Irrevocable Trust (Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller Book 6) Read Online Free

to call me. ”
    “ And you think Bennett is Anna Bricker? ”
    “ I do. Same initials — which is standard operating procedure for WITSEC. They want to make it easy for the witnesses to remember their new names. Also, this woman moved to Sunnyvale in January 2013, according to the officer. And she has six kids. No husband. ”
    Leo pulled a face. “ That ’ s still pretty thin, Hank. ”
    “ Maybe. But this kid got my card somewhere, and I don ’ t make a habit of handing it out. But I did give it to Anna ’ s oldest boy, Clay, before we left them at the center. ”
    “ You did? ”
    “ I told him that he was the man of the family now. I said his mom would have a number to call at WITSEC if she ever felt that they were in danger, but he should feel free to call me if anything ever happened to her. ”
    Leo ’ s heart sank. “ The kid ’ s the right age? ”
    “ Officer Fornier said he ’ s sixteen and a half. That ’ s the right age. And his name ’ s Cole. Same initial. ”
    “ Coincidences happen, ” he said even though he didn ’ t believe it.
    “ They do, ” Hank agreed. He drained his glass. “ But we both know this is no coincidence. And Fornier said the beating was brutal, like it was personal. ”
    There was no doubt Bricker was capable of it. This was a man who ’ d shot a sheriff ’ s deputy in the face. A man who hired armed bandits to storm a wedding. A man who ’ d carried the deadliest virus on the planet around in a vial in his duffel bag. A little bludgeoning, face-bashing, and mayhem were right up his alley.
    “ So what now? ”
    “ I ’ m going to go down there and sit on those kids. ”
    “ What? ”
    Hank spoke slowly. “ In more than forty years, no one has ever successfully tracked down a witness in WITSEC. It simply doesn ’ t happen. They pride themselves on that — a witness who enters the program and follows the rules is perfectly safe. For life. Well, that perfect record ’ s just been shattered into a million pieces, and it ’ s enough to make a cynic wonder if Bricker had inside help. ”
    “ You ’ re not serious. ”
    Hank spread his big palms wide. “ Is it really so crazy? ”
    Leo didn ’ t know how to answer that. On the one hand, yes , it was insane to think that a WITSEC inspector would dime out the very people he was sworn to protect. On the other hand, how else could Bricker have gotten to his wife?
    He dodged the question. “ What does WITSEC say? ”
    “ I haven ’ t spoken to anyone at WITSEC yet. As far as I know, they don ’ t even know she ’ s dead yet. ”
    “ What? ” Leo yelped.
    Hank glared at him, and he lowered his voice. “ Sorry. What? ”
    “ Well, standard operating procedure would be for the inspector who placed them to get a call from either the family or local law enforcement — if they even know who she was. Some of these marshals can be pretty sloppy about the details — it ’ s not unheard of for them to fail to notify the locals when they relocate a witness, especially one like Anna Bricker, who wasn ’ t a criminal herself. The kid didn ’ t call WITSEC, and I highly doubt Fornier did. ”
    “ Based on what? ”
    “ Based on the fact that he spoke to me. WITSEC would have told him not to. ”
    Leo nodded. He had a point there. WITSEC, with its great love for secrecy, never would have let some local cop call up Hank and discuss the murder of a witness. ”
    “ Okay, well, why haven ’ t you called them? Isn ’ t it also SOP to move the kids once a threat ’ s been identified? ”
    Leo was stunned that Hank was playing so loose with the rules. Sure, that ’ s what they did, but these were kids.
    “ I don ’ t know whether that procedure would apply. Those kids weren ’ t witnesses. They were only in the program because their mom testified. She ’ s gone. Six minors? What ’ s their legal status? Who ’ s supposed to take over as guardian? Some WITSEC inspector back in D.C.? It ’ s going to be a