Paying The Piper Read Online Free PDF

side looked rosy, but the total came nowhere near the Piper’s figure. “We’ll come up with it.”
    “How, Scott?” She pulled away from him. “How?”
    He sat her down on the edge of the bed and knelt before her. “We’ll mortgage the house.”
    “It’s already mortgaged.”
    “We’ll sell it, then.”
    “Be serious, Scott. Even if someone bought our house tomorrow, it’s not worth two million.”
    He looked her directly in the eyes. “I’ll raise the money. I don’t know how, but I will. If I have to sell everything I own and live in a box for the rest of my life, I’ll do it to get Sammy back.”
    Jane pulled him to her, kissed him, then hugged him. “I love you so much.”
    Scott had desperately needed to hear this. Sheils could promise the might of the entire FBI, but it didn’t compare to his wife’s support. He hugged her tight to prevent her from slipping away.
    “Can they do it? Can they get Sammy back?”
    Scott pulled back from her. Her desperate need for reassurance was etched into her face. As much as Scott recognized this and wanted the same, he couldn’t lie. He hoped that was enough for her.
    “I don’t know. I have to believe Sheils and his peoplecan get Sammy back.”
    “Believe? That’s not enough, Scott. They’ve never even come close to catching this bastard. He killed the last child. I don’t know if these people can save Sammy.”
    What Jane said scared him. He feared for his son’s life, but he had hope. If they complied with the Piper’s demands, Sammy would be returned to them. The only danger came from an FBI screwup. He couldn’t let that happen.
    “What are you saying?” Scott asked.
    “We can’t rely on the FBI. We have to get involved.”
    “No, we can’t do that. It’s too dangerous.”
    “So we’ll sit back and do nothing, is that what you’re saying?” Jane’s voice had risen. He shushed her in case someone overheard.
    “No, I’m not. The Piper has targeted us because of me. I’ll do everything possible to get Sammy back.”
    Jane latched onto his words and fixed him with a burning stare. “Do you promise that? Do you promise to bring him home?”
    “I promise,” Scott said. “It’ll happen. Whatever it takes, I will make it happen. There’s nothing I won’t do.”

CHAPTER SIX
    B y one a.m., calm haddescended over the Fleetwood house. The Fleetwoods were in bed. Sheils, Brannon, Guerra, and Dunham sat around the dining table.
    “Thoughts and impressions?” Sheils asked.
    “The Piper is back with a bang,” Dunham said.
    Sheils concurred with this point, but something still itched where it shouldn’t have. Why the eight-year gap between kidnappings, and why target Scott Fleetwood?
    “Scott bothers you, doesn’t he?” Brannon said to Sheils.
    “Yes,” he admitted. “I don’t like that the Piper broke with tradition by singling him out.”
    “But it makes sense,” Brannon said. “The guy screwed up the Piper’s last kidnapping. Killing Nicholas Rooker made the Piper one of America’s Ten Most Wanted. Kidnapping Scott’s son seems like a fair trade.”
    “Do you think Scott is involved with the Piper?” Dunham asked.
    “I can’t rule it out. Scott played things to his own ends before. Why not now?”
    “Because his kid is at risk,” Guerra said.
    “Not if this is a setup,” Sheils said.
    “If you’re right, then Scott is a first-classprick,” Dunham said.
    “I’ve thought that for eight years,” Sheils said.
    Jane cleared her throat, startling the assembled agents. Sheils had no idea how long she’d been standing in the doorway. Embarrassment swept across them all. She smiled wanly, but there was no doubting the fatigue in her pale face.
    “Could I speak to you for a minute?” she asked Sheils.
    “Of course, Mrs. Fleetwood,” Sheils said.
    Sheils guided her into the kitchen and closed the door. She pulled out two chairs and they sat. “Call me Jane,” she said. “Okay, what can I help you with,