.” Putting the car in gear, he pulled out of his parking spot and they were on their way.

One quick stop at a coffee kiosk later for two small coffees, they turned into the sheriff’s department.

“Maybe we should have gotten the coffee after our meeting.” Margot set her cup in the cup holder. “I can’t drink all this now. It’s too hot. It’ll be cold when we come back out. Or should we take it in?”

“Let’s leave it here. Even cold, it’ll be better than the swill at the hotel.” He took one last sip of his coffee, then set it next to hers.

They headed inside, giving their names to the deputy manning the desk and telling him who they were there to see. He gave them visitor’s badges and led them down a hallway to a small conference room.

“Detective Sorenson will be in soon,” the deputy said. Backing out of the room, he closed the door.

Max pulled out a chair for Margot, then sat next to her. She folded her hands in her lap and stared out the window. A moment later, she crossed her legs and arms, only to uncross them and fold her hands in her lap again. Her knee bounced.

Hoping to still the thoughts he could practically hear racing through her mind, Max covered her hands. Immediately, she flipped one over and laced their fingers. The knee bouncing stopped.

They sat in silence for several minutes, the tick… tick… tick… of the clock on the wall the only sound. Five minutes after they sat down, the door opened again, and two men stepped in.

The smile of greeting on the first man’s face took on a slight curiousness as his gaze landed on Max. “Hello. I’m Detective Sorenson. This is Agent Gallagher from the FBI.”

Max’s gaze sharpened.

FBI?

He’d been right to come with Margot. It seemed her ex-husband’s case was more serious than they thought.

“Max Carson.” He stood and held out a hand. “I’m a friend of Margot’s.”

“Nice to meet you.” Sorenson shook his hand, then turned to Margot. “Mrs. Gaultier.”

“It’s Dr. Gaultier. And it’s nice to meet you too.” She rose halfway from her chair and shook his hand, then the agent’s, before sitting down.

Max nodded to the agent, then reclaimed his seat. He pinned a look on Detective Sorenson. “Unless Margot forgot to mention it, she didn’t say anything about meeting with a federal agent, in addition to you.”

“Professional courtesy. I decided to include him in this interview since the vehicle that led us to Dr. Gaultier was found on federal land. She didn’t mention she was bringing you along, either.” Sorenson took a seat and scooted closer to the table. He set down the file folder he carried and flipped it open as he looked at Margot. “First, I would like to say thank you for coming all this way. It’s not lost on us that you took an international flight for a man you’re no longer married to.”

“Thank you,” Margot said.

She’d folded her hands in her lap again and was alternating which one was on top. Max once more wrapped a hand over hers. Her fingers stilled beneath his, and she sent him a small smile.

“These are the items we found in the car that we’d like you to identify.” Sorenson spread several pictures over the table.

Margot leaned forward to get a closer look. So did Max.

In the first picture, a basic watch sat open inside an evidence bag on a table. What made it notable was the Texas A&M cloth watchband. The second picture was of a hat emblazoned with the name of a medical system. The third picture made Max’s heart stutter. It was a picture of Emily and Lily when they were about a year old.

“These are your daughters, yes?” Sorenson tapped the picture of the twins.

Margot rolled her lips inward, pressing them together so tightly the skin around them turned white. She clutched Max’s fingers and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.

“And what about the items in the other pictures? Do you recognize anything there?”

Again, she nodded. “He got that watch when we were in residency. Same with the hat. That’s the hospital we worked at.”

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